Rolex is undeniably the most coveted luxury watch brand, and the Submariner is its trophy watch. Upon its founding in 1953, no one could imagine that the diving tool watch would become the most influential. The Submariner’s combination of timeless design and high functionality has earned fans beyond the divers. It is now a luxury sports watch that sells at an alarming price in retail and secondary markets.

So, what is the cost of a typical Rolex Submariner? Well, there’s no easy, one-figure answer to that. This is because the price varies dramatically between the manufacturer’s suggested retail, the pre-owned price list, and the various Sub models.

Many factors come into play when you step out to buy the mighty ‘Sub’. Is it a discontinued model or a collectable vintage? Or is the Submariner which you want to buy has limited retail availability? Believe it or not, you cannot presume the popularity of the Rolex Submariner!

Hence, we’ve taken this noble opportunity to present a comprehensive guide on Rolex Submariner prices, which includes the vintage, discontinued and new production watches. But before that, let’s understand the history of the Submariner prices.

Rolex Submariner: Value Development History

Since the time it was born, the Submariner has seen a lot of upgrades. But the most astonishing upgrade is the price development of the model.

• 1950

Back in the 1950s, one could pick the Submariner for about £125, which is reasonable in comparison to today’s hyped market.

• 1950-1970

However, between the 1950s-1970s, the Submariner gained massive popularity for its remarkable water-resistance qualities. Additionally, its feature in the James Bond series fetched it the mainstream status symbol.

• 1970

Despite its success, there was no huge price increase for the Submariner. This was because of the Quartz crisis when the cheaper quartz watches were selling like hot cake. The stainless steel Rolex Submariner model was available for about £192, and the 18ct yellow gold Submariner at approximately £1678.

• 1980

Rolex watches were always a high-end luxury item, but it was mainly in the 1980s when the brand embraced its royal status. The price of the Submariner started gaining traction, and the 18ct yellow gold Sub was now available at about £9200! Even the basic stainless steel model saw a major price hike and was available at £1112.

• 1990

The prices were still shooting up for the various Sub models, with the stainless steel variant now jumping to nearly £2811.

• 2008

In 2008, the cost of the steel Submariner became almost £5030, which is quite the jump in a decade!

Now, we shall talk about the price fluctuations concerning the various collections. It’s a roller coaster too.

Price Slab Of The Rolex Submariner Watches

• Current Submariner Prices

Are you ready to buy a Submariner? The original tool Submariner watch was available only in stainless steel, but today you can get it in gold and two-tone variants. The prices vary inexplicably.

1. Stainless Steel Submariner

Rolex manufactures 3 stainless steel Sub models with the references 114060, 116610LV, and 116610LN. All of them have the following features:

• 40mm Oyster case
• Stainless steel Oyster bracelet
• Water-resistance of 300 meters
• Unidirectional Cerachrom ceramic bezel with 60-minute graduations

The only difference is the absence of a date in Ref. 114060, which the latter models have. Therefore, it only makes sense if the price of the only-time Ref. 114060 is lower than the other two references.

If you look at the remaining two, the LN reference has a black dial while the LV has a green dial which gives it the nickname ‘Hulk’. And we all know the increased demand for the green Hulk in the pre-owned market.

Going with the reports, the stainless steel Submariner models have a greater price in the pre-owned market due to their scarce availability.

Secondary Market Price Chart:

• Ref. 114060 – £ 12,000 (approx.)
• Ref. 116610LN- £ 13,800 (approx)
• Ref. 116610LV- £ 22,800 (approx)

2. Gold Submariner

Like the steel, Rolex produces three versions of the Gold Submariners with the references 116619, 116618LN, and 116618LB. The defining features of these three models are:

• 18ct gold 40mm Oyster cases
• 18ct gold Oyster bracelets
• Cerachrom ceramic bezel with 18ct gold-filled insert markings

The Ref. 116618LN has a black dial and bezel, and the Ref. 116618LB has a blue dial and bezel. The Ref. 116619, on the other hand, is an 18ct white gold model with a bright blue dial, popularly known as the ‘Smurf’.

The colour variation doesn’t impact the price of the watches. However, Ref. 116619 with white gold is priced slightly higher than the other two.

Secondary Market Price Chart:

• Ref. 116619- £47,000 (approx)
• Ref. 116618LN-£40,000 (approx)
• Ref. 116618LB- £40,000 (approx)

3. Two-Tone Submariner

Rolex offers 2 two-tone Submariner models with the references 116613LB and 116613LN. As goes with the letters in the reference numbers, the LN is for the black dial, and LB stands for the blue dial watches. Both the watches have similar prices, and you can purchase them at a lesser price in the secondary market. The defining characteristics of the two-tone Submariner models include:

• 40mm steel Oyster cases
• The yellow gold winding crown
• Yellow gold knurled bezel ring
• Oyster bracelet with yellow gold centre & stainless steel edged links
• Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert with gold-filled graduations

Secondary Market Price Chart:

• Ref. 116613LB- £19,800 (approx)
• Ref. 116613LN-£14,000 (approx)

Discontinued Rolex Submariner Prices

If you’re hunting for a less pricey Submariner timepiece, maybe the discontinued Rolex models can come to your rescue. These watches are not old enough to be considered vintage, but Rolex no longer produces them. The references under this league are the 1680x and 1661x made from the 1980s-2000s.

Secondary Market Price Chart:

• Ref. 16800 – £ 12,000 (approx)
• Ref. 16803 – £ 12,800 (approx)
• Ref. 16808 – £ 39,000 (approx)
• Ref. 168000 – £ 13,000 (approx)
• Ref. 16610 – £ 10,500 (approx)
• Ref. 16613 – £ 14,000 (approx)
• Ref. 16618 – £ 35,000 (approx)

Vintage Rolex Submariner Prices

The elegant charm of vintage watches makes them so desirable and worthwhile. The vintage Submariner models are some of the most hard-to-get and costliest in the market. You can find a vintage stainless steel Submariner model at almost triple the price of a yellow gold Submariner or even more.

There’s no such thing as affordable vintage Sub models, but still, you can explore the later variants like the ones with Ref. 5512, 5513, and 1680.

One of the most expensive and collectable vintage Submariner models is the Ref. 6538 with an ‘Explorer’-style dial. The watch is available at a whooping figure of about £ 85,000.

TO CONCLUDE

As the world’s most prestigious luxury watch brand, it is not surprising that the prices of the popular Rolex Submariner models continue to increase with each passing year. The Submariners are gem investment pieces that hold value, and you can easily sell your Rolex at higher prices or even pass it on.

If you’re looking to buy one, we suggest finding a reliable or authorised seller to buy the Sub. We’ve shared the prices of the various models in the secondary market to help you fix a better deal. Happy Shopping!

Also Read: The History of the Rolex Submariner Reference 16618

The post Price Breakdown Of Rolex Submariner: Ultimate Guide appeared first on Sell Rolex London.