Rolex Submariner 6536/1

Rolex Ref. 6536/1 Submariner "Red Depth"

A facinating and highly collectible stainless steel automatic diver's wristwatch with center seconds, revolving bezel, "red depth" and bracelet. Introduced in 1955, the Submariner reference 6536/1 replaced the reference 6536 and remained in production until 1959 - thus for only 5 years. It sports a small crown and the hallmark of early Submariner models: no crown guards. The present example represents a very early and rare variation of the reference, instantly recognizable by the minimalistic depth rating printed in red (thus its moniker “Red Depth”): two numbers separated by a dash: 100/330. They of course refer to the maximum depth achievable with the watch: 100 meters / 330 feet. Most likely because such a synthetic designation was deemed too cryptic, it soon was switched for the more expositional “100 m = 330 ft” found on later examples. The evolution will continue in the later ref. 1680, which will see the inversion of the two units of measure, with feet coming first, reflecting the brand’s focus on the North American market. Red Depth 6536-1 pieces not only represent the first iteration of the iconic depth rating - which is still employed, updated to current ratings, on Submariners today - making them very relevant in the history of the company. Aesthetically as well, such a succinct design has an unusual effect to the eye of modern collectors, used to seeing much busier dials on contemporary Submariners. The simple graphic layout gives the impression of the entire dial being larger and leaves the stage to the black surface, gilt graphics, and (now pleasantly aged) radium hour markers. It is worth pointing out how the present example with case number 112’473 happens to be extremely close to another similar example sold by Phillips in May 2025, which bore case number 112’199.