This small batch of Submariners 6536-1 watches was produced in early 1957 and appears to be a minor transitional model because it has a newer style dial and hands configuration, but the bezel inlay is the same as the previous years model, without a red triangle. This particular dial has turned 'Tropical' because the galvanic layer has lost some of its opacity.

The hands are made from a metal alloy that was gold-plated. They are also flat on top, a design that came to be known by collectors as "Gilt Hands." When the hands move about the face of the dial, the "Big Bubble" sweep-seconds hand appears to lightly graze the "Chapter" ring of the minute track. When it briefly glides over the minute hand, they are perfectly aligned.

The luminous material on the dial and hands was manually applied Radium like most Small Crowns from the 1950s. Although it no longer glows in the dark, the Radium still has a distinct "speckled" glow when exposed to UV Light and has a relatively high Geiger reading as well. Please see the "Luminous" section for further information about characteristics of glow-in-the-dark materials used by Rolex.