Rolex Submariner 5513 'Maxi Mk2'

Sold
Sold
  • Free worldwide delivery

While we love all vintage Submariners, there is one truly iconic vintage Sub: the ref. 5513. With its timeless toolwatch aesthetics, robust design, and impressive 27-year production run, its bonafide Rolex legend.This 5513 from 1979 sports a lovely matte black dial with the iconic painted tritium markers. The dial is in excellent condition with only minor blemishes. The tritium markers have turned into a lovely warm eggshell color over time, perfectly matching the tritium in the 18k white gold hand set. Unlike later Submariners (or its sister references, the 5512 and 1680), the 5513 features only two lines of text at the top half and two lines of text at the lower half of the dial. This detail gives the 5513 a wonderful clean and understated look. Not too much, not too little: just perfect for a toolwatch. The watch features a black aluminium bezel that has aged into a cool midnight blue color. The 40 mm stainless steel case is in great condition with thick lugs. The watch even sports the original solid link stainless steel Oyster bracelet from 1979. The bracelet contains a moderate amount of stretch, nothing out of the ordinary for a watch that is over 40 years old!

Introduction

Rolex SubmarinerIn 1953, Rolex introduced one of the world’s first wrist watches geared specifically towards divers: the Submariner. Rolex had to confront a number of challenges when designing its first dive watch. The watch obviously had to withstand significant amounts of pressure and had to accurately measure time spent underwater, which the first Submariner achieved by featuring a 330ft/100m depth rating and a rotating diving bezel. It also had to be easily legible in conditions of reduced visibility yet aesthetically pleasing. Hence, the Sub’s iconic large luminous hour markers and Mercedes hands set against a contrasting black dial.The Submariner is the most iconic and desirable luxury watch of all time and has been adopted by luminaries such as Jacques Cousteau, Che Guevara, and none other than James Bond. Our favorite Bond, Sean Connery, wore a big crown Sub in the 1962 classic ‘Dr. No’. The watch was also featured in ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Thunderball’.Ref. 5513The 5513 is the longest-running Submariner reference, having been in production for a whopping 27 years (from 1962-1989). The rare pointed crown guards made their first appearance with this model and were later replaced by the rounded crown guards. The 5513 uses the caliber 1530 movement (and starting in the mid-1960s the slightly upgraded caliber 1520, which is not chronometer certified, and therefore has a dial that bears 2 lines of text (as opposed to the 4-line chronometer dials on the ref. 5512). Early executions of the 5513 featured the rare ‘meters first dial,’ because the depth rating in meters was printed before the rating in feet (“200m = 660ft). Around 1969, Rolex switched to printing the feet before the meters to satisfy the growing American customer base.

Shipping

We offer complimentary worldwide shipping by insured courier. Packages are generally dispatched within 2 days after receipt of payment and are shipped by private courier, PostNL, FedEx or Ferrari group; depending the value and destination. Consult us if you prefer another method of shipping. For all destinations tracking is available.