Page 114 - Sharp Winter 2025

BEHIND THE CROWN
A LOOK INSIDE THE FIRST-EVER AUTHORIZED HISTORY OF THE ROLEX SUBMARINER
By Jeremy Freed
IS THERE ANY WATCH MORE COVETED, BELOVED, AND
obsessed over than the Rolex Submariner? Nearly 75 years since its creation, this humble diver’s tool has become an archetype of Swiss luxury watchmaking and an object of desire for countless collectors around the world. It’s not hard to find a watch enthusiast who will gush over favourite Submariner models such as the Big Crown ref. 6538 (a.k.a. the James Bond Sub) or the 116610LV (nicknamed the “Hulk” for its green dial and bezel), but for those who don’t live and breathe reference numbers, understanding the Submariner’s near-universal appeal requires some context. In Oyster Perpetual Submariner: The Watch that Unlocked the Deep, the first-ever authorized history of the watch, veteran British watch writer Nicholas Foulkes offers something for diehard fans and novices alike, while further enshrining the Submariner as one of the most important watches ever made.
The book begins, as all great Rolex stories must, with the
words of Rolex founder, Hans Wilsdorf, whose visionary ideas created the paradigm for the modern watch industry. “Rolex must continuously strive to think and act differently from the rest,” Wilsdorf said. “Therein lies my greatest strength.” As a brand that defined the looks, capabilities, and cultural significance of wristwatches for much of the 20th century, it’s an appropriate sentiment to keep in mind when considering the legacy of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner. Across more than 250 pages of lushly illustrated text, including vintage ads, film stills, and never-before-seen internal correspondence, the new book delves into the history and lore of the Submariner. Along the way, it establishes beyond a doubt how Rolex’s unique approach to every aspect of the watch’s development, from design to testing to marketing, helped make the Submariner what it is today.
“The Submariner, the archetype of the diver’s watch, epitomizes the historic link between Rolex and underwater explo- ration,” explains Arnaud Boetsch, director of communication and image at Rolex. “Over time it has evolved into an iconic timepiece whose renown extends well beyond the marine world.” To do justice to this expansive legacy, Foulkes was given unique access to the Rolex archives and invited to record the first authorized accounts of Rolex models that shaped the brand’s history for the book. “There can be few, if any, corners of the world in which the name Rolex is unknown [and] the company has been a participant in many of the defining human endeavours of the last 100 years,” Foulkes says. “Rolex is much more than just a watchmaker, it is an enterprise with global significance.”
One of the great endeavours of the 20th century was un-
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