Accessories

The Rolex Anchor

Until 2005 every Submariner and Sea-Dweller came with an anchor. Today it's a sought-after collector's piece.

In 2005, right when the new box came out, a long Rolex tradition ended: the anchor that came with every Submariner and Sea-Dweller as a freebie was discontinued. New watches now ship without it.

A lot has been written about this anchor over the years, but why Rolex included it has never been explained, and certainly not what a buyer was supposed to do with it. Maybe that's part of the reason Rolex dropped it, along with a cost saving that Rolex surely didn't mind.

A few years have gone by, and the anchor has become exactly that: a sought-after collector's piece for completing your watch. Prices for the anchor of the old Submariner have climbed a lot, and rare models are in high demand. A complete collector's package includes the anchor along with the booklets and the warranty card.

Here's a quick overview of the different anchor models Rolex supplied:

The "standard" Submariner anchor

The most common anchor is the silver Submariner anchor, because it came with the steel and two-tone versions. It's made of stainless steel. Both sides are stamped with the depth rating the Submariner is waterproof to. One side shows the depth in feet (1000), the other in meters (300). Gold models came with a gold-colored anchor, which is very rare to find.

Two views of the Rolex Submariner anchor for steel and steel and gold models on a black background, 300 Metres stamped on the left, 1000 Feet on the right — The Submariner anchor for Rolex steel or steel and gold models, front and back: 300 meters on the left, 1,000 feet on the right.

The Sea-Dweller anchor

The Sea-Dweller anchor is similar, but the depth ratings match the Sea-Dweller (1,220 m/4,000 ft). Since fewer Sea-Dwellers were sold, these anchors are rarer too.

Two views of the Rolex Sea-Dweller anchor on a black background, 1220 Metres stamped on the left, 4000 Feet on the right — The Sea-Dweller anchor, front and back: 1,220 meters on the left, 4,000 feet on the right.

The vintage Submariner anchor

The Plexiglas Submariner models (for example the 5512/5513 or the 1680) came with an anchor reading 200 (meters), and 660 (feet) on the back. As mentioned above, these anchors are hard to find today and therefore pricey. If you have one, guard it like the apple of your eye, and if you can get one, grab it right away.

Two views of the Rolex vintage anchor on a black background, 200 Metres stamped on the left, 660 Feet on the right — The vintage Submariner anchor for the Plexiglas models, front and back: 200 meters on the left, 660 feet on the right.