Rolex Submariner 14060 S/S 2010

Pre-Ceramic

   No one could argue that the contemporary Rolex Submariner is a beautifully impressive timepiece, in the same way that no one can deny the vintage examples of the world’s favorite dive watch are the epitome of understated cool.

However, both modern and classic have their drawbacks. The Super case and Maxi dial of the current lineup are not to everyone’s taste—the thicker lugs and crown guards, and enlarged indexes, represent Rolex’s compromise for those desperate for the Sub to grow beyond its time-honored 40mm dimensions. Additionally, the brand’s patented Cerachrom bezel, while virtually indestructible, will never develop the unique patina many collectors live for.

Conversely, the models from the first quarter century or so of the Sub’s existence are missing several features that make later references easier to live with day to day. Tough sapphire crystals, for example, did not replace the former plexiglass until 1979. The rotating bezel didn’t become unidirectional until 1981. And of course, the performance of a modern caliber will always outdo those from yesteryear. Added to that is the fact a vintage anything is usually more fragile than its present day counterpart.

Perhaps the best solution all round is a Submariner with the very latest in innovations, wrapped up in a body still steeped in golden age nostalgia.

In 1990, Rolex finally got around to replacing the glorious ref. 5513, a reference that started life in 1962 and one which spawned MilSubs as well as  acting as the test bed for the Helium Escape Valve, later to go on to find a permanent home on the Sea-Dweller.

The model that superseded it was the ref. 14060, generally seen as the bridge between the then and now, and the last of the classic Submariners.

First, the traditional. Like every Sub beloved by the purist, the 14060 is a no-date. The introduction of a date feature on the ref. 1680 from 1969 split fans down the middle, not so much for the complication itself but for the inclusion of Rolex’s Cyclops lens over the three o’clock window. It was argued, with some justification, that the new addition ruined the symmetry of the dial.

Elsewhere, the bezel insert is aluminum, still especially robust but open to fading when exposed to seawater or UV light, bringing with it an appearance distinctive to each specific watch.

The case is the final pre-Super example, retaining the slender, sweeping profile over the far more brawny models of today’s catalog. And, for an extra cherry on top, it is the last to have lug holes, and nothing turns a collector’s head quite like a lug hole. It means switching the original hollow link Oyster bracelet for a leather strap or even a NATO is conspicuously easy, giving one watch three very distinct looks.

Now for the updates. The ref. 14060 became the first no-date Sub to have both a sapphire crystal and a Triplock crown, the components working together to ensure a waterproof rating of 300m, up from the ref. 5513’s 200m.

Inside, the former Cal. 1520 was replaced with the Cal. 3000, bringing the watch into line with the standard Rolex balance frequency of 28,800vph.

While the Cal. 3000 was certainly a more modern movement than before, it was missing a couple of features which were included as a matter of course on most other Rolex engines.

The most glaring omission was the Breguet overcoil, the brand opting instead for a flat hairspring. A customary presence in mechanical timepieces for over 200 years, the overcoil ensures greater accuracy by providing a more consistent tension to the spring. With the 14060 put out as the least expensive Submariner, the absence of the piece could well have been to keep prices down.

Regardless, the Cal. 3000 was engineered well enough to eventually go on to gain certification from the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute, but not those ticking inside the ref. 14060. Borrowing another aesthetic from its 5513 forerunner, the 14060 was always a ‘two-liner’, never including the ‘Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified’ tag on its dial that comes from passing its COSC tests.

The Ref. 14060M

Nearly a decade later, Rolex made enough of a change to the ref. 14060 to warrant adding a suffix to its reference number, but not one big enough to merit a new number altogether.

Standing for ‘Modified’, the ref. 14060M was released in 1999 with a revised caliber, the Cal. 3130. The no-date version of the base Cal. 3135 which had been powering the Submariner Date series since 1988, the Cal. 3130 brought with it many of the elements missing from the previous iteration.

The Breguet overcoil was reinstated, a larger balance wheel fitted and the balance cock replaced with a full balance bridge.

All told, it gave the Cal. 3130 an improved performance, and its physical size, 28mm diameter and 6mm in height, lent it an inherent strength; perfect for the toughest of tool watches.

Even so, the first generation of the ref. 14060M were also two-liners. Rolex still seemed reluctant to submit the watch to the scrutiny of the COSC, and so they were not qualified as chronometers.

It wasn’t until as recently as 2007 that the brand sought official approval, leaving collectors with the choice when purchasing a 14060M of going for a formally sanctioned four-liner Superlative Chronometer, or sticking with the cleaner dial and more vintage-inspired two-liner.