The Rolex Submariner is the watch most people picture when they hear the word Rolex, and it is the reference we are asked about more than any other. If you are looking to buy a Rolex Submariner, this is the guide. That familiarity cuts both ways. Everyone knows roughly what a Submariner looks like; far fewer people know the difference between a 124060 and a 126610LN, why a 1967 5513 costs more than a new one, or what "Bluesy" and "Starbucks" actually refer to. This guide is written for a buyer who is ready to choose one and wants to get the reference right first time.
What the Submariner is, in one paragraph
Rolex introduced the Submariner in 1953 as a professional diver's watch: a rotating bezel to time a dive, a screw-down crown and a rated depth that started at 100 metres and now stands at 300 metres. The design has changed remarkably little in seventy years. What has changed is the detail — case size, bezel material, movement, bracelet clasp — and it is that detail which separates one Submariner from another on the pre-owned market.
Date or No Date: the first decision
Every current Submariner falls into one of two families, and the choice between them says more about the buyer than any other.
Submariner No Date (124060)
The purist's Submariner. A black dial, a black Cerachrom bezel, no date window and no Cyclops lens on the crystal, so the dial is perfectly symmetrical. Inside is calibre 3230 with a 70-hour power reserve. It is the closest thing Rolex makes to the original 1950s idea of the watch, and on the pre-owned market it is consistently the most accessible way into a current-generation Submariner. Oakbury usually has the Submariner No Date 124060 available across several years of production.
Submariner Date (126610LN)
The same 41mm case and the same bezel, with a date at three o'clock under the Cyclops and calibre 3235 inside. This is the volume seller and the reference most people mean when they say "black Submariner". Because so many were made, the pre-owned market for the Submariner Date 126610LN is deep, and you can be selective about year, condition and whether the full set is present.
Our honest advice: if you have never worn a watch with a date and are unsure whether you will use it, handle both. The No Date is cleaner to look at; the Date is more practical to live with. Neither is the wrong answer.
Colour: black, green or blue
Once you have settled the date question, colour is the next fork.
Rolex Submariner black. The 124060 and 126610LN above. The default, and for good reason — it goes with everything and never dates.
Rolex Submariner green. The 126610LV, nicknamed the "Starbucks" for its green bezel over a black dial. It replaced the all-green "Hulk" in 2020 and is a steel watch, so it sits close to the black reference in price rather than in precious-metal territory. See the current Submariner Date 126610LV listing.
Rolex Submariner blue. Blue on a Submariner always means gold is involved. The 126613LB "Bluesy" is steel and yellow gold (Rolesor); the 126618LB is solid yellow gold; and the 126619LB "Blueberry" is white gold with a blue bezel and black dial. Oakbury lists the Submariner Date 126613LB as a sourceable reference and, when in stock, the 126619LB as an individual piece.
Current generation versus the one before
In 2020 Rolex moved the Submariner from a 40mm case to 41mm, slimmed the lugs, widened the bracelet slightly and fitted the 32-series movements with their 70-hour reserve. The previous generation — the 114060 No Date, 116610LN Date, 116610LV "Hulk" and 116613LB — is a 40mm watch on the older 3130 and 3135 calibres with a 48-hour reserve.
Which is better is a matter of wrist and taste. Plenty of buyers prefer the 40mm proportions and the slightly chunkier lugs of the older case, and the previous-generation watches are often a little more accessible on price. Oakbury periodically has pieces such as the Submariner Date 116613LB from 2019, which is the last year of the 40mm two-tone Bluesy.
Vintage Submariners: 5513, 1680 and 16800
A vintage Rolex Submariner is a different purchase from a modern one, and the buyer needs to be a different kind of buyer — one who values patina, originality and story over a 70-hour reserve and a five-year warranty.
The three references you will meet most often:
5513 — the long-running No Date, made from 1962 until the late 1980s, with an acrylic crystal and, on earlier examples, a gilt or matte dial. Oakbury currently has a 1967 Submariner 5513 in stock, supplied with its box and papers.
1680 — the first Submariner Date, introduced at the end of the 1960s, with the Cyclops and red or white "Submariner" text depending on the year. Oakbury lists a 1979 Submariner Date 1680.
1680/0 — the transitional reference from the late 1970s that brought a sapphire crystal, a 300-metre rating and a quickset date to the Submariner while keeping the older look. See the 1978 Submariner Date 16800.
With vintage, originality is everything. Replaced hands, a service dial or a later bezel insert are not faults in themselves — Rolex fitted them during routine servicing for decades — but they change what the watch is and what it should cost. Ask, and expect a straight answer.
How much is a Rolex Submariner?
Rolex Submariner price is the second most searched question about the watch after the name itself, and we do not print exact prices in articles because they go stale within a quarter and then sit there being wrong. As a guide, a current-generation steel Submariner on the pre-owned market sits in the low-to-mid five figures, with the No Date at the lower end and the green 126610LV a step above the black Date. The two-tone Bluesy sits above the steel watches; solid-gold and white-gold references are a further step again, typically in the high twenties and above. Good vintage examples of the 1680 and 16800 often overlap with the modern steel watches; a 5513 with the right dial can exceed them. The live listing always carries the exact figure, and it is the only number to rely on.
Does a Rolex Submariner hold its value?
We are asked this constantly, and the honest answer is that we sell watches, not financial products, so we will not frame one as the other. What we can say as a market observation is that demand for steel Submariners has been consistent for as long as any of us have been in the trade, and that a well-kept example with its box and papers is generally straightforward to sell or part-exchange later. Buy the Submariner you want to wear. If you would not wear it, the rest is irrelevant.
What to check before you buy a Submariner
Reference and serial. The reference is engraved between the lugs at twelve o'clock; the serial is at six o'clock on older watches and on the rehaut (the inner bezel ring) on modern ones. Both should match the papers.
Box and papers. A full set commands a premium and makes resale simpler. A watch without papers is not a red flag on its own, but the seller should be able to explain the history.
Service history. A modern Submariner needs a service roughly every ten years. Ask when it was last done and by whom.
Bracelet stretch and clasp. On older watches, hold the bracelet horizontally and see how far it sags. On modern ones, check the Glidelock clasp adjusts cleanly.
Bezel action. A Submariner bezel turns anticlockwise only, with 120 distinct clicks. Sloppy action suggests a tired click spring or a poor aftermarket insert.
Who you are buying from. Every watch Oakbury sells goes through the Oakbury Assurance process: the customer is verified, the watch is inspected by a qualified watchmaker, and the transaction is reviewed by senior management before it completes.
How to wind a Rolex Submariner
A small practical note, because it is one of the most searched Submariner questions. Unscrew the crown anticlockwise until it springs out to the first position, then wind it clockwise around thirty to forty turns to charge the mainspring from flat. The Submariner is automatic, so daily wear keeps it running after that. On the Date model, pull the crown out one further position to set the date, and a further position again to set the time. Always screw the crown back down before the watch goes near water.
Where to buy a Rolex Submariner
The full range of Submariners we have in stock or can source is on the Rolex collection page. Every watch is checked, serviced where required and photographed before it is listed. If you have a Submariner or another watch to put towards the purchase, our sell or part-exchange service gives you a considered offer with no public listing and no pressure. And if the exact reference, year or dial you want is not on the site, watch sourcing is what our private network is for.
Oakbury's four boutiques — Lichfield, London, Brighton and Liverpool — are by appointment, so contact us and we will arrange a time to put the references side by side on your wrist. That is the only way the Date-or-No-Date question ever really gets answered.
Looking at other Rolex sports models too? Our Rolex Daytona buying guide covers the chronograph, and our Omega Speedmaster buying guide is the obvious alternative from outside Rolex.