Rolex Vault › All references › Submariner
Submariner · 1969 to 1979 · Discontinued · Vintage
“Red Sub”
Graded on the vintage scale: rank #26 of 26 rated vintage references
Market range: the middle half of 14 recorded eBay sales in the last 12 months. Vintage sales include serviced and redialed examples, so the best original pieces can sell above it.
Median recorded eBay sale price for each quarter with 3 or more sales. Dashed line marks the 1973 retail price.
The first Submariner with a date, and the early dials printed SUBMARINER in red. That one line of red text is worth five figures.
Mark variants (Mk I through VI) are a collecting discipline of their own.
The first Submariner with a date, and more importantly the first with the cyclops on a Sub, controversial in 1969, canonical now. The earliest dials printed SUBMARINER in red, and 'Red Subs' became one of vintage collecting's foundational hunts.
Red Sub dials come in six marks that specialists read like tree rings. The later white-print versions trade at half the red money for 95 percent of the watch, which is either the smart buy or the eternally second-best, depending on your temperament.
Our verdict: Entry ticket to serious vintage Sub collecting. The red line must be original; everything depends on it.
| Sizes | 40mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Oyster |
| Factory bezels | Faded aluminum dive |
| Notable dials | Red SUBMARINER line (Mk I-VI, premium); White 'all white' later |
| Caliber | 1575 |
| Production | 1969 to 1979 (discontinued) |
| Sold | Example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $16,500 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $14,750 |
| Aug 27, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $10,655 |
| Aug 5, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $13,009 |
| Jul 2, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale | $9,500 |
| Jun 28, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale | $15,100 |
Recorded eBay completed sales, logged at our last data refresh.
Recorded eBay sales from the last 12 months put the typical Rolex Submariner Date 1680 at $13,000, with the middle half selling between $10,700 and $15,500 (14 sales). Condition, box and papers move the price within that range.
The Crown Index grades it F (30/100) from real resale data, and today's call is avoid. It has lost value; not one to buy as an investment. Past prices are not a forecast.