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Lot Essay
US$10,000-15,000
The present watch is a rare representative of the famed reference 5513, featuring not only the coveted pointed crown guards, but also a black lacquer "exclamation" dial with gilt printing. These types of dial are very hard to come by and garner immediate attention from Rolex aficionados. Characterized by an additional luminous dot positioned underneath the 6 o'clock hour marker, the exclamation dial is highly coveted.
Exclamation dials were used by Rolex as a means to indicate that the radium used on the dial to make it luminous was within the norm approved by the Atomic Energy Commission in the U.S. These types of dials are found only on models from the late 1950s to early 1960s. The radioactive radium used on luminous watch dials in the first part of the 20th century was replaced in the middle of the century by less harmful tritium.
Reference 5513 comes with two different types of protective crown guards: pointed ones or rounded ones. Examples with pointed crown guards, such as the present example, are fewer and thus more attractive to collectors. The ends of these crown guards are much thinner, almost tapering to a point, compared with the more rounded crown guards of later standard Rolex production.
All in all, this watch is a highly recommended example of a reference 5513 and of attractive overall condition.
The present watch is a rare representative of the famed reference 5513, featuring not only the coveted pointed crown guards, but also a black lacquer "exclamation" dial with gilt printing. These types of dial are very hard to come by and garner immediate attention from Rolex aficionados. Characterized by an additional luminous dot positioned underneath the 6 o'clock hour marker, the exclamation dial is highly coveted.
Exclamation dials were used by Rolex as a means to indicate that the radium used on the dial to make it luminous was within the norm approved by the Atomic Energy Commission in the U.S. These types of dials are found only on models from the late 1950s to early 1960s. The radioactive radium used on luminous watch dials in the first part of the 20th century was replaced in the middle of the century by less harmful tritium.
Reference 5513 comes with two different types of protective crown guards: pointed ones or rounded ones. Examples with pointed crown guards, such as the present example, are fewer and thus more attractive to collectors. The ends of these crown guards are much thinner, almost tapering to a point, compared with the more rounded crown guards of later standard Rolex production.
All in all, this watch is a highly recommended example of a reference 5513 and of attractive overall condition.