Gilt Heaven

The Rolex Submariner reference 5513 is not only the most iconic dive watch ever made — it may well be the most iconic watch of all time. With its distinct black rotating bezel and minimalist black dial, the 5513 is instantly recognizable from across a room, or as collectors like to say, “from miles away.” It's a cornerstone in any serious vintage Rolex collection and, more often than not, it’s the answer to the ultimate question: “If you could only have one watch, which would it be?”

Produced from 1962 to 1989, the 5513 saw many evolutions, transitioning from gilt dials in the early years, to matte, and eventually back to glossy finishes. Among these, one of the most sought-after and collectible is the mid-1960s "Bart Simpson" gilt dial variant.

The gilt dial, a signature of Rolex’s golden era, features warm gold text printed over a glossy black lacquer surface — creating a deep, mirror-like aesthetic that beautifully reflects light and ages with incredible character. Over time, these dials often develop patina or spider-web-like crazing, enhancing their vintage charm. The hour plots are filled with tritium lume, which naturally ages to warm, creamy tones that vary from watch to watch — a testament to each watch’s unique history.

The watch offered here is an absolute pristine example of a Gilt dial Submariner, the case is unpolished and shows off wide and sharp bevels, those that form the beautiful silhouette around the case we endlessly love. The lug holes are well refined and do not show any sort of roundings that could have been caused by a polish. The bezel is sharp bearing sharp teeth as we would expect from an unpolished example, the insert is a correct fat font that has perfectly aged to a gun metal grey.

The dial is the real star of the show, a mirror glossy gilt dial at its best. The surface is absolute smooth and not showing any crazing to the naked eye, free of bubbling, matte areas or tool marks. The gilt print is very prominent, from the text to the minute markers and crown we see a very deep gold color. The original luminous plots are puffy and fully present whereas on most examples of the time, we can witness crumbling and loss of lume. The luminous material has aged to a very warm pumpkin color perfectly matching with the hands.

The watch is fitted to a very good period correct rivited 7206 Oyster that bears a matching 66’ date code but shows a sleeve finish from wear over time. We believe that the watch was not born on this bracelet.

Hunting any pristine and mint 5513 with gilt dial represents a great challenge in today’s market where the ‘top’ examples are safeguarded in private collections. Finding a 5513 with mirror glossy Gilt dial in this condition here and today is a truly rare opportunity one should not miss, especially if you are a geek for quality and want to add one of the best examples around to your collection.

Inventory No. 3.2.249
Serial : 1289xxx
Case Size: 40mm
Crystal: Acrylic, Domed
Movement: Automatic
Case: Pristine unpolished case bearing original factory finish. The lugs remain well defined and show wide and original bevels. The sharp teeth bezel is mint, holding a correct fat font insert that has aged to a vivid gun metal grey. Case numbers are crisp and fully present
Bracelet/Strap: Period correct and long 7206 Oyster bracelet showing moderate wear from age. The bracelet has obtained a sleeve finish from wear and seems to have been installed later, despite a matching 66' date code
Dial: Excellent mirror glossy gilt dial in absolute incredible condition. The surface of the dial is smooth, free of any visible crazing or spidering whatsoever. The original lume plots have aged to a warm pumpkin color, are clean, puffy and do not show any signs of crumbling or deterioration. The hands are equally original and matching. The minute hand is showing corrosion from age.

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