The Vault › All references › Submariner
Submariner · 1988 to 2010
“Five-Digit Sub”
Grade B · 79/100Today's call: Value buy
B: solid, selective. Ranked #40 of 129 references in The Crown Index vault.
| Original retail (2000) | $4,100 |
|---|---|
| Market today | $9,500 – $11,500 |
| Vs original retail | +156% |
| 1-year trend | +5% |
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: if a movie character wore a dive watch between 1990 and 2010, it was probably this. 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 roughly half the price of its ceramic successor. The market has begun treating clean, full-set examples as future classics, because they are.
Our verdict: The sensible Sub. Half the price of a new one, discontinued, and gently appreciating.
| Sizes | 40mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet material | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Oyster |
| Factory bezels | Black aluminum |
| Notable dials | Black, tritium then Luminova then SuperLuminova |
| Caliber | 3135 |
| Production | 1988 to 2010 (discontinued) |
Live eBay listings ↗ Open in the interactive Vault