2016 Rolex Professional Models, Then and Now

.Model Comparisons.
Have you ever wondered what the latest Rolex wristwatch models would look like next to the first one released by the watchmaker? Unless you attend Baselworld or another event of the luxury watch industry, you may never see the historical versions next to their current configurations. I have posted blog entries about the release of the original Submariner, for example, to the Rolex History section of this website, but I myself had never looked at the original and the 2016 models side by side. 

I decided to use the magic of Photoshop to place the following five stainless steel Rolex professional watches next to the original versions. While high resolution photography helps make the 2016 versions look more polished and pristine, it is interesting to note just how similar the current versions are to the originals. I have heard many say that Rolex models change little over time, but nothing brings this point home more than seeing the photos below side by side. 


Rolex Submariner 
Rolex Submariner 1953 (left) and 2016 (right)
Aside from the 15 minute marks on the bezel and pencil-shaped hour and minute hands, there is little difference between the original Submariner, released in 1953, and the current 2016 model in terms of aesthetic. Many technical improvements have been made, however, including an improved depth rating of 300 meters from the original's 100 meters. The crystal, movement, bezel and steel have also been upgraded over time to reflect the watchmaker's current patented innovations.

 Rolex GMT-Master II
Rolex GMT-Master II 1982 (left) and 2016 (right)
The first GMT-Master II model was introduced in 1982, an improvement upon the GMT-Master that was released in 1955. The first GMT2 featured what has come to be known as the 'Coke' bezel in black and red. Rolex currently offers the stainless steel GMT-Master II model with either a black bezel or the blue and black bezel shown in the photo above, known as the 'BLNR' or 'Batman' by collectors. Aside from the bezel configuration and materials, this model has changed very little in the past thirty years.

Rolex Explorer II
Rolex Explorer II 1971 (left) and 2016 (right)
The Explorer II model made its debut in 1971 and, as you can tell from this photo, is still relatively unchanged. The minor adjustments to the aesthetic include the round hour markers, Mercedes hour hand shape, the markings on the stainless steel bezel and the orange lettering of the model name on the dial. The characteristic orange 24-hour hand of this model remains unchanged, even on the white dial configuration that has become popular in the past few years.

 Rolex Milgauss
Rolex Milguass 1956 (left) and 2016 (right)
The Milgauss model was designed specifically for scientists and engineers in 1956 to help protect the movement from magnetic fields. The name combines the French term for a thousand with the word gauss, a unit of magnetic induction. It retains the signature lightning bolt seconds hand, but the current model is perhaps the most divergent from the original of this group. It now features a smooth steel bezel with green and orange accents on the dial.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 1963 (left) and 2016 (right)
The most coveted model on this list, the 2016 Daytona model features a black bezel and white dial configuration more similar to the 1965 Daytona than the original 1963 version pictured above. However, this iconic chronograph is still evocative of the era in which is first appeared. Popularized by actor and race car driver Paul Newman, the Daytona model features a tachymeter used to measure a driver's average speed around the racetrack.

For more information on the original model configurations, visit the Rolex History page and check out the historical timeline featuring original model release dates and other historical events that contributed to the legacy of the watchmaker. For more information on the current models including model comparisons, click on Rolex Models. 

Rolex Explorer and Submariner Models Released in 1953

.History.
Rolex released many of the professional models that would go on to become their most popular in the 1950s. The world became intrigued by exploration, experimentation, aviation and diving in this decade. Hans Wilsdorf remained tapped into the zeitgeists of the time and made sure that Rolex wristwatches went along for the ride. 
picture of the first rolex explorer model 1953
First Rolex Explorer Model, 1953 (photo: Rolex)
The Explorer was the first of the professional models to be released in 1953. The watchmaker equipped Tenzing Norgay with an experimental Oyster Perpetual model when he reached the summit of Mount Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. The information collected on that and many other prior expeditions would bring the Explorer model to life.

That same year, Rene-Paul Jeanneret, one of the directors of Rolex and an avid diver, suggested that they create a dive watch that was as elegant as it was useful underwater. Years prior, Rolex had worked on dive watches with Panerai, but had not come up with anything resembling the Submariner pictured below.

picture of the first rolex submariner from 1953
First Rolex Submariner Model, 1953 (photo: Rolex)
The first Submariner had straight, pencil shaped hour and minute hands that would later be replaced by the iconic Mercedes hands that are still used on today's model. This was the first diver's watch that was water resistant up to 100 meters. 

The Submariner made its documentary film debut on Jacques Cousteau's wrist in The Silent World in 1956. It also took a plunge into the depths strapped onto the hull of Swiss physicist and explorer Auguste Piccard's Bathyscaphe Trieste submersible in 1953. The watch was still ticking upon its return to the surface, giving Hans Wilsdorf and Rolex reason to move forward in their horological exploration of land, air and sea.

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