Rolex

Philipps
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Thanks Jeff for bringing it up here.....[MORE]

Here some more scan i can share with you guys....







The evolution of the Redsubmariner...

1] Earliest known example, from 2.18x.xxx serial with Long F going over the T with closed 6's and red over white printing.
2] From 2.2 to 2.4 million the other 2 versions; red directly on the dial with short F and thick font...
3] and the red over with printing, thin font where the F is longer touching the T.

Here a scan from the 3 meter first versions together....







Untill now a couple of NON minutetrack redsubs have poped up, mine is the FIRST to see in the version 1 where the dial stayed black, submariner was red over white, closed 6's and F going over T, a so called Prototype in a correct matching case! The other NON minute track examples that i know are published in the Mondani book but are with the later version in the meter first serie. Also not having correct matching cases but are with a 3,7 & a 3,9 million case! Mine shows that the minutetrack didn't faded away, no it was never printed on there. No sign's of print or dents on the dial......

Most obviously it's easily said that the unique carater of my dial is because of waterdamage that faded away the minutetrack...Once seen all details in the scans and in real live + daylight you then know mine is quite different...
I have seen [because of my Tropical addiction] many different waterdamaged dials before from serveral manufactures & from different ages to know the detail. If 'something' is coming onto the dial into the watch that only removes the minutetrack is strange to me.....For me it's further not logic that the total surface of the dial is as clean as mine, giving the tritium indexes the exact right texture & moisture you normally don't see when water was on the dial destroyed the top layer of it. So it's a combination of facts & very small detail on my example that Imho make it this special...Here some close up scans from the surface of the dial compare to the tritium indexes & the
Swiss - T<25 sign....

As we all know the world of Rolex is full of wonders so my opinion on my Red Submariner with it's unique dial is that they were trying to find a new dial design, mine getting off as a prototype to see how the effect of the red printed submariner looked on the newly designed 200 meter waterproof dated sportwatch. It was the beginning of the evolution of the 1680 and it was compared with the DRSD that already were produced at that time in small quantitys [ The patend pending for instance with 1,7 - 2.2 million and this early batch Redsub with 2,18 million ]...it's quite difficult to find a reason for the use of a prototype dial but as the word saids itself, they were trying to find out what exacly was right to do so those that had to agree on finally came up with a catalogue version that went into production.

There are no letters to proof this, as with many special features like for instance the 'Underline' theory i recently posted too. It's one of the first dials that finally found it's way as a complete matching Redsub to a new owner outside Rolex. Maybe it slipped though the quality controle or they even didn't care putting this in, in some opinion NON finished dial, into a ordered watch, we don't know but once seen in real live or examine the high resolution scan, you confinced of it..;- )