Most Popular Rolex Watches

Let's face it that the 1980s were not a great time for watchmaking -- or, in terms of design. That said, Rolex has never been one to reinvent the wheel or abandon past design norms, nor has it suffered nearly as much damage over the past decade. Many '80s fake Rolex watches are not yet considered antique, so they are not as memorable as watches from the' 60s and '70s, or as modern as watches from the late' 90s to the present.
What does this mean for collectors? Well, in other ways, it makes a full decade's worth of watches easier to buy than their peers -- even though they are destined to reach a similar level of long-term appreciation in the years to come. With that in mind, here we have a number of Rolex models from the New Wave and Synth-Pop era of the 1980s.
We are going to start here because the ref. 16800 is one of those models whose low price we are still a little confused by. In some respects, it's the best of both world for an 'older' Submariner. This is the model that updated the line to the quick-set Cal. 3035, and that also added a sapphire crystal to the equation for the first time.
The ref. 16800 Submariner also falls into the window of use of Tritium lume, which ages with its own special feature. This combination of modern/retro makes for a great daily wearer, arguably more so than a ref. 5513 in some respects, plus you can still scoop up a good example.
Another option here, as the Coke bezel GMT-Master II was one of the very few interesting things to surface in the watch world in the '80s. That's correct, and this bad boy was launched in 1983, as the first of the GMT-Master II models featuring the then-new Cal. 3085 movement.
The ref. 16760 GMT-Master II was the dawn of the independently adjustable hour hands for Rolex, and the reference that became famous as the 'Fat Lady' or the 'Sophia Loren' on account of the slightly thicker case needed to house the new, more-advanced caliber.
Even though the big and gaudy gold things were truly a product of the '70s, a big statement piece equally had its place during the '80s. For this occasion, there's no bigger statement than a solid gold Rolex Day-Date, particularly one with a Presidential bracelet with bark textured center links, matching bark textured bezel, and a Tiger's Eye dial. Submariner is one of many two-tone watches, which is somewhat surprising considering how much the brand likes to tap into its tool-table roots. In many ways, the move laid the groundwork for a submariner's status, rather than a diving outfit.