Rolex
Submariner Date
168000
A fleeting chapter in the Submariner's storied evolution.
An estimate from current market data — not an offer. Your actual value depends on condition, completeness, and authentication.
Get an instant offerFree insured shipping. Paid within 48 hours of inspection.
Overview
The Rolex Submariner Date reference 168000 represents one of the shortest production runs in the modern Submariner lineage, manufactured across only 1988 and 1989. Housed in a 40 mm stainless steel case and fitted with a classic black dial, it occupies a precise transitional moment in the model's history. The reference is powered by the Calibre 3035, a movement long regarded as a reliable and technically accomplished workhorse of Rolex's automatic lineup.
History
The 168000 emerged during a period when Rolex was refining the Submariner Date's reference numbering conventions, and its brief two-year production window makes it among the rarest standard-production Submariner references of its era. It succeeded earlier five-digit Submariner references and shared the robust 40 mm case architecture that had defined the line for decades. The Calibre 3035 movement it carries had already proven itself across a range of Rolex sport and dress references before appearing here. Collectors have long noted the 168000 as a transitional piece, bridging the design language of the 1680 generation with the refinements that would follow in subsequent references.
Notable points
- Exceptionally brief production span of approximately two years, 1988–1989, making surviving examples comparatively scarce among standard Submariner references.
- Powered by the Calibre 3035, an automatic movement featuring a quickset date mechanism and Rolex's own shock-protection system.
- Classic 40 mm stainless steel case with black dial — the archetypal Submariner configuration that defined the professional diver aesthetic of its era.
- Occupies a distinct transitional position in Submariner reference history, bridging the long-running 1680 lineage and the references that followed in the early 1990s.
- The short production window has made the 168000 a focused area of interest for specialist Submariner collectors who document the model's generational evolution.
