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Rolex Submariner Date Certified 16800

Pre-owned () | Year of production 1984 | No original box | No original papers
£10,500
+ £45 insured shipping within:
Wire transfer
Included

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More About This Listing

Basic Info
Listing code JECD20
Brand Rolex
Model Submariner Date
Reference number 16800
Dealer product code 10334
Movement Automatic
Case material Steel
Bracelet material Steel
Year of production 1984
Condition
Scope of delivery
No original box, no original papers
Gender Men's watch/Unisex
Location United Kingdom, Waltham St Lawrence
Price £10,500 [Negotiable]
Availability Item is in stock

Caliber
Movement Automatic
Caliber/movement 3035
Base caliber cal. 3135
Power reserve 48 h
Number of jewels 27

Case
Case material Steel
Case diameter 40 mm
Water resistance 30 ATM
Bezel material Steel
Crystal Sapphire crystal
Dial Black
Dial numerals No numerals

Bracelet/strap
Bracelet material Steel
Bracelet color Steel
Clasp Fold clasp
Clasp material Steel

Functions
Date

Other
Central seconds, Rotating Bezel, Screw-Down Crown, Quick Set

Description
Firstly, NO it’s not a COMEX Rolex!

This is a Rolex 16800 Submariner “Gloss Dial” from 1984, with an extra “replacement” COMEX pumpkin dial and hands fitted. Sorry to disappoint you, but surely, it is still worthy of consideration.

Submariner 16800s are considered among collectors to be a "transitional model", incorporating the look and feel of Rolex’s previous Submariner while introducing many of the modern Submariner features for the first time.

The first major upgrade to the 16800 was the movement. The cal.1575 (19800 bph) was replaced with the cal.3035 (28800 bph), increasing the watch's accuracy, while also introducing "Instant Date Change" at midnight. It gained a quickset date feature too. All aspects of a modern Rolex.

Acrylic crystals have their advantages; they are durable resisting knocks and bangs, BUT, are not scratch resistant and they are very prone to picking up many a scratch! To combat this, the 16800 sported a synthetic sapphire crystal for the first time, increasing its strength and clarity whilst being significantly thinner, giving a sleeker look to the new Submariner.

All these enhancements meant the 16800 was the first Submariner offering water resistance to 300m, and it proudly displays this fact on its dial.

Finally, the bezel was new; being uni-directional, rather than bi-directional, it’s safer for divers, as it eliminates the possibility of underestimating dive times.

So, the 16800 is certainly worthy of its place in Rolex history, and being the first “modern” Submariner, you can see why it has caught the hearts of collectors.

Our particular 16800 has all the above attributes and presents as a well-loved, lightly used example. Overall, the watch shows micro-scratching to its case, case-back, bezel, bracelet (c2000), and clasp (also c2000). Nothing out of the ordinary for a watch from 1984, and certainly not when you consider the extra dial that has been fitted to it since 2000. It looks just right!

The watch was serviced by Rolex in 1999 and came back looking brand new – new dial, new hands… a full Rolex service… except, they didn’t replace the bezel. It’s only small, the luminous “pip” on a Rolex bezel, you hardly notice it, UNLESS it’s a different colour to the dial. Then it’s like a dent on a new car; you don’t see the beautiful car; you see the dent!

Presented with these circumstances, the owner at the time, David Cook, the renowned Harlequins Captain who went on to become Captain of England’s Rugby Team in the early 1980s; had two choices… He could replace the original bezel or replace the replacement dial with something more appropriate.

He chose the latter.

David took the watch to a friend of his, called Neil; perhaps better known as “Heuer-Boy” in watch collecting circles. He rose to the challenge and created a pumpkin index markered dial, that perfectly matched the “pip”. In addition, and perhaps rather cheekily, a COMEX logo was added too. The hands were then reworked to match.

As far as we are aware, COMEX never issued Rolex 16800s, so ultimately, it won’t fool anyone.

But on the wrist, it looks tremendous and has that certain “je ne ce quoi”; and if you don’t like it, you could always revert to the original dial.

And again, I’m sorry it’s not a COMEX!

Security on Chrono24 for This Listing

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Commitment to Authenticity

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Seller

The Chrono Duo Ltd
Professional dealer | On Chrono24 since 2017
Waltham St Lawrence, United Kingdom
English
103 watches sold
48 active listings
Waltham St Lawrence, United Kingdom
English

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If you purchase from a private seller, we will hold the purchase amount in our escrow account for 7 days after you receive your watch. Please note, however, that private sellers are not legally mandated to accept returns.
Certified is our new certification service whereby verified watchmakers check and certify the authenticity of watches to provide customers on our marketplace with a worry-free buying experience. After successful certification, you'll receive a digital certificate of authenticity that confirms the watch meets our definition of authenticity and matches the information in the listing. Certified watches come with a three-year authenticity guarantee. See also: How is the watch checked?
Certification is free if it's included in the price of your watch. In this case, the watch has already been checked by a verified watchmaker working in cooperation with the dealer. See also: What's the difference between Certified Included and Certified Optional?
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The check includes the following:
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