Reference:16800

The 16800 is the transitional Submariner Date — the watch that carried the line from its vintage roots into the modern era. Introduced around 1979 as the successor to the 1680, it arrived with three fundamental changes that would define the modern Submariner: a sapphire crystal (the first ever fitted to a Submariner), a 300-meter depth rating (up from 200m), and a quick-set date via the caliber 3035 movement. Production ran until approximately 1988, when the 16610 took over for a 23-year reign. Between those two sat the transitional 168000 “Triple Zero.”

The sapphire crystal is the single most important technical landmark of this reference. Every Submariner before the 16800 — the 1680, the 5513, the 6538 — wore an acrylic crystal. The 16800 broke that continuity and established the standard that all subsequent Submariners would follow. That line was never crossed back.

Core facts

detail	value
production	approximately 1979 to 1988
family	Submariner Date
crystal	sapphire — first on any Submariner (landmark specification change)
water resistance	300m / 1000ft (up from 200m on the 1680)
case	40mm Oyster with crown guards
crown	Triplock
movement	caliber 3035 with quick-set date and hacking (main production; some early examples carry 1575)
bracelet	93150 with 593 end links (the 501B end links belong to the 168000, not the 16800)
dial	matte (early, tritium) transitioning to gloss (later)
lume	tritium throughout

Where it sits in the line

The 16800 sits between the vintage world and the modern one. Before it, the 1680 used an acrylic crystal, a 200m rating, and a caliber without quick-set date. After it, the 16610 settled on caliber 3135 and ran for 23 years. The 16800 is where the Submariner Date became a modern diving watch in its technical specification, even if the external design barely changed.

The lineage through this period:

1680 (1966–1979): acrylic crystal, 200m, caliber 1575/1570
16800 (1979–1988): sapphire crystal, 300m, caliber 3035 ← this reference
168000 “Triple Zero” (1986–1987, transitional): first 904L steel, 501B end links
16610 (1989–2010): caliber 3135, fully modern

The two-tone and gold siblings — 16803 and 16808 — share the same case architecture and movement but are separate references.

Production outline

The 16800 run spans approximately eight to nine years, 1979 to 1988. The most important internal split is the movement.

Early: caliber 1575

The first 16800 examples carried the caliber 1575, the same movement used in the 1680. These watches have a sapphire crystal and 300m rating but lack the quick-set date function — the date advances only by running the hands past midnight. An early 16800 looks thoroughly modern on the outside but operates like a vintage Submariner inside. That paradox gives these examples their own character.

Later: caliber 3035

Later examples switched to caliber 3035, which brought quick-set date (advancing the date independently by pulling the crown to the first position) and hacking seconds. This is the most practical difference between early and late examples, and the 3035 is the movement most buyers will encounter. The exact serial range of the changeover is not firmly established.

End of run: transition to 168000 and 16610

Around 1986–1987, production of the brief 168000 “Triple Zero” overlapped with the late 16800. The 168000 ran for approximately 7–9 months and is distinguished by its switch to 904L stainless steel (vs. 316L on the 16800) and its 501B end links (vs. 593 on the 16800). Some sources treat the 168000 as a late 16800 variant; others document it as a distinct reference. Either way, its production preceded the 16610.

A timing note: this article and most sources cite the 168000 production window as 1986–1987. Forum research narrows this further, placing production specifically in 1987 — a run of approximately seven months within a single calendar year. The difference matters for dating: if the forum account is correct, any 168000 should correspond to a 1987 serial band.

The 168000 “Triple Zero”: a collectible sub-variant

The 168000 sits in one of the most compressed production windows in Submariner history — approximately seven to nine months in 1986–1987 — and this scarcity makes it a focal point for serious collectors of the transitional era.

The name “Triple Zero” derives from the three consecutive zeros in the reference number itself: 168000. But the collectibility runs deeper than numerology:

First 904L steel Submariner: the switch from 316L to 904L stainless steel happened here. All subsequent steel Rolex sport watches — including every 16610 and 116610 — use 904L. The 168000 is where that transition began.
End-link marker: bracelet 93150 with 501B end links distinguishes every 168000 from every 16800. This is the key authentication checkpoint when the reference number itself is not visible.
Shortest-run Submariner of the modern era: approximately seven to nine months of production is among the briefest of any mainstream Submariner reference. Volume is believed to be very low, though no confirmed production numbers exist.

The 168000 used caliber 3035, same as the late 16800. The 16610 that followed upgraded to caliber 3135.

Movement notes

The movement split is the defining internal variation of the 16800.

caliber 1575: carried over from the 1680, no quick-set date, no hacking, 19800 bph. These early pieces are the rarer configuration.
caliber 3035: new movement for this era, quick-set date, hacking seconds, 28800 bph. This is the caliber most 16800 buyers will encounter.

The 3035 also appears in the Datejust 16000 series and other references of the period. It was a workhorse Rolex date caliber and ran in the 16800, 16803, and 16808 before being replaced by the 3135 in the next generation.

Cal. 3035 known maintenance issue

Forum collectors report a recurring maintenance concern with the caliber 3035: the automatic winding weight axle and its top jewel require careful lubrication. When lubrication dries or degrades — common in watches that have gone many years between services — the rotor can develop excessive play or binding. This is not a design flaw, but it is a known service point that watchmakers familiar with the 3035 monitor. Buyers evaluating unserviced 16800 examples should factor in the likelihood that the auto weight assembly will need attention.

Dial map

The 16800 dial evolved during its production run:

Early production: matte dial with tritium, carrying forward the aesthetic of the late 1680. Matte-dial examples — particularly on early 1575 watches — are the more collectible configuration. Collectors who value transitional references seek these specifically.
Later production: gloss dial with white-gold applied surrounds. This became the standard presentation and the look that carried forward into the 16610.

The matte-to-gloss transition happened during the 16800 run. Forum collectors identify the changeover zone at approximately serial 8.4M to 8.6M, where both matte and gloss dials appear — watches below 8.4M are predominantly matte, and watches above 8.6M are predominantly gloss. These boundaries are collector-derived approximations, not factory records.

RSC matte-to-gloss dial replacement warning. Forum collectors report that the Rolex Service Center has been replacing matte dials with gloss dials for approximately two decades. This is a significant buyer concern: a 16800 wearing a gloss dial in the matte serial range (below approximately 8.4M) may have had its original matte dial swapped during an authorized Rolex service. The matte dial is the more collectible configuration, and its replacement with gloss materially reduces the watch’s collector value. When evaluating early-serial 16800 examples, verify dial type against serial number and look for other signs of RSC service history.

Spider dials

Spider dials are a documented phenomenon on the 16800, appearing on mid-to-late 1980s production. The effect presents as faint cracks in the gloss black dial finish — visible at certain angles in bright light — that resemble a spider web pattern across the dial surface. The cause traces to a slight issue with the lacquer Rolex used to create dial surfaces during the transition from matte to gloss dials with applied white gold hour markers. The crazing affects only the black background layer; white text and the applied markers remain undamaged. Not every gloss-dial 16800 develops spider cracking, and the degree varies from barely perceptible to dramatically visible. Collectors treat spider dials as a desirable characteristic — evidence of original, unrestored dials from a specific production window.

Tropical dials

Tropical dials occur when the original black dial finish shifts to brown over decades of environmental exposure. Prolonged sunlight, heat, and mild humidity are the primary drivers. Minor imperfections in the dial’s surface finish react to these factors, and the black pigment gradually warms to chocolate, tobacco, or cognac tones. No two tropical dials age identically — the final color depends entirely on the individual watch’s wear patterns and the conditions it lived through. Tropical 16800 examples are uncommon enough to command premiums when they appear, particularly when the color shift is even across the dial. As with spider dials, the tropical effect is valued as proof that the dial has never been refinished or replaced.

General dial notes

Lume is tritium throughout. Dial markings show T SWISS T or T<25 depending on production date. Hands on this reference commonly age to a different color than the dial lume plots — a characteristic tritium-era aging pattern.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The case is the same 40mm crown-guard Oyster used on the 1680, but the crystal change is the defining break with the past. The sapphire crystal is flat and substantially harder than the old domed acrylic. It does not develop the warm dome distortion that vintage collectors prize on the 5513 or 1680, but it also does not scratch under normal wear. The transition from acrylic to sapphire on the 16800 drew a line between the vintage and modern Submariner eras. Rolex never retreated from it.

The bezel uses an aluminum insert, black with a pearl (lume pip) at 12 o’clock. This insert style continued through the 16610 era. The depth rating is engraved 300m / 1000ft on the rehaut or printed on the dial depending on production date.

The Triplock crown is standard.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

The 16800 was fitted with the 93150 Oyster bracelet with 593 end links. This is the critical authentication detail when distinguishing the 16800 from the 168000: the 501B end links that sometimes appear in 16800 listings belong to the 168000 “Triple Zero.” Any 16800 offered with 501B end links either has a replaced bracelet or is misidentified.

Clasps on the 93150 carry date codes that help date the bracelet, not the watch head. A later clasp does not change the production date of the watch.

Packaging follows the same period-based logic as other references of the era. Specific box assignments for the 16800 are not firmly established in this corpus.

Special branches

No major special branches are documented for the 16800. It does not have the military, explorer-dial, or COMEX branches that make the 5513 and 1680 more complex. Institutional or retailer-stamped examples may exist but are not covered here.

Historical market and auction record

The 16800 occupies a specific market position. It is too modern to carry the full vintage premium of a 1680 or 5513, but its short production run and landmark specifications — the first sapphire crystal, the move to 300m — give it real collector credibility. Early matte-dial examples on caliber 1575 attract the most attention from transitional-era specialists.

The 168000 “Triple Zero” sub-variant, when it appears as such, commands a premium above the standard 16800 based on its extreme brevity of production and its role as the first 904L Submariner.

Specific lot-level auction data with hammer prices is not captured in this corpus. This is a gap that should be filled with targeted auction research.

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
The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Chevalier Edition — Morning Tundra, unknown
The Complete Vintage Rolex Buyers Guide — Philipp Stahl, Rolex Passion Market
RolexForums 16800 thread bundle — RolexForums community, RolexForums