Reference:submariner-5xxx-family

The 5xxx Submariner family is the core no-date vintage Submariner story. This is where the Submariner becomes the watch most collectors picture in their heads.

It begins with the last no-crown-guard watches, runs through the transitional big-crown 5510, then settles into the crown-guard commercial core of 5512 and 5513. From there it breaks into special-issue branches like the COMEX 5514 and military 5517.

Core map

The family runs across six references. The 5508 is the small-crown, no-crown-guard watch, the last of that mainstream branch. The 5510 is the big-crown transitional bridge to the later family. The 5512 is the chronometer crown-guard no-date Submariner and the 5513 is its non-chronometer counterpart. The 5514 is the COMEX-only branch with a helium escape valve, and the 5517 is the military-only fixed-bar branch.

Small-crown and big-crown mean exactly what they sound like: the size of the winding crown on the early no-crown-guard watches. HEV means helium escape valve.

Where the family changes

Crown and case architecture

The family starts without crown guards and ends with them fully baked into the model. The 5512 is the structural pivot. It makes crown guards permanent.

The working sequence runs from the 5508 with a small crown and no crown guards, through the 5510 with a big crown and no crown guards, into the earliest 5512 with square crown guards and then eagle-beak and pointed refinements, and finally into the later 5512 and 5513 with the mature rounded crown-guard commercial form.

That chart now lives in research/evidence/submariner/5xxx-family/crown-evolution.yaml. It is a working map, not a final serial table.

Commercial split

The 5512 and 5513 overlap for years, but they hold different positions in the market. The 5512 is the chronometer no-date watch. The 5513 is the cheaper non-chronometer no-date watch. The distinction matters.

Special-issue branches

The 5514 and 5517 should not be treated as normal retail peers to the 5512 and 5513. They are branch watches tied to specific professional distribution paths.

Reference by reference

5508

The 5508 is the last mainstream Submariner without crown guards. It still lives in the small-crown world and marks the end of the earlier case language before the 5512 changes the line. The package now has a tropical 1959 archive watch, a service-dial lot, and a 1962 exclamation-dot example, so the reference no longer rests on one thin source.

5510

The 5510 is the last big-crown transitional watch. It still looks back to the 6538 world, but the movement picture has moved forward. The package now has stronger documented examples, which makes the reference feel a lot less speculative than it did before.

5512

The 5512 is the premium no-date Submariner. It is the first where crown guards become a lasting part of the model's identity. It carries the chronometer story.

5513

The 5513 is the long-run commercial core. It absorbs the broadest dial evolution, from gilt through matte to late gloss, and becomes the most familiar no-date Submariner in the vintage market. No other reference covers as much ground.

5514

The 5514 is the COMEX-specific branch. It shows how the family adapts to professional saturation-diving needs rather than ordinary retail demand. The package is still thinner here than on the commercial references, but it now includes a real sold archive example instead of only article-level branch coverage.

5517

The 5517 is the dedicated military branch. Fixed bars, full-minute bezel markings, and military hand and dial traits put it in a different lane from the standard commercial references. The package now includes two direct Sotheby's 5517 lot pages, a photographed 1977 example from Hodinkee's Mike Wood report, and a sold military 5513 archive example. The military branch finally has real observed footing.

Dial and movement logic across the family

The family is not one dial story. Early 5xxx watches still sit in the glossy gilt world, with glossy black dials and gilt-colored printing rather than the later matte style. The 5512 and 5513 then split into different long-run dial arcs. The 5512 movement path runs through 1530, 1560, and 1570, while the 5513 movement path settles into 1530 and 1520.

This is where lazy summaries get people into trouble. The 5xxx family rewards reference-specific thinking.

Bracelet and packaging logic

Even inside this one family, bracelet fitment is easier to support than original delivery.

The current book-backed fitment picture already overlaps heavily across 5512 and 5513, with the 7206/80, the 9315/280 (or 380), and the 93150/580 all documented. Those combinations were not all original-delivery defaults across the run. The same caution applies to boxes and papers.

The family bracelet fitment matrix and packaging map now live under research/evidence/submariner/5xxx-family/. They are working comparison tools, not final buyer-checklist tables.

Historical market view

The 5512 and 5513 do not occupy the same market depth. Production figures from the Rolex-commissioned Submariner book put the gap in sharp relief: 17,338 pieces for the 5512 against 151,449 for the 5513.

That gap does not make every 5512 automatically better. It does explain why the 5512 feels scarcer and why special-branch 5xxx watches move into a different price tier fast.

The special branches now have more than abstract rarity language. A sold 1976 5514 COMEX archive example with box, service papers, and diver provenance is in the local package, while Sotheby's direct 5517 lots from 2018 and 2023 give the military branch real auction footing with six-figure CHF estimates and explicit military-spec component notes.

Sources

• The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Morning Tundra
• History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
• Collector's Guide: What To Know About The Rolex Submariner Reference 5512 — Charlie Dunne, Wind Vintage
• Vintage Rolex Submariner Reference 5508 — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
• Rolex Submariner Ref 5508 Small Crown Tropical Dial Circa 1959 — unknown, Wanna Buy A Watch?
• Rolex Submariner 5508 Service Dial — unknown, Loupe This
• Rolex Submariner Ref.5508 1962 Exclamation Dot Dial — Vintage Gold Watches, Vintage Gold Watches
• Rolex 5510 — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
• Rolex Big Crown Submariner Reference 5510 Unpolished — Eric Wind, Wind Vintage
• 1958 Rolex 5510 Big Crown Submariner — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
• The Rolex Square Crown Guard Submariner Reference 5512 — Revolution Watch editorial, Revolution Watch
• 1960 Rolex 5512 Tropical Gilt Tulip Submariner W/Box & Paper — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
• 1965 Rolex 5512 Gilt Submariner — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
• Vintage Rolex Submariner 5512 — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
• Vintage Rolex Box reference guide list 1950 to mid 2000's — WatchProSite community, WatchProSite
• Rolex 5513 Submariner Review & Ultimate Buying Guide — Bob's Watches
• 1966 Rolex 5513 "Bart Simpson" Tropical Patina Submariner — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
• 1965 Rolex 5513 Gloss Gilt Submariner W/Box & Paper — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
• Rolex Submariner "South African Army", Ref 5513, Military Stainless Steel Wristwatch With Bracelet, Circa 1970 — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
• Vintage 1989 Rolex Submariner 5513 — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
• Vintage Rolex Submariner 5513 Stainless Steel Oyster — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
• Rolex Submariner Ref 5514 COMEX (1976) Box and Rolex Service Papers — Watches of Distinction, Watches of Distinction
• Action Star Jason Statham Just Added This Vintage Submariner to His Rolex Collection — Jared Paul Stern, Bob's Watches
• Rolex Military Submariner Ref 5513 (1974) — Watches of Distinction, Watches of Distinction
• Inside Mike Wood's 'For Exhibition Only': A Private Rolex Collection On Limited Display — Tim Vaux, Hodinkee
• Full Spec Military Submariner, Reference 5517, Circa 1978 — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
• MilSub Submariner, Ref 5517, Stainless Steel Military Wristwatch Made for the British Armed Forces, Circa 1978 — Sotheby's, Sotheby's