Reference:5510
Submariner → 5510
The 5510 is the transitional big-crown Submariner: the last watch in the big-crown lineage that started with the 6200, and the first Submariner to carry caliber 1530. Big crown means the oversized winding crown associated with the 6538-era case shape. That dual identity — 6538 case heritage with the caliber that will go on to power the early 5512 and 5513 — makes it one of the most significant short-run references in the family.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 5510 |
| family | Submariner (no date) |
| production | approximately 1957 to 1958 |
| movement | caliber 1530 |
| case | approximately 38mm, big crown, no crown guards |
| crystal | acrylic |
| water resistance | 200m |
| note | very short production run |
Where it sits in the line
The 5510 bridges the earlier big-crown Submariners and the later crown-guard family. It is the big-crown counterpart to the small-crown 5508, and it shares the 200m depth rating of the 6538 rather than the 100m of the small-crown line.
The critical technical detail is the movement. The 5510 is the first Submariner to use caliber 1530, which becomes the standard early movement for both the 5512 and 5513. That makes the 5510 a technical bridge even while its case and crown still belong to the older big-crown world.
Production outline
One of the shortest-run Submariners, produced for roughly a year between 1957 and 1958. Rolex Forum collectors place production exclusively in 1958; other sources cite the 1957–1958 window. The difference likely reflects whether the reference entered design work in 1957 or actual production. Either way, the window is short enough that surviving examples are genuinely rare, and the 5510 is one of the least frequently encountered early Submariners at auction.
Rolex Forum collectors describe the 5510 as "the most wearable of the Connery Bond Subs," placing it alongside the 6538 in the big-crown no-crown-guard lineage that Sean Connery wore on screen in the early Bond films. The short run also reflects its transitional nature — Rolex was already developing the crown-guard case that would debut with the 5512, so the 5510 read more as a bridge reference than a long-term production commitment.
Movement notes
The 5510 is the final big-crown Submariner and the first Sub to use caliber 1530, a full-rotor automatic that replaced the bumper movements of the earlier 6200 and the same caliber that will appear in early 5512 and 5513 production. The 1530 gives the 5510 a modern winding system inside an old-style case, which is the point of the reference.
Rolex Forum research introduces one complication. Some military-issue 5510 examples may have carried caliber 1520 instead of the 1530. That contradicts the established position that the 5510 is uniformly a 1530 watch and has not been confirmed in published reference sources. The safest reading is that the 5510 was produced with caliber 1530, with forum-documented caliber 1520 appearances flagged as specific to certain military examples.
Dial map
Glossy gilt
The 5510 sits in the glossy gilt world: glossy black lacquer dial with gilt-colored printing. Known examples carry that format with Mercedes hands — the three-pointed hour hand with a circular lume plot on the top point — Submariner text, and 200m depth rating. A documented 1958 example gives a straightforward gilt-dial anchor, and other sold examples confirm the reference as part of the glossy early big-crown world.
White printing transition
Rolex Forum collectors note a white-printing transition on some 5510 dials, where the standard gilt printing gives way to white text that foreshadows the matte-dial era of the later 5512 and 5513. The transition is documented on forum examples but is not covered in published references, so it should be read as forum-level observation rather than cataloged variant.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
The 5510 belongs to the no-crown-guard big-crown Submariner world. Big crown here means the oversized winding crown associated with the 6538-era case, though the exact crown diameter may not match the 8mm Brevet crown of the 6200 and 6538 on every example.
The case is approximately 38mm, consistent with the late no-crown-guard big-crown specification. The bezel is the early rotating dive type, the crystal is acrylic, and the 200m depth rating follows the big-crown tradition rather than the 100m small-crown specification.
Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes
Known bracelet fitments are the 6636/80 stretch rivet bracelet and the 7206/80 rivet bracelet. One sold example carries a 1959 Big Logo stretch rivet bracelet with possible later 80 end links. Another documented watch wears an Oyster bracelet. That is enough to talk about fitment, not original delivery.
Special branches
The 5510 is the transition itself — that is its whole identity. It is the last big-crown Submariner and the first 1530-powered Submariner, and both facts matter more than any dial or case sub-branch.
Historical market and auction record
The best observed example is an unpolished 5510 sold as the final big-crown Submariner, about 38mm, with caliber 1530 and a 1959 Big Logo stretch rivet bracelet. A second sold 1958 example with gilt dial and Oyster bracelet adds further documentation.
The 5510 occupies a very specific collecting niche. It appeals to collectors who understand the technical transition from the big-crown era to the crown-guard era and who value the 5510's role as the bridge between those worlds. The very short production run means prices reflect genuine scarcity rather than collector mythology alone.
Sources
- History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Morning Tundra
- 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