Rolex

There are few watches that can truly be called ‘icons’ like the Rolex Submariner. In many ways, it has become the archetype of what we expect a sports watch to look like. 2023 is 70 Years of the Rolex Submariner, and of all the models that have been produced in that time there is perhaps no more important model than the reference 5513. Boasting a production run of nearly 30 years (1962-1989) the 5513 Submariner saw major evolutions at Rolex, but always stayed true to its original design and function. It is – however – those small details and deviations that elevate a vintage watch into “grail” status, which is the case with this present example.

Circa 1962, this is one of the earliest 5513 Submariners made which bestows upon it a few unique details. The case is what collectors refer to a ‘PCG’ or ‘Cornino’ referring to the sharply pointed crown guards that flank the winding crown. Moving onto the dial which has several important attributes, the first being a ‘Gilt’ dial. Gilt Rolex dials hail from the early year of Rolex, and while the name might imply otherwise – they are not gilt or gold. Instead, they are brass dials where the lacquer has been applied and then the text ‘punched’ out so that the gilt color of the brass comes through creating that golden appearance. While they are incredibly beautiful and lustrous, they are not easy to produce at scale and so Rolex stopped production in the later half of the 1960s. The present 5513 also contains an ‘Explorer’ dial. Known as such due to its luminous Arabic ‘3’, ‘6’, ‘9’ that recall its 36mm stablemate. The rarity of these dials cannot be understated, as they were primarily hold-overs from earlier Submariner production references. This dial has aged gracefully, showing gentle signs of aging across richly aged lume. Due to the combination of rarity, and beauty, these are among the most desired Submariners with crown-guards.

The period correct fat-font bezel that has taken on a blue-grey hue, and fitted to a period correct riveted 7206 with 64 end links, the watch presents beautifully. It is further accompanied by a 1963 Rolex Technical Service manual, which details all the parts of each Rolex caliber in production at that time which is unique piece in its own right. Part of the Submariner’s lore after 70 years is its ability to go anywhere and do anything – and in Hammer’s own words “it’s not something that you would think twice about wearing”.