Rolex Submariner Date ‘Red Letter’ (1680)

Reference 1680 explained

Our Submariner Date ‘Red Letter’ is a Rolex ref. 1680, listed pre-owned at $27,950. It is built around date, stainless steel, 40mm across, an automatic caliber and a stainless steel Oyster bracelet to wear it on.

Movement and functions

The Rolex Submariner Date ‘Red Letter’ is automatic — it winds from the wrist, which makes it an everyday watch. The record lists a date window. The bezel is aluminum and rotating, and mark a start point and read the time since.

Fit and feel

Fitted here: a stainless steel Oyster bracelet — three broad links, and the most wearable of the bracelets. The 40mm diameter matters here: this is contemporary sizing, and the most common in this catalog. The crystal is acrylic, and acrylic domes the dial at the edges, which is the look. It suits an owner who will actually take it near water rather than keep it for the office.

Case, crystal and finishing

The Rolex Submariner Date ‘Red Letter’ wears a stainless steel case, 40mm across — steel takes knocks and refinishes cleanly. The dial is black. Ref. 1680 has a crown that threads down against the case rather than pushing in.

More on the Submariner Date ‘Red Letter’

Vintage 40mm Rolex Submariner Date ‘Red Letter’ (1680)

The Submariner 1680 is the first Submariner to offer the date feature and includes a magnified window above the date. With a three-part case in stainless steel, a screw down case back and screw down crown, the Submariner was originally water resistant to 200 meters (600 feet).

The reference 1680 was produced in many variants, making it a favorite among collectors. This 1680 from circa 1970 includes a Mark II “Red Letter” dial that is correct for the 1970 production. The dial shows meters before feet, and the word “Submariner” printed in red over the initially printed white font (as visible under magnification.) Unlike today, where Rolex marks its crowns with dots or bars, this crown has no markings under the coronet, consistent with crowns that came with the first 1680s. The bezel is a correct type Mark III in good condition with some fading from age and a missing pip.

Powered by the self-winding caliber 1575, the caliber 1575 does not include the quickset date function but it does include the instantaneous date change at midnight – it is sometimes described as a ‘quick switch, slow set’ movement. This 1680 reference is the only Submariner Date to have an acrylic crystal. The watch comes attached to a Rolex Oyster bracelet from 1983. Watchworks has recently serviced this watch to ensure years of worry free wear.

Condition, set and warranty

Pre-owned, which means this Submariner Date ‘Red Letter’, ref. 1680, has been worn: what the photographs show is the condition you receive. The reference, 1680, is what separates this specification from the others sold under the Submariner Date ‘Red Letter’ name. It is the watch alone: no box, no papers. The listing records a two-year warranty on it, alongside the two-year WatchDealHub coverage that applies to every watch we sell. Quote SKU 210000007224 when you ask us about this one. At $27,950 it ships free and fully insured, with fourteen days to return it.

• SKU: 210000007224
• Price: $27,950
• Warranty: 2-Year Watchworks
• Reference: 1680
• Box and papers: No Box, No Papers

This is not the only Submariner Date ‘Red Letter’ we have. Condition, accessories and price differ from one to the next — see the other example. The Submariner Date ‘Red Letter’ is one of many; the Rolex collection and the full catalog hold the rest.