Our opinion : The Ref. 5513 came on the market in 1962, about three years after the Ref. 5512. In a nutshell, the two watches are exactly the same, except that one has a chronometer movement and the other does not. Of course, being Rolex, things are a bit more nuanced than that. Either way, it was a smart marketing move on Rolex’s part, as it allowed them to position the Ref. 5512 as the more premium option of the two. This then opened the market to those who wanted a Rolex Submariner but didn’t necessarily want to pay extra for a chronometer movement. And in fact, the Ref. 5513 used the same caliber base found in the first Ref. 5512s caliber 1530 and 1520. Several variants of this reference exist with gilt or lacquered dials then very rare explorer dials or even military and comex versions, this is the most legendary reference from Rolex produced from 1962 to 1989. This has a rather sought-after gilt dial with a funny Rolex crown called “bart simpson” because of its specific shape. Its dial has beautiful tritium indexes still luminescent in good condition and retains a beautiful glossy mirror effect. A beautiful, rare piece produced only in 1966 with its beautiful fat insert, well patinated.
