View source for Reference:submariner-5xxx-family

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Submariner 5xxx family — BezelBase
|description=The 5xxx Submariner family is the core no-date vintage Submariner story. Understanding how the Submariner became the thing most collectors picture in…
|keywords=Rolex, submariner-5xxx-family, Submariner, specifications, reference guide
|type=article
}}

The 5xxx Submariner family is the core no-date vintage Submariner story. It starts with the last no-crown-guard watches, runs through the transitional big-crown [[Reference:5510|5510]], and settles into the crown-guard commercial core of the [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]]. From there it breaks into special-issue branches: the COMEX [[Reference:5514|5514]] and the British military [[Reference:5517|5517]].

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== Core map ==

Six references make up the family. The [[Reference:5508|5508]] is the small-crown, no-crown-guard watch, the last of its branch. The [[Reference:5510|5510]] is the big-crown transitional bridge. The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the chronometer crown-guard no-date Submariner; the [[Reference:5513|5513]] is its non-chronometer counterpart. The [[Reference:5514|5514]] is the COMEX-only branch with a helium escape valve (HEV), and the [[Reference:5517|5517]] is the fixed-bar military branch.

Small crown and big crown refer to the size of the winding crown on the pre-crown-guard watches. Those terms carry their full meaning in the references themselves.

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== Where the family changes ==

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=== Crown and case architecture ===

The family starts without crown guards and ends with them permanent. The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the structural pivot — it locks crown guards into the Submariner.

The sequence is simple. [[Reference:5508|5508]] and [[Reference:5510|5510]] close the no-crown-guard era. The earliest [[Reference:5512|5512]] introduces square guards, then pointed Cornino guards, then the mature rounded form that carries through the long 5512 and 5513 run.

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=== Commercial split ===

The [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]] overlap for years but hold different market positions. The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the chronometer no-date watch, certified to COSC and priced accordingly. The [[Reference:5513|5513]] is the non-chronometer no-date watch, produced in far higher volume and sold at a lower retail price. That split drives much of the modern collecting split as well.

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=== Special-issue branches ===

The [[Reference:5514|5514]] and [[Reference:5517|5517]] are not retail peers to the [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]]. They are branch watches tied to specific professional distribution paths: COMEX for the 5514 (French commercial saturation diving) and the British Royal Navy for the 5517.

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== Reference by reference ==

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=== 5508 ===

The [[Reference:5508|5508]] is the last mainstream Submariner without crown guards. It sits in the small-crown world and closes the earlier case chapter before the [[Reference:5512|5512]] changes the line. Archive examples now include a tropical 1959 watch, a service-dial example, and a 1962 exclamation-dot late example.

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=== 5510 ===

The [[Reference:5510|5510]] is the short-run big-crown transitional watch. Case and crown still look back to the [[Reference:6538|6538]], but the movement is already caliber 1530, the same caliber that powers the early [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]]. That dual identity is its whole point.

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=== 5512 ===

The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the premium no-date Submariner and the first reference where crown guards become a lasting part of the model. It carries the chronometer story across a twenty-year run and four documented crown-guard generations.

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=== 5513 ===

The [[Reference:5513|5513]] is the long-run commercial core. Twenty-seven years of production, 151,449 pieces, dial eras from gilt through matte to late gloss. No other Submariner reference covers as much ground.

<span id="section-4"></span>
=== 5514 ===

The [[Reference:5514|5514]] is the COMEX-specific branch. COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises) was a French commercial diving firm that pioneered saturation diving. The 5514 is a 5513 case with an HEV, issued directly to COMEX divers and never sold through any retailer. A sold 1976 archive example with box, service papers, and documented diver provenance anchors the reference.

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=== 5517 ===

The [[Reference:5517|5517]] is the British military Submariner, known universally as the MilSub. Fixed bars, a 60-minute bezel, T SWISS T tritium dial, and military caseback markings put it in a different lane from the commercial references. The footing is concrete: two Sotheby's 5517 lots, a photographed 1977 example from Hodinkee's Mike Wood report, and a sold military 5513 archive example for context.

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== Dial and movement logic across the family ==

The 5xxx family is not one dial story. Early watches live in the glossy gilt world, then the [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]] split into different long-run dial arcs. The 5512 carries the chronometer movement path. The 5513 settles into the long non-chronometer route.

Lazy summaries get collectors into trouble here. The 5xxx family rewards reference-specific thinking.

<span id="bracelet-and-packaging-logic"></span>
== Bracelet and packaging logic ==

Bracelet fitment is easier to document than original delivery. Across the [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]] the documented fitment overlap is familiar: 7206/80 early, 9315 with 280 or 380 in the middle, 93150/580 late. That is fitment, not a universal delivery chart. The same caution applies to boxes and papers.

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== Historical market view ==

The [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]] do not occupy the same market depth. The Rolex-commissioned Submariner book by Nicholas Foulkes puts the gap in sharp relief: 17,338 pieces for the [[Reference:5512|5512]] against 151,449 for the [[Reference:5513|5513]]. Roughly one 5512 for every eleven 5513s.

That ratio does not make every [[Reference:5512|5512]] automatically better, but it does explain why the 5512 feels scarcer in the market and why special-branch 5xxx watches move into a different price tier quickly. A sold 1976 [[Reference:5514|5514]] COMEX archive with box, service papers, and diver provenance, and two Sotheby's [[Reference:5517|5517]] lots from 2018 and 2023, make the branch market concrete rather than abstract.

== Sources ==
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-2-the-55xx-1680references/ History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date] — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
* [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/collectors-guide-rolex-submariner-reference-5512 Collector's Guide: What To Know About The Rolex Submariner Reference 5512] — Charlie Dunne, Wind Vintage
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-rolex-submariner-reference-5508.html Vintage Rolex Submariner Reference 5508] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
* [https://wannabuyawatch.com/product/rolex-submariner-ref-5508-small-crown-tropical-dial-circa-1959/ Rolex Submariner Ref 5508 Small Crown Tropical Dial Circa 1959] — unknown, Wanna Buy A Watch?
* [https://loupethis.com/auctions/rolex-submariner-5508-service-dial Rolex Submariner 5508 Service Dial] — unknown, Loupe This
* [https://www.vintagegoldwatches.com/product/rolex-submariner-ref-5508-1957-exclamation-dot-dial/ Rolex Submariner Ref.5508 1962 Exclamation Dot Dial] — Vintage Gold Watches, Vintage Gold Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-5510.html Rolex 5510] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-big-crown-submariner-reference-5510-unpolished Rolex Big Crown Submariner Reference 5510 Unpolished] — Eric Wind, Wind Vintage
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1958-rolex-5510-big-crown-submariner/ 1958 Rolex 5510 Big Crown Submariner] — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/square-crown-guard-submariner-reference-5512/ The Rolex Square Crown Guard Submariner Reference 5512] — Revolution Watch editorial, Revolution Watch
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1960-rolex-5512-tropical-gilt-tulip-submariner/ 1960 Rolex 5512 Tropical Gilt Tulip Submariner W/Box & Paper] — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1965-rolex-5512-gilt-submariner/ 1965 Rolex 5512 Gilt Submariner] — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-rolex-submariner-5512.html Vintage Rolex Submariner 5512] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.watchprosite.com/editors-picks/vintage-rolex-box-reference-guide-list-1950-to-mid-2000-s/732.1629451.16558431/ Vintage Rolex Box reference guide list 1950 to mid 2000's] — WatchProSite community, WatchProSite
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/vintage-week-rolex-submariner-5513.html Rolex 5513 Submariner Review & Ultimate Buying Guide] — Bob's Watches
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1966-rolex-5513-bart-simpson-tropical-patina-submariner/ 1966 Rolex 5513 "Bart Simpson" Tropical Patina Submariner] — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1965-rolex-5513-meters-first-gilt-submariner-w-box-paper/ 1965 Rolex 5513 Gloss Gilt Submariner W/Box & Paper] — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/0bfeaa8a-22d0-4e8d-9200-0d1a611ef7ea/lots/ec00c334-b62d-4907-8bb3-568a5101a36b Rolex Submariner "South African Army", Ref 5513, Military Stainless Steel Wristwatch With Bracelet, Circa 1970] — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-1989-rolex-submariner-5513.html Vintage 1989 Rolex Submariner 5513] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-rolex-submariner-5513-stainless-steel-oyster.html Vintage Rolex Submariner 5513 Stainless Steel Oyster] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
* [https://watchesofdistinction.com/product/rolex-submariner-ref-5514-comex-1976-box-and-rolex-service-papers/ Rolex Submariner Ref 5514 COMEX (1976) Box and Rolex Service Papers] — Watches of Distinction, Watches of Distinction
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/editorial/jason-statham-rare-vintage-rolex-submariner.html Action Star Jason Statham Just Added This Vintage Submariner to His Rolex Collection] — Jared Paul Stern, Bob's Watches
* [https://watchesofdistinction.com/product/rolex-military-submariner-ref-5513-1974/ Rolex Military Submariner Ref 5513 (1974)] — Watches of Distinction, Watches of Distinction
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/inside-mike-woods-for-exhibition-only-a-private-rolex-collection-on-limited-display Inside Mike Wood's 'For Exhibition Only': A Private Rolex Collection On Limited Display] — Tim Vaux, Hodinkee
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-watches-part-i-2/military-submariner-reference-5517-a-stainless?locale=en Full Spec Military Submariner, Reference 5517, Circa 1978] — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/important-watches-ge1804/lot.238.html?locale=en MilSub Submariner, Ref 5517, Stainless Steel Military Wristwatch Made for the British Armed Forces, Circa 1978] — Sotheby's, Sotheby's

[[Category:Submariner]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]