Copyright gq
Collectors obsessing over off-catalog, gem-set Daytonas—cool as those watches are!—tend to forget that Rolex became famous as a tool watch manufacturer. In the mid-20th century, watches like the Submariner accompanied divers and soldiers beneath the waves, while the Explorer II helped spelunking scientists keep track of time in dark caves, and the Sea-Dweller plumbed the ocean’s darkest depths. It really wasn’t until roughly the 1970s—when Rolex began making certain of its sport models available in solid precious metals—that the tide began to turn inexorably toward full-on luxury at the Crown. Jason Statham clearly has a taste for these earlier, more utilitarian Rolex watches. The beloved British ass-kicking thespian rocked a Submariner ref. 5514 ‘COMEX’—perhaps the ultimate “IYKYK” Rollie—to the Burberry show last week in London. (Hat tip to watch spotter Nick Gould for eyeing this one.) This reference of the Submariner, much like the even rarer “MilSub” Submariners made for the British Ministry of Defense, refers to a special variation of the model that wasn’t available to clients walking in off the street. Instead, these are watches made under contract for a specific organization. Statham’s watch was originally produced for COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d'Expertise)—a commercial French diving outfit based in Marseille. The company requested a watch from Rolex that would help resolve an issue its saturation divers were facing: Namely, that helium built up during deep dives was blowing the crystals straight off its divers’ timepieces during decompression. (And it wasn’t only COMEX commercial divers who were facing this issue: U.S. Navy aquanauts and researchers were encountering similar problems at depth. More on this in a moment…) In order to fix this problem, Rolex added a special one-way valve—the “helium escape valve”—to the existing reference 5513. After several modified 5513s were made, Rolex gave this watch its own reference number, and the 5514 was born. Issued in incredibly small numbers to COMEX personnel, these watches are highly coveted by the collector community, and when they do surface at auction, they have the capacity to hammer for six-figure sums. The cool thing about Statham’s watch is that, with the exception of said logo on the dial, it otherwise looks like a run-of-the-mill matte-dial 5513, which is more like a $20,000 piece. The helium escape valve that makes this Sub so special is borrowed directly from the Sea-Dweller, another famous Rolex tool watch that debuted in 1967. The Crown had begun working on this model built for deep-sea diving in the 1960s. Once the “Double Red Sea-Dweller” version of the watch (ref. 1665) hit commercial shelves in 1967, it formed the basis of a long line of dedicated models meant for diving well beyond the depth of the typical Submariner. So why would COMEX have received the ref. 5513s and ref. 5514s when the ref. 1665 Sea-Dweller was available? Watch expert and dealer Eric Wind of Wind Vintage has a simple answer: He believes the reason might’ve had to do with expense. Due to the shallower depth rating, these modified Subs might’ve held a cheaper unit cost than the ref. 1665s. Though seeing as these watches were themselves later adopted by COMEX—along with a host of other Submariner references through the late 1990s—it also might’ve been that these divers required or preferred thinner watches, which have less of a tendency to snag on equipment and are more comfortable. Either way, the result is one of the most collectible vintage Rolex watches in the world, and one of the coolest. Just ask Jason Statham! Usher’s Patek Philippe Annual Calendar ref. 5146J-001 Patek Philippe has been serially producing complicated perpetual calendars since World War II. However, in the 1990s, the brand was looking for a way to make such a complication more affordable. Enter the ref. 5035 in 1996. The new model stripped back the perpetual calendar’s functionality somewhat so that it was now necessary to manually adjust the watch once per year in February. However, the small cost of convenience brought watch’s the price down significantly. Usher’s ref. 5146 from the mid-2000s follows in that important reference’s footsteps: Measuring 39 mm and adding a moon phase indicator, its larger case, solid yellow-gold construction, and bold looks capture the aesthetics of ‘90s complicated watchmaking. Lamine Yamal’s Patek Philippe Cubitus Lamine Yamal made quite a showing at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, wearing the Patek Philippe Cubitus, the maison’s newest model. Released in Munich in late 2024, the Cubitus marked Patek’s first new collection in 25 years and a realization of brand president Thierry Stern’s dream of a square-shaped, integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch. Taking design cues from the Genta-designed Nautilus line, it features that watch’s porthole-esque “ears” and horizontal embossing and is currently available in two sizes: 45 mm and 40 mm. (It appears that Yamal chose the newer rose gold 40mm reference 7128/1R-001 in 40 mm.) Jay Leno’s Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 Making a surprise appearance at the LA Breguet boutique at a special event hosted by the brand and Neighborhood Watch Club, Jay Leno sat down with US & Canada brand president Vincent Brasesco to discuss his love of watches and collecting. A proud owner of multiple Breguets, Leno wore the Classique Souscription 2025, a wristworn version of company founder Abraham-Louis Breguet’s famed pocket watches from the late 18th century. Financed under a subscription model—hence the name—these watches allowed the French manufacture to operate during a time of extreme economic uncertainty during the French Revolution. Vive l’Horlogerie! Taylor Swift’s Versace Hera In a departure from her signature Cartier Santos Demoiselle, Taylor Swift wore the Versace Hera, a gold-plated watch that’s as opulent as you’d expect a watch from the Italian luxury house to be. Measuring 37 mm, it takes some cues from luxury sports watches such as the Nautilus and Royal Oak in the form of its porthole-like design, but features the brand’s logo prominently displayed in the bezel. The black dial, meanwhile, features a three-dimensional Medusa head from which the gold-plated handset sprouts, while simple applied hour markers adorn the cardinal indices. Finished with a black leather strap, it sells for well under $1,000—meaning you can cop the Taylor look for roughly one-thirtieth the price of her Cartier.
