Rolex Submariner réf. 16800 Tansitionnal

Rolex Submariner réf. 16800 TansitionnalThe 16800 occupies a precise and much appreciated position in the Submariner lineage the transitional reference, produced from 1978 to 1984, that bridged the classic matte dial era and the glossy dials that would follow. It was the first Submariner to feature a sapphire crystal, yet it retained the matte black dial and the overall character of the references that preceded it. For collectors, it represents the best of both worlds. This 1982 example

The steel case houses a manually wound chronograph movement

The watch wears on a generic strap

A column-wheel chronograph of the highest order

The 3-6-9 Arabic numeral layout against the luminous baton indices gives it a sporting character that the colour tempers with unexpected warmth

A transitional Submariner in its most characterful configuration

completes the vintage character of the dial perfectly

worn on the wrist like a piece of jewellery — and Geneva's oldest manufacture executed it with a rigour that lesser houses could only approximate

The cream dial has transformed over decades into a warm

The Borgel case system — patented by François Borgel in Geneva in 1891 — was one of the earliest serious attempts to make a wristwatch water and dust resistant

the Royal Oak

The Zenith Defy was introduced in 1969 as the maison's answer to the growing demand for robust

This Movado Sport wears that construction with the honest character of a tool watch that has lived a full life