Well, I’ve achieved something today, in that a journey that started the best part of a year ago has finally been completed. It was then that I first tried to acquire a Red Submariner; although I came very close on a few occasions, bought one and returned it, and drove over a hundred miles only to find the watch I’d gone to collect wasn’t the one for me, a beauty now sits on my wrist. I’ve sold three watches in order to fund this one watch, in fact, so it’s fair to say that I was pretty motivated, but I’m very happy with the decision I’ve made.

So, what is it about the red Sub that makes it so collectible? I guess it’s partly the fact that its far more scarce than the white; it was made in smaller numbers, and being older by definition there are likely to be a lower percentage of those produced that are still in circulation (at least in unadulterated form). Aside from that, though, the addition of a single line of red lettering has the most remarkable impact on the overall look of the dial, and therefore the watch. It really does seem to pop and I think it transforms the 1680 from a very, very good watch to something exceptional.

This is what I mean…