BOB’S WATCHES
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Lot | 12 |
Starting Bid: | $15,000 |
Estimate: | $15,000 to $25,000 |
Manufacturer: | Rolex |
Year: | Circa 1978 |
Model Name: | Submariner |
Reference: | 5513 |
Case Serial Number: | 5,5XX,XXX |
Condition: | Excellent condition. |
Material: | Stainless Steel |
Dimensions: | 40mm |
Bracelet: | Stainless steel oyster 78360 bracelet. |
Item Number: | 131269 |
Movement: | Cal. 1520, manual-winding, 17 jewels. |
Signed | Case, dial, movement, and bracelet. |
Bob's does NOT charge a buyer's premium – what you bid is what you pay.
Excellent original matte black tritium Maxi dial with creamy yellow lume plots and matching hands.
Excellent original stainless steel case which has previously been polished in the past and has light wear from use. Serial and reference numbers remain crisp and well defined. Inner caseback is engraved 5513. Outside of caseback is engraved "W.T. Howard 12-82".
Excellent original black bezel insert with very slight wear from use.
Excellent original 78360 stainless steel oyster bracelet with 12 links and 580 end links. Clasp is stamped with a "VB" date code. Bracelet has light wear from use.
Rolex box, Rolex booklets, Bob's Certificate of Authenticity and warranty card.
Catalog Essay:
Rolex first released the ref. 5513 Submariner in 1962 and this historic model remained in production until the end of the 1980s. As the longest-running Submariner reference of all time, the ref. 5513 can be found with a wide range of variation when it comes to dials, bezels, hands crown-guards, crystals, and bracelets. This diversity makes the Submariner 5513 an incredibly exciting reference to pursue and collect.
An interesting feature about the reference 5513 is that its production spanned the entire matte dial era. The very first Submariner 5513 watches were fitted with glossy gilt dials, before Rolex made the switch to matte dials around 1967. By the mid 1980s, Rolex had discontinued the matte dials entirely and was fitting ref. 5513 watches with gloss dials with applied, white gold hour markers - similar to the style of Submariner dial that Rolex still uses today. For many collectors, the matte dial exemplifies the aesthetic of the reference 5513 Submariner, and offers a unique utilitarian appearance that is unlike any other Rolex Submariner watches.
This particular ref. 5513 Submariner was produced in 1978, placing it right in the middle of the matte dial era. Featuring tritium hands and hour markers that have developed a rich and symmetrical patina over the years, this reference 5513 is the perfect representation of 1970s Rolex dive watch design. Like other Submariner 5513 watches, this particular example is fitted with a bi-directional friction-fitted bezel and a domed acrylic crystal, which provide it with an unmistakably vintage look and feel.
Additionally, like other discontinued Rolex dial designs, the number of matte dial Submariner watches in existence has constantly been decreasing. Throughout the years, as reference 5513 watches became damaged or suffered moisture intrusion, Rolex would replace their dials with the later-era style of gloss dials with white gold hour markers. This practice has resulted in significantly fewer matte dial Submariner 5513 watches in existence today than were originally manufactured, which has only added to their desirability and collectability in recent years.
MOVEMENT: Movement is functioning. Watch comes with Bob's Watches one year warranty.
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