Additional information: 

This piece comes with it’s box, records of a previouis service, swing tag and anchor.

The 16800 is a special and historic piece and set the precedent for what the quintessential Vintage Submariners would become. Known as a transitional piece, bridging the gap between the 1680 and the 168000, this reference introduced many firsts for the Submariner range, including:

The first Submariner to have a unidirectional bezel. A safer and more efficient tool for saturation divers. The first Submariner to have a quickset date and the subsequent movement it came with. The reference was also the first to be equipped with a Sapphire Crystal, the Rolex Patented 904L steel (in later variants of the reference), 300 metres of water resistance (instead of 200m) and the first to have White Gold surrounds on the markers on the dial, again – on the later variants of the reference (Mark II).

Having been used to test these features and succeeding hugely, this is a rare and sought after reference in the Submariner range.

Ours has a large bracelet with minimal strecth, measuring at roughly 8inches. The endlinks are correctly marked as ref. 501b (Hollow, instead of SEL) and the bracelet links marked as ref. 93150. The case has also had a professional polish, displaying original and sharp champfers in all the right place.

All of the above creates an appealing package for a collector looking to own a bit of Submariner history.