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I'm after some Rolex guidance from wiser heads than mine (which is most of you I suspect), please.
I've owned two, an Explorer and a GMT, and sold both, the last maybe seven or eight years ago. Have always said I'd never have another - partly because they've been stupidly over-priced for so long, and partly because it's seemed silly to me to have a tool watch you either can't wear in lots of places, or can wear but only with eyes in the back of your head.
Anyway, my pa passed away in November. He bought a new Submariner in 1966. Sold it in about 2001 and then bought another (used) in 2005 and sold that too (of what he had left my wife is now wearing his Pulsar G10 and my son wore his Pulsar chrono to a CCF black tie dinner on Friday). He loved both the Subs, and I recently found a sheaf of lovely correspondence between him and Rolex in Switzerland, and, long-story short, it's made me think maybe it would be nice to have a Sub to remember him by when I look at the time. It won't be his Sub, because that's not an option, but it will still bring happy memories.
However, whilst I flatter myself I know a few things about a few brands, Rolex is a closed book to me. Can anyone suggest which Sub models I should be researching if I want the nearest thing to an affordable Submariner please?
Giles at Oakleigh has a 16610 at under £9k (see link) but I presume this is because it has no papers and I'm guessing that would make it hard to sell on if the experiment doesn't work out (and as this would be by FAR the most expensive watch I own, or indeed have ever owned, I do need to tread carefully). I guess it would be a lot more as a full set, but I have no idea how much more. https://www.oakleighwatches.co.uk/pr...bmariner-date/
Anyway, open to advice please. What to avoid, things which Rolex people all hate but which look totally normal to me, and so on. I guess I'm looking for something well-used and possibly quite patinaed so it's financially realistic, rather than a safe queen, but as I say, Rolex is a foreign country to me.

I'd always go 6 digit ceramic. Much better bracelets and overall feel imo and I'm pretty sure they aren't an over RRP watch now?

A while back, I was in a similar spot, looking at options that wouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg but still gave me that same look and feel. Ended up checking out a sky dweller fake for the vibe, and honestly, it scratched the itch. It looked spot-on, had a solid feel, and gave me that connection I was after without worrying about wearing it out or losing it. If you go that route, just make sure you’re getting it from somewhere reliable so you don’t end up with junk.