Blame it on the growing craze around Rolex watches which peaked during the pandemic, several highly-desirable models have become almost impossible to buy at the listed price. On the other hand, if you’re looking to purchase a classic Rolex timepiece for your personal collection, ready to shell out hundreds and thousands of dollars; unless you’re Matt Cuddihy. The world-ranked surfer from Australia recently found a vintage Rolex Submariner with its band caught under a rock while snorkeling at Noosa Heads, a coastal town in Australia; talk about finding treasure under the sea!
“I was just snorkelling around the same areas I normally go to in Noosa, and there seemed to be a bit of sand that had shifted and exposed more rocks than normal. I found seven surfboard fins wedged between rocks. Looking over, I noticed a Rolex Submariner with its band caught under a rock,” Cuddihy said while talking to watch magazine Fratello.
The Rolex retrieved from the ocean appears to be in bad shape, with the case and bezel almost completely encrusted in sea debris and the crystal over the dial showing deep scuff marks. This made it very difficult to even identify the Rolex model. In fact, the longboard surfer originally thought it was nothing but a cheap Bali knockoff until he realized it was the real deal. The watch Cuddihy found in the ocean is a no-date Submariner ref. 5513, which was produced by Rolex between the early 1960s and late 1980s. The condition of the watch, when it was found by Cuddihy, tells it was lodged under the rock for a very long time. Yet, the watch still works, according to the surfer, which goes on to show the robustness of the Rolex model which was originally designed for diving.
