Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Heritage Submariner HS01 by Project X Designs
When we received the latest press release from Project X Designs, it caused a bit of a confusing situation. The reason for the mixed emotions is the new limited edition Heritage Submariner HS01. Why? Well, here at Monochrome we are no fan of aftermarket modifications on beautiful timepieces. Besides that we’re also not the biggest supporter of “homage” watches. So imagine the confusion when we saw the Heritage Submariner and liked its looks…
So there you got it. We do like the looks of the new Heritage Submariner HS01. Until now we’ve shown you one other Project X creation, that we fancied and that was the Submariner Ceramic Stealth. Both watches do have something in common: both are based on a Rolex Submariner and the crown guards have been “shaved” off. This is just one of the modifications that remind us of the vintage Submariner 6538 ‘Big Crown’ that was worn by James Bond.
Project X did some more modifications, like the flared bevelled lugs and an oversized (BIG) crown. These are probably the most important details about the vintage Submariner 6538, that appeal to collectors of these vintage pieces.The crown on a vintage Submariner of the 1950’s measured 6mm in diameter, while the Submariner ‘Big Crown’ ref. 6538 was equipped with an 8 mm crown; the modern Submariner has a 7mm crown. Project X Designs found a batch of fully functional original new old stock vintage 8 mm Rolex Brevet ‘Big Crowns and replaced the modern 7mm crown by the N.O.S. crown.
When you look closely at the image below, you can see that what Project X Designs did, is take a standard Submariner No Date ref. 114060, and:
- shave the crown guards
- polish the beveled sides of the case
- apply beige Super LumiNova luminescent material to the hands and hour markers
- add a red triangle to the diver’s bezel
- and add a new old stock 8mm Big Crown
60 years after its initial introduction, Project X Designs created the HS01 Heritage Submariner to honor everything that they liked about the vintage ‘Big Crown’ Submariner ref. 6538. The HS01 Heritage Submariner is limited to 60 pieces and comes at a retail price of £ 15,000 GBP.
We love the looks, we love all modified details and we love the bigger N.O.S. crown. However it is a homage watch, an aftermarket modified watch.
We would love to hear your thoughts about the Heritage Submariner! Please feel free to share your ideas about this timepiece.
7 responses
Will Rolex service such watches?
Rolex only services original Rolex watches with 100% original parts. So they won’t service a Rolex that is modified like this one.
Gorgeous. Unique.
This reminds me of a Rolls Royce Phantom I recently saw in Fort Lauderdale. It was a perfectly gorgeous, beautifully engineered car until the owner decided to bling it up. What people do with their own property is up to them but to me this is vandalism and a great way to destroy the value in a Rolex.
This is after market brilliance. More after-market alterations should be homage related rather than these crazy high fluro colour monstrosities! I love this piece, crown is excellent and lume colour fantastic….price is not so great through, should be around 15k usd rather than GBP.
Not a ‘homage’ watch but an ugly attempt to make money by selling what looks like a vintage model. If you happen to want to buy it – fair enough, but I would personally avoid! If you can’t get the real thing go for something nice and original Rolex – good choice available for 15k!
Lol. After some anti-comments: Great design, I like it. Awesome watch 😍