THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 5513
YEAR: 1978
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 40mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

The 5513 marque of the Submariner is arguably the most iconic. It also produced the greatest variety within the model during its 25-year production run. Starting in 1963 with pointed crown guard cases and charming gilt dials and hands, it evolved through to 1988/1989 with white gold surrounded tritium markers and gloss dials.

Gilt dial 5513s were produced for only a few short years before matte dial 5513s were introduced around 1967. In the early 1970s, Rolex made another notable change to the dials, switching from meters to feet as the first measurement of the depth rating. This change was likely driven by the growing market share in the United States, which uses imperial measurements.

The present example, dating back to 1978, boasts a "Maxi I" dial, which are amongst the last of the matte dial 5513s and named after their enlarged lume plots. The dial is fantastic; the tritium plots and hands have aged beautifully, acquiring an attractive light creamy patina. The case is extremely full and shows extensive "sleeve wear" - where the originally brushed finish appears almost shiny. This is hardly a surprise: the watch came from the second owner, who told us his friend, who bought the watch new over four decades ago, wore it almost daily. The original insert has faded heavily to a light grey/blue "ghost" colour. 

The watch comes on its original bracelet, although with moderate stretch over years of wear. We included an original Pheonix nato strap with the watch. It came to us in great health, running at +1 s/d, 275 amps, with a 0.2 ms beat error. If you're looking for an honest 5513, it really doesn't get much better than this.