This Rolex Submariner 1680 Belonged To An Oscar-Winning Hollywood Sound Engineer

A few weeks ago, this vintage Rolex Submariner Date ref. 1680 landed on my desk. The owner, a low-profile but dedicated Rolex collector, came across it several years ago during one of his hunts. A prime example of provenance, this watch has quite an intriguing backstory.

Rolex Submariner Date ref. 1680

This Rolex Submariner Date dates to 1979. Reference 1680 was produced between approximately 1969 and 1979, so this example was made toward the end of the production run.

According to Nicholas Foulkes’s Submariner book, Rolex produced 111,226 steel examples of the Submariner Date 1680. There was also a 5,765-piece run of the 1680 in gold.

This also means you’ll come across the 1680 relatively often. As the first Rolex Submariner with a date complication, it preceded reference 16800, which Rolex would later replace with the famous 16610. The 1680 also had a sibling — the Sea-Dweller ref. 1665 — that featured a date but lacked the Cyclops.

A full set

What makes this Rolex Submariner Date 1680 particularly special is its condition and its previous owner. As you can see, this example is complete, with the original purchase invoice from the authorized dealer in Hong Kong, service interval invoice, instruction booklet, service manual, warranty booklet, guarantee papers, tags, boxes, service pouch, anchor, and preserved case back stickers.

A famous owner

Its previous owner, Elliot Tyson, is an Academy Award-winning sound engineer and rerecording mixer. Tyson has been active since 1979 and has over 160 film credits. He won the Academy Award for Best Sound for Glory (1989) and received nominations for Mississippi Burning (1988), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and The Green Mile (1999).

According to the invoice, he bought this Rolex Submariner 1680 on April 1st, 1979, from a Rolex dealer in Hong Kong for HK$2,550 — roughly US$510 at the time. Today, the HKD amount would be about 5.8 times higher. For context, the average individual income in the USA in 1979 was $875 per month.

Including service papers

Several service papers are also included, including one from 1986 (not shown “unfolded”) and one from May 12th, 1999. The latter shows a detailed list of replaced parts and tasks performed at the Rolex Service Center in Beverly Hills.

Interestingly, the customer details include Tyson’s office address at Walt Disney Studios. As the invoice shows, this Submariner 1680 received an extensive overhaul after 20 years of ownership.

This Rolex’s current owner has his share of Submariner references and other 1680s, but this is the most complete. While the previous owner is a nice bonus, he would have bought it in this full-set condition anyway. He told us that another 1680 he has, with red “Submariner” printing and a now-brownish dial, is in better aesthetic condition.

Do boxes and papers matter to you?

My mantra is, “You don’t wear the box and papers, so condition should always prevail.” That said, this Rolex Submariner Date 1680 is in great condition, so it’s a wonderful combination of a good watch and a full package. I also have to admit that when I bought my 1991 GMT-Master II 16713, having the box, papers, service booklet, invoices, and so on made me more enthusiastic about owning it. Of course, all the paperwork ends up in the safe and the box in a cupboard, and you’ll only look at it again when you’re putting it up for sale. Still, it’s neat to have everything complete.

This Rolex Submariner Date 1680 looks lovely. It has thick, sharp lugs with a nice bevel, a beautiful dial with printed plots in a slightly creamy color, and hands and lume pip that perfectly match. Inside is the Rolex caliber 1575, a non-quickset movement that ticks at 19,800 vph.

Although the 3035 movement debuted in 1977, Rolex chose to wait for reference 16800 before putting it in the Submariner. The 3035 ticks at 28,800 vph and features a free-sprung balance, a Breguet overcoil, and a quick-set date.

Would the box, papers, and all these extras matter to you, dear Fratello readers? Or would you be fine without them if the price was right? Let me know in the comments.

A big thank you to the owner of this Rolex Submariner 1680.