1983 ROLEX Submariner 16800 - full set

Brand/Model: ROLEX Submariner
Reference: 16800
Year: 1983
Movement: Caliber 3035
Quickset date: Yes
Crystal: Sapphire
Case diameter: 40mm
Bracelet: Tight 93150 oyster bracelet with 593 end-links sizable to a 7.25in wrist
Contents: Box, papers, original purchase receipt, service records.

Comments: This is a special set that you are not likely to come across too often. A 2-owner Submariner with an extensively documented history that includes not only RSC service papers but also the original purchase receipt. Purchased in late 1983, the watch was well loved and well worn in its early life. To ensure its longevity, it was serviced meticulously by Rolex Service Center, with documented servicing dating back to the early 2000s. As part of that work, the watch retained its original 1983 Cal. 3035 movement and received a service dial and hands (working lume), bezel insert, case, and bracelet.

While many vintage Rolex watches with service components lose the details of those updates over time, this particular example has each and every major change fully documented, so much so that the replacement caseback is stamped with both the original serial number and the new serial number assigned to the service case. This is not a refinished or welded case with a rebuilt bracelet, but a fully legitimate RSC replacement case and bracelet that present in effectively near-NOS condition, free from the wear expected of a 40-year-old watch, paired with its original early-1980s movement. The result is a Submariner that offers vintage lineage with modern usability, complete transparency, and the rare opportunity for the next owner to wear and enjoy the watch while putting their own marks on it, rather than inheriting decades of someone else’s.