Rolex Vault › All references › Submariner
Submariner · 1988 to 2010 · Discontinued
“Five-Digit Sub”
Rank #39 of 113 rated pieces in the Rolex Vault
Market range: the middle half of 321 recorded eBay sales in the last 12 months.
Median recorded eBay sale price for each quarter with 3 or more sales. Dashed line marks the 1989 retail price.
Twenty-two years of production made this the Submariner most of the world actually wore. Aluminum bezel, drilled lugs on early examples, and classic 40mm proportions the ceramic era abandoned.
Collectors now prize it as the last 'old shape' Sub Date, and clean full sets keep inching up.
The Submariner of the 1990s and 2000s: . Produced for 22 years, serviced by every watchmaker alive, parts everywhere.
It's the definition of the five-digit value thesis: drilled lugs, aluminum bezel, forever-wearable 40mm, at a few thousand dollars under its ceramic successor. The market has begun treating clean, full-set examples as future classics, because they are.
Our verdict: The sensible Sub. Several thousand under a new one, discontinued, and gently appreciating.
| Sizes | 40mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Oyster |
| Factory bezels | Black aluminum |
| Notable dials | Black, tritium then Luminova then SuperLuminova |
| Caliber | 3135 |
| Production | 1988 to 2010 (discontinued) |
| Sold | Example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 4, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $9,400 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $9,174 |
| Nov 2, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $9,000 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale (2 sold) ↗︎ | $10,650 |
| Oct 31, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $8,200 |
| Oct 30, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $7,955 |
Recorded eBay completed sales, logged at our last data refresh.
Recorded eBay sales from the last 12 months put the typical Rolex Submariner Date 16610 at $9,000, with the middle half selling between $8,300 and $9,700 (316 sales). Condition, box and papers move the price within that range.
The Crown Index grades it A- (80/100) from real resale data, and today's call is wait for a dip. It holds its value well, but the market price is steep right now. Past prices are not a forecast.
Rolex Submariner Date 16610 vs Rolex Submariner Date 126610LN →