A rare and historically significant stainless steel automatic diver’s wristwatch with gilt dial, large crown, and no crown guards, affectionately known as the “James Bond Submariner”, relumed hour makers and hands.

Emerging in the mid-1950s, the Reference 6538 stands as one of the purest and most evocative expressions of the Submariner lineage. Its bold 8mm “Big Crown,” unguarded flanks, and minimalist gilt dial capture the essence of Rolex’s pioneering spirit in professional tool watches. Designed for absolute functionality under the sea, yet exuding an effortless, masculine elegance, the 6538 became a cultural icon when worn by Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962), forever linking the model to adventure, sophistication, and timeless cool.

The present example bears the poetic marks of age and use, the honest testament of a life well-lived. To connoisseurs, such authenticity transforms this reference from a watch into an artefact of horological legend. The 6538 remains not merely a Submariner, but the Submariner the archetype of all that Rolex would come to represent: endurance, precision, and the quiet heroism of classic design.