Dropping Knowledge: The Rolex Submariner


Jacques Cousteau wasn’t just a filmmaker, an explorer, an inventor, an officer, or an author... he was all these things at once, and if that doesn’t make you feel insecure about what you’ve done lately, we’re not sure what will. Cousteau’s personal accomplishments were enough, but he also had an uncanny ability to inspire anyone that knew his story. And fifty years before a little film called A Life Aquatic surfaced (pardon the pun), Cousteau’s life, and a certain friendship, likely gave birth to one of the world’s most iconic watches.

One of Cousteau’s confidants was Rene-Paul Jeanerret, a man whose name you might not recognize but whose work you’ve definitely seen before. Jeanerrete was the director of Rolex during the 1950s. It was during Jeanerret’s tenure that Rolex began developing "tool-watches." These timepieces were specifically engineered for individual tasks, and made to survive even the most demanding conditions. The Submariner was one of these watches: a timepiece designed with the deep sea diver in mind. In the ’40s, Cousteau had perfected the aqua-lung, a scuba device that allowed for deeper and longer dives, and had tested several prototypes of the watch for Jeanerret and Rolex. The Submariner perfectly complemented Cousteau’s latest invention, tolerating depths of up to 330 feet. The watch had a one-way rotating bezel that allowed divers to set their immersion time, and prevent costly miscalculations, and Rolex added a triple locking winding crown (that prevented water from seeping in) in 1970.

While Cousteau sported the watch mainly because of its functionality, the Submariner is just as lauded for its sporty good looks, and became a favorite of mavericks on dry land. Sean Connery wore it as James Bond (above) in Thunderball, Steve McQueen was often photographed in it, and businessmen continue to throw it on as part of their daily uniform. Watch collectors still swoon after rare models, and have even given nicknames to different color variations (two-tone models were first introduced in 1984). Yes, the Submariner is inarguably one of the most recognizable timepieces on the planet, and whether you’re a self-described watch guy or not you have to admit... it might be worth taking the dive. Right, Mr. Cousteau?
