In the aftermath of the Second World War, the proliferation of the Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) system allowed the masses access to the wondrous undersea world for the first time in history. With a tank of air, a pair of fins, a mask, and a regulator, a regular Joe could experience the sea in all its glory.
However, a few extra bits of kit made the experience that much safer: Namely, a good knife and an accurate, water-resistant wristwatch. With the exception of a few specialist tools made for special operations personnel during the War, however, not much existed in the way of the latter. In the early 1950s, several replica watches UK companies simultaneously developed the first crop of modern, commercially available SCUBA diving watches—one of these in particular would become so popular so quickly that its aesthetics would influence countless makes and models that followed in its wake.
The Rolex Submariner, produced in 1953 and exhibited at the Basel Watch Fair in 1954, changed the tool best copy Rolex watches landscape forever. With its stainless steel case, rotating bezel with timing insert, 100m of water resistance, and luminous black dial and hands, it established an aesthetic that remains the gold standard for dive AAA+ fake Rolex watches several decades after such timepieces were eclipsed in utility by the more sophisticated dive computer. That the watch is still in production over 70 years following its debut is a testament to the longevity of its design and the dedication of its engineers.
Development of the best selling fake Rolex Submariner watches were an iterative process and remains so. The early days were the Wild West, however, with concurrent references leapfrogging each other, adding new technologies and features as they became available and tweaking aesthetics in ways so subtle that it would take decades before collectors even took notice. (And when they did begin to take notice, it would lead to the development of a market so nuanced, so nerdy, that entire books and websites would crop up dedicated to detailing these tiny differences.)
To catalog every minute tweak to the Submariner reference is well beyond the scope of this piece. However, in examining some of the most important references and sub-references from each decade—beginning in the 1950s and carrying through to 2025—we’re able to parse through the Submariner story to understand the big picture. Keep in mind that pricing estimates are just that—estimates—and that the market for these wildly cool top clone Rolex watches are ever fluctuating.
As a design object, the Submariner belongs to a list of products—the Porsche 911, the Fender Stratocaster, the Eames chair—so iconic that a layman could recognize them. All remain in production decades after their release. Indeed, there’s little doubt that the “Sub” is among the most important cheap super clone Rolex watches ever made, and will remain so as long as Rolex sees fit to produce it.
Rolex Submariner ref. 6204
This is the first Swiss replica Rolex Submariner watches, said to have rolled off the production line in 1953 but not to have been introduced to the public until the Basel Watch Fair in 1954. It featured a 37 mm stainless steel case, a smaller 5.3 mm crown, pencil-style hands, and a bezel without individual minute hash marks. The dial exhibited the typical Submariner design language: Circular, rectangular, and triangular indices with luminous fill.
Reference: 6204
Diameter: 37 mm
Movement: Rolex cal. A240 automatic
Price on Secondary Market: $35,000+