Genuine Milspec Submariner has finally surfaced

[cornish1970]

Hi,

I thought I would share pictures of my father’s Genuine Milspec Submariner watch and its story with you as I have recently found out what it was by accidently finding this forum.

My father was in the Navy and was a ships diver during the seventies and eighties and in 1982 was promoted to Chief diver and was issued with a Rolex watch due to his status. He has been wearing the watch pretty much every day since and I can always remember him having it when I was growing up and he always said that I would own it one day. He never really liked the watch as in the eighties he purchased a standard Submariner which he preferred as it didn’t have the ‘T’ on the dial which he always thought stood for ‘Trainee made’. He was forced to sell one of the watches in the late eighties and opted for the standard one as he was offered more money for it, so he kept the ‘Trainee’ version which he still has today. The watch has been in daily use and although he always knew it would be worth ‘something’ as it was a Rolex he never gave a thought to exactly what it was until we spoke to Mike Wood at the Vintage Watch Shop.

The watch has been through two services since my father got it and during these the bezel was changed as the original just fell off one day, Mike says the hands have also been changed at some point but to be honest it still looks the same to be as when he got it (however I was 12) so this may have been done before he got it as it was made in 1977. The original markings are on the back of the watch with the serial number, model number and the military sign which my father says looks like a Christmas tree (his words). The watch was changed to a genuine Rolex bracelet strap by the local Rolex dealer back in the late nineties so the solid pins must have been removed and I remember that my dad complained that it cost him £400 – Silly man!! The watch is in really good condition given the use it has had and the fact that he was diving with it all over the world and even used to work on his old MG wearing it.

The only thing is now that he knows how rare the watch is he will no longer wear it as he is scared that something will happen to it which is such as shame as he has had it for so long. Mike offered to value the watch for insurance purposes but Southport is a long way from me and even further from my father so if anyone knows of anywhere else that can do this please let me know. I am not sure what his plans for the watch are but now that he doesn’t wear it any more it seems a shame.

Here are some pictures of the watch, if anyone else can give me any more information on it please feel free to do so.

Thanks

Paul


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[dooder]

Photos don't work :(