Rolex Submariner (No Date)

What if you had bought back then …

What would a purchase at the median market price back then have become — at today's level of $14,344. A pure return calculation, excluding insurance, servicing and transaction costs.

Data from an aggregated median time series (watch_market_daily). CAGR = Compound Annual Growth Rate, normalized to 365 days. Not an investment recommendation.

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Technical data

Lift angle 42° — important for timing-machine diagnosis: with this value a watchmaker can correctly measure rate deviation, amplitude and beat error. ChronoCheck verifies such technical details directly from the manufacturers' factory specifications.

## 1959: The First Submariner with Crown Guards

The Rolex Ref. 5512 is the mother of all modern Submariners — and that is meant quite literally. When Rolex introduced the reference in 1959, it was the very first Submariner to feature crown guards. Early examples came fitted with angular Square Crown Guards (SCG): fewer than 100 of these SCG watches are known to survive today, and fewer than 30 of the Eagle Beak transition pieces that bridge the gap between the SCG and the later rounded guards. Anyone who holds one of these early transitional examples in original condition holds one of the rarest chapters in all of Submariner history.

## Why the Four-Liner Means More Than Just Four Lines of Text

From 1961, the 5512 received COSC chronometer certification and gained the four-line SCOC dial — the defining distinction from its sister reference, the 5513, which never carried chronometer certification. The movement evolved from caliber 1530 through 1560 to the Cal. 1570, beating at 19,800 vibrations per hour and gaining hacking seconds from 1972 onward. Fifteen documented collector variants — from the Ghost Bezel to the Maxi Dial — reveal just how much developmental history is packed into this single reference.

## From Gilt Dial to Maxi Dial: 20 Years of Production

Gilt dials were produced through approximately 1967, followed by matte versions with gradual transitional overlap across those years. In 1977, Maxi Dials arrived with their enlarged lume plots across three generations — the Mk3 Maxi is considered the rarest 5512 variant of all. Alongside this, sometime between 1967 and 1969 the depth rating switched from Meters First to Feet First, a move aimed squarely at the US market. Production ended in 1979 at serial number 5,700,000+, with the Ref. 14060 taking over as the chronometer-certified no-date Submariner.

Brand profile: Rolex

Rolex is the most counterfeited watch brand in the world. Super-clones (VSF, ARF, Clean — the latter inactive since a 07/2025 raid, only old stock remains) reach 95%+ similarity. Authenticity is almost always only identifiable through micro-details and caliber behavior.

Serial number format: Since 2010, a random alphanumeric combination (e.g. 'G3M9K721'). 2000-2010: a letter plus 6-7 digits. Serial number engraved on the rehaut at 6 o'clock (from ~2005 on). Older models: between the lug holes at 6 o'clock on the case.

Further sources

Buying guide: Rolex Submariner (No Date)

Frequently asked questions about the Rolex Submariner (No Date)

More Rolex references

All Rolex market values