Reference:submariner-5xxx-family

Representative 5508 from the 5xxx Submariner family.

The 5508, 5510, 5512, and 5513 are no-date Submariners from the late 1950s through the end of the 5513 run around 1989–90. The 5514 and 5517 are related branches associated with COMEX and British military use. Their dates and details vary by reference; the pages linked below cover each one separately.

Core map

• 5508: small-crown, no-crown-guard Submariner.
• 5510: big-crown, no-crown-guard reference with disputed production dates.
• 5512: crown-guard, no-date reference generally fitted with a chronometer-certified movement; early examples need individual assessment.
• 5513: crown-guard, no-date reference with non-chronometer movements.
• 5514: COMEX-associated Submariner with a helium escape valve.
• 5517: military-marked reference used on British military Submariners; military watches also exist under reference 5513.

“Small crown” and “big crown” describe the winding crown on the no-guard cases. HEV means helium escape valve.

Case development

The 5508 and 5510 have no crown guards. Rolex dates the introduction of crown guards on the Submariner to 1959, the period associated with the 5512. The 5512 and 5513 then share the guarded case form, with changes to guard shape over time.

Collectors use names such as “square,” “Cornino,” and “eagle beak” for early guard shapes, but the labels are not applied consistently. The 5512 article lays out the competing classifications: Jose Pereztroika’s review of Nicholas Foulkes’s 2024 book treats “eagle beak” as a separate shape, while the 5512 generation table uses it as a nickname for the pointed Cornino form. The available descriptions do not settle that naming difference.

5512 and 5513

The 5512 and 5513 overlapped in production and share much of their case and dial development. Their movement specifications distinguish them: 5512 examples are associated with chronometer-certified calibres, while the 5513 used non-chronometer calibres. Do not assume every early 5512 has the same certification or movement; check the individual watch and the evidence cited on its reference page.

Nicholas Foulkes’s Rolex-authorized 2024 book reports estimated totals of 17,338 for the 5512 and 151,449 for the 5513. Hodinkee’s review of the book also describes the 5513 figure as an estimate. These are book-level production estimates, not counts that establish the originality or relative desirability of an individual example.

Their dials changed over the long production runs. Gilt, matte, and later glossy dial descriptions apply to particular periods and configurations, not to every watch in a reference. The 5512 and 5513 pages document those variations and the limits of the dating evidence.

Special-use branches

The 5514 is associated with COMEX, the French commercial diving company. It adds a helium escape valve to a Submariner case. Published accounts disagree on its production dates and total: auction catalogues place documented examples in the 1970s, while readings of Foulkes’s book differ from Jose Pereztroika’s review. The 5514 page records the specific lots and the conflicting estimates; a single surviving example does not establish the full delivery history.

The 5517 is found on British military Submariners, alongside military watches catalogued as 5513. Fixed spring bars, military dial and hand specifications, bezel markings, and caseback markings are documented on individual examples. Configurations and service histories should be checked watch by watch rather than treated as a universal checklist.

Movements, bracelets, and packaging

Movement families differ across the references and change within some runs. The 5512 and 5513 pages give the calibre details and date ranges; the family label alone is not enough to identify a movement in an individual watch.

Bracelet fitment records show overlap between the 5512 and 5513, including 7206, 9315, and 93150 bracelets with several end-link types. A documented fitment does not prove that a bracelet was delivered with a particular watch. A clasp code dates the bracelet, not the watch head. Boxes and papers are generally period-based unless a reference-specific link is documented.

Related references

• Submariner family index
• Submariner 5508: no-crown-guard, 8mm crown
• Submariner 5510: big crown, caliber 1530
• Submariner 5512: first crown guards
• Submariner 5513: long-run no-date reference
• Submariner 5514: COMEX branch
• Submariner 5517: British military branch

• 
  5508, no-crown-guard, small Brevet crown
• 
  5510, big crown transitional, caliber 1530
• 
  5512, chronometer and first crown guards
• 
  5513, long-run non-chronometer reference
• 
  5514, COMEX helium-valve branch
• 
  5517, British military branch

Sources

• Rolex, Submariner history and 1959 crown-guard introduction
• Rolex Newsroom, Submariner chronology and specifications
• Rolex Submariner: From tool watch to icon — Rolex, including its 1959 account of crown guards.
• Five Things I Learned From the First Ever Rolex-Authorized Submariner Book — Hodinkee, on the production estimates in Nicholas Foulkes’s 2024 book.
• The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
• Nicholas Foulkes, Oyster Perpetual Submariner: The Watch that Unlocked the Deep (Wallpaper / ACC Art Books, 2024)
• Review of the Authorized Rolex Submariner Book — Jose Pereztroika, Perezcope
• Rolex MilSub Sells for Over £174,000 Smashing Fellows House Record — Fellows Auctioneers, 2020
• Rolex 5510: Some Notes — Horologium, 2010
• History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
• Collector's Guide: What To Know About The Rolex Submariner Reference 5512 — Charlie Dunne, Wind Vintage
• Vintage Rolex Submariner Reference 5508 — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
• Rolex Submariner Ref 5508 Small Crown Tropical Dial Circa 1959 — Wanna Buy A Watch?
• Rolex Submariner 5508 Service Dial — Loupe This
• Rolex Submariner Ref.5508 1962 Exclamation Dot Dial — Vintage Gold Watches, Vintage Gold Watches
• Rolex 5510 — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
• Rolex Big Crown Submariner Reference 5510 Unpolished — Eric Wind, Wind Vintage
• 1958 Rolex 5510 Big Crown Submariner — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
• The Rolex Square Crown Guard Submariner Reference 5512 — Revolution Watch editorial, Revolution Watch
• 1960 Rolex 5512 Tropical Gilt Tulip Submariner W/Box & Paper — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
• 1965 Rolex 5512 Gilt Submariner — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
• Vintage Rolex Submariner 5512 — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
• Vintage Rolex Box reference guide list 1950 to mid 2000's — WatchProSite community, WatchProSite
• Rolex 5513 Submariner Review & Ultimate Buying Guide — Bob's Watches
• 1966 Rolex 5513 "Bart Simpson" Tropical Patina Submariner — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
• 1965 Rolex 5513 Gloss Gilt Submariner W/Box & Paper — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
• Rolex Submariner "South African Army", Ref 5513, Military Stainless Steel Wristwatch With Bracelet, Circa 1970 — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
• Vintage 1989 Rolex Submariner 5513 — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
• Vintage Rolex Submariner 5513 Stainless Steel Oyster — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
• Rolex Submariner Ref 5514 COMEX (1976) Box and Rolex Service Papers — Watches of Distinction, Watches of Distinction
• Action Star Jason Statham Just Added This Vintage Submariner to His Rolex Collection — Jared Paul Stern, Bob's Watches
• Rolex Military Submariner Ref 5513 (1974) — Watches of Distinction, Watches of Distinction
• Inside Mike Wood's 'For Exhibition Only': A Private Rolex Collection On Limited Display — Tim Vaux, Hodinkee
• Full Spec Military Submariner, Reference 5517, Circa 1978 — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
• MilSub Submariner, Ref 5517, Stainless Steel Military Wristwatch Made for the British Armed Forces, Circa 1978 — Sotheby's, Sotheby's