THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 5513
YEAR: 1965
CASE DIAMETER: 40mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

Another gilt 5513, but a fantastic one... The reference enjoyed a long production run of nearly three decades, amassing a rich timeline of dial variations and case details to explore. It’s this balance of history, variety, and wearability that cements its place as a cornerstone in any serious vintage collection.

This particular example hails from the latter stage of the brief gilt dial era (circa 1961–1966). Production volumes during these few years were significantly lower than in the later matte dial era—gilt dials are estimated to account for only about 4% of all 5513/5512 models produced.

The dial on this 1965 example, like many of its peers, have turned lightly tropical. The wonderfully puffy tritium markers are all intact and have aged beautifully, as have the hands, contrasting superbly against the mirror-like, glossy gilt dial.