Much of its staying power comes from that balance. The Submariner has been updated repeatedly, but Rolex has generally resisted changing the things that make it immediately recognisable. Look at watches from different decades and there are plenty of differences to discover, although they still clearly belong to the same family.

The Submariner Was Built Around a Job

The first Submariner appeared in 1953, when its purpose was considerably more specific than it is today. It was designed for diving, with water resistance to 100 metres and a rotating bezel that allowed elapsed time underwater to be followed from the wrist.

Those practical requirements explain much of the design. Large hour markers made the dial easier to read, while the bezel had an actual job rather than simply providing a distinctive appearance. The Oyster case addressed water resistance, and the overall layout prioritised clarity.

This helps explain why the design has aged differently from many luxury watches. It was not created around the fashion of a particular decade. Its appearance grew out of function, and those basic functions have remained relevant even as the technology behind them has improved.

There have, of course, been substantial changes along the way. Modern materials have replaced older ones, movements have advanced and case proportions have shifted. What Rolex has largely avoided is starting again for the sake of making the watch appear new.

From Diving Equipment to Daily Wear

A contemporary Submariner is considerably more capable underwater than the original. Current models are water resistant to 300 metres and have a unidirectional bezel with a 60-minute scale. The bezel insert is made from Rolex's ceramic Cerachrom material, while the Chromalight display helps keep the dial readable in dark conditions.

For someone who does not dive, that might sound like a collection of features they will rarely use. In practice, however, much of what makes a useful diving watch also makes a rather convenient everyday watch.

A clear dial can be read quickly. Substantial water resistance removes some of the anxiety around getting a luxury watch wet, while a secure clasp matters whether somebody is wearing the watch on a boat or simply travelling with it. The Oyster bracelet also gives the Submariner a relatively straightforward appearance that works with more than diving equipment.

Its transformation into an everyday watch therefore did not require Rolex to turn it into something else. The qualities were already there.

One Name, Several Different Experiences

Spend a little time looking at Submariners from different periods and the idea that there is one definitive version quickly disappears.

An older reference can feel noticeably different on the wrist from a current 41 mm model. Cases, bracelets, bezel materials and dial details have changed over the years, and enthusiasts often develop preferences for particular periods rather than simply for the Submariner in general.

Then there is the date.

The Submariner began without one, while the Submariner Date joined the collection in 1969. The choice still divides opinion in a fairly good-natured way. The no-date version keeps the dial closer to the original formula and offers greater visual symmetry. The date model adds a feature that many people find genuinely useful when the watch is worn every day.

Neither needs to be treated as the “correct” Submariner. They simply approach the same idea differently.

The Pre-Owned Market Shows What Has Changed

A current catalogue is useful for understanding the Submariner Rolex makes now. It tells much less of the story of how the watch reached this point.

That is where older watches become interesting. Moving backwards through the references reveals changes that can seem minor individually but become quite noticeable over several generations. Aluminium bezel inserts gave way to ceramic on modern pieces. Bracelet construction developed. Cases became more substantial, and movement technology continued to advance.

Someone browsing a rolex submariner at BQ Watches may therefore find that choosing a reference is as much about personal preference as specifications. One person may be drawn to the proportions of an older piece, while another may prefer the construction and technology of a more recent watch.

Age also introduces another consideration: no two pre-owned watches necessarily arrive at the present day in the same condition. How a watch has been worn, maintained and serviced can matter alongside the reference printed on its paperwork. Case condition, bracelet wear, replacement components and documentation are consequently worth looking at individually rather than assuming that two watches of the same reference are interchangeable.

Familiarity Has Become Part of the Appeal

The Submariner is hardly an obscure choice, and perhaps that is part of what makes its continued popularity interesting. Watch enthusiasts know its shape. People with little interest in mechanical watches may recognise it too.

Yet familiarity has not made the design irrelevant. If anything, the Submariner demonstrates how difficult it is to improve a design by changing it merely for the sake of change.

A present-day model is technically far removed from the watch introduced in 1953, but the underlying logic remains easy to see. The dial is meant to be read quickly, the bezel still has a purpose and the case is built around water resistance. Rolex has changed the execution far more than the idea.

That leaves the Submariner in an unusual position. It can still be understood as a serious diving watch, but it no longer needs diving to explain why it works. Its original practicality has simply proved useful in far more places than anyone designing a specialist underwater watch in the 1950s might have expected.