In the picturesque coastal town of Noosa, Queensland, an Australian surfer made an astonishing find while snorkeling. “I was exploring my usual spots when I noticed a shift in the sand that revealed more rocks than usual,” he recounted. Amidst this change, he discovered seven surfboard fins wedged between the rocks. To his surprise, he also spotted a Rolex Submariner partially buried, its band caught under a rock, with the glass frosted over from prolonged exposure to sand.
This isn’t the first instance of a dive watch being uncovered along Australia’s coast. Recently, Citizen launched a Promaster model inspired by a similar discovery, as previously discussed. Now, it’s the turn of a vintage Rolex Submariner to make headlines.
Initially skeptical about his find, the surfer thought it might be a counterfeit. “I took a photo with my GoPro and laughed, thinking it was just a Bali knock-off,” he explained. However, upon closer inspection, he realized he had found a clone Rolex Submariner, likely a reference 5513, still operational despite its oceanic journey. “When I retrieved it, I washed it in fresh water, which removed much of the sand, salt, and marine life. It smelled pretty bad, and the bezel showed significant corrosion, but the second hand was still ticking. The crown is jammed, so it tells time, albeit not in my time zone,” he added.
Cuddihy, who enjoys cleaning up Australia’s coastlines, frequently snorkels to collect debris, including broken surfboard fins. “On what started as just another beautiful day in Noosa, I began noticing an increasing amount of litter that shouldn’t be there. Now, I snorkel weekly with a mesh bag to collect garbage caught in the rocks – mostly surfboard fins and fishing lures,” he shared.
This isn’t Cuddihy’s first encounter with lost items; he has previously reunited an Apple replica Watch with its owner after finding it on the ocean floor. “I often post my finds on Instagram, and through that, I was able to return a surfboard fin to a guy who lost it at the same spot,” he said.
As for the Rolex, it’s now with a friend who collects these watches. “He’s getting it evaluated and checked out by experts who know what they’re looking at,” Cuddihy noted.