Rolex - The New York Watch Auction: SEVEN New York Saturday, December 10, 2022 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1965
    Reference No: 5512; inside caseback stamped 5513 and I.66
    Movement No: D84’326
    Case No: 1’361’422
    Model Name: Submariner “Four Liner”
    Material: Stainless steel
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1560, 26 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Attila Aszodi leather strap
    Dimensions: 40mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, and movement signed. Movement additionally stamped ROW.
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex folder, translation paper, wax hangtag, anchor, and fitted Rolex presentation box.

  • Catalogue Essay

    Rolex released the first Submariner reference 6204 in 1954, and over the last 68 years it has become one of the brand’s most enduring and cherished tool wristwatches ever produced. Highly sought after by collectors, the Submariner is firmly entrenched in the pantheon of horology, and has evolved into a modern timepiece that is as wearable at the office, an evening event, and for its original use when diving, or beachcombing. Rolex transformed the model in 1959 with the reference 5512 with the addition of the now ubiquitous crown guards. While the earliest iterations featured squared crown guards, later generations like the present model displayed rounded crown guards.

    The present “4-liner” reference 5512 features its stunning and original “Swiss T<25” black glossy dial with gilt signature and silver gilt “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” (SCOC) designation at 6 o’clock. While both the reference 5512 and 5513 featured the same case and bracelet, the reference 5512 was fitted with a movement tested and certified for accuracy and precision by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres, and it is this additional two lines added to the dial that sets the reference 5512 apart from its contemporary counterpart, the reference 5513.

    Apart from a well-preserved case, this 5512 maintains one of the most attractive, pristine, and outright stunning dials we as specialists have had the pleasure of examining. Each perfectly shaped demi-sphere of original luminous material has aged to a lovely, even golden-beige, uniform in color and consistency. The black gloss dial is free of any blemish or flaw, and tilted back and forth under the light, it shows no signs of aging, displaying a fresh and striking luminosity. Fitted with a superb Attila Aszodi strap, a lightly faded insert encircles this feat of preservation, having aged to an almost bronze-grey hue.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    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.

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Ref. 5512; inside caseback stamped 5513 and I.66
A very well-preserved and preternaturally attractive stainless steel diver’s wristwatch with “four line” black gloss dial and presentation box

Circa 1965
40mm Diameter
Case, dial, and movement signed. Movement additionally stamped ROW.

Estimate
$25,000 - 50,000 
CHF23,700-47,500
€24,200-48,400
HK$196,000-391,000
S$34,400-68,800

Sold for $40,320

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros

Head of Watches, Americas

+1 (212) 940-1293

WatchesNY@Phillips.com

 

Isabella Proia

Head of Sale, New York

+1 (212) 940 1285

iproia@phillips.com

 

The New York Watch Auction: SEVEN

New York Auction 10 - 11 December 2022