MilSub
How the Royal Navy’s iconic tool watch became a Six-Figure collectors item
Photo of MilSub with Log and Knife Caption - The Iconic MilSub with an RN Divers standard issue knife and log book, signed by various Squadrons. Credit: italianwatchspotter.com
When the Royal Navy decided they required timepieces for their new breed of underwater combatants they did not cut corners and instead inadvertently created one of the rarest and most sought after Rolex Submariner variants, and the most iconic military dive watch in history. Never fetching less than 6 figures at auction houses around the world, “MilSub” is a red-hot buzzword in the horological domain. In this article I plan to tell the story of my organization's legendary history with the iconic swiss watchmaker. (Hold on to your hats boys, this is going to be a nerdy one.)
In 1926 Rolex revealed the famed Oyster Case, solving the question of waterproof watches that had plagued the company since the turn of the 20th century. The Oyster case and the self winding perpetual movement ensured that the wristwatch, something that until this time was seen as a dainty, inaccurate accessory for aristocrats, was now a legitimate accessory for men of adventure. These two innovations continue to form the backbone of the Rolex brand even today with the “Oyster Perpetual” still being a staple model in the powerhouses lineup.
In 1957 the UK Ministry of Defence sent a letter to House Wilsdorf and shortly later they received fifty unaltered, “off the shelf”, ref. 6538 Rolex Submariners that were to undergo rigorous trials on the wrists of RN Divers. This reference would become commonly known as the “Big Crown” Submariners or the “Bond Sub” for its iconic appearance on the wrist of Sean Connery, worn on the distinctive (albeit ill-fitting) black, red and green nylon strap. This reference was the typical dive watch of its time with a bi-directional rotating bezel, no crown guards and a self winding calibre.
Photo of Dr. No submariner Caption - Commander Bond’s ref. 6538, seen in Dr. No (1962).
After extensive field testing of these watches the MOD returned to Rolex with a to-do list for the Swiss watchmaker. The bezel was to be redesigned for easier manipulation while wearing gloves, the original plated brass construction was changed to nickel silver to prevent corrosion and cracking under impact and the spring bars were fixed to the case to improve integrity and to support the standardized Nylon strap we now know as the NATO strap. Due to the relatively simple nature of the changes, these new watches did not warrant a fresh reference number and were instead designated A/6538 to represent the military variant of the existing civilian reference. The A/6538 Submariner served on the wrists of the Special Boat Squadron, Clearance divers and other assorted diving units within the UK armed forces for ten years until the MOD switched sides and started utilizing the re-worked Omega Seamaster 300 in 1967.
In 1958, shortly after the ref. 6538 started hitting Royal Navy storerooms, Rolex started production of the 55xx reference Submariners. Over the next 10 years these new and improved timepieces would evolve to have crown guards, new case dimensions and COSC certified calibres. These examples are the bridge between the likes of the ref. 6538 and the modern Submariners we know today. By 1971 the Submariner lineup consisted of the COSC certified 5512 and the non-chronometer 5513. Between 1971 and 1979 the MOD would take delivery of around 1200 modernized Submariners that incorporated the design changes of the A/6538 along with further tweaks dictated by the Special Forces soldiers and divers that were to be using these tools in the field. The now stainless steel bezel was fully notated, as opposed to the usual 15 minute notations seen on civilian examples. The handset was also changed to the striking “Sword” or “Gladiator” hands, borrowed from Omega, that would become synonymous with the design philosophy of UK Military Timepieces. In a drastic contrast to all civilian Rolex Timepieces, the caseback were engraved. Those watches issued to British Army units were engraved with “W10”, another key phrase in British Military Horology. Timepieces received by Naval units, including the Special Boat Squadron (Now Special Boat Service) were engraved with “0552”. The Casebacks were also engraved with “923-7697”, the Nato Stock Number (NSN) designation for a dive watch. Each watch had a unique serial number as well as a year of issue, allowing diligent stores ratings to keep track of the presumably costly items.
Caseback photo Caption - A MilSub issued to the Royal Navy in 1975 Credit: matthewbaininc.com
The personnel being issued the watches will have signed for them personally making it hard to simply sneak off with one at the end of a tour of duty. However, in December 1969 there was an entry in a Naval Stores log regarding the “search for a lost watch”. The watch in question was the Omega Seamaster 300 issued to J.B Fisher, a Royal Navy Diver. The Seamaster in question was later discovered by a private collector, longside Fisher’s Divers log book. The Omega, paired with Fisher's diving log, ended up fetching a cool £78,000 at the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction. It can be assumed many MilSubs vanished in much the same way and simply haven’t been discovered yet, passing between generations as family heirlooms like so many wristwatches do.
J.B Fishers watch Caption - J.B Fishers fabled Seamaster. Credit: phillips.com
Another notable change was to the Dial, where a small “T” was seen just above the six o'clock mark. This marking was to tell the user that Radium, the original luminous material, had been removed from the dial and handset and replaced with Tritium. This work was done by MOD sub-contractor Buford. Radium was proven to be harmful and many watchmakers made efforts to show their customers that they were not using the dangerous element. Notably the famous “no rad” symbol on the vintage Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. The dial markings to denote luminous material is another design language that continues in British military watches today, with modern CWC SBS divers wearing an “L” to denote SuperLuminova, the modern example of Lume technology.
MilSub Dial Caption - The new and improved MilSub dial, sword hands and tritium designator present and correct. Credit: danielbourn.com
The first Milsubs to be received by UKAF were the ref. 5513, these were then later replaced by the ref. 5513/5517, These became known as the “double stamped” reference. The last MilSub reference was the ref. 5517. The ref. 5517 had no civilian equivalent available for purchase by the general public meaning it is now extremely sought after by collectors around the world. The men who were issued Milsubs did not know the extent of how desirable these watches would become, and had they known they likely would not have cared. These watches were tools. When not being used they were kept in lockers on ships or stuffed in a kit bag. Parts were changed regularly, especially the handset which was prone to oxidization. Unfavorable methods of storage, changing of component parts and actually going underwater are all things that would make a typical modern day Rolex owner clutch their pearls and have a little weep about second hand market values. Interestingly, a 1972 issue of the Royal Navy Diving manual states: “Although the watches are robust, they will not withstand unfair treatment and should not be worn in hot baths or showers”. So maybe the hypebeasts are on to something. Regardless, to the underwater combatants of the Royal Navy a MilSub was a tool, the same as a rigging knife to a Sailor or a compass to a Navigator.
Of the 1200 produced, only 180 are known to have survived the harsh conditions they faced in the armed forces. Perhaps there are some that were reported “lost” by sentimental Divers like J.B Fisher and are now kept as a memento of time spent in the service, we are a sentimental bunch in the military after all. However the majority will have simply been damaged beyond repair, and disposed of in accordance with one of the RN’s many books of reference.
Due to the frequent servicing's, many of which resulted in the changing of parts, a completely original MilSub of any reference is indescribably rare. They rarely, if ever, sell for under six figures, even in ropey condition. In February of 2022 a particularly well preserved “double stamp” ref. 5513/5517 was sold at the Bonham's auction house in Knightsbridge by it's original owner, a 27 year Royal Navy veteran. The watch was finally sold for a staggering £200,250 after a frenzy of international online bidding, achieving the highest ever hammer price for a single watch at the London auction house.
While writing this article I became infatuated with the task of finding imagery of MilSubs at work. While pictures of RN Divers during this period are relatively plentiful, the photographic technology at the time means a positive ID on a MilSub is dubious at best. While it is to be assumed most divers would wear their issued kit there were doubtless some who would take a further interest into the world of watches and perhaps buy their own. While skimming various issues of the Royal Navy Divers magazine from the 60s and 70s I found numerous advertisements for Rolex Submariners and interestingly enough one for the Zodiac SeaWolf, another famed divers watch of the period.
Submariner and Zodiac Ads Caption - Adverts appearing in the Royal Navy Diver’s Magazine, interestingly no mentions of the officially issued MilSubs.
Another rather fantastic rabbit hole I found myself in was the story of the Far East Fleet Clearance Diving Team, a team of Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy divers. Their story is expertly told by the Mine Warfare & Clearance Diving Officers' Association at https://www.mcdoa.org.uk and I would encourage anyone with an interest in military diving operations to read the full story. Below is an excerpt taken directly from the site to summarize what the team did.
“Their immediate task was to train shallow water divers and then exercise the ships of the Fleet in their Defence against attack by underwater swimmers. But it was not long before the team embarked on a tour of the station to undertake the disposal of various types of explosive ordnance left over from WWII, above and below the water. This was a task that would dominate the team’s activities for the whole of its twenty years of service in the Far East.” - mcdoa.org.uk
Veteran Clearance Diver Leo Whelan provided a huge amount of photos to the MCDOA and these are all available on the website alongside their article on the Far East Diving Team. The majority of divers certainly appear to be wearing their issued MilSubs on the distinctive grey nylon straps while fishing and sunbathing on the deck between dives. Because what else does a bored sailor do in that situation?
Leo Whelan Caption - CD1 Leo Whelan onboard MVF 164 during diving operations, accompanied by other members of the FECDT. Credit: mcdoa.org.uk
Diver (PIC 10) Caption - A Royal Navy Diver with his standard issue swimboard. His MilSub attached to the board along with a compass and a depth meter.
To Conclude, the Rolex Milsub deserves its spot as one of the most desirable watches in history and while I feel like I reached a new level of watch nerd while doing the research to write this article I fear I’ve barely scratched the surface. Credit is due to bobwatches.com, monochrome-watches.com, hypebeast.com, mcdoa.org.uk and hodinkee.com for helping me establish the cold hard facts and allowing me to expand my knowledge on the subject.
As Always,
Stay Sketchy.
Saami @brokewatchkeeper