Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1965 Reference No: 5512, 5513 stamped on caseback Movement No: 412'927 Case No: 1'361'595 Model Name: Submariner, "4 liner" Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster, stamped 7206, end links stamped 58, max. length 200 mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel deployant clasp, signed Rolex Dimensions: 39mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed
Catalogue Essay
Since first launching in 1954, Rolex continued to evolve the Submariner’s design. Reference 5512 was the first of the Submariner family to introduce crown guards, adding to the practicality and durability of their iconic diver’s watch.
This particular example has a stunning glossy dial with a combination of silver and gilt printed text. As it reads “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” at 6 o’clock, this watch was fitted with a chronometer-certified movement. The present watch’s depth reading has the meters rating printed first, whereas later models indicate the feet measurement first, and is nicknamed “4-liner” by collectors.
Its beautifully aged dial, with perfectly matching luminous material on the hands and hour markers, gives this watch a considerable amount of character. With a well-preserved case and its original domed-shaped crystal present, this is a highly desirable example of a vintage Rolex Submariner reference 5512.
Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.