Reference:14060
Submariner → 14060
The 14060 is the first modern no-date Submariner and the direct successor to the long-running 5513. It arrived around 1990, closing a thirty-year chapter that stretched back to the original no-date tool watch tradition. Where the 5513 stayed with acrylic crystal and 200m water resistance through its entire life, the 14060 stepped into the sapphire-crystal, 300m, Triplock era from day one. It held that position until around 2000, when the 14060M took over with an upgraded caliber.
A clear lineage runs through the no-date branch: 5513 → 14060 → 14060M → 114060. Each step adds specification without abandoning the core identity — no date, aluminum bezel, tool-watch intent.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 14060 |
| family | Submariner (no date) |
| production | approximately 1990 to 2000 (14060); 14060M from approximately 1999 to 2012 |
| movement | caliber 3000, non-COSC, 28,800 vph, flat hairspring (see movement notes for discrepancy) |
| case | 40mm, 904L steel, Oyster, drilled lug holes |
| crystal | sapphire, flat, no Cyclops |
| water resistance | 300m / 1000ft |
| crown | Triplock screw-down |
| bezel | unidirectional 60-click, aluminum insert, black |
| bracelet | Oyster ref.93150, 501B end links, stamped hollow Fliplock clasp |
| dial | 2-line (“Submariner” + depth rating), white gold applied markers |
| lume | tritium (early), Luminova (late, ~1998–1999) |
| rehaut | plain, no engraving |
| case back | solid steel, fluted |
| predecessor | 5513 |
| successor | 14060M |
No-date lineage and historical position
The 14060 is the transitional reference in the no-date Submariner lineage. Its predecessor, the 5513, ran from 1962 to approximately 1990 — one of the longest production runs of any reference in the Submariner family. No sapphire crystal, no 300m rating, and its later production overlapped with the earliest transitional Rolex sport models.
The 14060 resolved all of that at once. Sapphire crystal replaced acrylic, the 300m rating (a 50% increase over the 5513’s 200m) replaced the older specification, and the Triplock crown replaced the earlier types. But the no-date, non-chronometer identity carried straight through. The dial remained clean — two lines of text, no date window, no COSC certification language. That restraint is the connecting thread from the 5513 through the 14060 and into the later 14060M 2-liner.
Collectors who trace the clean no-date Submariner lineage start with the 5513 and run through the 14060. The 14060M 2-liner extends it; the 114060 continues it. The 14060 is the bridge — it retains classic aesthetics while incorporating contemporary movements and materials, sitting squarely between the vintage and modern eras of the no-date Submariner.
Production outline
The 14060 run is short and uniform compared to the multi-era 5513. No dramatic dial families, no variant branches, no military contracts. A 1991 example looks much the same as a 1999 example, with one visible exception.
Production date discrepancy
Most independent sources place 14060 production at roughly 1990 to 2000. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual gives a wider range that overlaps with the 14060M era, likely reflecting factory parts or internal production records rather than retail availability. The 1990 to 2000 window from the independent collector sources is the working estimate here.
Tritium period
Most of the run used tritium lume. These dials carry T < 25 near 6 o’clock and read T SWISS MADE T at the bottom. Tritium-dialed 14060 examples are the majority and age distinctively — the lume darkens with time, giving the markers a warm patina that tritium collectors prefer. That aging is one of the most appealing characteristics of the reference.
Luminova period
Around 1998–1999, Rolex switched the 14060 to Luminova lume. Late dials drop the tritium markings and read SWISS MADE at the bottom. Luminova stays brighter longer but loses the warm patina that comes with tritium degradation. Different appeal entirely.
The serial bands for this changeover are collector-documented rather than Rolex-confirmed, but the observed pattern is fairly consistent. Tritium dials run from the X series through early P series (roughly 1991–1999). A short transitional run known on Rolex Forum as “Swiss Only” appears in the U to A serials (roughly 1997–1999), reading SWISS at 6 o’clock without the T prefix of tritium dials or the full SWISS MADE of settled Luminova production. Luminova dials take over from approximately the A series onward (around 1999), with SWISS MADE at 6 o’clock.
Rolex Forum members have documented 14060 dials that carry T < 25 tritium text but were actually filled with Luminova at the factory. These watches are identifiable because the lume still glows brightly when charged — genuine tritium of this age would show minimal glow. The mismatch indicates that Rolex began using Luminova material before updating the printed dial text, creating a brief window where the dial marking does not match the actual lume compound applied.
These are collector approximations. Rolex assembled from stock, so individual watches near the transition may vary — a P-serial 14060 might carry tritium, and an A-serial might carry Luminova. The difference is visible on the dial foot text and is the main identification point for early versus late 14060 examples.
Movement notes
Sources split on the 14060 movement. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists caliber 3030. Most other collector sources list caliber 3000. The working position here is 3000, because that is the dominant reading in the published collector literature.
The practical collector point is simpler than the source fight. The 14060 is the non-COSC, two-line watch that comes before the 14060M. If the caliber matters on a specific watch, open the caseback and read the bridge engraving directly.
An early 3030 branch is plausible, but not mapped well enough to treat as settled. The cleaner line is the one that follows. The 14060M moved to caliber 3130 and later to the four-line COSC dial. The 14060 kept the simpler two-line format throughout.
Dial map
The 14060 dial is glossy black with applied white gold surround markers and Mercedes hands with luminous fill. Depth rating reads 300m / 1000ft.
No major dial families or variant branches exist; the single meaningful split is lume type. Tritium dials carry T < 25 markings and T SWISS MADE T at 6 o’clock and cover the majority of the run, though some late examples were factory-filled with Luminova behind tritium printing. The “Swiss Only” transitional dials read SWISS at 6 o’clock without the T prefix, cover the U and A serial range of roughly 1997 to 1999, and are documented as a named variant on Rolex Forum. Luminova dials read SWISS MADE at 6 o’clock with no tritium marking and cover late production from approximately 1999 onward.
The layout is 2-line: SUBMARINER above the depth line and OYSTER PERPETUAL below the coronet. No SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER text, because the watch is not COSC-certified. This is the clearest visual difference from the later 14060M 4-liner, which added chronometer text from mid-2007, and it aligns the 14060 visually with the 5513 tradition of an uncluttered tool-watch face.
That two-line layout is the last expression of the uncluttered no-date Submariner dial before the 14060M added COSC text in 2007.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
The case is 40mm 904L stainless steel in the classic Oyster architecture with crown guards: the final pre-Super Case design, slender and sweeping enough to read closer to the vintage five-digit references than to anything that came after. Drilled lug holes run through the entire 14060 production, making this the last Submariner to carry them; collectors value the detail because it allows strap changes with a simple pin pusher rather than the specialized tools the 114060 would require. The lugs are slimmer than the 114060 Maxi case, which keeps the 14060 visually tied to its vintage predecessors. The case back is solid steel with fluted edges.
The bezel is unidirectional rotating with 60 clicks and a black aluminum insert — the same insert family used across the 5513, 16800, and 16610. Aluminum is susceptible to fading and patina from seawater exposure and UV light. It scratches and fades over time, a characteristic that ceramic bezels cannot replicate and that many collectors consider an honest marker of genuine use.
The crystal is flat sapphire, without a Cyclops magnifier. Sapphire is the defining upgrade over the 5513, which kept acrylic through its entire run. The absence of a date window and its lens leaves the face clean.
The crown is Triplock screw-down with three sealed zones for 300m water resistance. It carries the Rolex coronet and three dots below, distinguishing it from the earlier Twinlock crown used on the 5513 late production.
The rehaut is plain and unengraved, consistent with all Rolex sport models before the mid-2000s engraved-rehaut rollout.
Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes
The 14060 ships on bracelet ref.93150, an Oyster with 501B end links and a stamped hollow Fliplock clasp with diver extension. The 93150 uses hollow center links and hollow end links throughout the 14060 production run, distinguishing it from the later 93250 with solid center links and solid end links (SEL) that appeared on the 14060M.
This is the same bracelet reference used on late 5513 examples and on the 16610 of the same era. Lighter and slightly rattly compared to the later solid-link bracelets, that characteristic rattle is part of the five-digit era identity and is expected on honest examples. A quiet, tight-feeling 93150 is a warning sign of a replaced bracelet.
Exact clasp code variations across the run are not mapped in the current evidence set. The same caution applies universally: a clasp stamp dates the clasp, not the watch head.
Special branches
No major special branches exist for the 14060. The reference shipped as a straightforward commercial Submariner with no military contract or retailer-specific variants, so collector interest runs on condition, lume type, and completeness rather than variant hunting. The tritium, “Swiss Only”, and Luminova lume progression is the only meaningful production split.
Historical market and auction record
The 14060 sits in an accessible part of the Submariner market, too recent for strong vintage premiums and too old for the ceramic-bezel appeal of current production. Its draw is the clean two-line dial and the direct-succession line from the 5513.
Tritium examples tend to carry a modest premium over Luminova examples because of the warmer lume patina and the connection to the older tritium tradition that ran through the 5513 and 16800 eras. Complete examples with original bracelet and papers are preferred; the 14060 is recent enough that box-and-papers originality is a reasonable expectation.
Strong lot-level auction evidence for the 14060 is still thin.
Sources
- History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
- The Rolex Submariner: A Complete Collector's Guide — Stephen Pulvirent, Sotheby's
- Rolex Submariner 14060 Guide — unknown, Millenary Watches
- Rolex Submariner 14060 Listing — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
- Rolex Submariner Reference Guide — Professional Watches editorial, Professional Watches
- Rolex Submariner 14060M Review — Fratello Watches editorial, Fratello Watches
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Morning Tundra