Rolex Submariner
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ℹ️ 1-month trend
Price change over the past 30 days. Shows the short-term market movement — relevant if you want to buy or sell soon.
ℹ️ 4-month trend
The central metric behind the momentum score. It filters out short-term swings and shows the true, medium-term market trend of this reference.
ℹ️ Volatility
Annualised price fluctuation. Below 10 % = very stable, 10–20 % = normal, above 20 % = volatile. With high volatility the price can change quickly — in both directions. Be cautious about buying without checking the current price.
ℹ️ Momentum score
ChronoCheck's own indicator from 0 to 100, calculated from the 4-month trend, volatility and market direction.
- Above 60 — Upward trend. Good time to sell, prices are rising.
- 40 – 60 — Neutral. Stable price level, no pressure to act.
- Below 40 — Downward trend. Wait or enter at a good price.
ℹ️ Investment Grade A/B/C/D
ChronoCheck's own rating for each reference. A 0–100 point scale, made up of four weighted components:
- Momentum (40 pts) — trend strength from the momentum score.
- Liquidity (25 pts) — number of active live listings.
- Stability (20 pts) — inverse volatility — the calmer, the better.
- Source robustness (15 pts) — number of independent market sources.
- A · 75+ Trend is right, liquidity good, data broad.
- B · 55–74 Solid, but one component weaker.
- C · 35–54 Average, volatility or market breadth weigh on it.
- D · below 35 Downward or too little data — a collector's piece.
Not investment advice. Pure data analysis from aggregated market sources.
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Technical data
Lift angle 52° — 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.
Rolex Ref. 5513 — Variants and collector names
Known as: Purist's Submariner, Two-Liner Sub, Meters First, Feet First, Maxi Sub, MilSub, Comex Sub, Explorer Dial Sub, Bart Simpson, Ghost Bezel Sub, R Serial, L Serial
Production phases and changes
- 1963: Switch from Cal. 1530 to Cal. 1520
- 1963: Transition from pointed to round crown guards
- 1966: Transition from radium to tritium lume
- 1967: Transition from gilt glossy dial to matte dial
- 1969: Switch from 'Meters First' to 'Feet First' depth rating
- 1969: Transition from rivet bracelet (7206) to folded-link bracelet (9315)
- 1971: Start of MilSub deliveries (Royal Navy)
- 1977: Introduction of Maxi Dials (Mk1)
- 1978: Transition from folded-link (9315) to solid-link bracelet (93150)
- 1984: Transition from matte Maxi Dial to glossy dial with white gold surrounds
- 1987: Switch to letter serials (R Serial, then L Serial)
- 1989: End of production for Ref. 5513, succeeded by Ref. 14060
Movement variants
- 1530 (1962–1963) · 19800 bph
- 1520 (1963–1989) · 19800 bph
Bezel variants
- Long-5 Fat Font Insert "Long-5"
- MK3 Fat Font Insert "Fat Font MK3"
- Thin Font Insert MK4 "Thin Font"
Dial variants
- Gilt Explorer — EXPLORER (gilt) / OYSTER PERPETUAL / Superlative Chronometer / 'T Swiss T' or 'Swiss T<25' below 6h / no Chapter Ring
- Swiss Only Gilt Chapter Ring — EXPLORER (gilt) / OYSTER PERPETUAL / Superlative Chronometer / 'Swiss' below 6h / Chapter Ring
- Frog Foot — EXPLORER (white) / OYSTER PERPETUAL / Superlative Chronometer / 'T Swiss T' below 6h
- Mk2 Matte — EXPLORER (white) / OYSTER PERPETUAL / Superlative Chronometer / standard crown logo
- Mk3 Late Matte — EXPLORER (white) / OYSTER PERPETUAL / Superlative Chronometer / 'T Swiss T' below 6h / white lume fill
- White Gold Surrounds / Gloss Dial / Spider Dial — SUBMARINER / 660ft=200m – white text, applied white gold surrounds
- Maxi Mk1 — SUBMARINER below depth rating / 660ft=200m – white text, large hour indices
- Maxi Mk2 — SUBMARINER above depth rating / 660ft=200m
- Maxi Mk3 — SUBMARINER above depth rating / 660ft=200m
- Maxi Mk4 — SUBMARINER above depth rating / 660ft=200m
- Maxi Mk5 — SUBMARINER wider than depth rating, above / 660ft=200m, open 6s
Crystal variants
- Plexi 25-127 (Top Hat)
- Tropic 22
Bracelet variants
- Oyster Rivet-Link Ref. 7206
- Oyster Folded-Link mit Taucherverlängerung Ref. 9315
- Oyster Solid-Link Ref. 93150
Serial numbers
- 744,000 – 1,007,999 (1962–1964) — First 5513 production. Gilt dials, Cal. 1530 → 1520 transition, pointed crown guards.
- 1,008,000 – 1,199,999 (1964–1965) — Gilt dial phase, Explorer Dial variant possible.
- 1,200,000 – 1,537,999 (1966–1967) — Transition from gilt to early matte dial. Bart Simpson crown variant from ~1966.
- 1,538,000 – 1,899,999 (1967–1969) — Matte Dial Meters First. Around serial ~1.7 million, Meters First matte dial was in full production.
- 1,900,000 – 2,589,999 (1969–1971) — Transitional phase ~2.2 million: Meters First and Feet First simultaneously. From ~2.2 million onward, Feet First exclusively.
- 2,590,000 – 5,499,999 (1971–1977) — Matte Dial Feet First. MilSub batches in this phase (~1971–1979, ~1,200 pieces Royal Navy total).
- 5,500,000 – 8,399,999 (1977–1984) — Maxi Dial phase (Mk1 from ~5.5 million, Mk5 through ~8.4 million). No exact Mk boundaries — overlaps possible.
- 8,400,000 – 9,999,999 (1984–1987) — Gloss dial / WG surrounds phase. Numeric serials.
- R000001 – R999999 (1987–1988) — Rolex switches to letter serials. R Serial = ~1987–1988, gloss dial with WG surrounds.
- L000001 – L980000 (1988–1989) — Final 5513 production ('L Serial'). Only a small number of examples completed as Rolex prepared the successor Ref. 14060. Highly sought-after as the 'bookend' of the reference.
The Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513 ran continuously from 1962 to 1989, making it the longest-produced Submariner reference of all time. No date, no COSC certification — Rolex designed it as a pure dive watch, free of premium add-ons. That is precisely what keeps it the benchmark in today's vintage market.
## From Gilt Dial to Spider Dial
The first chapter opens with the reflective gilt dial and Cal. 1530, which Rolex replaced in 1963 with the more efficient Cal. 1520, raising the beat rate to 19,800 semi-oscillations per hour. 1967 marks the end of the gilt era: matte dials with white text printing replaced the gold-script faces, initially in "Meters First" configuration, with the metric depth rating listed first. From 1969, Rolex reversed the order — "Feet First" — targeting the American market more directly. 1977 brought the Maxi Dials, with noticeably larger hour indices, produced in five variants (Mk1 through Mk5) through roughly 1984. The final 5513 examples carry glossy dials with white gold surrounds, known in collector circles as the Spider Dial.
## When a Collector Name Sets the Price
MilSub or Ghost Bezel Sub — every collector nickname carries its own pricing logic. Starting in 1971, the British Royal Navy ordered approximately 1,200 modified 5513 examples; these MilSubs are now considered the most sought-after Submariner variants in existence. L-serial examples from 1988–1989 are the last 5513s produced before the reference was superseded by the Ref. 14060 — the final Submariner built with an acrylic crystal, and traded accordingly as the closing chapter of a 27-year production run.
Brand profile: Rolex
Rolex is the most counterfeited watch brand in the world. Super-clones (VSF, ARF, Clean — the latter inactive after a raid in 07/2025, only old stock remaining) achieve 95%+ similarity. Authenticity is almost always detectable only via micro-details + movement behavior.
- Case back: ALWAYS solid and closed — any display window = definitely fake (exception: Vintage Ref. 6085 only)
- Minute hand length: genuine Rolex minute hands end EXACTLY at the minute chapter ring. 1 mm too long = fake. Strongest VSF tell.
- Seconds hand: smooth sweep without any hesitation — the slightest tick = fake
- Cyclops lens (on date models): must magnify exactly 2.5×, date fills almost the entire window
Serial number format: Since 2010: random alphanumeric combination (e.g. 'G3M9K721'). 2000–2010: letter + 6–7 digits. Serial number engraved on the rehaut at 6 o'clock (from ~2005). Older models: between the lugs at 6 o'clock on the case.
Further sources
Buying guide: Rolex Submariner
Market situation and price range
At $14,630 the Submariner sits in a segment where first owners sell regularly — clean pieces with box and papers are not uncommon. The jump from "good" to "very good" usually costs 1,000 to 2,000 euros more at purchase. You get that premium back on resale if the condition is preserved.
Watch out for swings: This reference has an above-average volatility of 369.3 percent. In concrete terms: the price can move by several hundred euros within a few weeks. Check the current value before buying or selling — old listings or auction results from two months ago are of little help.
What to look out for when buying?
- Authenticity: The serial number and reference on the case must match the papers. A professional authenticity check of the Rolex Submariner reliably rules out counterfeits.
- Condition: Check scratches on the case and bezel — professional refurbishment can leave traces.
- Service history: A documented service by the manufacturer or a certified watchmaker increases the value.
- Scope of delivery: Box, papers and warranty card make a noticeable price difference on the Submariner.
- Independent certification: The CPS-52 standard covers 52 checkpoints — from the serial number and the timing machine to water resistance. The result is secured on the blockchain and can be verified at any time.
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