Farewell to the 16610

Rolex Icon. The last time Rolex did a major update to it stainless steel Submariner's was in 1989, with the release of the Ref. 16610 Submariner date and the 14060M no-date Submariner. The Submariner is the most iconic of the Rolex sports watches and has been a favorite.

The number of celebrities who have sported is a testament to its popularity. I am not talking talking about their use as props in movies, but as the daily wear watches of many notable persons. The father and son tandem of Lloyd and Jeff Bridges, have between them probably have worn every model of the Submariner ever released. American actors Robert Redford, Sylverster Stallone, Sharon Stone, Patrick Swayze, Benetio Del Torro and Owen Wilson have all been seen sporting Submariner's in the wild. Even Steve McQueen, who is supposedly have worn an orange hand Rolex Explorer II, hence giving the watch the name the Steve McQueen Explorer, actually wore a Ref. 5512 Submariner, and not the Explorer his name has been associated with.

Across the atlantic, Richard Moore, Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig, actors who have all played James Bond, have worn Rolex Submariner's as the personal watch. Fashion legend Ralph Lauren, Cuban Leader Fidel Castro, speed demon Richard Hammond, TV personality Ellen Degeneres, signers Bruce Sprinsteen, Lilly Allen and Jessica Simpson.

While we will miss the old aluminum bezeled Submariner, many of its long time owners are probably looking for something new. That it will be released in a few days is a given. No surprises as to what it is going to look like. It will get the same changes as were made to the all gold Submariners in 2008, and the bi-metal models in 2009. For those of you who haven't seen the new gold or bi-metal Submariners, Steve Holbrook has an excellent comparison entitled COMPARATIVE REVIEW: The Rolex Submariner 16613 vs. the Rolex Submariner 116613.

But there is no reason to fret, unlike the Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000, which went the way of the Dodo with the release of the DEEPSEA, the Submariner is simply evolving.

Still the tool like aluminum bezel which adorned the Submariner's bezel for almost 57 years, will be replaced by the ceramic bezel that have been placed on the GMT Masters since 2005 and have found their way to the precious metal Submariners since 2008. And while the Submariner has undergone many changes in its 57 years, with a larger crown, addition of shoulders to the case, a date display and many other external and internal improvements, the addition of a ceramic bezel on the stainless steel submariner feels bigger than all these. In a way, the grand old girl, built with nothing but function in mind, seems to be entering a new era. For some, present company included, we will miss the old girl. My advice, grab one before the change.

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.