Rolex is the most recognized brand in the world. People who wouldn’t know a Patek Philippe from a potato know what a Rolex is and want one. I’ve been told that if you find yourself in a jam anywhere on Earth, the locals probably won’t accept your credit card, and might not take your cash, but you can always trade your Rolex for whatever you need. I truly thought there was no limit to the brand’s appeal until I got a Rolex Submariner 16610 from Bob’s Watches for review and showed it to my family, who promptly crushed my soul with the sentence, “It looks like all your other dive watches.”
My earnest explanation, “No, all those other dive watches look like the Rolex,” fell on deaf ears. What can I say? Despite my best efforts, they are not watch people. Still, it made me think. Suppose you take away the name, the mystique, and the not-inconsiderable financial and logistical barriers to owning a Rolex (this pre-owned example sells for $10,902). Is it still an impressive timepiece? With that, I attempted to shed my expectations and review the Submariner like any other watch that crossed my desk.
This watch is a Rolex Submariner 16610 manufactured in 1998, which, despite my vivid recollection of the 90s having occurred “just a couple of years ago,” makes it a vintage piece. Bob’s Watches lists its condition as “excellent,” and while I am no valuation expert, I would agree. As you may see in the photos, the case shows only a few light surface scratches, and the bezel and crystal are unmarked. It has clearly weathered the past 25 years better than I have.
The 16610 series was produced from 1988 through 2010, after which the 116610 replaced it. Like all Submariners, it is a highly capable dive watch, as attested by the military and commercial divers who relied on them for years before the watches became too valuable for such rough-and-tumble duties. It is rated for 300m water resistance and has a screw-down crown, threaded case back, a flat sapphire crystal, and a 120-click, unidirectional bezel that is exceptionally smooth and secure — and I won’t qualify that with, “for a vintage watch.” It’s remarkable and feels better than most brand-new watches I’ve tested.
The 904L stainless steel case is 40mm wide, 47.5mm long, and 12.8mm thick. The brushed upper surface and bracelet telegraph its tool watch provenance, dandied just the slightest by its polished sides, guards, crown, and bezel. With its flat sides and only slightly curved lugs, the case does little to mask its dimensions, and yet, it is sufficiently slim that it needs little assistance from any visual trickery. The result is lean and athletic, cutting quite the flattering figure on my modest 6.75″ wrist.
The 166010 was the first Submariner to house the Rolex caliber 3235 with its smooth 28.8k bph sweep, 48-hour power reserve, and KIF shock protection. The movement, like everything else in a Rolex, was manufactured in-house.
Rolex has released the Submariner in other colorways, but to my eye, none are as appealing as the classic steel and black shown here. It is the first image my mind conjures when you say “dive watch,” and for a good reason. A true dive watch is a tool, not an ornament, so stainless steel is a given, and while other colors are pretty on dry land, none matters as you descend into the murky depths. If you have any interest in reading your watch while you actually dive, then you will need the stark contrast offered by this white-on-black dial and aluminum insert.
And then we have the date window. If you must put a date on a diver, then, by all means, own it. Rolex did so with the iconic cyclops magnifier, and it remains one of the only watches that can pull off this look. Honestly, it wouldn’t look right without one.
I am familiar with the traditional, applied dive watch “dots and bars” layout employed on this dial, as well as the copious text that decorates it, and yet, I was surprised at how well it all was executed. The dial is a glossy black that enlivens the watch much like those subtle flashes of polish do for the case. I’ve long railed against excessive information on watch dials and poked fun at Rolex in particular, as the novella written across the 16610’s face has given license to other brands to stuff as much verbiage as they can on their own dials as well. I still think there are at least two lines too many on this one, but I have to confess that it is all nicely done. Yes, there are a lot of words, but they are correctly balanced and symmetrical, something many new brands often get maddeningly wrong. The Rolex typeface is elegant and understated, with delicate serifs, and it is meticulously printed, exhibiting sharp points and clean edges right down to the tiny “Swiss — T<25” below the 6 o’clock marker. Maybe this is a small thing for me to get excited about, but it indicates a philosophy that there are no small things, and that is precisely what I want a watchmaker to believe.
While we are focused on that last scrap of text, I’ll note that it indicates T25 tritium lume, linking it to a bygone era in watchmaking. Later watches in the series switched to Swiss Super-LumiNova, which Rolex calls Chromalight. The old tritium still lights up just fine but doesn’t have the stamina it used to.
Another element marking this as an elder model is the rehaut, which is brushed with no engravings at all. I realize the newer, engraved rehauts are harder to counterfeit, but I prefer the cleaner look.
The bracelet and attachments also distinguish this early 16610 from those that followed. This was one of the last to feature drilled lugs, and your eyes are not playing tricks on you: those are folded end links. Folded! Like you would find on one of the cheaper Seikos! Can this be? Well, in 1998, the answer was yes. It was a different time. How different? A friend recently told me how he bought his Submariner in the early 90s from an authorized dealer for $1,900! But I digress. By the 2000s, solid ends were the norm for the Sub.
Sacrilegious end links aside, the 20mm, 3-link Oyster bracelet is perfectly fine, if perhaps not as impressive as a modern unit. The links are solid, and the thrice-signed clasp is proportionally slim with a more than ample adjustment range. I kind of like the faux links stamped on its exterior; I might not want it on a new model, but it strikes me as delightfully old-school here.
Along with the watch, Bob’s Watches sent me their leather watch travel cube ($150, currently waitlisted) and rubber strap ($145). The case holds your watch on a snug pillow inside a box of thick, soft leather lined in felt. Twin flaps inside the opening fold over and are secured by a large, snapped lid over the front. Mine had the added bonus of being a bright, cheery orange.
The strap is vulcanized FKM rubber and tailor-made for the Submariner, from its fitted ends to the brushed stainless steel buckle that echoes the factory bracelet’s 3-link pattern. Even if you don’t own a Sub, it’s a fine addition to your strap collection. FKM is a superior material, and you will be surprised at how many other watches mimic the Submarinier’s lug box.
So, stripped of its prestige, is an old Rolex Submariner 16610 a cool watch? If it were to have dropped out of the blue in 2023 as a new model, I might take it to task for some of its outdated elements but would still praise the overall design and quality. Viewing it as a 25-year-old watch, I would levy no such criticisms and just enjoy it as a wonderful product of its era.
But that denies the reality that this is a Rolex Submariner with the storied history, fabled name, and ton of social baggage that comes with it. It is not just a watch; it is a Rolex. Did it meet my expectations? Hell yes, it did. It exceeded them. I was familiar with newer Submariners and encountered some fabulous 1960s and 1970s antiques in the wild, but I hadn’t paid much attention to the long-running 16610 series. What I had thought would likely be an excellent but perhaps uninspiring piece turned out to be perfectly charming. Given the way this series has one foot in the brand’s past and the other in its future, I think an early 16610 like this one might be the latest model Submariner I’d consider owning. Not that I’d turn up my nose at a newer piece, mind you; I just feel more of an emotional pull to the tritium, plain rehaut, and, yes, even the older style bracelet.
This brings us to the last aspect, the price. In 1998, this watch was likely around $3,500. As mentioned above, Bob’s Watches sells 16610s for $10,000-12,000. That is a considerable sum but also a sizable appreciation in value. Sure, you might find one cheaper from a private seller, but the Rolex world is replete with fakes and Franken-watches, so there is something to be said for the piece of mind that comes with buying from a reputable dealer like Bob’s.
If you are ready to take the plunge on this watch or any other in the 16610 series, head over to Bob’s Watches and have a look. If this sample is any indication, I think you will be pleased with what you find.
