1990 Rolex Submariner Date 16610 Box & Papers + Rolex Service
Ref: 16610
Specification
Lugs :Â 20mm
Condition :Â Pre-Owned
Box & Papers :Â Box & Papers
Case Material :Â Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its Rolex box, swing tag, Rolex Service pouch & Rolex paperwork. The watch comes paired with a service 20mm stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, with 11 Links included. The watch is from October 1990 and is in worn/fair condition. The anodised aluminium bezel insert is Rolex Service replaced. The case and bracelet do feature signs of wear throughout but are in fair condition for its age, a full case and bracelet refurb can be provided at an additional cost. The watch had a Rolex Service in December 2020. The watch comes with our 12-Months Warranty.
The Watch
Here we have a 1990 Rolex Submariner Date 16610, the 16610 was introduced around 1987. It came in two variants: an MK1 with "Swiss-T<25" on the dial using Tritium and an MK2 with just Swiss on the dial using Super-LumiNova. The 40mm stainless steel Oyster case curves over your wrist with drilled tapered lugs, polished and brushed surfaces transition with crisp edges. A lug-to-lug length of 47mm and a case thickness of 12.5mm give the watch an impressive wrist presence, on the right side is a signed Rolex Triplock screwed-down crown made up of four separate rubber gaskets, and the crown guards are part of the case which gives it strength. The unidirectional stainless steel bezel has deep knurling with a Rolex Service replaced black anodised aluminium divers bezel insert that holds a sapphire crystal above a black dial. This MK1 dial has applied disc and baton indexes that are infilled with Tritium marking the hours, Mercedes's hands are filled with Tritium complemented by a sweeping lollipop counterweighted second-hand. At 3 o’clock we have the date window with Cyclops magnification on the crystal. At 12 o’clock the Rolex crown with the text “Oyster Perpetual Date” is precisely applied, at 6 o’clock we have the additional fourth line “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified”, on the bottom edge, you can see "Swiss-T<25". On the reverse, a coin-edged screw-down case back, inside an automatic Rolex Cal. 3135, 31 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, it is fitted with a Parachrom hairspring, designed by Rolex; it offers greater resistance to shocks and to temperature variations, this movement was first introduced in 1988. The watch comes fitted on a service Rolex 20mm stainless steel Oyster bracelet with OysterLock safety clasp and diver extension system which allows the watch to be worn over a divers suit.
Personal Note
If you are in the market for a Submariner but want the best value possible, this 16610 is the one for you! Not only is it one of the most attractive (in my opinion) Submariner references, this model features Tritium dial and hands which will develop a lovely patina in time. I wouldn't hesitate on this if you are interested, book an appointment and come see it on your wrist.
The Brand
In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements which are installed in British cases and sold to jewellers who put their names on the dials. Recognising the potential for their brand, Wilsdorf created the brand name Rolex in 1908. In 1910, a Rolex became the first wristwatch to carry the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision, awarded by the Official Watch Rating Centre in Bienne, Switzerland. Demand for Rolex watches rose swiftly, and British taxes on the Swiss movements Rolex used prompted Wilsdorf to move the business to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1919. With production costs lowered, Wilsdorf quickly set out to solve the age-old problem of moisture and dust entering a watch case and damaging the movement. The Rolex watchmakers came up with a fully sealed watch case, which Wilsdorf named the Oyster, and released to an appreciative audience in 1926. In 1931, Rolex introduced the first automatic winding wristwatch, giving it the legendary name Oyster Perpetual. In 1945, they released Datejust. The Datejust was the first watch to have the date jump instantaneously at midnight. The 1950s saw a whole lot of releases such as the Air-King (1958), the Explorer (1953), the Submariner (1953), the GMT Master (1955), the Day-Date (1956), the electromagnetic field resistant Milgauss (1956), the Lady-Datejust (1957) and the first Deep Sea model (1960). Wilsdorf’s death in 1960, saw ownership of Rolex S.A. (a collection of sub-companies) passed to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation which was founded by Wilsdorf in 1945, the mission of which is simply to sustain Rolex S.A. indefinitely.