Reference:14060

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Submariner → 14060

The 14060 is the first modern no-date Submariner and the direct successor to the long-running 5513. It arrived around 1990, closing a thirty-year chapter that stretched back to the original no-date tool watch tradition. Where the 5513 stayed with acrylic crystal and 200m water resistance through its entire life, the 14060 stepped into the sapphire-crystal, 300m, Triplock era from day one. It held that position until around 2000, when the 14060M took over with an upgraded caliber.

A clear lineage runs through the no-date branch: 5513 → 14060 → 14060M → 114060. Each step adds specification without abandoning the core identity — no date, aluminum bezel, tool-watch intent.

Core facts

detail value
reference 14060
family Submariner (no date)
production approximately 1990 to 2000 (14060); 14060M from approximately 1999 to 2012
movement caliber 3000, non-COSC, 28,800 vph, flat hairspring (see movement notes for discrepancy)
case 40mm, 904L steel, Oyster, drilled lug holes
crystal sapphire, flat, no Cyclops
water resistance 300m / 1000ft
crown Triplock screw-down
bezel unidirectional 60-click, aluminum insert, black
bracelet Oyster ref.93150, 501B end links, stamped hollow Fliplock clasp
dial 2-line (“Submariner” + depth rating), white gold applied markers
lume tritium (early), Luminova (late, ~1998–1999)
rehaut plain, no engraving
case back solid steel, fluted
predecessor 5513
successor 14060M

No-date lineage and historical position

The 14060 is the transitional reference in the no-date Submariner lineage. Its predecessor, the 5513, ran from 1962 to approximately 1990 — one of the longest production runs of any reference in the Submariner family. No sapphire crystal, no 300m rating, and its later production overlapped with the earliest transitional Rolex sport models.

The 14060 resolved all of that at once. Sapphire crystal replaced acrylic. The 300m rating — a 50% increase over the 5513’s 200m — replaced the older specification. Triplock replaced the earlier crown types. But the no-date, non-chronometer identity carried straight through. The dial remained clean — two lines of text, no date window, no COSC certification language. That restraint is the connecting thread from the 5513 through the 14060 and into the later 14060M 2-liner.

Collectors who trace the clean no-date Submariner lineage start with the 5513 and run through the 14060. The 14060M 2-liner extends it; the 114060 continues it. The 14060 is the bridge — it retains classic aesthetics while incorporating contemporary movements and materials, sitting squarely between the vintage and modern eras of the no-date Submariner.

Production outline

The 14060 run is short and uniform compared to the multi-era 5513. No dramatic dial families, no variant branches, no military contracts. A 1991 example looks essentially the same as a 1999 example, with one visible exception.

Production date discrepancy

Most independent sources place the 14060 production run at approximately 1990 to 2000. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual gives a significantly wider range that would overlap with the 14060M era. The Field Manual figure may reflect factory parts records or internal production data rather than retail availability. Until factory documentation is available, the ~1990–2000 range from multiple independent collector sources is the working estimate.

Tritium period

Most of the run used tritium lume. These dials carry T < 25 near 6 o’clock and read T SWISS MADE T at the bottom. Tritium-dialed 14060 examples are the majority and age distinctively — the lume darkens with time, giving the markers a warm patina that tritium collectors prefer. That aging is one of the most appealing characteristics of the reference.

Luminova period

Around 1998–1999, Rolex switched the 14060 to Luminova lume. Late dials drop the tritium markings and read SWISS MADE at the bottom. Luminova stays brighter longer but loses the warm patina that comes with tritium degradation. Different appeal entirely.

The approximate serial band for this changeover is collector-documented rather than Rolex-confirmed. Working from observed examples, the transition tracks roughly as follows:

  • Tritium dials: X series through early P series (1991–1999)
  • “Swiss Only” transitional dials: approximately U to A series (~1997–1999). These transitional dials read SWISS at 6 o’clock — without the T prefix of tritium dials or the full SWISS MADE of settled Luminova production. Rolex Forum documentation identifies “Swiss Only” as a named variant within the lume changeover window, bridging the tritium and Luminova eras on the 14060.
  • Luminova dials: approximately A series onward (~1999), reading SWISS MADE at 6 o’clock.

Lume mismatch on late tritium-marked dials: Rolex Forum members have documented 14060 dials that carry T < 25 tritium text but were actually filled with Luminova at the factory. These watches are identifiable because the lume still glows brightly when charged — genuine tritium of this age would show minimal glow. The mismatch indicates that Rolex began using Luminova material before updating the printed dial text, creating a brief window where the dial marking does not match the actual lume compound applied.

These are collector approximations. Rolex assembled from stock, so individual watches near the transition may vary — a P-serial 14060 might carry tritium, and an A-serial might carry Luminova. The difference is visible on the dial foot text and is the main identification point for early versus late 14060 examples.

Movement notes — caliber discrepancy

This is an unresolved discrepancy in the source record and must be flagged explicitly.

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists the 14060 movement as caliber 3030. Most other collector documentation — including Monochrome and the Fratello 14060M retrospective — references caliber 3000 for this reference. Both figures appear in period literature. The discrepancy is unresolved.

Working from the majority of collector sources, the 14060 is documented here as using caliber 3000. The 3000 is an automatic movement beating at 28,800 vph with approximately 48 hours of power reserve. It is not COSC-certified. Related to the 3035 used in date Submariners of the same era, minus the date complication, the 3000 uses a Microstella regulator and a flat hairspring (no Breguet overcoil).

Resolution approach: The only definitive check is visual — open the caseback and read the rotor bridge engraving. Caliber 3000 will be engraved ‘3000’ on the rotor bridge; caliber 3030 will be engraved ‘3030’. The two movements are mechanically similar (both non-quickset, no-date automatics) but have different specifications. For in-person authentication, this is the definitive check. From photographs only, the discrepancy cannot be resolved without a clear image of the movement.

One plausible explanation for the Field Manual’s 3030 listing is that early 14060 production (possibly X-series, ~1991–1992) used caliber 3030, with a transition to 3000 occurring during the run. Serial-band evidence would resolve it — but no such systematic evidence has been compiled in the collector literature to date.

The caliber 3000 uses a flat hairspring — no Breguet overcoil — a simpler regulating system than what followed. Though later variants of the caliber 3000 family received COSC certification in other Rolex references, the 14060’s specific implementation was never COSC-certified.

The lack of COSC certification distinguishes the 14060 from the 14060M that followed. The 14060M moved to caliber 3130 — approximately 28mm in diameter and 6mm thick, with a Breguet overcoil hairspring, a larger balance wheel, and a full balance bridge replacing the earlier balance cock. From mid-2007, the 14060M carries a COSC superlative chronometer rating, and with it a four-line dial adding “SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER / OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED” text. The earlier 14060M production (pre-2007) kept the clean two-line dial. Some collectors prefer the 14060 over the 14060M precisely for the simpler, less-scrutinized movement. Part of the reference’s honest tool-watch character.

Dial map

The 14060 dial is glossy black with applied white gold surround markers and Mercedes hands with luminous fill. Depth rating reads 300m / 1000ft.

No major dial families or variant branches exist. The main distinction is lume type:

  • Tritium dials: T < 25 marking, T SWISS MADE T at 6 o’clock. The majority of the run. Some late tritium-marked dials actually contain Luminova (see Luminova period section above).
  • “Swiss Only” transitional dials: SWISS at 6 o’clock, no T prefix. U/A serial range (~1997–1999). A named variant documented on Rolex Forum.
  • Luminova dials: SWISS MADE at 6 o’clock, no tritium marking. Late production, circa 1999 onward.

The layout is 2-line: SUBMARINER above the depth line and OYSTER PERPETUAL below the coronet. No SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER text, because the watch is not COSC-certified. This is the clearest visual difference from the later 14060M 4-liner, which added chronometer text from mid-2007, and it aligns the 14060 visually with the 5513 tradition of an uncluttered tool-watch face.

The clean 2-line dial is a point collectors value precisely because it is the last expression of that tradition at the transition from acrylic to sapphire — the link between the vintage no-date world and the modern one.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The case is 40mm 904L stainless steel with an Oyster architecture and crown guards — the final pre-Super Case design, with a slender, sweeping profile that reads closer to the vintage five-digit references than to anything that came after. Drilled lug holes are present throughout the run, making the 14060 the last Submariner reference to feature them. Those lug holes are a practical detail collectors value: they allow easy strap changes without specialized tools, a convenience Rolex eliminated on the 114060. Slimmer lugs than the later 114060 Maxi case give the 14060 a feel more connected to its vintage predecessors. The case back is solid steel with fluted edges.

The bezel is unidirectional rotating with 60 clicks and a black aluminum insert — the same insert family used across the 5513, 16800, and 16610. Aluminum is susceptible to fading and patina from seawater exposure and UV light. It scratches and fades over time, a characteristic that ceramic bezels cannot replicate and that many collectors consider an honest marker of genuine use.

Flat sapphire crystal without a Cyclops magnifier. This is the defining upgrade over the 5513, which kept acrylic through its entire run. Clean face, no date-window bubble.

The crown is Triplock screw-down with three sealed zones for 300m water resistance. It carries the Rolex coronet and three dots below, distinguishing it from the earlier Twinlock crown used on the 5513 late production.

The rehaut is plain and unengraved, consistent with all Rolex sport models before the mid-2000s engraved-rehaut rollout.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

The 14060 ships on bracelet ref.93150, an Oyster with 501B end links and a stamped hollow Fliplock clasp with diver extension. The 93150 uses hollow center links and hollow end links throughout the 14060 production run, distinguishing it from the later 93250 with solid center links and solid end links (SEL) that appeared on the 14060M.

This is the same bracelet reference used on late 5513 examples and on the 16610 of the same era. Lighter and slightly rattly compared to the later solid-link bracelets, that characteristic rattle is part of the five-digit era identity and is expected on honest examples. A quiet, tight-feeling 93150 is a warning sign of a replaced bracelet.

Exact clasp code variations across the run are not mapped in the current evidence set. The same caution applies universally: a clasp stamp dates the clasp, not the watch head.

Special branches

No major special branches are known for the 14060. A commercial reference without military contracts or retailer-specific variants, collector interest focuses on condition, lume type, and completeness (box and papers) rather than variant hunting. The tritium / “Swiss Only” / Luminova lume progression is the only meaningful production branch.

Historical market and auction record

The 14060 occupies an accessible position in the Submariner market — neither old enough for strong vintage premiums nor new enough to have modern ceramic-bezel appeal. Its strength is the clean 2-line dial and its position as the direct successor to the 5513. The bridge reference.

Tritium examples tend to carry a modest premium over Luminova examples because of the warmer lume patina and the connection to the older tritium tradition that ran through the 5513 and 16800 eras. Complete examples with original bracelet and papers are preferred; the 14060 is recent enough that box-and-papers originality is a reasonable expectation.

Strong lot-level auction evidence for the 14060 is thin in the current source set. Hammer-price data needs dedicated research.

Sources

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