VINTAGE ROLEX SUBMARINER 5513 STAINLESS STEEL

Rolex Submariner 5513 Stainless Steel 

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Condition Report

Dial

Excellent original condition and very clean matte black meters first tritium dial with creamy lume plots and matching hands. All luminous plots remain intact. 

Case

Excellent original condition stainless steel case that has been previously polished and has with light wear from use. Serial and reference numbers remain crisp and well defined. Case back has an engraving "CHARLES BERNARD SMITH."

Bezel

Original black bezel insert is in very good condition and shows some light wear from use. The bezel insert has faded to a nice navy hue. 

Bracelet

Original stainless steel oyster rivet bracelet with 12 links. Bracelet is in good condition and has slight stretch from use. The clasp stamped with a 2-65 date code. 

Box and Papers

Bob's presentation box, Certificate of Authenticity, and warranty card. 

Catalog Essay:

For many Rolex collectors, the reference 5513 is the archetypal vintage Submariner. While it was not the very first Submariner reference, it is arguably the most famous, and is widely considered to be one of the must-have models from Rolex’s iconic Submariner collection. Worn by everyone from Hollywood actors and celebrities to military personnel and even James Bond himself, the ref. 5513 perfectly embodies the spirit of Rolex’s legendary professional dive watch.

Rolex first introduced the ref. 5513 in 1962 as a less expensive, non-chronometer rated version of its popular Submariner dive watch. Almost identical to its ref. 5512 sibling, the Rolex Submariner 5513 was powered by a different movement and consequently featured a dial that lacked the additional two lines of chronometer-certification text. In real-world use, the timekeeping performance between these two models was incredibly similar, and so the ref. 5512 was ultimately discontinued, while the ref. 5513 became the go-to dive watch for military personnel largely due to its lower price point.

Production of the ref. 5513 Submariner lasted until about 1989, and surviving examples can be found with a range of variation when it comes to dials, bezels, crown-guards, hands, and bracelets. This particular example is fitted with a ‘meters-first’ matte dial, which represents the earliest variation of matte dial Submariner watches that were produced immediately after Rolex switched away from the previous style of glossy gilt dials. While all meters-first Rolex Submariner 5513 watches are rare and collectable, it is the military provenance of this particular one that is likely of greatest interest to collectors.

Backstory: 

This ref. 5513 Rolex Submariner belonged to 1st class Navy Diver named Raymond, who purchased it from a U.S. military base in the Philippines after graduating from diving school. He wore it on countless diving missions all around the world and relied on its precision timekeeping for navigation purposes while serving as Quartermaster with the U.S. Navy. After retiring from active service, Raymond passed the watch along to his son, who (with Raymond’s blessing) eventually sold the watch to us.

Be sure to read the full article we wrote about this specific watch by clicking here.

SPECIAL NOTICE

MOVEMENT:  Movement is functioning. This Vintage Rolex comes with Bob's Watches one year warranty. 

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