Rolex Submariner Red · Reference 1680
Rolex Submariner Red 1680
Known as The Red Sub (early red-text dials); the first date Submariner
The 1680 is the reference where the Submariner grew a date window. Rolex introduced it in 1967 and ran it to about 1980, making it the first Submariner to carry a date at 3 o'clock and a Cyclops lens on the acrylic crystal. It sits between the no-date 5513 and the later 16800, and for collectors it is the bridge between the vintage tool-diver era and the modern Submariner. The reason people chase the 1680 harder than most vintage Subs comes down to one line of text. From roughly 1967 to 1975, the earliest examples read SUBMARINER in red on the dial. Rolex switched to all-white printing around 1975 and ran that version to the end. That single red line is the difference between a strong vintage Rolex and a six-figure collector piece, and it is why the 1680 has more dial-variation lore than almost any other reference on the market. There is also a solid 18k yellow gold version, the 1680/8, introduced in 1969 with black or blue dial and matching bezel, which was Rolex's first gold Submariner.
Produced: 1967 to approximately 1980 (steel 1680); red-text dials roughly 1967 to 1975, all-white dials from about 1975 to the end. The gold 1680/8 ran from 1969 to about 1979.
In stock at Ultimate Diamond
3 pieces on the counter right now.
Specifications
- Reference
- 1680 (stainless steel); 1680/8 (18k yellow gold)
- Case Size
- 40mm three-part Oyster case
- Case Material
- Stainless steel (1680); 18k yellow gold (1680/8)
- Movement
- Rolex Caliber 1575, automatic, the date-equipped version of the Caliber 1570. Note the anomaly collectors quote constantly: 1575 movements are stamped 1570 on the rotor bridge, since Rolex marked both with the base caliber number.
- Frequency
- 19,800 vph
- Power Reserve
- Approximately 48 hours
- Movement Features
- Free-sprung balance with Microstella regulation, Breguet overcoil hairspring, instantaneous date change at midnight. No Quickset; the date advances only by running the hands past midnight.
- Crystal
- Acrylic (Plexiglas) with Cyclops date magnifier
- Bezel
- Bidirectional rotating dive bezel with 60-minute insert. The 1680 was the last Submariner with a bezel that turns in both directions.
- Water Resistance
- 200 meters (660 feet)
- Crown
- Screw-down Twinlock crown; screw-down caseback
- Dial Lume
- Tritium (later service dials appear with Luminova/Super-LumiNova)
- Gold Variant Dial
- The 1680/8 in gold used applied gold hour markers with tritium centers, the shape of which earned the 'nipple dial' nickname. Blue-dial gold examples frequently went tropical, drifting toward purple and brown over decades.
Market & Value
The 1680 is one of the widest price spreads in vintage Rolex, and the spread is almost entirely a dial story. A clean all-white-dial steel 1680 in honest condition generally trades in the $10,000 to $30,000 band depending on originality, patina, and whether it has papers. Red Subs live in a different world. The dial marks matter: collectors track them from Mark I through the later marks, sorting by meters-first versus feet-first depth ratings, closed versus open sixes, and whether the red SUBMARINER is printed over a white base or straight onto the dial. Those differences move real money. A Red Sub Mark II with a brown tropical dial sold at auction in 2020 for north of $105,000, and a Mark III in the same year brought a little over $70,000. Right version, right condition, and you are well past $50,000. As of mid-2026, market data has the 1680 up roughly 34 percent over the trailing year with volatility near 37 percent, which is higher than most of the market. Translation: this reference is thinly traded, condition-sensitive, and moves fast when the right one surfaces. Recent data had median time-to-sell around 56 days. On a vintage watch this hunted, the money is in the details, not the reference number, because two watches stamped 1680 can be $20,000 apart.
What to Know Before You Buy
Buy the dial, not the reference. On a 1680, originality is everything. Confirm the dial has not been refinished or swapped, since a service dial or a repainted red kills most of the premium. Verify the mark variation matches the serial-number era, because red text was mated to the correct case in period and a mismatch signals a married watch. Check that the tritium lume on the dial and hands is original and consistent, and that the crystal, Cyclops, bezel insert, and crown are correct for the period. On red dials, be especially careful: the red-over-white base versions and the printed-direct versions are distinct marks, and fakes and reprints exist. Papers, an original bracelet with the correct end links, and a caseback with matching serials all add real money. On the movement, remember there is no Quickset, so setting the date means running the hands, and the rotor bridge reads 1570 even though the caliber is a 1575, which is correct and not a red flag. If a 1680 is priced like a bargain, assume something on the dial or case tells the story.
Buying or selling a Rolex Submariner Reference 1680?
We buy and sell the 1680 at our counter at 19 West 47th Street, and we have handled this reference in every flavor: all-white steel dials, the red-text marks, and the gold 1680/8 nipple dials. This is a watch we want to see in person, because the value lives in the dial, the lume, and the case, and no photo settles it. If you have a Red Sub or a white-dial 1680 and want a real number from a shop that writes checks on vintage Rolex every week, bring it in or call us for an offer. If you are buying, we can source correct, honest examples and tell you plainly which mark you are looking at and what it should cost. Come see us on 47th Street, or request an offer and we will get you a figure fast.