The Rolex Submariner is undoubtedly one of the most successful models in the history of a fake Rolex Submariner. This is not only because it plays its role as a diver’s watch very well, although I am sure only a few Submariners have seen the water. Its appearance in several James Bond movies certainly helped. If you disregard functionality and marketing, the Submariner’s success is largely due to its elegance as a timeless dress watch. It is the kind of replica watch you look at all the time, no matter what you want to know about the time of day. 
It was an immediate success as the first watch ever to be water-resistant to 100 meters (330 feet) and equipped with a rotatable bezel for divers to read the time underwater. There was an ongoing debate about which model of the Submariner, the 6200 or the 6204, came out first. With a different 369 Explorer dial and a different movement, the 6200 is definitely the stranger one than the 6204/6205. However, when dealing with Rolex history, you will find more, and hard evidence from Rolex headquarters in Geneva is difficult to find. This certainly adds to the mythology of this legendary timepiece, and which model came first is not the most important.
The 6204 was officially released to the public in 1954, but from a collector’s point of view, the 6200 is certainly more desirable. With a thicker case and a larger 8 mm crown, it could be handled more easily by divers wearing thick gloves. This particular front crown gave birth to the nickname Big Crown. Only the Submariner models 6200, 6538, A/6538, and 5510 are equipped with a large crown, and these models are very popular with collectors.
The innovative technology needed to produce the Piccard’s Rolex Deepsea was then applied to the Submariner models. Adding a rotating bezel to a regular Rolex watch, allowed divers to accurately track the time underwater. By changing the plain dial from white to black and adding luminous numerals and hands, a new model was born, the practical Rolex, the sporty Rolex, or as Rolex described it.” In the early 1950s, Rolex developed professional watches as tools with functions that went far beyond simple time displays. These watches were used for professional activities such as deep-sea diving, aviation, mountaineering, and scientific exploration. These watches generated an enduring enthusiasm and became known as the watch for achievers”.
Over the years, I have studied the nuances of the replica Rolex Submariner and still occasionally learn something completely new. There are many exceptions and important details. For instance, sometimes the depth indication is red, it has a depth indication first in meters and then in feet, and some models have a 369 Explorer type dial for military orders. Then there is the glossy dial with gilt, silver, and white printing, as well as the minute track and open track. We see underlines, exclamation marks, matte dials, open tracks, double names, military, commercial exchanges, and other different names, and mix them with radium and tritium and you will find hundreds of different possibilities.
