Rolex Submariner réf. 16800 Tansitionnal The watch wears on a

The watch wears on a generic strap

worn on the wrist like a piece of jewellery — and Geneva's oldest manufacture executed it with a rigour that lesser houses could only approximate

The Borgel case system — patented by François Borgel in Geneva in 1891 — was one of the earliest serious attempts to make a wristwatch water and dust resistant

The 3-6-9 Arabic numeral layout against the luminous baton indices gives it a sporting character that the colour tempers with unexpected warmth

The Zenith Defy was introduced in 1969 as the maison's answer to the growing demand for robust

Rolex Submariner réf. 16800 Tansitionnal The watch wears on aThe 16800 occupies a precise and much appreciated position in the Submariner lineage the transitional reference, produced from 1978 to 1984, that bridged the classic matte dial era and the glossy dials that would follow. It was the first Submariner to feature a sapphire crystal, yet it retained the matte black dial and the overall character of the references that preceded it. For collectors, it represents the best of both worlds. This 1982 example