We read the Submariner book so you don’t have to

Bruce Duguay

Admittedly, I was instantly intrigued when I saw the Oyster Perpetual Submariner book pop up on the Rolex website. Heralded as the first official book authorised by Rolex to chronicle the most iconic watch from a brand that is immersed in iconography, Submariner seemed destined to be a no-brainer acquisition for long-time watch fans like myself.

Only after I had feverishly clicked through publisher Wallpaper*’s “buy now” process which ultimately turned the £100 list price into $247CAD on my credit card, I started to wonder if I had purchased a definitive reference book or what could be considered a rather expensive brochure. As the book was commissioned, supported, produced and marketed by the same manufacturer who also churned out the subject watch, it seemed a valid question in my mind.

Rolex’s best effort to minimise what I will call the “brochure effect”, was to recruit veteran historian, sartorialist, and horology writer Nicholas Foulkes to take ownership of the by-line. Foulkes has enviable credentials to back up this choice, as the author of The Impossible Collection of Watches and a lengthy academic career in the history of luxury goods. He even has previous experience writing for Patek Phillipe in an authorised capacity. Allegedly unrestrained, Foulkes tackles the history portion of the book with a verve that not only includes the details, but conveys them via fantastic story-telling, especially if the reader is smitten with diving adventures.

As expected from Rolex, the introductory pages regarding Hans Wilsdorf and Rolex being the “first waterproof wristwatch” seem pure corporate press copy, despite recent independent research that suggests the Depollier was certified waterproof by the US government 8 years earlier. Taking that with a drop of saltwater, the book wastes no time leading the reader into the post WWII era with a riveting account of how Rolex aggressively pursued testing and product placement of prototype diving watches with the crew of a British Royal Navy salvage vessel, only to nearly mess up the relationship by not having followed the proper channels of rank-and-file naval process. After eating some humble pie, as evidenced from letters extracted from the archives, Rolex eventually received the official support and endorsement from the Admiralty. That Foulkes was able to relay this historical gaffe as well as some testing snafus and failures helps indicate he was given quite a lot of freedom to produce a genuine account.

The inaugural Royal Navy story also serves to kick off a parallel storyline in the book that should be required reading for anyone majoring in marketing. Throughout many of the diving and development stories, Foulkes takes care in detailing the deft and sometimes exhaustive lengths the Rolex marketing department would traverse to ensure their dive watches were on the right wrists at the right time. In the context of mid-20th Century resources, the feats of product placement and marketing come across nearly as arduous as the adventures of the intrepid explorers who are wearing the watches. Submariner all but confesses the legendary status of the watch was due in no small part to the clever shrewdness of Rene-Paul Jeanneret and subsequent marketing executives.

In addition to brashly highlighting some avant-garde and brilliant marketing tactics, the book enthrals with excellent photographs and archival images from the history being told. Vintage and prototype Rolex Submariners are beautifully represented in a way that has the reader wondering if the images are airbrushed or if there are perfectly preserved 6204s squirrelled away in some underground Geneva fortress. Historical photographs of diving legends and their conveyances (like the Trieste and SeaLabs) are plentiful, and it is only upon progressing to the rear of the book and most modern references where the photographs become interchangeable with standard brochure fare.

It is worth noting that the book devotes comprehensive attention to the Sea-Dweller story and lineup. In fact, just as much of the book’s material is dedicated to the stories surrounding the Deep Sea Special, Comex, and James Cameron’s exploits as to the title character Submariner. Foulkes treats the Sea Dweller and Submariner as essentially the same line of watches and, in this respect, the book’s title is slightly deceptive in its simplicity. Even considering the detailed and intriguing Sea Dweller stories in Submariner, those looking for an even more exhaustive account should compare with Jose Perez’s (Perezcope.com) work. Interestingly, the book appears to vindicate Perez in one of his crusades regarding the version of Deep Sea Special that first visited the abyss with Auguste and Jaques Piccard’s Trieste. It should be noted that Perez has poked some holes in the book’s details and lack of granular detail with a somewhat hard-hitting post on his site.

Riveting tales of the deep aside, there is still plenty of Rolex’s standardised lore and messaging embedded in Submariner, including use of all in-house terminology (read: Rolesor, Cerachrom), as well as highlights of Rolex Testimonees and notable wearers like Picasso, Martin Luther-King and McQueen. These diversions from the diving and development stories include a trip down memory lane with James Bond which clearly serves as some territory marking for Rolex relative to a certain competitor known for flouting the famous spy in more recent iterations. In an effort to cover off space travel, there is a story about Scott Carpenter, an astronaut turned aquanaut who was also a major fan of the Rolex dive watches. Foulkes seemed keen to keep Submariner resolutely under water or at least on earth to avoid the “yeah, but Omega…” comparisons, at times citing quotes to support that underwater explorations were at least as important and fascinating as outer space. Perhaps a missed opportunity could have been to mention, in the section on Dr. Joe MacInnes, that his personal Sea Dweller made it to outer space in the hands of Canadian astronaut Dr. David Williams, who took it to the ISS in 2007, thus having one special watch conquer both frontiers.

In terms of downright nerdery, Submariner will disappoint those who may have been expecting more depth of discussion around reference numbers, dial variations, and production nuances. While it highlights all the important iterations of Submariners and Sea-Dwellers, this won’t be the go-to book for those defending a position on the font of their Great White or validity of the Mk II dial on their 5513. It also thins out quickly on the evolutionary story after the 5513 and 1665 references. Sure, there is content on the LV anniversary, ceramic, and Deepsea Challenge, however it is clear that the early models are the stars of the show in Submariner. Foulkes makes no excuses in his acknowledgements section, clearly defining this book not as encyclopaedic, rather as a flowing story of one of the most enduring consumer products of the last 75 years. There are, however, enough tidbits of technicality, engineering insight and other information to keep almost all readers generally engaged. This includes a section at the rear of the book listing nearly (the transitional 168000 is left out, for example) every Submariner and Sea Dweller reference including production numbers. I was surprised to see this particular data point from a company notorious for not publishing the details of their production or sales volumes, and it seems we will have to take their word for it. Some of the numbers make sense, others raise eyebrows, and there is no peeling of the onion when it comes to revisions within main references.

Once I had devoured all 252 pages of Submariner, the question of whether it is a proper reference book or the ultimate brochure still lingered. Putting the book side-by-side with the latest Rolex Magazine, there were countless graphical and communication similarities. I contrasted these with the superb effort that Foulkes must have put forth to tell the story of the Rolex Submariner, especially its development and significance in historical time and place, simultaneously highlighting the people’s story. Additionally, it is the ultimate tale of a multi-decade marketing masterpiece that ensured Rolex would consistently be the first name in dive watches and many different kinds of terrestrial exploration. In these respects, Submariner is deep enough to defy simple categorisation as a big brochure, however, the surface-level controlled storytelling still allows readers to vacillate back and forth on the question while indulging themselves with the content present. In my own mind, the final test of the book’s merit came down to one somewhat subjective criteria: Am I glad I purchased it? Indeed. Taken in the context of a consumer product, Submariner is an insightful, if slightly simplified, bookshelf treasure from a brand doing its best to pull off the rare feat of putting out its own historical account of its own product. With Nicholas Foulkes weaving an honest effort in historical storytelling amidst the beautiful imagery and lore, it gains enough credibility for all but the most cynical watch enthusiast.