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The Military Submariner by Delgado
Many watch manufacturers have made watches for the military outfits around
the world, but the Rolex watches made specially for the Royal Navy in the 1970's
have captivated Rolex collectors. The general consensus is that approximately
about 1200 watches were made and unfortunately many did not survive and of those
that survive only several hundreds remains in their original configuration.
The Royal Navy had some specific modifications that were requested from
Rolex. Lets take a look at some of the details.
The dial.
While the dial is a regular 5513 dial, the most distinctive modification if
the large "T" in a circle above the depth markings at the six o'clock position.
This was to indicate the presence of tritium for the markers.
The hands
The hands are unique on this model and are often referred to as "sword"
hands. The are very similar to the hands from the Omega Seamaster and are often
used by some people to replace them but the seasoned collector will be able to
tell due to some basic differences in the shape and length. Rolex does not make
sword hands any more and their stock in not available. The hands due to their
larger surface area and content of tritium often are prone to flaking or
oxidation.
The bezel and insert.
The bezel is a standard production but the insert in many watches is a
specially manufactured one with minute markings around the whole insert. This is
unique for the military subs.
The case
The case is a regular 5513 but the spring bars are fixed with metal bars to
fit a NATO strap.
The caseback
The caseback always has an MOD part number which starts with 0552 or with
W10, a triangle with a hat on top and below an issue number and year.
Discussion.
These watches were delivered to the MOD in well know batches and their
serials correspond. The dial are similar except for a small bath of dials with
larger markers and slightly different coronets. The caseback numbers are quite
different depending of the delivery date and must be compared to the another
watch in the same delivery as they differences can be quite significant. To
complicate the issues even more, some watches were delivered with Mercedes hands
while others were delivered with the regular 15 min bezels. So that
configuration can be correct depending on what batch it belongs. Also 5517 were
made by Rolex as double reference 5513/5517.
These days, there are many convincing fakes around since they are quite
expensive watches to acquire. To that point, I would not purchase a mil sub
without documentation from Rolex Geneva or Rolex UK and/or significant
provenance or with the help of someone that has significant knowledge of Rolex
military subs. I know some people will disagree with me on this but there is too
much money at stake to be wrong.
For many reasons, caseback information and serial numbers are not available
on this site, as I feel its important to protect and respect the original owners
as well as to protect the watches from fakers.
Different Configurations.
As I mentioned earlier, there were several configurations of mil subs that are considered correct and original depending on the age and batch.
- The 5513 milsub was delivered with either sword hands or mercedes hands from new
- The 5513 milsub came with either full 60 minute bezel insert or 15 min bezel insert from new.
-The 5517 milsub was delievered ONLY with sword hands and full 60 minute bezel
Closing
The 5513/17 military submariners are very special and highly desirable
watches for collectors. As for COMEX watches and in particularly the 5514 they
represent and watch that was made specially by Rolex with a specific role in
mind. They were also used as tool watches as many of the COMEX watches and have
seen very trying times in many different war zones. Some tell incredible stories
about heroism of their owners while other tell a more humble story.
The bottom line is that a correct military submariner is a piece of Rolex and
Royal Navy history and unlikely to be repeated. The centerpiece of many
collectors..
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