Up for sale is this circa mid-1970s Rolex ref. 5512 Submariner with 4.1 million serial number, one of the all-time classic Vintage Rolex divers in highly sought after Chronometer-certified form. The true Steve McQueen watch, this 5512 is in Excellent overall vintage condition and has a beautiful Near Mint original matte Tritium dial. This 4-liner matte dial is nowadays referred to as "Non-Serif" and it is extremely clean, with a lovely patina to the original Tritium luminous plots. The original Tritium hands, which show their age a bit more, nonetheless match the dial plots perfectly. Also cool is the overall state of originality to this 5512 -- it has its original Fat Font bezel insert with Trit pip, as well as domed acrylic crystal for that super cool vintage look. This great Sub also comes on its original "A" coded 9315 folded Oyster bracelet with correct 380 ends and original "PATENTED" diver's extension. Putting the cherry on top of the sundae, this ultra desirable no-date Chronometer Sub has just been fully overhauled by my watchmaker for years more of faithful service. The watch will therefore come with a 6-month movement guarantee for all normal, non-abusive use.

The asking price for this outstanding example of 1970s 5512 Rolex Submariner is now REDUCED to $10,250 USD OBRO including fully insured FedEx shipping worldwide. Bank Wire only on this transaction. Payment must be made in US DOLLARS. Watch will ship upon full clearance of the funds, as well as any necessary bank vetting.

CASE & BACK: Case shows previous polish but is still quite thick. It shows some residual marks from the years, as I did not have it touched up any further, but is still in Excellent vintage condition for a 40-year-old watch. 5512 model number & complete 4.1 million serial number are quite clear between their respective lugs. The mirrored outer caseback was also not polished by me and shows typical scratches and small nicks, likewise Excellent cosmetically with no personalized engraving and very minor tool marks. The inner caseback is free of any corrosion and is stamped "5513," which is quite common as Rolex always used 5512 & 5513 backs interchangeably.

DIAL & HANDS: Absolutely gorgeous and Near Mint original matte dial with beautiful biscuity Tritium lume plots all intact. This dial has come to be referred to as the "Non-Serif" matte dial, as it does not have the pronounced serif to the lume bars of the immediately preceding version (they are otherwise virtually identical). This Non-Serif dial perfectly matches the case serial number in terms of correct period of production. The only flaws I can detect with a high power loupe are just a little wear to one or two of the white minute ticks where the dial meets the aperture of the case. Original Tritium hands are more like Very Good+ with signs of corrosion to the Rhodium plating but with all luminous material perfectly intact and better yet matching the tone of the dial plots perfectly. This is about as good as a matte Submariner dial gets, IMO -- simply stunning on the wrist.

CROWN: Period correct Triplock crown without visible gasket shows a little cosmetic wear but screws down tightly, winds properly & hack-sets the time smoothly.

CRYSTAL: Period correct domed acrylic Tropic 19 has just been lightly polished and is in Excellent+ condition with just a few subtle older scratches.

BEZEL: Original bezel and sexy Fat Font insert with handsome charcoal fade & original Trit pearl showing creamy patina. The bezel and insert are both Excellent with only minor marks and the bezel rotates freely but firmly in both directions with normal finger pressure.

MOVEMENT: Under the hood is Rolex's famed workhorse Chronometer automatic cal. 1570 with 26-jewels, adjusted to 5 positions and temperature and with hacking function. As time went on, the cal. 1570-equipped 5512 was produced in ever decreasing numbers in favor of the cheaper 5513 with the cal. 1520, before being completely discontinued in the late 1970s. This makes the 5512 Sub much harder to come by and therefore generally more desirable for the Vintage Rolex collector. As mentioned above, this watch was just fully overhauled by my watchmaker including installation of a new mainspring and so it is running strong and keeping excellent time. Therefore, the movement is guaranteed for 6 months of normal, non-abusive use and is good to go for many more years after that.

BRACELET: As stated above, this great 5512 comes on its original 9315 Folded Oyster bracelet with diver's extension. The date code is "A" matching the circa 1975-6 serial number of the watch according to our friends over at Oysterworld.de. This bracelet has 11 links with some stretch and some torquing to a few of the links, probably due to poor sizing technique while removing links. I had my watchmaker tighten it up a bit and so now I would rate it as in Very Good condition cosmetically and certainly quite wearable. Further, the endpieces are the correct 380s and the diver's extension bears the word "PATENTED," making this 9315 quite valuable in its own right. I would say that it will fit up to a 7.5" wrist comfortably, maybe slightly larger when adjusted to its maximum length.

As a matter of policy I make NO guarantees for the water resistance of this or any other watch, especially having opened it up to take pictures of the interior. If you plan to use this great Submariner as a diver please have it tested for water resistance.

This great 100% genuine Vintage Rolex 5512 is offered with a 3-day inspection period from the date of receipt and may be returned for a full refund (less any shipping costs incurred by the buyer). This refund is unconditional and once I get the watch back in exactly the same condition as it was sent to you, your money will be refunded. Of course, once the 3 days are over the sale will be considered FINAL.

Thanks for looking,
T.
tomvox1@hotmail.com