Rolex Submariner 5513

Rolex Submariner 5513, Gloss dial/WGS, 1986

Yes.. I’ve officially joined the ‘Dark Side’, as the Heueristas call it! Allow me to explain myself..
I’ve never really been a big Rolex fan, mainly because the things are so damn expensive. I’m not saying I don’t think they are superb watches.. but they are mighty pricey for a dive watch. I suppose I’ve been spoiled for choice being a Heuer nut.. not long ago you could pick up a Heuer diver for relatively little outlay – even an automatic variant.

For a while now I’ve fancied getting a Sub (or a Snowflake), something that was old school, but not too old, as I want something actually usable – that can take knocks and not worry about water tightness. A few months ago I snapped up a 16800 with a matt dial, as it was a decent price. I tried to bond with it.. but I’ll be honest.. I really didn’t get on with it. I would go as far to say, I hated it – maybe I expected more.. whatever reason it wasn’t for me. I moved it swiftly on to a friend who fancied it and I was glad to see the back of it. Then a fellow Heuer fan (Peter) posted a pic of his newly acquired gloss dial 5513 with white gold surrounds (WGS) on the hour plots, and I thought it looked great. So, a few beers and an internet hunt led me to well known Rolex good-guy Jacek at HQ Milton.. a few emails later and it was mine. a short delay followed while it was at serviced by HQ Miltons watchmaker and I’ll be honest.. I was having a serious case of buyers regret, but a deals a deal, so I paid up. Fast forward several weeks and freshly back from a full service, it arrived yesterday.

I was blown away when I freed it from it’s bubble wrap.. it is stunning, a world away from that 16800 I disliked so much. It really is sublime. I know the Rolex aficionados hanker after the non-WGS matt dial models.. not me.. I think this is one of the nicest – I’m not drawn in by the rarity factor of the sought after double reds etc – I think this one is just right for me.

It’s an ’86 model, serial 974xxxx with a 1520 hacking movement. The bracelet is a 93150 with 580 endlinks. The lume is just turning a light cream, the clean design of the no-date deep black gloss dial is stunning, and as much as I tried in the photos, there is the very faintest of a spider webbing when viewed at just the right angle.. it looks like a faint elevation map of a group of islands, 99.9% of the time it’s not visible. I love the way the whole dial and the WGS and hnds catch the light.. and that plexi – it is simply stunning. I tried it on a dark grey NATO.. and it looks great.. I also tried it on one of my Heuerville straps – I know, leather on a sub is ‘wrong’, but I like it!!!

So, here it is.. a 5513.. my perfect Sub.. that plexi, that clean no-date gloss dial.. I think it’s gonna hang around longer than the 16800.

Also, thanks to the boys over at HQ Milton for a smooth deal.

With some of it’s stable mates.. TAG Heuer Spirotechnique and  Heuer 844 Monnin..