ROLEX. A VERY RARE AND IMPORTANT STAINLESS STEEL AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH WITH SWEEP CENTRE SECONDS AND HACK FEATURE, MADE FOR THE BRITISH ROYAL NAVY
ROLEX. A VERY RARE AND IMPORTANT STAINLESS STEEL AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH WITH SWEEP CENTRE SECONDS AND HACK FEATURE, MADE FOR THE BRITISH ROYAL NAVY
ROLEX. A VERY RARE AND IMPORTANT STAINLESS STEEL AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH WITH SWEEP CENTRE SECONDS AND HACK FEATURE, MADE FOR THE BRITISH ROYAL NAVY
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ROLEX. A VERY RARE AND IMPORTANT STAINLESS STEEL AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH WITH SWEEP CENTRE SECONDS AND HACK FEATURE, MADE FOR THE BRITISH ROYAL NAVY
5 More
ROLEXSUBMARINER 'MILSUB' REF. 5513
ROLEX. A VERY RARE AND IMPORTANT STAINLESS STEEL AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH WITH SWEEP CENTRE SECONDS AND HACK FEATURE, MADE FOR THE BRITISH ROYAL NAVY

SIGNED ROLEX, SUBMARINER 'MILSUB' MODEL, REF. 5513, CASE NO. 3'764'780, CIRCA 1974

Details
ROLEX. A VERY RARE AND IMPORTANT STAINLESS STEEL AUTOMATIC WRISTWATCH WITH SWEEP CENTRE SECONDS AND HACK FEATURE, MADE FOR THE BRITISH ROYAL NAVY
SIGNED ROLEX, SUBMARINER 'MILSUB' MODEL, REF. 5513, CASE NO. 3'764'780, CIRCA 1974
Movement: Automatic
Dial: Black, encircled 'T'
Case: 39 mm. diam.
With: Watches of Switzerland Ltd priority service schedule, service invoice dated 2023, service glass and original crown
Remark: From the Family of the Original Owner

Brought to you by

Remi Guillemin
Remi Guillemin Head of Watches, Europe and Americas

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Lot Essay

Consigned by the family of the original owner, the present 'Milsub' is a highly attractive representative of the rare and much sought after model. The untouched dial is graced by the highly attractive discoloration of the luminous material to numerals and hands displaying a beautiful, uniform ivory tone. The bezel is the correct version featuring minute markings, unique for the military Submariner series.

The outside of the case back of the present watch is engraved with the following markings:

0552 for British Ministry of Defense, 923-7697 for the NATO code (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), the Broad Arrow characterizing all watches owned by the British Army, the issue number 206 and issue year 74.

'The present Rolex Military Submariner belonged to my father who was a member of a Diving Team operating from the Royal Naval Dockyard, Rosyth. My father was regularly engaged in British Ministry of Defense diving operations in the North Atlantic Ocean, St Kilda, Scapa Flow, and other locations in the remote north of Scotland’s islands. He retired in 1991 and continued to wear the timepiece until his passing at age 90 years.

Always on the move, most of his work was carried out in high security areas where the nuclear subs were based , and some other places on the east and west coast , and little remote islands.'

Reference 5513
The Military version of the Submariner ref. 5513 was adapted following the specifications requested by the British Ministry of Defence. The watches had to be fitted with fixed bar lugs with a diameter of at least 2 mm. The dials had to be easily readable and were therefore equipped with the larger "sword" hands. They also had to show the international symbol for Tritium, the encircled 'T'. The hack feature allowing the precise setting of the time was another specific request. The models furthermore had a unique bezel with sixty minute marks rather than only the first fifteen minutes. The outside of the case backs was marked with the military broad arrow sign, Ministry of Defence issue numbers and unit number. Furthermore, the inside of the case backs repeated the serial number which is commonly only found between the lugs.

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