Wartime Rolex submariners

[lowdrag]

Don't flame me if this has already been discussed, but I recorded a Flog it episode and there was this watch for sale at auction. The auctioneer who saw the people valued it initially at £200. The owners had found it in a drawer it seems. Anyway, it was sold for £20,500 in the end. Luckily the saleroom had contacted Rolex and apparently it was made between 1943-45 only. A rare piece I guess.

[mel]

I always thought that the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms was credited with being the first dive watch of the style we all now think of as a diver these appeared in the early 50's with Rolex launching the "Submariner" a few years later. Before these dive watches weren't really of the modern style with a bezel etc although there are certainly wartime and earlier (back into the 30's) watches designed specifically for diving, I'm pretty sure the Submariner name wasn't used till the mid 50's at the earliest.

[andy_s]

mel said:

I always thought that the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms was credited with being the first dive watch of the style we all now think of as a diver these appeared in the early 50's with Rolex launching the "Submariner" a few years later. Before these dive watches weren't really of the modern style with a bezel etc although there are certainly wartime and earlier (back into the 30's) watches designed specifically for diving, I'm pretty sure the Submariner name wasn't used till the mid 50's at the earliest.

I'm with you on this one - '53 I think for the Sub. so it wouldn't be wartime, perhaps one of the other models though.
The BP FF was also introduced in the same year, '53 iirc, so they were both developed at about the same time. The BP FF was designed by two 'Nageurs de Combat' from Commando Hubert specifically for diving. Lip, Bulova, Tounek Rayville all made versions (Tonek worked for Blancpain iirc) and the mil spec that was developed probably grew out of the watches available at the time but then constrained all following designs (Benrus type 1) to look quite similar in terms of hands/markers etc. which is why the design stayed pretty much the same through the sixties and beyond.

[Pinger23]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/8360032.stm

Was it the Rolex prisoner watch?

[lowdrag]

Sorry if I mislead you here. When I was referring to "submariners" was referring to frogmen. I guess the association just took over and I made a boo boo. It was black faced, and had a hex or octagonal back that unscrewed. Leather strap, with stitching near the pins in an X format, but that might not have been the original strap. Whatever, an incredible find.

[andy_s]

That sounds like it may be the Rolex Panerai Kampshwimmner (sp??!) used by the Italian combat swimmers.
Yes it is a Rolex, but yes it's a Panerai. I'll dig some pics up - it's quite well covered on tweb.

ETA 'Kampfschwimmer' is the real speeling..

Edited by andy_s on Wednesday 1st September 20:21

[Engineer1]

It was the "Kampfschwimmer" lovely looking basic design with an octagonal screw on back.

[andy_s]

:nods:

[Mr MoJo]

andy_s said:

:nods:

That is simply beautiful.

I've been wearing my Pam111 for the last 2 days, feeling quite smug whenever I check the time. But that is in another league. A real 'grail' watch.