once this item comes back in stock
| Manufacturer: | Rolex |
| Item Number: | 135871 |
| Condition: | Vintage |
| Model Name/Number: | Submariner 5513 |
| Serial/Year: | 2,8XX,XXX - 1970-1971 |
| Gender: | Men's |
| Movement: | Automatic 1500 |
| Case: | Excellent stainless steel case that has previously been polished with light wear from use. Comes with a lightly worn and faded fat font black bezel insert. Inner case back is stamped: 5513 "IV.70". Serial and reference numbers are legible. Case back is engraved: "Rolex Comex 160" Watch case also features a helium escape valve. |
| Dial: | Excellent tritium matte feet first dial with creamy yellow hours markers and matching hands. Hands show light signs of aging. |
| Bracelet: | Excellent 9315 stainless steel oyster fold over with 11 links and 380 end links. Back of clasp is stamped "3/27". Bracelet shows moderate wear consistent with age with dents on some of the links. |
| Box & Papers: | Bob's presentation box, Certificate of Authenticity, and warranty card |
| Warranty: | This Vintage Rolex comes with Bob's Watches one year warranty |
| Return Policy: | If not 100% satisfied, return watch in 3 days for a full refund. Terms. |
PRE-OWNED WATCH CONDITION EXAMINATION
This Vintage Rolex watch is in overall excellent condition with visible wear on the clasp, bracelet, case, bezel and crystal.
VINTAGE ROLEX SUBMARINER 5513 Comex
This present watch appears to be from the very beginning of the 1970s. It has a ‘feet first’ matte dial with a fat-font bezel insert, and it’s fitted with a folded-link Oyster bracelet that has a decent amount of stretch and appears to likely be original to the watch. There’s a beautiful matching patina on the tritium dial and hands, but the real party-piece of this watch is right here - a helium escape valve on the side of the case and a COMEX engraving on the case-back.
COMEX is a French diving company that was founded in 1961, right around the time that scuba diving was really starting to take hold and establish itself in the world. COMEX focused on commercial diving and deep-sea exploration, performing pioneering work in the budding field of saturation diving - we’re talking hyperbaric testing chambers and experimenting with different gas mixtures so that humans could dive deeper and stay down longer.
This watch features a 2.8-million serial number, which gives it an estimated production date of 1971. This makes it an early example of the COMEX-issued Submariner watches, and this is supported by the fact that it is a reference 5513 rather than a reference 5514 or a later-era Submariner model fitted with a COMEX-branded dial. The fact that this watch is more-or-less a standard matte dial reference 5513 Submariner that Rolex retrofitted with a helium escape valve suggests that it was one of the early Submariner watches issued to COMEX and its 1971 production date helps confirm this, as this was just one year after the partnership had started.
While this Submariner by itself is both rare and incredibly special, the fact that it came to us directly from the original owner means that we get to hear the story behind it and share it with you today. Included with the watch are both photos of the original owner from his days working with COMEX, along with a letter of provenance that details his experiences as a commercial diver and how this unusual Rolex Submariner came into his life.
* All Pre-Owned Rolex watches are guaranteed to be 100% genuine and certified authentic. Certificates are issued by WatchCSA, the industry's leading independent authority on watch authentication. WatchCSA Certified Pre-Owned certificates are provided for an additional fee at checkout. All watches are shipped to fit the average size wrist (7 1/4" - 7 1/2" for men and 6 1/4" - 6 1/2" for women). Additional links can be purchased if needed. Note that "B&P" means "box and papers" where stated.
Each order is ready for shipment within one (1) business day after the order is approved and processed. All watch orders are shipped FedEx overnight and are fully insured at no charge to the customer. Please be advised that for any deliveries from Bob's Watches, a recipient aged 21 years or older must be present to provide a signature upon receipt of the package.
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Fantastic transaction and watch even better than described / pictures. Tanya was great to deal with, easy communication, give her a raise!
Watch shows better then in pictures . Second watch purchased from Bobs since October. Very happy with both experiences . I mistakenly overpaid on the price.of my last purchase. Along with the watch was a check for the overpayment. I feel Bobs as honest and trustworthy. Thanks
Excellent service . Fantastic communication. I couldn’t of asked for more .
The watch was delivered very quickly and was exactly as advertised. They even provided a few vintage pamphlets from the period. All my questions were answered promptly. Overall great experience. I will definitely buy my next Rolex from Bob’s.
The condition of this vintage Rolex 5513 is nicer than I anticipated based on the age. Your staff was very helpful and went out of their way to help make sure I had enough links in the band.