Watch in the Box Episode 8 | Bob's Watches

It’s time for a new Watch in the Box! Episode 8 is out now! For episode 8 of our Watch in the Box video series, we take a closer look at the very first Rolex Submariner dive watch to feature a date complication: the reference 1680 "Red Submariner." First unveiled in 1969, early examples of the ref. 1680 Submariner (those produced until roughly 1975) included the “SUBMARINER” name in red letters on their matte black dials, hence the “Red Submariner” nickname that accompanies the watch today. The Submariner Date ref. 1680 was offered alongside its no-date counterpart, and to this day, Rolex offers both date and no-date versions of their iconic Submariner dive watch. Additionally, during the early years of the reference 1680 Submariner's production run, Rolex experimented with dial design, which has led collectors to categorize the different dials on 1680 Red Submariner watches from Mark 1 to Mark 7. Due to the addition of the date window on the dial, a Cyclops magnification lens was fitted to the surface of the crystal on the Submariner 1680. While most Rolex watches with date complications now feature magnification lenses on their crystals, the reference 1680 remains the only Submariner with a date to be fitted with an acrylic crystal. Many of the traits that were first introduced on the reference 1680 Red Submariner have become defining characteristics of Rolex's iconic line of dive watches, and while reference 1680 was not the very first Submariner reference ever relea