Vintage Rolex Submariner 5513 (with Box & Papers) - Vintage of the Week Episode 35 | Bob's Watches

Join Brandon Frazin, Director of Vintage, as he reviews a remarkable vintage Submariner 5513. Shop this watch and more: https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-r...

NAVIGATE THIS VIDEO:

00:00 INTRO
00:25 Wrist Check
00:35 Rolex 5513 History
01:05 Types of Dials
01:33 Notable Details
02:11 Box & Papers
02:24 Condition
02:36 Dial
03:12 Bracelet
03:21 Papers
04:05 Availability
04:15 OUTRO

Our Vintage of the Week series will showcase a different exceptional luxury watch from our inventory every week. Follow along with the series:    • Vintage of the Week  


SUBMARINER 5513 HISTORY

Rolex introduced the Submariner in the 1950s, equipping it with their iconic waterproof Oyster case and Perpetual movement with automatic winding technology. With substantial waterproofness and a 60-minute diver’s bezel, the Submariner is perfect for professional divers and other underwater adventurers.

As with everything Rolex does, they only continued to improve upon the iconic Submariner’s design, eventually outfitting it with a safer uni-directional time-lapse bezel, increased water resistance up to 300 meters/1,000 feet, a date mechanism, and improved movements, to name a few.

Reference 5513 came to market in the early 1960s. At the time of its release, this edition of the Submariner still had the older-style acrylic crystal, bi-directional bezel, and a 200-meter depth rating. Reference 5513 also did not have a date mechanism. Rolex would not introduce that feature until a few years later.
Although, it is interesting to note that ref. 5513 and the first Submariner to feature a date mechanism on the dial, ref. 1680, were produced alongside each other for several years.

It’s also important to note that ref. 5513 was never chronometer rated, which is significant because many models in the Rolex portfolio are. The fact that ref. 5513 never earned the COSC rating means that it was able to maintain a much more affordable price point than its counterparts and, thus, enjoyed a much longer production run, lasting until around the 1990s.


ROLEX 5512 vs. 5513

Rolex produced ref. 5513 from the early 1960s until the early 1990s. To this day, it remains one of the company’s longest-produced Submariner models.

Reference 5512 came to market first in 1959, and ceased production around 1978. Side-by-side, both watches are nearly identical.

They both feature stainless steel cases, black time-only dials, and a black aluminum bezel. The most significant difference between the two models is that ref. 5512 was chronometer rated, and ref. 5513 was not.

However, ref. 5512 was not initially COSC-rated. Depending on the year the watch was produced, it will have either 2 or 4 lines of text on the dial. The first two display the Submariner logo and the depth rating, and the last two feature the chronometer rating, which reads,

"Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified."

Ref. 5513, on the other hand, was never chronometer rated, so it only ever had 2 lines of text on the dial featuring the Submariner logo and the depth rating.


OTHER VARIATIONS
Reference 5513 was in production for decades, which means it also saw numerous design upgrades and other modifications. For that reason alone, it can be a very intriguing watch to collect.

One of the most significant upgrades was from the older-style glossy gilt dials to matte and from meters-first text to feet-first text, an upgrade that many believe was made to appeal to an ever-growing American market. However, Rolex will never confirm nor deny that speculation.

When Rolex upgraded the glossy dials to matte in 1966, the depth rating was still presented in the meters-first text. They didn’t make the swap to feet-first text until the early 1970s. So, it is possible to find a matte dial Submariner 5513 with either meters-first or feet-first text.

Interestingly, despite being a Swiss-based company, the Submariner never switched back to meters-first text. All Submariners produced since the 1970s have all had feet-first text on the dial.


OUR EXAMPLE

The Submariner Brandon features in this episode of Vintage of the Week has a matte feet-first dial with pale yellow Tritium lume.

The bezel is now a very nice dark grey color, adding even further to the overall collectability and character of the watch.

Our example dates to 1971 and wears on a C&I rivet link Oyster bracelet.

What we really love about this Submariner, though, is that it comes to us straight from the original owner’s family, complete with the original box and papers.

A diamond in the rough.

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