1973 Submariner 1680

[rdheaney]

Hello all... I was wondering if I could get some direction on how to go about fixing my Dad's old watch up. It's a 1973 Submariner 1680 stainless, with a blue bezel, but the dial was switched out at one time. There's a bit of family history behind this watch, so bear with me:

The story goes… my uncle had Rolex as an account for his trucking company, and he became friendly with someone (possibly the president of Rolex) back in the late 1960s early 1970s. For a magazine ad, Rolex ordered two specially made watches of the 1973 Submariner 1680, although instead of all blue or all black, they had slightly different dials (possibly the color-change blue/purple ones). This was supposedly done so that they would appear a certain way in the 4-color magazine print of the day. All I remember is that when I saw the watch on my Dad (who wore it ALL the time) it always appeared blue, then purplish, then brownish/bronze in color. So, one of these two watches for the ad was kept by the president of Rolex, who gave the watch to my Uncle, who gave it to my father, who gave it to me. The other watch was kept by Jack Klugman, who wore it in the photoshoot for the magazine ad. Now, how much or little of this story is true, I don't know... but I have no reason not to believe my uncle and father.

Here's where it gets ugly... Dad sent the watch in for repairs sometime in the 1980s, but when he got it back, the original blue/purple dial was gone, and had been replaced with this light bronze one that it has to this day. He never got a clear answer on why this was done. But it just doesn't look right. He always suspected that the jeweler who did the job knew what it was and took the dial for himself. I can't imagine a jeweler needing to do such a thing, but you never know. So, the watch still works great, and I was wondering if there's a way to get the dial replaced with one like the original. What do you think?

Bob

[padi56]

First post a picture of your watch with the dial it has now or nobody can really help you without a clear picture.

[crowncollection]

Pics


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rdheaney]

Sorry for the blurry phone-pics...

[rdheaney]

[Wing Zero]

would love to see some pictures of this dial

[rdheaney]

Originally Posted by padi56

First post a picture of your watch with the dial it has now or nobody can really help you without a clear picture.

I've been trying, but my posts don't seem to be getting put up. Another attempt...

[ticktack]

im so sad looking at this pic....

[skprd13]

Looks like a mismatch of parts thrown together! Nipple dial not part of the sub series, but a GMT Root Beer! Others will chime in on this one for sure!

[rdheaney]

I've only ever had this one Rolex, and I don't know all the lingo... what's a GMT root beer? I was looking through images of old dials, and this one looks very familiar to me. Could it possible that this is the one that was on the watch originally?

[hatidua]

Originally Posted by skprd13

Nipple dial not part of the sub series

actually nipple subs are not all that uncommon

[Beaumont Miller II]

This is my take on it.
A stainless steel 1680 with a 1680/8 nipple dial that at one point was blue, then purple, and ultimately caramel in this pic. Kind of a mismatch of parts.
There are plenty of dials for sale here and on VRF in the marketplace. You might put out a WTB.

[Watchurself]

The hands seem off (among other things) to me..

[watchcrank]

1680 case & 1680 gold dial & insert. A definite wrongly changed dial, bezel insert & hands.
PS, doubt that jeweler had a Rolex account.

[skprd13]

Thanks guys never knew about the nipple subs! Learn something new always in here!

[rdheaney]

Originally Posted by Beaumont Miller II

This is my take on it.
A stainless steel 1680 with a 1680/8 nipple dial that at one point was blue, then purple, and ultimately caramel in this pic. Kind of a mismatch of parts.
There are plenty of dials for sale here and on VRF in the marketplace. You might put out a WTB.

I seem to remember the original dial being both blue & purple at the same time, like a gradient that would change with the light. I wish I could just find one of those, get a new glass and get it cleaned up.

[rdheaney]

I spoke with Mr. Bob Ridley last week. Great guy, very knowledgeable. I think what I'm going to do, at Bob's suggestion, is restore the watch to the typical line of the day, black bezel and black red one-liner dial, plus all the typical tune-up that will be required. To offset the cost of all this, I'll try to sell the gold dial & hands as a set. They appear to be in good condition, but closer inspection by Bob will be required. Thanks for all the info and feedback here.

[etp095]

Originally Posted by rdheaney

I spoke with Mr. Bob Ridley last week. Great guy, very knowledgeable. I think what I'm going to do, at Bob's suggestion, is restore the watch to the typical line of the day, black bezel and black red one-liner dial, plus all the typical tune-up that will be required. To offset the cost of all this, I'll try to sell the gold dial & hands as a set. They appear to be in good condition, but closer inspection by Bob will be required. Thanks for all the info and feedback here.

Good luck on restoring your watch back to original. Bob R is one of the best in the business, he will surely do a great job on your sub. Looking forward to the after pics, please post them when you get it done.

[erikscollectables]

Looking forward to the photo's of the result!

[rdheaney]

Will definitely post before/after pictures :)

[rdheaney]

Hello all...

I just wanted to take a moment to mention the experience I've been having with Bob Ridley at Watchmakers International.

I did quite a lot of reading on these forums to try and find someone to help me with this project of restoring my 1973 Submariner, and so far, I'm completely overwhelmed by the amazing support and expertise that Bob has provided. I had a good feeling that I had found the right person before I had even spoken to him, just from what I read on these forums... but after speaking with him, I'm entirely convinced that there isn't anyone better for the job. His knowledge of Rolex watches and their history is encyclopedic, and his passion for projects like this is second to none. The personal attention he has already put into this effort just in the preliminary stages has me astounded.

So, thank you Rolex Forums for putting me in touch with Bob! I may be preaching to the choir here, but if you have a project like mine, or similar work that needs to be done with your Rolex, I can't recommend Bob enough. And I can't wait to see the end result with my Dad's watch! It will never go to anyone apart from Bob for repairs/maintenance in the future, that's for sure: http://www.watchmakers.com/

Before/after pictures of the watch to come! It will be an all-black red one-liner once complete, as I have learned is appropriate for the watch in original condition. In the meantime, I need to find a way to move the old parts on to someone who can put them to good use. I'm hoping this effort will defray some of the cost for repairs. Bob will know better once he's been able to evaluate the watch in the next few weeks, but I have a blue bezel, gold dial and hands that will be made available. If anyone's interested in learning more about them, please let me know. Thanks!

Bob Heaney

[bobridley]

When reading the client's post regarding his one of “two specially made watches of the 1973 Submariner 1680’’, I was curious to realize a “first”.

After receiving and examining this watch I resolved, like many of you, that some of the components (1680/0 dial & bezel insert) had been exchanged for components from the 1680/8 model. Therefore, concluding that this was not a design by Rolex but rather a design by the watchmaker.

Why this modification?
When addressing needs for models that are 40-80 years old, one can see modifications made to the watch.
From time to time I can understand what the repairman’s thinking was.

For example, this case back came to me with drilled countersunk holes. Granted, such a modification can affect the desirability of a rare piece such as this 6200 Sub.
In this occasion, I could guess at the watchmaker’s mindset. Not having the correct case back opener, he resolved to countersinking a few holes in order to utilize his non Rolex tool.

1. Sub 6200 before picture and after picture provided

When this 1680 arrived, I was eager to look closer at the components.

I remain puzzled as to why the person repairing this steel sub selected a 1680/8 dial with gold markers for the steel sub?

2. Current picture of the 1680/0 Sub provided

3. Current picture of the 1680/8 dial & Insert provided


On the other hand, I will say that both the 1680/8 dial and 1680/8 bezel insert in this sub are in very good condition…a rarity.

Interestingly, this Mark V1 dial with the closed “6” should be the same generation style as the dial that was designed for this 3.7mil 1680.

This is one of the early 1680/8 inserts that featured silver numbers on a blue background as opposed to the later version with gold numbers.

[HERITAGE82]

I'd leave the watch as is. It has a cool story and is unique. Also, once it has Bob's blessing it is a really really cool all authentic vintage 1680 with family history. Once you replace the parts the history is gone and it's just another Sub.

Either way enjoy the watch!

[Thunderbird88]

Keep it with these parts imo!
It has a story, the story has great value to you! Keep it, fix it and wear it for the rest of your time!

[rdheaney]

Thanks all... I can understand why you'd suggest to keep it, although... as it is, the parts represent a bad thing that happened to it, which really ruined the watch for my father. In its original state, with blue bezel and the now missing blue dial, my Dad LOVED this watch. He wore it every day. When the "repairs" were done, and it came back with the dial you see here, he was extremely disappointed... he wore it for a while, then it went into a drawer for a few decades until he passed. I think, if it were restored to the original all-black state that it was originally intended to be, he would wear it again, were he still with us. The original blue dial can't be replaced, I don't think, so I think the next best option would be to go all black. I'm still undecided. In its current state, I think it would just stay in a drawer... an important sentimental heirloom, but unworn.

[wrightbrain]

Keep the blue bezel, go to a black dial.

[rdheaney]

It's funny to see how incredibly better Bob's pictures are, than my paltry phonecam attempts :)

Blue bezel with black dial? That's definitely something to consider. Thanks wrightbrain! So, it would look something like this? Although, of course, not Cartier :)

[JustinK]

The inserts are easy enough to change. Here is my 16800 with a blue insert to give you an idea of what it would look like.

[rdheaney]

Wow, that's a nice looking watch. Thanks for sharing!

[JJL]

The blue bezel is amazing on a Red 1680, especially when it's a little faded. I've always loved michael.luthers example he frequently posts on instagram, check it out:

https://instagram.com/p/3raok6knqC/?...michael.luther