Rolex Submariner 6538, aka the “James Bond Submariner” by 41WATCH

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In our drive to produce a number of differentiating articles on collectible watchmaking, we have tackled whole swathes of the history of Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, presenting with an expert angle, d amateur, and collector of mythical references. Let us mention among our hunting trophies, our claim to fame as the Anglo-Saxons would say, the most read article in French on the Rolex Daytona,a, the complete retrospective of the Rolex Daytona,the complete review of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Midsize,the Legend of the Rolex Comex,the story of the Aquanaut,Rolex Submariners Red… to name the best known in the digital world.

We are always listening to your requests and your comments, and have come to the conclusion that we could not avail ourselves of an exhaustive bibliography online without covering the myth of myths, the starting point of history. of Rolex in the legend, namely the James Bond Submariner Here again, reference 6538 being so rich in anecdotes and developments that this article does not claim to be exhaustive, we just wanted to shed our own light, affirmed our affection for this watch mythical, and come to humbly suggest that beyond certain record breakers at auction for 6538 references (CHF 1,053,697 at Christie's in New York in June 2018!, CHF 371,431 at Antiquorum in Hong Kong in October 2018, ), there there are (still) 6538 references on the market at affordable prices for a very acceptable condition and configuration. This is what we are talking about in this article. It is still necessary to be able to understand all the nuances between the different 65386538…

James Bond's Rolex

The reference 6538 became legendary after appearing in the James Bond "Dr No", as did the Cosmograph Rolex 6239, exotic dial, on the wrist of Paul Newman. In both cases, there is an avalanche of photos available on the web with the two actors wearing their favorite watch on their wrist. These two watches are called by the name of their owners, which noticeably distinguishes them from the lot and obviously contributes to the legend.de…

A small difference however, the "Submariner James Bond" corresponds to a single reference, the 6538, while the "Daytona Paul Newman" refers to a type of dial, the exotic dial. This leaves collectors the opportunity to enjoy seven references over nearly 20 years of production. The 6538, on the other hand, will benefit from less than six years of production (55 - late 59 or so), which generates a lot of its appeal.

A rare legendary watch

As you will have understood, it is much less easy to find this reference on the market than a Paul Newman, all the more so in good condition... It is the iconic "Submariner" par excellence, but it is also unequivocally the most expensive of the collectible "Sub", and the most sought after.

Very quickly, over the years and auction records, this Submariner stood out from the lot of its immediate descendants, namely the 5512, 5513, and other 1680s, just as it stands out from its predecessors, the 6200 model. launched in 1953, or the 6204 model launched in 1954, as well as the 6536/1. The presence of the Big Crown, mentioned a little further down in this article, is certainly one of the determining factorsnts…

The technical aspects of the watch

Let's change register and move from the "celebrity" aspect to a more technical aspect.

The watch is mounted on a 38 mm case, without crown shoulder, another factor which makes it a very rare watch, the shoulders around the crown having appeared on the reference 5512, in 1959, and this until today. today.

The winding crown is of a substantial size, double that of the other references (5508 and 6204 equipped with small crowns), which will earn it the name of "Big Crown", and which gives it a crazy cachet. The crown is stamped with the Rolex logo and the word "Brevet". It does not take much more to hit the headlines and arouse the passion of collectors But the Big Crown is certainly not everythingt…

Several dials, depending on the years of production, have equipped this watch, making certain models veritable "rare birds": without entering into a chronology as precise as certain manufacturers, such as Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet, having kept records up to To date, we can distinguish four production series for the 6538 and a number of dials..

Features	First Series
Insert	Black and gray aluminum without graduation of the first 15 minutes
Needles	Gold big second (lollipop)
Dial	Lacquered (nitrocellulose lacquer)
Impression	Gold by electrolysis for the Submariner, the logo and the top lines and red for the depth information

 

Features	Second Series
Insert	Black and gray aluminum without graduation of the first 15 minutes
Needles	gold big second (lollipop)
Dial	Lacquered dial (nitrocellulose lacquer)
Impression	All gold (gilt)

 

Features	Third Series
Insert	Black and gray aluminum without graduation of the first 15 minutes. - Black and grey, red triangle without graduation of the first 15 minutes. - Black and grey, red triangle with graduation of the first 15 minutes.
Needles	Gold big second (lollipop)
Dial	Lacquered (polyurethane lacquer)
Impression	Gold by electrolysis for the Submariner, the logo and the top lines and gold ink printing on the surface for the information

 

Features	Fourth Series
Insert	black and gray, red triangle with graduation of the first 15 minutes.
Needles	Gold hours and minutes and white seconds hand.
Dial	Lacquered (polyurethane lacquer)
Impression	Gold by electrolysis for the Submariner, the logo and the lines of the top and silver printing on the surface for the information.

 

Not to mention the replacement dialst

Replacement First Series

Lacquered "Swiss-t<25" (Rolex replacement following federal guidelines on the use of radium)

Second Series Replacement

Matte "Swiss-t<25" (Rolex replacement matte dial following federal guidelines on the use of radium).

Illustration of the different dials of 6538 over time

All this creates an avalanche of information that we do not expect to be memorized by amateurs, or even all professionals.…

The rarest dials

The rarest dials (and therefore the most expensive) remain to this day the special dials called 3-6-9 which were produced on certain series, the rarest being undoubtedly the first series with gold printing accompanied by the information of depth in red.e.

Many collectors and experts have kept so-called observation registers concerning the exact production chronologies of the brand's watch models. On the one hand, there is today no consensus on the exact dates of production of this or that dial, just a lot of information that may have been cross-checked and which sometimes contradicts itself. Needless to say, these many observations have not yet been confirmed by the manufacture and above all, they very probably never will be.ais.

Illustration of a Gilt 4 line "3 Red" dial

Add to this the fact that Rolex's control over international production and authorized distributors was relatively difficult given the number of watches produced and distributed. In fact, it was not uncommon for some dead stock watches to be recycled following shipments of spare parts. A yellowed dial on a watch produced in 1956 could be changed to a second or third generation dial without the watch leaving the shop, to be finally sold in 1960 or even later! !

For all these reasons, our position is that you have to know how to get good advice and, very importantly, give priority to the condition of the coveted watch rather than giving importance to uncertified details.

Why some dials turn yellow or turn tropical» ?

This is probably the question that many collectors ask themselves, and one of the sources of the charm of the collector's watch.

The first lacquer used for dials was nitrocellulose lacquer. It had the property of containing solvents and therefore of drying very quickly after application, which allowed more efficient and above all faster production of the dials. But this lacquer had drawbacks, the first being simply that this product is explosive and requires very strict handling.

The second, and this will be of more interest to collectors, is that this product is not very UV resistant, so it yellows very quickly and very pronouncedly.

The third drawback, and not the least, is that the solvents contained in nitrocellulose react over time to changes in temperature and humidity. This has the effect of producing what is called crazing, therefore cracks. We can add to this the devastating effect of radium on the dial and, to the delight (or disappointment) of collectors, we obtain more or less appreciable results on certain dials, from the most beautiful tropical dial to the most destroy.t.

Replacement Dials

For collector's watches of a certain age, it is very difficult to imagine that all the parts that equip the watch are original parts. The dial, the determining value of a watch in general (whether for a Rolex, a Patek or an Audemars Piguet for that matter) has not always withstood the attacks of time (see explanation above).

It is still necessary to distinguish between replacement dials provided by Rolex (in the 60s and 70s) and more recent service dials which tend to significantly reduce the value of the watch. If the 3-6-9 models or the "four lines" today reach sums having nothing to envy to the Daytona Paul Newman, the Submariner 6538 equipped with one of the two Rolex service dials are nonetheless very popular collectors to consider that the service dials of the 60s/70s have themselves stored up a certain patina and have become collectors in their own right (note: It is somewhat the same with the Patek Nautilus reference 3700 which, when fitted with tritium service dials retain significant value!).!).

There is therefore, and we hope to have convinced you, service dial AND service dial, and perhaps (surely) a service dial should be preferred to an original dial that has deteriorated or, worse, (poorly) restored…

Movement

The movement of the Submariner 6538 is a 1030 clocked at a frequency of 18,000 vph. a very reliable and very solid movement, proof of this is the numerous passages on the chrono-comparator of these movements for years... A huge advantage for collector's watches over 60 years old.

Models that have survived the ravages of time are very rare today. Tool watch dedicated to diving, few models are still available on the market today. Fortunately, some have been well maintained by their owners.

In conclusion

The Big Crown is definitely a watch to collect quickly, before there are no more on the market or several successful sales make it the "untouchable" watch, which is very likely to happen at some point. another, as with all of the brand's iconic watches.

Who wore this watch?

Obviously, Sean Connery remains to this day the most famous character to have worn this watch. Elvis Presley is also one of the celebrities who appreciate the brand and it is in "Girls, Girls, Girls" (Girls... more girls) that we will find this watch in the cinema, the same year as "Dr. No". ... To feed the legend, during the filming, it had been agreed to put on the actor's wrist a Rolex, but since the Rolex brand had allegedly refused to sponsor him, it would be the Submariner of producer Albert Broccoli that the we find on the screen Thus goes the legend! A watch that was used by British Navy commandos at the time, the Submariner ref 6538, has since been considered by collectors as THE James Bond watch..

Just like Sean Connery, Elvis, The King, too, wears his watch on a nylon strap. To believe that the steel bracelet was not, meanwhile, very popular at the time.e.

In a completely different register, Chuck Yeager, the first American aviator to break the sound barrier and known for the GMT-Master in his name, also wore this iconic watch.

The reflexes of the informed amateur and the collector to apprehend the acquisition of a 6538:

1. Get advice from an expert or a knowledgeable collector
2. As with everything, compare available sources and information
3. Make sure that the main parts of the watch are in good condition (case, crown, caseback, hands, dial)
4. The condition of the movement must be inspected and its operation checked (parts difficult to find)
5. Check the general condition of the watch. A watch in poor condition, no matter how original (and unless it is really very rare and impossible to find) is always a problem. It is better to bet on a watch in good general condition even if the latter presents replacements of wearing parts. A 6538 with a replacement dial in excellent condition and with a beautiful patina will always sell better than an illegible lacquer, without indexes or totally cracked.é.

Hoping that these few lines will have contributed to fueling your passion and your thirst for information. We remain at your disposal to discuss.