Rolex Submariner 124060: specifications and what to check

One decision, three consequences

The no-date Submariner differs from its dated sibling in a single design decision, and that decision shows up in three separate places on the specification sheet.

No date. Rolex lists the functions as centre hour, minute and seconds hands with stop-seconds. There is no date, and no rapid-setting mechanism.

No Cyclops. The crystal is specified as scratch-resistant sapphire, with no lens. The date model's crystal carries one.

A different calibre. This runs the 3230. The date version runs the 3235. Same family, same 70-hour reserve, same −2/+2 precision — different movements.

All three matter to a dealer for the same reason: they are the things most often got wrong in a listing written from memory of "a Submariner". Quote the calibre that belongs to the reference in front of you, and do not describe a date this watch does not have.

They also work in your favour at inspection. Two of the three are visible in a photograph before the watch arrives. A flat crystal with no magnifier, and a dial with no window, are the immediate confirmation that the reference and the object agree.

Absences that are correct

Worth saying plainly, because inspectors working from general knowledge flag them as faults.

The missing Cyclops is not missing. It was never fitted. A no-date Submariner with a magnifier is wrong in a way that should stop the transaction entirely.

The plain dial is correct. No aperture, no printed date ring visible at the three o'clock position.

Knowing both in advance saves you querying a good watch, and — more usefully — tells you immediately when something has been assembled from parts.

Ceramic, platinum and what to look for

The bezel is a Cerachrom insert in black ceramic with the numerals and graduations coated in platinum.

That is two materials with two different failure modes on one component.

The ceramic resists abrasion almost completely and fails by chipping. Tip the watch and rake a light along the insert's outer edge; a flake is bright, shell-shaped and easy to miss from above.

The platinum coating sits in the engraved numerals. It should be even, continuous and the same tone all the way round the ring. Patchy or dull engravings are a sign of a replaced or non-original insert — and on the most counterfeited watch design in existence, that is worth a loupe and two minutes.

The clasp does the daily work

Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with the Rolex Glidelock extension system.

Glidelock is a toothed rail inside the clasp allowing small length adjustments without tools. It is used constantly and it is inside the clasp where nobody inspects it.

Extend it fully, return it fully, and stop at several positions along the way. Each should engage with a clear click and resist a firm pull. Then confirm the Oysterlock safety catch itself snaps shut rather than resting closed.

The rest

300 metres, a Triplock crown with three sealing zones, a 41 mm Oystersteel Oyster case, and approximately 70 hours of reserve at −2/+2 seconds a day after casing.

As with any used watch carrying a depth rating: that figure came from the factory, not from a test on this example.