Reference:14060

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Submariner -> 14060

The 14060 is the first sapphire-era no-date Submariner — the bridge reference between the long 5513 (acrylic, 200m, no date) and the modern ceramic line. Production runs 1989 to 1999. Caliber 3000 carries 27 jewels and 28,800 vph with hacking seconds; there is no quickset because there is no date complication. The depth rating jumps from the 5513's 200m to 300m on a Triplock crown — the first 50% upgrade on the no-date Sub. Two-line dial throughout the run, all-black bezel only, black dial only. Tritium → Luminova → Super-LumiNova lume transitions across the production window. Replaced by the 14060M in 1999 with the chronometer-rated caliber 3130.

Rolex Submariner Ref. 14060
Rolex Submariner Ref. 14060

Core facts

detail value
reference 14060
family Submariner (no date)
production 1989 to 1999
case 40mm Oyster with crown guards, sapphire crystal, Triplock crown — first sapphire-era no-date Sub
water resistance 300m / 1000ft (up from the 5513's 200m / 660ft)
movement caliber 3000, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, ~48-hour reserve, hacking seconds. No quickset (no date complication on this reference). Non-chronometer
dial two-line throughout the run — "Submariner" + "300m=1000ft." Four-line OCC / SCOC text never appears on the 14060; that arrives only on the 14060M after 2007
bezel 24-hour bidirectional — all-black aluminium insert only
lume tritium "T<25" through approximately 1997 / 1998; Luminova "Swiss" through approximately 1999 (narrow transitional window includes "Swiss only" dials with no T<25 and no Swiss Made marking)
bracelet Oyster 93150 with 593 hollow end-links (early-to-mid run) → Oyster 78360 (later production); SEL service end-links 501B documented
successor 14060M (1999 onward, COSC-rated caliber 3130, M-suffix indicates chronometer)

No-date lineage and historical position

The 14060 closes the acrylic-crystal era of the no-date Submariner and opens the sapphire era. The 5513 (1962–1989, acrylic, 200m, caliber 1520) was the long predecessor; the 14060 takes the no-date positioning forward into the modern Sub case with sapphire crystal, Triplock crown, and the 300m depth upgrade. The 14060 is the first no-date Sub fitted with both sapphire and Triplock — a structural step change rather than a cosmetic refresh.

It is also the last Submariner without quickset before the 14060M's COSC certification arrived. The two-line dial throughout the run carries the simpler "Submariner / 300m=1000ft" wording without the "Officially Certified Chronometer" line that the 14060M's 3130 caliber would later earn. For a buyer who wants a sapphire-era Submariner with the simplest possible movement and dial, the 14060 sits in its own niche before the 14060M's chronometer regulation.

Production outline

Production ran from 1989 (replacing the 5513) through 1999 (replaced by the 14060M). The exact 1989 launch year is uncontroversial. Specialist coverage occasionally cites 1990; the 1989 reading is the dominant editorial position and lines up with the catalog transition.

Tritium period (1989 to approximately 1997 / 1998)

Mark 1 dial. "SWISS – T<25" text at the bottom. Tritium luminous compound. Plots age cream to warm beige to mustard depending on UV exposure. Datable late-tritium U-serial examples (1997) appear regularly at auction.

"Swiss only" transitional dial (approximately 1998)

A narrow transitional window produced dials with "SWISS" only at the bottom — no T<25, no SWISS MADE. Real factory output during the lume changeover; not a service replacement. The "Swiss only" dial sits between the tritium and Luminova generations and is the rarest 14060 dial type.

Luminova period (approximately 1998 to 1999)

Mark 2 dial. "SWISS MADE" text at the bottom. Luminova compound replacing tritium. Production runs into 1999 before the 14060M takes over with the chronometer-rated caliber 3130. Late P-serial Luminova examples (year 2000 in some cases) document the production tail.

Movement notes

Caliber 3000 — 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, approximately 48-hour reserve, hacking seconds, non-chronometer. The 3000 is the time-only sister to the 3035 and 3135 date Submariner calibers; without a date complication there is no quickset, which is the 14060's mechanical signature. The architecture carries forward into the 14060M's caliber 3130 with the chronometer regulation added but the no-date logic preserved.

The 14060 is deliberately non-COSC. The "M" suffix on the 14060M indicates "Modified" — the modification being the chronometer pass that the 14060 never had. Dial wording follows: the 14060 reads "Submariner / 300m=1000ft" only, while the 14060M would later add the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" two extra lines.

Dial map

Two-line standard layout throughout. No four-line OCC or SCOC variant — that wording arrives only on the 14060M after 2007.

  • Mark 1 (1989 – approximately 1997/98): "SWISS – T<25" tritium. Cream-to-warm-beige plot patina on aged examples.
  • Transitional "Swiss only" (approximately 1998): narrow handover with "SWISS" only at the bottom. Genuine factory output, rare.
  • Mark 2 (1998 – 1999): "SWISS MADE" Luminova. The dominant late-run configuration.

The dial wording remains "Submariner / 300m=1000ft" throughout. White-gold-surround applied indices on a glossy black lacquer ground. Mercedes hour and minute hands paired with a Mercedes second hand carrying a small luminous tip. Spider crack patterns on the glossy lacquer surface on a small subset of late-tritium and Luminova examples — a known formulation issue on the period dials.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The case is the standard 40mm Submariner Oyster with crown guards in 904L stainless steel. The sapphire crystal sits flat over the dial without a Cyclops magnifier — the date Submariner references carry the Cyclops; the no-date 14060 has no date window for it to magnify.

The Triplock screw-down crown is the structural upgrade from the 5513's older Twinlock — three sealing points instead of two, supporting the 300m water-resistance rating. The bezel is a 24-hour bidirectional aluminium insert in all-black only — the no-date Submariner has never carried a coloured bezel.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Period delivery configurations:

  • Oyster 93150 with 593 hollow end-links (early-to-mid run, 1989 through approximately mid-1990s). The same bracelet shipped on the 5513, 1680, 16800, and early 16610 — cross-family bracelet code.
  • Oyster 78360 (later production, late 1990s). Heavier-feeling Oyster with the same overall geometry as the 93150.
  • SEL service end-links 501B replace the older 593 hollow end-links on service-era refits — bracelet originality on a 14060 needs case-and-clasp-date verification rather than relying on the end-link stamp alone.

The clasp-date code is the cleanest single bracelet-originality test. Folding Oyster clasps with stamped year codes appear on most documented examples. A clasp dating later than the case head implies a swap or a service-era replacement.

Historical market and auction record

Rolex Submariner Ref. 14060
Rolex Submariner Ref. 14060
Sale Lot Year of watch Configuration
Sotheby's — c.1995 cal 3000 27j, folding Oyster clasp
Sotheby's "Class of 2019" — c.1997 two-line tritium, sold 2019
Sotheby's Watches 3 — c.2001 late-run example
Antiquorum Geneva 372/124 2024 two-line full set with box and warranty
Phillips — 2022 two-line tritium
Lot-Art / Catawiki — 2021 c.1994 mid-run example
Lot-Art / Catawiki — 1990–1999 "Swiss only" transitional dial — rare lume-window example

The 14060 trades primarily on the dealer market. Standard tritium examples cluster across the modest USD 6,000–10,000 band depending on dial-state originality, paperwork, and case condition. Late "Swiss only" transitional dials sit above the standard market when authenticated. Full-set examples with box, warranty, and matching clasp dates carry meaningful premiums — the box-and-papers spread is the main pricing driver.

Sources

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