Born in the early 1950s, the Sub remains the prototypical tool perfect replica Rolex watches.
In the aftermath of the Second World War, the proliferation of the Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) system allowed the masses access to the wondrous undersea world for the first time in history. With a tank of air, a pair of fins, a mask, and a regulator, a regular Joe could experience the sea in all its glory.
However, a few extra bits of kit made the experience that much safer: Namely, a good knife and an accurate, water-resistant wristwatch. With the exception of a few specialist tools made for special operations personnel during the War, however, not much existed in the way of the latter. In the early 1950s, several watch companies simultaneously developed the first crop of modern, commercially available SCUBA diving AAA+ clone Rolex watches—one of these in particular would become so popular so quickly that its aesthetics would influence countless makes and watches that followed in its wake.
To catalog every minute tweak to the Submariner reference is well beyond the scope of this piece. However, in examining some of the most important references and sub-references from each decade—beginning in the 1950s and carrying through to 2025—we’re able to parse through the Submariner story to understand the big picture. Keep in mind that pricing estimates are just that—estimates—and that the market for these wildly cool top replica Rolex Submariner watches are ever fluctuating.
As a design object, the Submariner belongs to a list of products—the Porsche 911, the Fender Stratocaster, the Eames chair—so iconic that a layman could recognize them. All remain in production decades after their release. Indeed, there’s little doubt that the “Sub” is among the most important copy Rolex watches for sale ever made, and will remain so as long as Rolex sees fit to produce it.
Rolex Submariner ref. 6204
The perfect fake Rolex watches featured a 37 mm stainless steel case, a smaller 5.3 mm crown, pencil-style hands, and a bezel without individual minute hash marks. The dial exhibited the typical Submariner design language: Circular, rectangular, and triangular indices with luminous fill.
Rolex Submariner ref. 6205
Though this reference isn’t functionally very different from the 6204 seen above, later examples were the first to feature the famous “Mercedes” hands. (On the ref. 6205 these hands were notably quite long–longer than on modern best replica Rolex watches) There’s still no red triangle on the bezel insert—which would become a signature of early Rolex sport cheap fake Rolex watches—or any minute hashmarks.