As mentioned previously, in my reluctant For Sale thread for my SuperOcean Heritage Chrono LE "Green".
Here is this very Submariner that I was chasing.
I hope you agree with me that it was too good an opportunity to miss:
One of the reasons I really got into wristwatches in the first place was watching the early James Bond films as a kid. Especially "Live and Let Die" with this very model of Submariner, 5513. However, James Bond's Submariner had a magnet (for pulling down zippers on dresses
) and a mini buzz saw for cutting ropes, etc. You can imagine how cool that seemed to me when I was a kid. I think a lot of me mentally is still that kid.As a result of this my first ever high end watch was a current model Submariner non-date which I owned and cherished for 7 years, before trading up to a Submariner LV.
Since then I have come to appreciate a lot more in the world of horology but I have always wanted one of these vintage Submariners. However, I thought they were well out of my price range, unless they were in shoddy condition with no provenance to prove their authenticity. Especially after the recent craze for vintage Rolex over the last few years. In fact, just recently a rare military version of this very model was sold at auction for £74,400 ($100000)!
To my joy about 10 days ago I spotted this one from a trusted online dealer, who does have a bricks and mortar shop/office as well. It was advertised as being in perfect condition and just having received a full service by a Rolex trained technician. It was a reasonable price to start off with but when I rang him and offered cash the price was dropped by £500. I was still a little wary but I travelled the 200 miles to meet up with him. This isn't as crazy as it sounds because his office was 7 miles from where I used to live three years ago. So I took the opportunity to go and visit my Sister, and her family, and some other friends at the same time.
I wasn't dissapointed when I saw this 1964 Rolex Submariner 5513. It was indeed perfect. It literally looked brand new in every way. It also came with a certificate of authenticity, a valuation certificate (for much more than I paid for it and more in keeping with what I think it is worth) and a letter from Rolex also stating it's authenticity and announcing it is not on their lost and found list. The watch is also guaranteed for a year, including the Water Resistance, and came with a full 7 days money back guarantee (which I will most definitely not be using
).Since arriving home late last Wednesday with the watch I have been checking the time against my radio controlled clock. It is gaining about 2seconds/day. Very impressive for a 46 year old movement.
I couldn't be happier at realising one of my long time horological dreams.
Here are a few more quick and dirty photos of this amazing timepiece. A full review of this watch will follow shortly.
This is a fully locked Triplock crown. It makes you wonder why Rolex can't get these to line up properly.
The original bracelet, clasp and case have been refinished to perfection.
