Rolex has a new book on the Submariner, and reading it reminded me of a version of the iconic dive Rolex replica watches for sale known as the “Bart Simpson.” The ’60s-era variation gets its anachronistic moniker from a tiny detail on its dial: the spikes on the Rolex crown logo (real name, coronet) are slightly stubbier than usual, resulting in a vague resemblance to the Simpsons character. That’s all it takes to make this already desirable Submariner even more collectible and rare.
The fact that quirky design details have the ability to multiply a Rolex’s value might be my absolute favourite thing about Crown collecting. Imagine a roomful of grown men losing their minds over a watch because its logo kinda-sorta looks like the head of a cartoon character – that’s pretty much the vibe at your local watch club! There are infinite examples of little details boosting value, but I have a very soft spot for variations of the coronet because it’s the only place where design really comes into play – the Big Crown on a Submariner or the fact that UK AAA Rolex fake watches has four lines of text aren’t nearly as fun traits to examine as a crown that looks like Bart Simpson or an amphibian’s foot.
These minute differences in Rolex’s logo are so important because everything about the manufacturer’s cheap replica Rolex watches is typically so standardised. Founder Hans Wilsdorf didn’t establish the Rolex logo until 1925, 20 years after the brand was founded. It’s gone through few dramatic changes in the nearly 100 years since, but there are some key dates to call out. For 40 years, starting in 1925, the Rolex coronet came in gold. That changed in 1965, when the crown went with a bronze or slightly duller gold hue. In 2002, the bright gold crown returned. In between, plenty of idiosyncratic versions of the coronet have appeared, and parsing out these tiny differences are one way of ascribing not just what era a watch is from but also its value.
I’ve ranked my favourite versions of the coronet below. (While many of these already have established nicknames, I gave ones to the ones that remained unchristened. Those are marked with an asterisk.) Special thanks to Eric Wind of Wind Vintage, @T_Swiss_T, and Paul Altieri at Bob’s Watches for their help.
Bonus (not really different coronets, but important references in Crown History):
“Coronet Dial” 6244
This isn’t necessarily a coronet variation, but if we’re going to talk about crowns I really want to show you the reference 6244 from Eric Ku. For this watch, Rolex used its logo for every other hour marker, resulting in a very rare watch. I really love when Rolex uses atypical indices (the reference 6062 “star-dial” might be the high quality Rolex copy watches from the brand I covet most), and the crown dial is a really playful design from the typically stoic Rolex.
Laser-etched crowns
Typical problem: you cover a watch in so many diamonds that you run out of room for the brand’s logo. Well, no problem, let’s just bring in a laser to get it etched directly onto the underside of the crystal. At least that’s what Rolex did with many of its pave-dial pieces, like the above best replica Rolex Day-Date 18038 watches. It gives the dial a very cool 3D effect. This must be how people felt watching Avatar in cinemas with those goofy glasses. The coronet’s coming right at you!
- Smudge Crown, from the 1665 Sea Dweller
As far as coronet nicknames go, this is one of the more common examples. This version of the crown gets its name because it’s “slightly blurred and badly defined,” according to Bob’s Watches. To be honest, I don’t totally see that. That description seems harsh, and the irony of something “badly defined” adding value is something I can’t get behind, which is why I’m starting my rankings here.
- Gumby, from the 1016 Explorer
Andrew, better known as @T_Swiss_T on Instagram, writes incredibly in-depth guides on variations of certain references like the 1016 Rolex Explorer fake watches with Swiss movements. The Mark 4 versions include this stretched-out crown that Andrew refers to as the Gumby. I would be impressed if there weren’t an even taller coronet coming later!
- The Harp*, from the 1675 Mark 1 GMT
The 1675 “Mark 1” is distinguished by another tiny little detail. These Rolex super clone watches for men are referred to as a “Long E,” because the middle bar making up the ‘E’ in the Rolex wordmark is longer than the standard way the brand writes out the letter. Insane but true! But it’s not the only design quirk on this GMT. The coronet is also noticeably different from the standard version. The base of this crown is relatively smaller and the spikes are spindlier than most. It doesn’t have a nickname yet, so I’m calling it the Harp.
- Tulip, from the 5512 Submariner
When I think of a tulip I don’t immediately think: Ah, yes, the level flower! But that’s the name given to this distinctive crown. Can you imagine how good it would feel to put a bubble leveller on top of this crown? The more equal-length coronets are associated with early versions of Rolex’s logo, before the brand started using a shape more similar to a hand. However, even the original 1945 versions don’t have a logo so flat you could stack a plate on top of it. The Tulip also stands out to me for the tiny opening at the bottom. Personally, I like the coronets that range as close to the :0 emoticon as possible.
- Sunrise, from the 8171
On some variations of the 8171 “Padellone” is a crown unlike any other in this field guide. Rather than inspecting the width of the base or relative thinness of the crown, this one is quite easy to sort out from the others. That’s because there’s no opening at the bottom, only a line that looks like the horizon – hence the “sunrise” name. Maybe it’s just because I’ve been staring at these for hours, but it’s amazing how much of a difference this one detail makes. This version of the coronet is so unlike any other top China Rolex replica watches makes that it almost looks like a knockoff.
- White Swiss, from the 5513 Submariner
There are all sorts of interesting markings on this perfect fake Rolex watches. The first is the underline below the word ‘Submariner’ to signify that less radioactive material was used for the lume. The second is the sole word ‘SWISS’ written out in white at the bottom edge of the watch that gives this GMT its name. The last is that goofy-looking coronet that’s all long limbs and barely any base. The crown on the 5513 never misses arm day at the gym.
- Bart Simpson, from the 5513 Submariner
Arguably the most famous of the coronets is this short-spiked version that resembles the silhouette of the world’s most chokeable cartoon character, Bart Simpson. It doesn’t hurt that most of these models, originally produced in 1965 and 1966, have taken on a sepia-toned patina that isn’t too far off from The Simpsons’s signature yellow. The appearance of this coronet can help double the value of a mid-’60s best quality Rolex Submariner copy watches from around $15,000 to nearly $30,000.
- Burford Dial, from the 6538 Submariner
The crown on the Burford is a showstopper because it combines insane rarity with a body that’s tea. These versions of the fake Rolex Submariner watches shop get their name because the dials were printed by The Burford Dial Company, which was a British Ministry of Defence subcontractor specializing in timing instruments for ships and cockpits. Burford received the dials and made them over with a tritium that was safer than what Rolex was using and – what the heck, why not – put their own spin on Rolex’s coronet, hence this very distinct version of the logo. Burford’s spin on the design is so tall you could drink a pint out of it! Other versions of the coronet take a trained eye to see the differences, but that’s not the case with this long boi.
- Frog Foot, from the 1655 and 1016 Explorer
It’s so satisfying when something has a perfect name: an anteater, a spoon, or the character Wow Platinum in Megalopolis. The Frog Foot coronet is one of those perfectly named things. I truly don’t know how the Watch Illuminati comes up with this stuff. Once you see it, there is no other way to describe this version of Rolex’s crown that slopes much more dramatically than any of its other coronets and looks exactly like a frog’s foot – complete with the small bulbs at the end of their toes and everything.
- Bubble Boy*, from the Bubbleback
The squatty sea anemone-like crowns accompanying the ’40s-era Swiss made replica Rolex Bubbleback watches are my absolute favourite of this group. This version of the logo has a compressed lil’ body and arms that look like their stretching up to grab some cookies off the counter it just can’t quite reach. Maybe I’m just too sympathetic in my rankings, putting this one first partially because it looks like it would get picked last for dodgeball. But the Bubble Boy (my name), is everything I love about these coronets. It seems the further back you go in the catalog, the quirkier these get. Few really show how Rolex was still editing and perfecting its logo over time quite like this one.