Rolex submariner gilt dials: The magic behind them – part II
Fine WatchesCollector's InsightIn part I we explained why vintage Rolex submariners are so sought after by collectors worldwide.
While submariners look simple -their manufacturing process at the time was anything but.
A true early submariner by Rolex is magical mainly due to the combination of the glossy black, often lacquer dial and gilt writing.
Rolex would change the gilt writing in the mid to end 1960s to white, making gilt dials rare and very collectable. In fact any collector who has ever held a vintage Rolex submariner in his hand will say there is something magical about the dial.
The dial changes with light not only changing the appearance of the watch but capturing the small details of a Rolex submariner- be it the change in lume, the way the gilt printing looks and also the color of the depth rating which was often in silver or in white. Many early dials also had radium spots on them and they can only be seen depending on the light.
Lets see why the dials are so magical by looking at some pictures.
All pictures below are of the same watch a 1957 Rolex submariner 6536-1.
The first picture shows the watch catching the natural sunlight and reflecting off the dial.
The radium spots very visible everywhere on the dial. Notice the nice contrast between the lume at six o’clock and the other indexes which have a different color. This is typical of early Rolex submariners to warn the owner of Radium that was being used (Rolex would later discontinue the use of radium which is radioactive).
In the second picture we see the watch under different lighting -outside but in the shade. The radium spots are less visible. Aside from this – the conditions remain the same: only natural sunlight with no filter.
In the next picture we take a look at an enlargement of the dial.
Notice the gilt printing and the radium spots. Both are now wonderfully visible.
This next picture perhaps best demonstrates the point of our post: Light can play magic with gilt dial submariners.
In this picture below half of the dial is in the shade (left side) and half of the dial in the sun (right side). Notice the difference in lume color.
Also you will note that the radium spots are not visible this time at all despite the watch being exposed to natural sunlight outside. Additionally notice how the depth rating and the word submariner appear to take on two completely different colors this time.
To highlight how different the same watch can look under different lighting lets look at the watch under artificial light inside.
This is the light you often have in restaurants. Again using no filter but just the lamp shining right on the dial. Notice the second hand appear white. The dial appears also more glossy than in the previous pictures.
Concluding remarks
Gilt era submariners are special not only because they are rare and found only on the earliest submariners but also because of the unique combination of black lacquer and golden or ‘gilt’ writing make for a superb combination.
They give a warmth not found on later Rolex models after the late 1960s when writing turned to white. In our opinion they are the most attractive watches to collect. The watch here is a 6536-1 which is one of the first submariners from Rolex after the 6204, 6205 and the 6200. The case number is 306 xxx and the watch is from 1957. Collectors often refer to these early submariner without crown guards as ‘small crowns’.
