{"id":3015,"date":"2015-06-26T14:16:44","date_gmt":"2015-06-26T18:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rubberb.com\/blog\/?p=3015"},"modified":"2023-11-21T16:39:51","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T21:39:51","slug":"the-number-one-rolex-for-diving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rubberb.com\/blog\/the-number-one-rolex-for-diving\/","title":{"rendered":"The Number One Rolex For Diving"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rolex<\/a>
Rolex For Diving – This is a 100 year history in water proof Rolex timepieces<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before there was a Rolex for diving<\/a> activities, Rolex was one of the first\u00a0 companies to develop the general waterproof case.\u00a0 There were many advances in watchmaking coming around the turn of the century.<\/p>\n

Inventions That Led to the Best Luxury Dive Watch<\/h2>\n

Franc\u0327ois Borgel, a Genevan watch designer filed two patents in 1891 and 1903 for his threaded case design.\u00a0 The threaded design used a technique of screwing the case back into a ringed case.\u00a0 This helped protect the case from both humidity and dust, without requiring an outer cover to protect it.<\/p>\n

Paul Perregaux and Georges Perret followed this up with a waterproof crown when they created the first screw down crown in 1925.\u00a0 Unfortunately the crown had some issues that remained.\u00a0 For example, the crown would still be engaged with the timepiece when the screw down process would take place, often throwing off the time.<\/p>\n

Hans Wilsdorf, founder and director of Rolex saw the combination of the threaded case and screw-down crown could combine to make the first waterproof watch.\u00a0 In 1922 he helped launch the Submarine which had an outer case which was watertight.\u00a0 However, it required to open the outer case to wind the watch and certainly made the watch significantly larger.<\/p>\n

However, when he saw the screw-down crown development, he quickly bought the patent rights from the inventors and applied for patents in the US, UK and Germany in 1926-1927.\u00a0 He improved on the design by relocating the seal to inside the crown tube itself.<\/p>\n

The Rolex case supplier, C.R. Spillman SA, also solved the winding crown issue by creating a crown that would engage with the stem of the inner timepiece only when fully pulled out.<\/p>\n

The resulting timepiece became known as the Rolex Oyster.\u00a0 In order to prove Rolex came up with the first waterproof timepiece Rolex asked long distance swimmer Mercedes Gleitze to wear the timepiece around her neck when attempting to swim across the English Channel.\u00a0 This was Gleitze’s second attempt, which was to do two things.\u00a0 First, she wanted to beat out another woman who claimed to swim the channel faster than her.\u00a0 Second, she wanted to prove critics who claimed she never completed the first swim at all.<\/p>\n

Rolex had her wear the timepiece around her neck because they felt it would be less demanding on the timepiece that way.\u00a0 If it were on her wrist, it would have to endure her powerful strokes and potentially caused water to seep into the watch case.<\/p>\n

Although Gleitze didn’t complete the swim across the channel Rolex’s Oyster case still came out as a winner.\u00a0 The story of Gleitze and Rolex came out on the front page of the Daily Mail newspaper, showing the world that Rolex has a proven waterproof watch.<\/p>\n

Scuba Diving Watches – Before there was a Rolex for Diving<\/h2>\n

Yves Le Prieur developed some of the earliest breathing apparatus in 1926 and an enhanced version in 1933.\u00a0 Dive gear slowly became easier and less dangerous.\u00a0 Enhancements by many explorers, including Jacques-Yves Cousteau, made diving lighter and safer.\u00a0 His development of the Aqua-Lung and under sea films started to grow the popularity of diving around the world.<\/p>\n

Also, dive depths started to increase as improvements were made to dive gear.\u00a0 World War II also put more pressure on the watchmaking world to develop a timepiece that wasn’t just waterproof, but truly made for Navy Seal divers.<\/p>\n

Rolex and Panerai had partnered up to develop timepieces for the Italian naval divers.\u00a0 Panerai had pioneered the art of using Radeon as illumination on timepieces and many other components.\u00a0 Radeon wasn’t found to be radioactive for years, but the art of adding luminescence and easily readable interfaces on the watch dial was a very important enhancement to the eventual creation of the dive watch.<\/p>\n

It wasn’t only important to have a timepiece that would be waterproof, but it had to be easily read when in the darkness of night or in the dark depths of the ocean.\u00a0 After Marie Curie discovered Radium in 1898, Guido Panerai started adding a combination of radium bromide, zinc sulfide and mesothelium to the dials of his watches.\u00a0 This luminescent material helped create amazing visibility both day and night.<\/p>\n

In 1943 Panerai and Rolex debuted the reference 6152-1, which featured Panerai’s\u00a0 locking bridge which would hold the crown in a secure position, making the crown even more waterproof than through threading alone.\u00a0 The locking bridge had the additional feature of protecting the crown from banging and accidental damage which could happen when navy divers were on a mission.<\/p>\n

The French naval team asked for a new feature to be developed – the ability to measure the dive time.\u00a0 Divers knew that they needed to keep close eye on their available oxygen supply, or face death.\u00a0 In 1953, Jean-Jacques Fiechter of Blancpain utilized his dive experience and watchmaking skill to develop the first rotating bezel on his Fifty Fathoms timepiece.\u00a0 This new bezel was a key component that has been a staple component to all dive watches ever since.<\/p>\n

The rotating bezel could only be rotated in the counter-clockwise direction, protecting divers from accidental increase in available dive time.\u00a0 The notations on the rotating bezel had markings at 5 minute intervals, and Arabic numerals at 10 minute intervals.<\/p>\n

Rolex Reveals its First Official Scuba Diving Watches<\/h2>\n

In 1954, Rolex came out with its first Rolex for diving timepiece when it launched the Submariner at the Basel Watch Fair.\u00a0 There were three references – the 6200, 6204 and 6205.\u00a0 Slightly before the release of the Submariner the Reference 6202 Turn-O-Graph was also released.\u00a0 The early Submariner didn’t come with crown guards on either side of the winding crown.\u00a0 Also, it didn’t have numerical notches between the 0\/60 and the 15 minute position on the rotating bezel.<\/p>\n

Although early dials contained Radium as its luminescent paint on its black dial, Rolex started utilizing tritium for its luminous material in the 1960’s.\u00a0 It had become widely known that Radeon was harmful to one’s health and so, watchmakers had to make it well known that their timepiece was Radeon-free.\u00a0 To this day these early Submariners would have high readings on a Geiger counter due to its radioactive paint.\u00a0 However, that has not kept collectors from eagerly acquiring these original Subs for their collection.<\/p>\n

The early Submariner came with a 37 mm case which was rated to at least a standard depth of 330 feet.\u00a0 However, some claim that it was certified for double that depth at 660 feet.\u00a0 Additionally, the Submariners came with a self-winding movement, a twin-lock screw-down crown and luminous hands and hour markers with gold coloring surrounding.\u00a0 The hands of the early 6204 were in the shape of a pencil shape.<\/p>\n

Rolex Makes Improvements to its Scuba Diving Watches<\/h2>\n

Rolex has made an extensive amount of updates to its famous Rolex for diving timepiece.\u00a0 The Submariner quickly became the perennial design for scuba diving watches and Rolex didn’t let off the gas pedal.<\/p>\n

Rolex first improved the waterproofness to 660 feet on its Submariner 6200 by 1956.\u00a0 And by 1960, the Submariner contained a certified chronometer caliber inside.\u00a0 Its Reference 5508 contained the phrase “Superlative Chronometer” on its dial by 1958.<\/p>\n

By 1959, Rolex changed the case to 39 mm in its reference 5512.\u00a0 This reference also helped to protect the crown with guards above and below the crown.\u00a0 It officially was stamped with waterproofness support to 660 feet.\u00a0 It also launched its first Submariner with a date function at the 3 o’clock position.\u00a0 Although Rolex kept the Submariner no-date version with steel only and a black dial and bezel, it made quite a few options for the Submariner Date.\u00a0 Rolex designed many Sub Dates with gold, different dial and bezel options, and even two tones (aka Rolesor).<\/p>\n

By 1987 Rolex made a significant improvement to the Submariner by coming out with the 16610 which had a water resistance to 1000 feet.\u00a0 More recently, in 2020, Rolex added the 70 hour power reserve and a new caliber 3230 along with a larger 41 mm case size.<\/p>\n

If you are a casual diver, or just enjoy water sports and other water based activities, the Rolex Submariner is the ideal timepiece for you.\u00a0 If you want the original style in Oystersteel with no date, you need to go for the Reference 124060<\/a>.\u00a0 That is the classic Submariner, now in a 41mm size with black dial and black bezel.\u00a0 However, if you prefer to add some color to your palette, Rolex has added the following:<\/p>\n