Rolex Fixed an Expensive Rolex Submariner Watch Found at the Bottom of the Sea

An Australian surfer named Matt Cuddihy became very popular last summer when he discovered a Rolex Submariner watch in the ocean near Noosa, Queensland. The watch, which can sell for more than $10,000 and sometimes even more, was still working when he found it. He found a message on the back that seemed to show who owned it. After the story was in the news and the owner, Ric Outrim, saw it, Matt managed to find him.

The watch appeared very damaged when Cuddihy pulled it up from the ocean floor. It was all rusty and damaged, and the woven band was torn from being rubbed against rocks and sand for five years. When Rolex heard about what happened, they wanted to fix the watch and make it look like it did when it was new. They fixed it up nicely, even replacing the band with a metal one, and now it looks great again.

“I want to say ‘thank you’ to the person who fixed the watch because they put a lot of care and work into it,” Outrim said about Rolex’s offer. “We ate lunch with the Rolex group in Brisbane. The watch was missing for a while, and I felt very unhappy. I didn’t believe I would find it again, but Rolex was amazing. The workers were really nice to me. They looked after the watch very well.

The watch is very special to Outrim. He got it when he was 18 from his dad, who was in the Royal Australian Navy. He’s worn it for almost 50 years. So when he lost it in the ocean near Noosa, he was very upset. Finding the watch again, thanks to Cuddihy and Rolex fixing it so nicely, felt like a miracle to him. “I’m really thankful to have it back,” he said excitedly. “It’s amazing. You wouldn’t think something like this could happen. I’m really emotional about it.”

Regarding the two explorers, the journey has united them and formed a strong friendship. “I want Matt to be my friend forever,” Outrim said. “He’s a really great person.”