The new Subs are here. Not unexpected, but as always quite anticipated. Rolex is always more evolutionary than revolutionary, and these new watches are no exception.
New movements, your choice of date or no date. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner and the Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date both come with new movements. The no-date sub (officially just the Submariner) uses Calibre 3230 which was unveiled only this year. The Date sub (yes, officially Submariner Date) uses Calibre 3235 for its time and date functions. This is the first time this movement has been used in the Submariner range. Both movements have a power reserve rated to around 70 hours, helped by such key Rolex developments such as the Chronergy escapement that combines high efficiency with dependability. A Parachrom hairspring also supports higher precision with its exclusive paramagnetic alloy. Basically, all the latest Rolex engineering goodness has made its way to the new sub.
New case. Slightly. You will see “a bit” everywhere so be warned. Never one for big moves, the new Submariners are just a little different. The case has been a bit redesigned, is just a bit larger and is now at 41mm. Rated to 300 meters of course, and needs a special tool to take off the caseback. The bracelet is remodelled a bit as well, and as befits a true divewatch has no-tool adjustment of around 20mm range. This tool-less adjustment has proven surprisingly useful in these times of pandemic lockdown and weight fluctuation. One thing to expect, case and bracelet redesigns of late may well mean you can’t swap bracelets all that much. This may not be key for models like the Submariner, but it has been for pieces like the GMTs.
Choose your colors. The most iconic design is the simplest and cleanest, the Submariner (no date) with the black dial and black Cerachrom bezel. The Submariner Date models start getting flexible. Sticking with Oystersteel but adding the date allows you the same black dial and the choice of a model with either a black or a green Cerachrom Bezel. Going to two-tone watches of Oystersteel and yellow gold allows you to choose a black dial and black Cerachrom bezel or a blue dial and blue Cerachropm bezel, with details in yellow including the surrounds of the indices. Going all precious metal gives you a really interesting set of choices. Yellow gold in black dial and black Cerachrom bezel or blue dial and Blue Cerachrom bezel. And here is the fun one. The white gold Submariner date has a black dial and a nice blue Cerachrom bezel.
Pricing? And we mean official SRP here. This will depend on where in the world you can buy them, but the pricing is interesting and indicative of other things. The Submariner Date with the green bezel is slightly more than the one with the black bezel, and the green Bezel Date is actually within striking distance of… a steel GMT Master II. Less that a hundred euro difference based on what we have seen as official pricing available to the public in certain markets. This can tell you where you might want to put your money, which is basically wherever you can get the pieces at SRP.
What about the older models? As always, the new models focus attention on the old ones, and vice versa. Yes the old ones that are discontinued have always done well, and that is not just in the very aberrant market of the last five or ten years. And we have seen secondary markets settle somewhat, GMTs for example can be had for less than double if you choose to go grey. If it is your choice to get an older model that is discontinued and that is quite in demand (the all green Sub? The BLNR on the old bracelet?) you are really looking at the grey market. And while we always suggest going through official channels, the truth is that that just isn’t an option for many. Complain all you want about the waitlist, we have seen it work. And nothing beats going through official channels. It also doesn’t hurt anything other than your ego.
One last additional point, and this was applicable even before the last decade of craziness. Given the regular increase in prices and such, it really seems like the best time to buy the Rolex watch you want (again talking official distributors following the rules) is as soon as you can. But please also remember, buy it if you love it. Don’t be swayed by popular or over-popular opinion or hype. Buying the watch you want and love for reasons other than just rarity or covetousness beats buying for any other reason. And when you pass it on to your kids, it means more than just money.