THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 5513
YEAR: 1967
CASE DIAMETER: 40mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

The Submariner 5513 was introduced around 1963, originally equipped with gilt dials and pointed crown guards. Just a few years later, in 1967, matte-dial 5513s were introduced. In the early 1970s, Rolex made another notable change to the dial, switching from meters to feet as the primary depth rating measurement. This shift was likely driven by the growing market share in the United States, which uses imperial measurements.

The present example, with a 1.6m serial and matching “II 67” caseback, was among the earliest matte-dial 5513s to leave the Rolex factory. It features a rare “zinc sulfide” dial, a lume mixture that Rolex used for a very short period between 1967 and 1968. These dials have a distinctive puffy, domed texture and still glow extremely brightly under UV or strong light before gradually fading away.

A lovely example, now spending its life with a fantastic companion.