Beginning in 2020, the undated Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner, considered by many to be the most quintessential diver’s watch, is slightly larger in size and has an updated movement, but still maintains its original design. This is our first exposure to this new watch. Rolex Day Date Roman Dial Left
Rolex’s latest innovations for 2020 are what we’ve been waiting for. Rolex launched a new generation of the Oyster Perpetual Submariner and Submariner Date in September. Slightly larger, these watches now feature new movements – the Submariner has the recently released 3230 calibre, while the new Submariner Date Edition features the 3235 calibre for the first time. The Submariner Date Edition comes in a surprising range of color combinations, while the Submariner Edition without the date display retains its original design. We were able to preview the new Submariner shortly after it was released.

If you thought that Rolex innovations meant a revolution, you were wrong. However, the Submariner has been revised and the sum of its various details has formed the new watch. The diameter of the watch has increased from 40mm to 41mm, or more precisely, from 40.6mm to 41.36mm, measured diagonally from 2 o’clock to 8 o’clock. The crown guards and lugs are thinner, but this increases the width of the lugs a full millimeter to 21mm.
These seemingly minor upgrades change the proportions of the entire watch – including the case, bezel, dial and strap. This means you are looking for a brand new model. Thanks to extensive revisions to the tiniest of details, the new Submariner looks more than a millimeter larger than the old model. Less obvious is the new in-house self-winding calibre 3230, as it, like any Rolex watch, is covered by a thinly slotted caseback that seals it airtight with a special key It must be screwed tightly and only be opened by an authorized Rolex watchmaker. The difference from the 3235 movement is that the Submariner does not have a date display on the dial.
The Submariner series originates from an era when dive watches were used more for professional applications than recreational diving. For this reason, they remain true to their original appeal today – as clearly reading the time during a dive is a matter of life and death. The striking dot at the end of the second hand serves as a functional check and also glows. Additionally, the zero mark on the dive bezel is filled with the same luminous material to provide better directionality when setting dive times.