Rolex Submariner · Reference 5513
Rolex Submariner 5513
Known as The purist's Submariner; the no-date, non-chronometer Sub that ran nearly three decades
The 5513 is the reference most people picture when they picture a vintage Submariner: no date, no cyclops, four-line-free dial with only two lines of text, a domed acrylic crystal, and a case that wears the way a tool watch is supposed to. Rolex built it from 1962 to roughly 1989, one of the longest single-reference runs in the brand's history, which means the 5513 is not one watch but a moving target across almost thirty years of small changes. It sat directly below the chronometer-rated 5512 in the lineup. Same 40mm Oyster case, same crown guards, same rotating bezel, but the 5513 ran a non-COSC-certified movement to keep the price down, so the dial stays clean at two lines instead of the 5512's four. That simplicity is exactly why collectors chase it. We see every era of this reference cross the counter, from early gilt gloss dials to matte Maxi dials to the final glossy applied-marker examples, and the spread in value between them is enormous.
Produced: 1962 to approximately 1989
In stock at Ultimate Diamond
3 pieces on the counter right now.
Specifications
- Case
- 40mm Oyster case, stainless steel, screw-down case back, with crown guards
- Case Thickness
- approximately 13mm, varies slightly by production era
- Crown
- Twinlock screw-down winding crown
- Crystal
- Domed acrylic (Plexiglas), no cyclops; the 5513 is a no-date reference
- Bezel
- 60-minute unidirectional-style rotating dive bezel with aluminum insert
- Dial
- Black, two lines of text (no chronometer designation). Evolved across the run: early glossy gilt dials, then matte dials including the large-lume 'Maxi' dials (collectors track Maxi Types I through V), and finally late glossy dials with applied white-gold-surround markers
- Dial Variants Of Note
- 'Meters first' (200m = 660ft) on earlier examples, changed around 1969 to 'feet first' (660ft = 200m); rare Explorer-style 3-6-9 dials command the highest prices
- Movement
- Automatic. Majority ran Caliber 1520; earliest examples ran Caliber 1530. Both are non-date, non-chronometer movements
- Power Reserve
- approximately 42 hours
- Frequency
- 19,800 beats per hour (2.75 Hz)
- Water Resistance
- 200 meters (660 feet)
- Bracelet
- Oyster. Earlier rivet-style hollow links, later folded-link (ref. 9315 folded bracelet was a transitional style), moving toward more solid construction over the production run
- Luminous
- Tritium on the dial and hands through the production era, which ages to warm cream and amber patina prized by collectors
Market & Value
This is a reference where the specific dial and condition decide everything, and the range is wide. Late-production matte and glossy applied-marker examples from the late 1970s and 1980s trade in roughly the $9,000 to $18,000 band in honest, original condition. Earlier gilt gloss dials from the 1960s move up sharply, commonly $20,000 to $40,000 and higher depending on originality, and the very best 'meters first' gilt examples with correct parts push past that. Rare Explorer 3-6-9 dials are their own conversation and can reach into six figures. Over the past year the 5513 market has firmed up, up roughly 8 to 9 percent, while still sitting below its five-year highs, so this is a spot where a patient buyer with cash finds room to negotiate and a seller with a clean, original example gets rewarded. Originality is the whole game here: service dials, relumed hands, swapped bezel inserts, and polished-away lug lines can cut a price in half. Correct tritium patina, an unpolished case with sharp lugs, and matching-era parts are what move the number the other direction.
What to Know Before You Buy
Buy the dial and the case, not the story. Because the 5513 ran so long, condition and originality vary more than on almost any other Rolex reference, and the label 'all original' gets used loosely. Check that the dial, hands, and bezel insert belong to the same era, that the lume is tritium and consistent between dial and hands, and that the case still has meat on the lugs. 'Meters first' dials are scarcer than 'feet first' and carry a premium. Service dials and Rolex service replacement parts are common on a watch this old; they are honest and wearable but they are not original, and the price should reflect that. Gilt versus matte is the first fork in value, and within matte the Maxi dial types matter to serious buyers. Acrylic crystals scratch and that is normal and cheap to swap, so do not overweight surface marks on the crystal. The things that actually cost money to get wrong are the case, the dial, and the movement.
Rolex Rolex Submariner Encyclopedia
Read the full guide →Buying or selling a Rolex Submariner 5513?
We buy and sell the Submariner 5513 every week at Ultimate Diamond, 19 West 47th Street. We have been on this block since 1959, and vintage Submariners are core to what crosses our counter. If you own a 5513 and want a real number, bring it in and we will look at the dial under a loupe, check the case and the parts, and write you a check on the honest, original examples. If you are buying, we will tell you exactly what you are looking at, gilt or matte, meters first or feet first, original or service, before you spend the money. Bring it by the shop, call us, or request an offer and we will get you a figure that reflects what the watch actually is.