For centuries, even before European explorers set foot on this land, the Great Lakes of North America have provided the inhabitants of their rocky shores with sustenance, trade, and transportation. For equally as long, the lakes have taken their fatal toll, with an estimated 8,000 shipwrecks throughout all five of the Great Lakes. Lake Erie, the smallest and shallowest of the Great Lakes, is reported to contain approximately 2,000 of those shipwrecks, many of which are undiscovered and unexplored. Despite cold temperatures and capricious weather, the shipwrecks of the Great Lakes offer great rewards to adventurous scuba divers. The fresh water, with its lack of salt and low temperature, has preserved many of these wrecks in eerily unspoiled condition. And the present watch appears to be a gift from the depths. One such diver, the father of the consignor, found more than what he had bargained for one day while diving in 10 feet of water in the Niagara River in the mid-1970s, which connects Lake Erie with Lake Ontario. This intrepid diver, assuming the watch to be fake, put the watch in a drawer where it remained until he passed away in the summer of 2018.
First launched in 1955, reference 6538 is incredibly desirable today due to its rarity, robust proportions, and good looks. The model was in production for four short year, and is characterized by its black lacquer “Swiss”- signed dial, lack of crown guards and 8 millimeter crown, hence its name “Big Crown Submariner”. Reference 6538 is forever immortalized onscreen, having accompanied Sean Connery’s James Bond on multiple secret missions. Bond’s chosen watch was a “Big Crown” Submariner on the films Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger. Consequently, reference 6538 is today also known as the “James Bond Submariner” to Rolex collectors and scholars. Furthermore, the reference 6538 was the first Submariner to be chronometer certified; hence, its coveted “four-liner” dial reflecting the designation. This example, manufactured in the third quarter of 1957, is presented “as found”, without its bezel, and in incredible condition considering its story.
