1680 vs. 16800 which would you pick and why?

[Filipão]

Mine is now 40 years old. And oh so beautiful!

[blowfish89]

Originally Posted by recapt

Man, that looks great. What the story with the crystal?

Thanks, it’s really great (I’ve had it for 8 years and it’s 40 yrs old now). The crystal is original and has the cyclops taken off (this is much easier to do on the older models as no AR under cyclops).

[tix99us]

An 1982-84 16800 matte dial with a faded bezel is hard to beat. Period

[Jawnz]

4 digit whenever possible.

I have a 16800 though which I love and wear on a NATO strap in the summer. The fact that its a sapphire crystal is nice and I plan to take it swimming in the ocean soon.

[blam3344]

1680 has more vintage features and was the first Submariner with date cyclops, also the last generation of Submariner using plexiglass. It has double indentities, a must has one among Submariner.

[TuRo]

Plexi wins out over sapphire for me every time - all else being equal(ish). But both good watches.

[TuRo]

Originally Posted by XavierM

Never been a big fan of the matte dial combined with sapphire Crystal so 1680, but as always, condition is everything !

Yes I tend to agree with that, on both the early 80s 16800 sub and 16660 sea dweller (Gonna stick my neck out and suggest the only two Rolex with the sapphire/matte dial combo I think - someone put me right if I'm wrong though*).

*I think c 90-97 Sub 79190/75190 is only Tudor too, hence I prefer the 79090/75090 plexi/matte.

[recapt]

Originally Posted by blowfish89

Thanks, it’s really great (I’ve had it for 8 years and it’s 40 yrs old now). The crystal is original and has the cyclops taken off (this is much easier to do on the older models as no AR under cyclops).

Aha! Makes sense. What a beauty! Appreciate the info.

[karleone]

Originally Posted by Filipão

Mine is now 40 years old. And oh so beautiful!

Beautiful 16800!

[Hafagonia]

4 letter >

[Tom1675]

The Lume is too degraded for me on this one.

[Tom1675]

The lume is too degraded on this 1680 for me...

[Twophonetoni]

Some things to consider:

Yes, changing the date is a pain in a rush but turning the hands counter-clockwise to go “down” in dates has no ill effect on the 1570/5 movement.

My biggest pet peeve about my 1680 vs 5 digit subs is the more pronounced rehaut/ring around the dial(takes my attention away from the dial)

The top hat adds a lot of charm and i love the warmth of acrylic crystals but as a daily it gets scratched to hell-get some polywatch

16800’s are great because of all the nuances you can find in that reference as some have mentioned with

Either way you go you’ll have a great watch.


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[blam3344]

These two really looks great. Especially the 1680 looks quite vintage

[sfc rick]

1680 all day everyday. It's the finest tool watch I own. It's still my daily wear and looks great for a 46 year old watch.



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[onetwo127]

I like both, but the 16800 has my vote.

[Ascari_2]

While the collector in me wishes I had a 1680 in the collection, the daily wearer in me is glad that I have the 16800. Although I don't have a 1680, I do have a 1625, 1601, and a 1675, so I have a good idea of what the vintage ones are like.

Considering that the 16800 is my favorite watch, it goes on the wrist very often and is incredibly easy to live with. Though it may be its ease of use that make me love it so much.

Aside from the sapphire glass which make it more robust in some sense, there are two things that no one has mentioned. First, I like the 28,800 bph of the movement, making the seconds hand move smoother across the dial. And second (putting in the flame suit), it can be paired with a modern Rolex SEL bracelet making the watch feel super solid. If there is one thing that I can't fall in love with, it's the old Rolex bracelets. I respect and appreciate them, but I just don't find pleasure in having them on the wrist like I do with the solid bracelets. I think all those things combined make it a fantastic daily watch and that's why it gets my vote.



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[DD GT3 RD]

Big 16800 Matte fan here. Sold one and missed it. Found a beauty in Amsterdam.
Picked it up earlier this year. Perfect tool watch. Being sapphire I enjoy swimming with it still and still has that vintage feel with its matte dial. Perfect balance.

[Newbie2277]

Any issues with the tritium flaking off on these 16800 or 1680s? Just now starting to consider a matte dial sub, but have been reading some about the tritium flaking off. It wouldn't be abused, but I'd want it capable of being worn daily or at least several days weekly without worrying about the lumes coming off. Beautiful pieces!

[TuRo]

Nope, never had lume falling off a matte dial. Had tritium contraction/drying out/flaking on handsets, but that could/would affect all pre-99 (tritium) watches of course.

[Newbie2277]

Originally Posted by TuRo

Nope, never had lume falling off a matte dial. Had tritium contraction/drying out/flaking on handsets, but that could/would affect all pre-99 (tritium) watches of course.

Very good point. Leaning towards maybe an early 80s 16800 but in the very early stages of research/looking. Thanks!