ROLEX
Submariner "COMEX 5056"
Ref. 1680 No. 5833447 Circa 1979 Steel wristwatch delivered to Comex. Case: round, rotating graduated bezel, screw-down case back, signed. Dial: black "maxi dial", luminous hour markers and hands, central seconds hand, date window, signed. Movement: automatic cal. 1570, signed. Bracelet: Oyster, ref. 93150, endlinks 580. Clasp: folding clasp, stamped VC, signed. Wrist size: approx. 21 cm. Diameter: 40 mm. With: punched warranty, presentation box and outer box, Rolex card holder, Submariner booklet, Rolex booklet, 1979/1980 calendar, two Rolex tags, one with serial number, and an anchor. Provenance: acquired from Comex by its original owner, a secretary at Comexpro. A stainless steel diver's automatic wristwatch made for Comex, Oyster bracelet with Rolex deployant clasp. With original punched guarantee, box and outer packaging, a Rolex card holder, a Submariner booklet, a Rolex booklet, a 1979/1980 calendar, two Rolex tags (one with a serial number), and an anchor. From the original owner, a secretary at ComexPro. Produced for over a decade, from 1967 to 1979, the Rolex Submariner ref. 1680 is a pivotal reference in the history of the Submariner. The first Rolex dive watch to incorporate a date function, it marks a major transition: the Submariner's shift from a "tool watch" to an "everyday watch." Within the Comex universe, the use of the 1680 might initially seem surprising, since unlike the Submariner 5514 or the Sea-Dweller 1665, it lacks a helium escape valve and is therefore unsuitable for saturation diving. Its use by Henri-Germain Delauze's team thus appears atypical, which explains why only a very few examples were delivered to the Marseille-based company. Accompanied by its original stamped warranty and all its accessories, including the 1979/1980 Rolex calendar, the example presented here is among the very last Submariner 1680s delivered to Comex. Of the approximately sixty pieces estimated to have been attributed to Henri-Germain Delauze's company, fewer than ten have reappeared publicly at auction in the last fifteen years, including numbers 5023, 5037, and 5048. The example presented here, engraved 5056, is to date the latest known and documented of the Comex Submariner 1680 series. First offered for sale, this watch was acquired by a woman, a secretary at ComexPro, a Comex subsidiary specializing in the design of hyperbaric chambers and medical equipment. Joining Comex in 1972, she worked there until 1985. Encouraged by her manager to purchase a Rolex at a preferential price, she bought this watch in 1980 as a gift for her husband, an electronics technician at Comex, who had just left the company to pursue a career in the offshore industry. For this couple, who met at Comex in 1972 and experienced the company's golden age from the inside, this watch is particularly rich in history and symbolism. Kept in a safe for several years, this Submariner 1680 "Comex" is in remarkable condition. Produced for over a decade, from 1967 to 1979, the Rolex Submariner ref. 1680 is a pivotal reference in the history of the Submariner. The first Rolex diving watch to incorporate a date function, it marks a major transition: the shift of the Submariner from a "tool watch" to an "everyday watch." In the world of Comex, the use of the 1680 may seem surprising at first glance, since unlike the Submariner 5514 or the Sea-Dweller 1665, it does not have a helium escape valve and is therefore not suitable for saturation diving. Its use by Henri-Germain Delauze's teams therefore seems atypical, which explains why only a few very rare examples were delivered to the Marseille-based company. Accompanied by its original stamped warranty and all its accessories, including the 1979/1980 Rolex calendar, the model presented here is one of the very last Submariner 1680s delivered to Comex. Of the sixty or so pieces estimated to have been allocated to Henri-Germain Delauze's company, fewer than ten have reappeared publicly at auction over the last fifteen years, including numbers 5023, 5037, and 5048. The model presented here, engraved with the number 5056, is currently the latest known and cataloged model in the Submariner 1680 Comex series. Fresh to the market for the first time, the present watch was purchased by the secretary of one of Comex's engineers. She joined Comex in 1972 and worked there until 1985. Encouraged by her manager to purchase a Rolex at a preferential price, she bought the present watch in 1980 as a gift for her husband, an electronics technician at Comex, who had just left the company to pursue a career in the offshore industry. For this couple, who met at Comex in 1972 and experienced the company's golden age from the inside, this watch is particularly steeped in history and symbolism. Kept for several years, the present Submariner 1680 "Comex" is in remarkable condition.
