At first look, any man strolling alongside Main Street in Nantucket could be indistinguishable from an area, granted he has procured the proper accoutrements—a colourful polo from Ralph Lauren, a pair of Reds from Murray’s Toggery Store, boat sneakers from any variety of locations, and, presto, who’s to say when you’ve got simply walked off the ferry or have been summering on the island for years?
However the true insider is aware of to pay nearer consideration. As a result of no quantity of sherbet-hued button-downs will full a Nantucket uniform if it isn’t paired with the proper watch, and there is just one that’s key to becoming in: a easy black and metal Rolex Submariner.
“For me, an enormous a part of the magic of Nantucket is its clear visible id,” says Mark Chou, the CEO of athleticwear firm Swiftwick, who has labored with preppy staples like Rowing Blazers and RL. “I feel the Submariner works so effectively for Nantucket as a result of it has the identical aesthetic coherence as a shingle model cottage or beat-up Defender—it has traditional attractiveness, is extremely purposeful, and appears higher the older it will get.”
And that is the elemental reality about Nantucket. Practicality and understatement reign supreme right here. (Don’t let the superyachts crowding the harbor idiot you.) So it’s no shock that the Submariner is so extremely desired amongst this set. “Submariners have constantly gone up in worth over time and not likely deviated,” says E. Townsend Wright III, proprietor of the Trinity Collection on Most important Road, who provides that the mannequin sells so effectively it has continued to extend in worth at the same time as the remainder of the market has settled from early pandemic highs.
Need to slot in on Nantucket? You’re going to wish one in every of these however good luck scoring one. Above: E. Townsend Wright III’s assortment of Subs (and associated ephemera).
A part of that stems from the truth that when folks purchase a Submariner, they have a tendency to maintain it. Wright thought he’d have the ability to supply Submariners from Nantucket locals and vacationers when he began the Trinity Assortment nearly thirty years in the past, however whereas they’re simple to promote, they’re a lot tougher to purchase on the island: “They normally stick with the folks. I want it was that simple, however I’ve to seek for these items.”
On Nantucket, Submariners are household heirlooms, meant to be handed down from era to era (Wright himself has a household custom that began together with his father, the legendary surfer Spyder Wright, whereby the boys of the household are gifted a Submariner once they attain maturity). These fortunate sufficient to inherit theirs get the added flex of getting a classic mannequin. Newer Submariners, with ceramic bezels and different age-resistant supplies, are designed to look crisp and stay that means. Classic ones might not be as powerful or as correct, however their aluminum bezels can fade and the lume and dial can develop a horny patina that has develop into fairly prized. In spite of everything, like a washed-out pair of Reds, nothing says Previous Cash like a lovingly scuffed-up Rolex.
The OG 007 did wonders for the Rolex Submariner’s repute.
True to its identify, the Submariner began out as a distinct segment instrument watch when it first launched in 1954, however its enchantment rapidly expanded past the diving neighborhood. “Rolex, clearly, being the advertising and marketing machine that they’re, was capable of place the Submariner as type of the head,” says Tony Traina, who runs the favored watch trade publication, Unpolished Watches. The top not simply of dive watches, however all watches. Traina notes that a lot of the enchantment of the Submariner got here from the affiliation with luxurious and journey conferred to it by celebrities who wore the watch, each actual and fictional—Sean Connery’s iteration of James Bond could be the mannequin’s most well-known A-list endorsement.
Over the previous few years, the Submariner’s profile has exploded, because of the proliferation of WatchTok, a neighborhood of influencers on TikTok who’re serving to educate a brand new era of horological lovers and collectors. “The broad reputation of watches has risen and the primary beneficiary of that’s at all times going to be blue chip watches just like the Rolex Submariner,” Traina says.
It helps that the Submariner has additionally aligned fairly properly with a number of current social media tendencies. When quiet luxury was all the rage, for instance, few watches might compete with its muted aesthetic. And with the rise of menswear content material, the Submariner, with its sporty and refined nature, has emerged as the proper go-anywhere-do-anything piece that may match a swimsuit in addition to a showering swimsuit. Plus, if you wish to appear like a finance bro, that is actually the one watch of selection.
As for its notably robust presence on Nantucket, the simplest clarification is that it suits the island’s life-style higher than any watch on the market. Summers right here are supposed to be spent outdoor and at sea. “It’s simply traditional—crusing, boating, put on it to the seaside,” Wright says. “They don’t seem to be going to put on their $200,000 Patek.” They save these for winters in Palm Seaside.
