Watch Chronicles with a Diver's Rolex Submariner Red "1680" | Bob's Watches

Every watch has a story to tell. Join us as we sit down with Navy diver Robin Farmer and discuss his Submariner that he bought 50 years ago. Shop pre-owned Rolex: https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex/

Shop the Submariner featured in this video and much more here: https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-sub...

Robin Farmer purchased his Rolex Submariner 1680 in 1971 in the Naval Exchange aboard the Roosevelt #42. He was in the Navy at the time and had finally decided to invest in a dependable dive watch of his own after relying on the watches his diving buddies were wearing.

It wasn’t until they were stationed in the Mediterranean that he joined the diving club and finally decided to take the leap and invest in his own dive watch. Thus, began the story of his Submariner over 50 years ago.

The Submariner was developed as a diver’s tool watch, featuring a rotatable bezel, a luminous display on the dial, and a waterproof case. It’s pretty unusual to hear of collectors today using their Submariner for its actual intended purpose as a diver’s tool watch, but that’s exactly what Robin Farmer did.

He purchased his Rolex purely out of necessity and admits that he was never really a watch guy but more so a diving enthusiast. It simply made sense to invest in a Submariner.

His Submariner was integral to tracking diving times and decompression stops and even acted as a pressure gauge indicating how much air was left in his tank. As one can imagine, sharing such vital information rather than owning a dive watch of his own wasn’t the safest or most reliable option for an avid Navy diver.

That’s when he decided to invest in a watch of his own. The Naval Exchange aboard the ship he was stationed on had two options, a yellow gold and stainless steel GMT Master and the stainless steel Submariner 1680 that he purchased.

At the time, the watch was reasonably-priced but still required about two months’ worth of pay. It was a sacrifice that would eventually pay off when it came time to sell decades later.

Robin wore his Submariner for about twenty years, often wearing it with the case on the inside of his wrist to protect the crystal. It was well-loved and acquired quite a few distinctive dings and scratches during their adventures together.

As Robin recalls, he hardly ever took his Submariner off because, first, where would he put it while aboard a ship with thousands of other shipmates? Another reason is that the watch is powered by automatic winding technology. It’s easier to keep it on the wrist than bother with winding it before every use.

ROBIN FARMER’S ROLEX 1680
The Submariner Robin purchased is the reference 1680, the first Rolex Submariner to include a date mechanism on the dial. A fascinating part of Rolex history, indeed. His edition is known as the “RED SUBMARINER” because it displays the logo in vibrant red text. It is a very desirable edition of the beloved dive watch.

When coupled with the watch’s incredible history and the fact that it was worn every day, Farmer’s Submariner is considered a highly prized collector’s item.

In our interview with Robin, he chuckles as he remembers the time he fell off of a motorcycle during a moto trial. He went one way, and the watch went the other while hooked onto one of the bolts. It gained a noticeable dent in the bracelet during the tumble that only adds to its charm and collectability.

Robin was also so kind as to provide us with numerous photos of him and his beloved Submariner, one of which we find particularly intriguing because it shows him using a waterproof camera case with his Nikon Super 8 movie camera that he built himself, complete with diving lights made from sealed motorcycle beams.

But, alas, all good things must come to an end. Robin stopped wearing his Submariner regularly about twenty years after he purchased it. He worked in a factory, and it was no longer safe to wear as it might get caught in dangerous equipment and lead to serious injury.

He retired the watch, only bringing it out for special occasions that called for a nicer timepiece – such as weddings. Eventually, he stopped wearing the Submariner altogether, and, after two decades of not wearing it, decided to sell.

He met our team at Bob’s Watches after researching how to wind his Submariner. He found our website, and the rest is history.

His Submariner will live on, delighting avid collectors along the way with its charming history and retro feature set.