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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Reference:MilSub}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Military Submariner (MilSub)}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex MilSub — Military Submariner 5513 & 5517 Guide | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex MilSub — Military Submariners 5513 and 5517
|description=The MilSub is the British military Submariner: 5513 and 5517 cases configured to MoD spec c.1971-1979 with fixed bars, full 60-minute bezel, sword hands, T SWISS T dial, and broad-arrow caseback engraving. Three batches, two reference numbers, ~250 Batch-3 5517s with ~50 known.
|description=Reference guide to 1970s British military Rolex Submariners: 5513, double-marked 5513/5517 and 5517 examples, with lot-based evidence and limits.
|keywords=Rolex, MilSub, military Submariner, 5513, 5517, Royal Navy, SAS, SBS, broad arrow, sword hands, fixed bars, 0552, W10
|keywords=Rolex, MilSub, 5513, 5517, British military Submariner, Ministry of Defence
|image=Milsub 5517 batch3-hero.webp
|image=Milsub 5517 batch3-hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 5517 Military Submariner — Batch 3, case 5,339,705
|image_alt=Rolex military Submariner 5517
|type=Article
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-30T03:27:39Z
|modified_time=2026-07-18T14:18:59Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


<small>[[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] › '''MilSub'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] → '''MilSub'''</small>


The MilSub is the British military Submariner: a Rolex Submariner 5513 or 5517 case configured to Ministry of Defence specification and issued, in batches between roughly 1971 and 1979, to Royal Navy divers (the 0552 / 923-7697 line) and to British Army units including the SAS and Army Air Corps (the W10 line). The name describes a configuration rather than a reference family. A Submariner earns it by carrying fixed bars in the lugs, a fully graduated 60-minute bezel, sword hands, a T SWISS T tritium dial, and the broad-arrow caseback engraving that marks British Crown property.
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Milsub 5517 batch3-hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=British military Rolex Submariner 5517, batch 3, case 5,339,705|Rolex Submariner 5517, case 5,339,705, catalogued as a circa-1978 military issue watch. Sotheby’s, 2023, lot 3.]]
</div>


The program splits cleanly across three batches and two reference numbers. Batch 1 carries 5513 between the 12-o'clock lugs, runs in the early 3.9M serial cluster, and ships from c.1971-1974. Batch 2 keeps the 5513 lug engraving but adds a 5517 stamp under one lug — the so-called 5513/5517 double-reference watches — and clusters in the 3.926M band with issue years dominated by 1977 and 1979. Batch 3 carries 5517 between the 12-o'clock lugs with no 5513 anywhere on the case, sits in the 5.339M cluster, and is the late, full-spec form of the program; Phillips estimates ~250 of these were produced and ~50 are recorded.
The name “MilSub” refers to Rolex Submariners supplied to the British Ministry of Defence in the 1970s. Auction catalogues describe three forms: reference 5513, double-marked 5513/5517 cases, and reference 5517. The military configuration is identified by a combination of case, bezel, dial, hands and service markings; individual watches may have later service parts or mismatched components.
 
Standard production detail for the base references sits on [[Reference:5513|5513]] and [[Reference:5517|5517]]. Everything below is specific to the military branch.
 
[[File:Milsub 5517 batch3-hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 5517 Military Submariner — Batch 3, case 5,339,705|Rolex 5517 "Full Spec" Military Submariner, Batch 3 (case 5,339,705, issue 853/78), maxi Mk I dial, encircled T, full 60-minute bezel, fixed-bar lugs. Sotheby's Important Watches Part I, Geneva, November 2023, lot 3.]]


==Core facts==
==Core facts==
Line 30: Line 26:
! value
! value
|-
|-
| references
| program
| Submariner 5513 and 5517
| British Ministry of Defence Submariners, supplied in the 1970s
|-
|-
| program window
| documented case markings
| c.1971-1979
| 5513; 5513 with 5517 under a lug; and 5517
|-
|-
| issued to
| dimensions
| Royal Navy (0552 line) and British Army incl. SAS / Army Air Corps (W10 line); never retailed
| Auction catalogues describe examples at 39 or 40 mm
|-
|-
| batches
| case
| three: Batch 1 (5513 only), Batch 2 (5513/5517 double-reference), Batch 3 (5517 only)
| Stainless steel, with fixed bars in place of removable spring bars
|-
|-
| total program
| bezel
| the 5517-only Batch 3 estimated at ~250 produced / ~50 known per Phillips
| Full 60-minute graduation on documented military examples; some 5513 configurations are catalogued with a 15-minute insert
|-
|-
| dial
| dial
| T SWISS T (tritium); most examples carry no depth rating
| Black dials with tritium markings; the cited catalogues describe an encircled T on military examples
|-
|-
| hands
| hands
| sword (also called "gladiator" or "plongeur"); a small number of Batch 1 5513s shipped with Mercedes hands
| Sword hands are common; Sotheby’s notes that 5513 examples can also have standard hands
|-
|-
| bezel
| movement
| fully graduated 60-minute insert (not the retail 0-15 hashed insert)
| Cal. 1520, 26 jewels, in the Phillips and Antiquorum lots cited below
|-
| case
| fixed spring bars friction-welded into the lugs
|-
|-
| caseback
| strap
| dual-engraving: Rolex case markings inside, military markings outside (broad arrow + NATO stock + issue/year)
| NATO or nylon strap in the cited auction lots; the fixed bars do not accept an ordinary spring-bar bracelet
|-
|-
| movement
| production count
| caliber 1520 across all three batches per documented major-house lots
| Published estimates differ by scope; see the production notes below.
|}
|}


==Where it sits in the line==
==What “MilSub” covers==
 
The MilSub is one of two non-retail branches of the 5513 era, alongside the 5514 issued to French commercial diving company COMEX. The two sit in different worlds. COMEX 5514s were civilian-professional watches with a helium-escape valve, issued to a saturation-diving operator. MilSubs were military, issued by the British MoD, with a structural spec the retail line never carried: fixed bars, the full 60-minute bezel, sword hands.
 
British military issue of an Oyster diver starts well before the MilSub. The A/6538 program of 1957 put roughly fifty Big Crown 6538s into Special Boat Service hands. The MilSub proper follows about fifteen years later with the first batch of 5513-only military examples, and by the time the dedicated 5517 batch arrives in 1978 the configuration has hardened into its final form: full 60-minute bezel, sword hands, fixed bars, T SWISS T dial, dual caseback engraving.
 
The 5513 itself was widely fielded by other forces during this era — South African Army, Chilean Navy ("Propriedad Armada de Chile"), and a documented New Zealand Fisheries Research Division order of fourteen examples among them — but those were standard commercial 5513s procured through military channels, not MilSub-spec watches. They sit on the 5513 page rather than here.
 
==Batch breakdown==
 
The cleanest taxonomy on the program is the three-batch split that runs through the major-house catalogues. The defining cue is what is engraved between the 12-o'clock lugs.
 
===Batch 1: 5513 between the lugs (c.1971-1974)===


Batch 1 carries 5513 case markings between the 12-o'clock lugs — visually identical to a retail 5513 from outside the caseback. Production sits in the early 3.9M serial cluster. These earliest MilSubs are 5513 cases built to MoD spec rather than a separate reference family, and the engraving placement reflects the 5513 origin of the case.
Collectors use “MilSub” for the military configuration across 5513, double-marked 5513/5517, and 5517 cases. The reference 5513 was also sold commercially; its military cases were made or configured to the Ministry’s requirements. Auction records show the three forms, while a complete factory batch register remains unavailable.


Batch 1 is the only batch where the configuration is not yet uniform. Sword hands and the full 60-minute bezel were factory spec from program inception, but a small number of Batch 1 5513s shipped with Mercedes hands and 0-15 hashed inserts instead. The drsd.com military-Submariner pages read this as a Batch 1 split: early 5513 MilSubs delivered with either hand set, while the 5517-only batch came only with sword hands and the full 60-minute bezel. Most Mercedes-handed MilSubs surfacing today are service replacements, where MoD watchmakers swapped the oxidising sword set after long deployments.
Auction descriptions place the program in the 1970s. Sotheby’s 2023 lot 3 catalogue note estimates about 1,500 watches for the full program. Phillips’ 2024 article estimates about 250 reference 5517 watches, with about 50 recorded. These are different scopes, and neither figure is a factory census. Issue dates can also differ from catalogue manufacture dates, so record the numbers, markings and attributed date for each watch; serial clusters alone do not settle production chronology.


===Batch 2: 5513/5517 double-reference (c.1972-1976)===
==Case and batch markings==


Batch 2 keeps 5513 between the 12-o'clock lugs and adds a 5517 stamp under one lug, conventionally the 7-o'clock lug. The dual marking captures the program's transition from repurposed 5513 cases to dedicated 5517 production. Documented examples cluster in the 3.926M serial band:
The case between the upper lugs identifies the main reference marking. On double-marked examples, the 5513 appears between the lugs and 5517 is stamped under a lug. Phillips’ 2019 lot 28 and 2017 lot 807 document this arrangement. Phillips catalogued lot 28 as 1972, although its military issue number ends in /77; lot 807 was catalogued circa 1974 and carries issue number 941/79. Those dates describe individual records, not a settled batch timetable.


{| class="wikitable"
Phillips’ 2021 lot 152 is a 5517 catalogued circa 1978. Its case number, 5,339,827, is repeated inside the caseback; the external markings include 0552, NATO stock number 923-7697 and issue 842/78. Sotheby’s 2023 lot 3 is another 5517 catalogued circa 1978. These examples document the dedicated 5517 form without establishing that every case was marked in the same way.
|-
! Auction
! Date
! Case
! Year
! Issue
! Caseback line
! Hammer
|-
| Phillips New York "Game Changers" lot 28
| 2019
| 3,926,768
| c.1972
| 688/77
| 0552 (Royal Navy)
| USD 218,750
|-
| Phillips Hong Kong lot 807
| 2017
| 3,926,923
| c.1974
| 941/79
| W10 (Army)
| HK$ 1,625,000
|-
| Antiquorum Monaco lot 77
| 2022
| 3,926,842
| c.1975
| 960/79
| W10
| EUR 260,000
|-
| Sotheby's Geneva lot 64
| 2023
| 3,926,898
| c.1973
| —
| —
| —
|-
| Bonhams 2018 lot 90
| 2018
| 392xxxx
| c.1972
| engravings removed
| inner caseback I.72
| GBP 72,500 incl. premium
|-
| Bonhams Knightsbridge
| 2022
| —
| c.1975
| 691/77
| RN diver provenance
| GBP 195,600 incl. premium
|}


Issue years 77 and 79 dominate the cluster. The case-number band is unusually tight for a ~five-year production window; the cleanest reading is that MoD procurement was batched against a small contemporaneous slice of 5513 cases rather than spread evenly through the run.
The prefixes 0552 and W10 appear on military casebacks. Phillips catalogues a 0552-marked example as Royal Navy; Antiquorum describes its W10-marked 5513/5517 as made for the Royal Navy. These attributions conflict. Read the full inscription and provenance together; a prefix alone does not establish a named unit or an individual’s service history.


===Batch 3: 5517 only (c.1978)===
==Configuration==


Batch 3 carries 5517 between the 12-o'clock lugs with no 5513 anywhere on the case — the full-spec form of the reference. Production sits in the 5.339M cluster, and every documented Batch 3 issue year is 78. Phillips's MilSub-discovery article gives the only batch-specific population figure: ~250 produced, ~50 recorded.
Fixed bars are welded into the lugs. The auction records describe NATO or nylon straps, which pass under the case rather than attach to removable spring bars. Fixed bars do not establish which strap came with an individual watch.


{| class="wikitable"
The full 60-minute bezel appears on documented 5517 military examples. Sotheby’s describes the 5513 military examples as having either standard or sword hands and 15- or 60-minute bezels. Collector reference site drsd.com also reports both combinations among 5513 MilSubs. These sources support variation in the 5513 group; a loose bezel or hand set does not establish a watch’s issue configuration.
|-
! Auction
! Date
! Case
! Year
! Issue
! Caseback line
! Hammer
|-
| Phillips Geneva XIV lot 152
| 2021
| 5,339,827
| c.1978
| 842/78
| 0552 RN
| CHF 504,000
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches I lot 3
| 2023
| 5,339,705
| c.1978
| 853/78
| 0552 RN
| est. CHF 120,000-180,000
|-
| Phillips MilSub-discovery (reunited pair)
| n/a
| 5,339,667
| c.1978
| 835/78
| 0552 RN
| n/a (article)
|-
| Sotheby's New York lot 238
| 2018
| —
| c.1978
| —
| MOD engravings
| est. CHF 150,000-300,000
|}


==Configuration features==
Auction catalogues describe black dials with tritium and an encircled T. The marking identifies luminous material; it does not authenticate the watch by itself. Dial wording and condition should be recorded from the watch in hand, since service and restoration can alter a dial.


<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Milsub 5517 sword-hands-detail.webp|alt=Sword hands and Maxi Mk I dial close-up|Sword hands, Maxi Mk I dial with encircled T, and full 60-minute calibrated bezel — the three diagnostic features collectors look for.
File:Milsub 5517 sword-hands-detail.webp|alt=Close view of sword hands and dial|Sword hands and dial, 5517
File:Milsub 5517 bezel-60-minute-detail.webp|alt=Full 60-minute calibrated bezel insert|Full 60-minute calibrated insert — every minute graduated, the MoD requirement that distinguishes a MilSub bezel from a civilian 5513.
File:Milsub 5517 bezel-60-minute-detail.webp|alt=Full 60-minute graduated bezel insert|Full 60-minute bezel, 5517
File:Milsub 5517 dial-T-circle-detail.webp|alt=Encircled T below 6 o'clock|Encircled T below 6 o'clock indicating MoD-spec low-radiation tritium — distinct from civilian "T<25" dials of the period.
File:Milsub 5517 dial-T-circle-detail.webp|alt=Encircled T marking below six o’clock|Encircled T marking
File:Milsub 5513-5517 fixed-bars-profile.webp|alt=Fixed-bar lug profile|Fixed-bar lugs: spring-bars welded into the case to keep the strap from working free during operations. Sotheby's Important Watches, December 2023, lot 64.
File:Milsub 5513-5517 fixed-bars-profile.webp|alt=Fixed bars welded between the lugs|Fixed bars
</gallery>
</gallery>
The MilSub is defined by a small set of mandated features, each of which appears on no retail Submariner of the period. Every documented Batch 3 5517 carries all of them; Batch 1 5513s drift on a subset.
===Fixed bars===
The bars are friction-welded permanently into the lugs instead of fitted as removable spring bars, so a strap cannot come free underwater if a bar fails. All three batches carry them, and the MoD required them from program inception. They are sized for NATO-style fabric pass-through; a MilSub will not take a standard Oyster bracelet without removing the fixed bars and refitting standard spring-bar lugs.
===60-minute bezel===
The insert is graduated minute by minute all the way around instead of only across the 0-15 dive interval, which gives minute-by-minute elapsed-time tracking for decompression. The Ministry of Defence required it; the retail Submariner of the period uses the standard 0-15 hashed insert. The earliest 5513 MilSubs surface with both full-60 and 0-15 inserts, and the 5517-only Batch 3 is uniformly full-60.
===Sword hands===
The sword hand is wider and more sword-shaped than the standard Mercedes hand, and collectors also call it the "gladiator" or "plongeur" hand. Major-house catalogue language and the Phillips MilSub-discovery article both put it as factory spec across the whole program, with the Batch 1 qualification noted above: a small number of early 5513 MilSubs shipped with Mercedes hands. Mercedes-handed MilSubs in collector hands today are mostly service replacements where the oxidising sword set was swapped during reissue.
===T SWISS T dial===
The dial is matte black with T SWISS T at the bottom, the dual-T format that flanks the word SWISS. UK regulations for tritium-lumed watches required both T markers. SUBMARINER and Rolex Oyster Perpetual sit above centre on most examples, and most MilSub dials carry no depth rating in either metric or imperial, since the Ministry of Defence did not call for one. Late-program 5517 dials carry the same Maxi I (1976-1977) and Maxi II generations documented across the contemporary 5513.
===Caseback engraving===
The dual-engraving pattern splits maker and customer. Rolex reference and case-number markings sit on the inner caseback. Military identification — broad arrow, NATO stock numbers, service numbers — sits on the outer caseback. Royal Navy and SBS issue uses the 0552 prefix: ''0552 / 923-7697 / [issue]/[year]'' plus the broad arrow. Army, SAS, and W10 issue uses the W10 prefix: ''W10 / 6645 / 99 / 923-7697 / [issue]/[year]'' plus the broad arrow. The T-circle is a dial marking rather than a caseback engraving; descriptions that place it on the caseback conflate two separate authentication tells.
Documented issue numbers in major-house lots include 688/77, 691/77, 835/78, 842/78, 853/78, 941/79, 960/79, and 395/75. The broad arrow is the British government property mark; any broad-arrow watch in the civilian market either left service through official decommissioning or carries an unclear chain of custody. The mark is never a civilian or retail marking.


==Movement==
==Movement==
[[File:Milsub 5517 caseback-movement.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Caseback removed showing inside-case stamping and caliber 1520|Caseback removed showing the inside-case stamping (5,339,705) and caliber 1520 movement.]]
The MilSub runs caliber 1520 across all three batches. Every Phillips, Sotheby's, Antiquorum, and Bonhams lot description for a documented MilSub reads cal. 1520 at 26 jewels. The forum-level claim that some 5517 examples carry caliber 1570 is not supported by any major-house lot in documented examples, and it likely shows contamination from standard 5512 / 5513 cases that can house either caliber. The MilSub's distinction over the standard 5513 is structural — fixed bars, 60-minute bezel, sword hands, military caseback engravings — not mechanical.
==Bracelet, strap, and packaging==
Issued watches were delivered on NATO-style fabric straps rather than metal bracelets, in keeping with the fixed-bar design. The bars do not take a standard Oyster bracelet, and the NATO pass-through is deliberate: the strap continues beneath the watch even if one bar fails, so the watch stays on the wrist. Packaging followed procurement logistics rather than retail presentation — military stores packaging, not standard Rolex retail boxes.


==Authentication and faking patterns==
Phillips lots 28, 807 and 152, and Antiquorum lot 77, catalogue the movements as Cal. 1520 with 26 jewels. That is the movement recorded in these examples; the sample does not establish that every watch retaining military markings still has its original movement.


The MilSub is one of the most faked Rolex references in the market. Documented examples clear USD 200,000 at auction, the base watch is an ordinary 5513, and military provenance is hard to check against MoD records. The conversion path is short: a standard 5513 takes fixed bars, a 60-minute bezel, military caseback engravings, and sword hands. Each step is within reach of a skilled watchmaker, and the finished result reads convincingly to anyone who has not handled a genuine example.
[[File:Milsub 5517 caseback-movement.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Inside case showing movement and caseback markings|Movement and inside caseback markings on the 5517 example shown.]]


Most of the authentication weight rests on a few documented patterns. Phillips's MilSub-discovery article sets out the inside-caseback rule: 5212xxx examples (issue 736-785) do not carry the serial inside the caseback, while 5339xxx examples do. A 5339xxx case with no inside-caseback serial is wrong, and so is a 5212xxx case that has one. Working against that is the caseback-swap caveat. SAS and SBS operatives returned issued watches to stockroom after missions and casebacks moved between cases during reissue cycles, so a non-matching caseback can be entirely period-correct under documented MoD practice, and a matching one is not automatically the better watch where the chain of custody establishes reissue.
==Casebacks and service history==


Some terminology is worth discounting outright. The "5513-T-MOD" and "5517-T-MOD" labels are collector slang for service-stripped MilSubs, meaning issue marks rubbed off, parts service-swapped, or never engraved in the first place. No registry-quality source treats T-MOD as a distinct taxonomic class. The three batches above are the cleaner taxonomy, with the standard 5513 and the COMEX 5514 sitting alongside as adjacent military-adjacent references.
Military inscriptions commonly combine a service prefix, NATO stock number, issue number and year, with a broad arrow. Exact layouts vary. The broad arrow is a government property mark; it is evidence about the watch’s issued status, not a complete chain of custody after disposal.


Specialist documentation also notes a roughly EUR 20,000 value penalty for service-replaced bezels even when the replacement is period-correct. On otherwise genuine cases the documented fakery vectors are sword-hand replacement, dial relume, and "added T", where a non-T dial has the T markers printed on later. The strongest authentication ties provenance to a specific Royal Navy unit or service number, adds physical inspection by a specialist who can read fixed-bar construction and engraving depth, and cross-references the case against known examples. The genuine population is small enough that most of it is tracked.
Casebacks and other components can change during service. In a 2024 article, Phillips describes two 5517s whose casebacks had been swapped and later reunited by their owner. Phillips also records a civilian bezel insert replaced with a military insert and hands relumed before sale. This is a specific documented history, not proof that every mismatch or replaced part came from military service.


==Auction record==
==Auction record==
[[File:Milsub 5513-5517 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Double-reference 5513/5517 with maxi Mk I dial and pumpkin patina|A 5513/5517 double-reference example (case 3,926,898, c.1973) showing maxi Mk I dial with pumpkin patina. Sotheby's Important Watches, December 2023, lot 64.]]


Documented MilSub results sort cleanly by batch. Batch 3 full-spec 5517s set the top of the market. Batch 2 5513/5517 double-reference watches cluster in a wide band depending on configuration and provenance. Service-stripped or removed-engraving examples trade lower.
The following entries are individual auction records. Prices are shown as the auction house reports them; estimates are identified separately.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 255: Line 106:
! Auction
! Auction
! Lot
! Lot
! Year
! Catalogue description
! Case
! Published result
! Configuration
! Hammer
|-
|-
| Phillips Geneva XIV
| Phillips Geneva XIV, 2021
| 152
| 152
| 2021
| 5517, case 5,339,827; circa 1978; 0552/923-7697, issue 842/78; Cal. 1520, 26 jewels; Rolex UK issue letter
| 5,339,827
| sold for CHF 504,000
| Batch 3 5517, c.1978, 0552 RN issue 842/78
| CHF 504,000
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches I
| 3
| 2023
| 5,339,705
| Batch 3 5517, c.1978, 0552 RN issue 853/78, Maxi I
| est. CHF 120,000-180,000
|-
| Antiquorum Monaco
| 77
| 2022
| 3,926,842
| Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1975, W10 issue 960/79
| EUR 260,000
|-
|-
| Phillips New York "Game Changers"
| Phillips New York, 2019
| 28
| 28
| 2019
| 5513/5517; case 3,926,768; catalogued 1972; 0552/923-7697, issue 688/77; Cal. 1520, 26 jewels; owner’s dive log
| 3,926,768
| sold for USD 218,750
| Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1972, 0552 RN issue 688/77
| USD 218,750
|-
| Bonhams Knightsbridge
| —
| 2022
| —
| Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1975, original RN diver provenance, caseback 691/77
| GBP 195,600 incl. premium
|-
|-
| Phillips Hong Kong
| Phillips Hong Kong, 2017
| 807
| 807
| 2017
| 5513 with 5517 under lug; case 3,926,923; circa 1974; W10 stock marking, issue 941/79; Cal. 1520, 26 jewels
| 3,926,923
| sold for HKD 1,625,000
| Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1974, W10 Army issue 941/79
| HK$ 1,625,000
|-
|-
| Fellows Birmingham
| Antiquorum Monaco, 2022
| 129
| 77
| 2020
| 5513/5517; case 3,926,842; circa 1975; W10 stock marking, issue 960/79; Cal. 1520
| —
| sold for EUR 260,000
| 5517 with MOD engravings
| GBP 174,800 incl. premium (Fellows house record)
|-
|-
| Sotheby's New York
| Sotheby’s Geneva, 2023
| 238
| 64
| 2018
| 5513/5517; case 3,926,898; circa 1973; Cal. 1520, 26 jewels; catalogued later-added bezel insert
| —
| Result hidden behind login on the public page reviewed
| 5517 c.1978, MOD engravings, Rolex presentation case
| est. CHF 150,000-300,000
|-
|-
| Bonhams London Fine Watches
| Sotheby’s Geneva, 2023
| 90
| 3
| 2018
| 5517; case 5,339,705; circa 1978; issue 853/78; Cal. 1520, 26 jewels
| 392xxxx
| CHF 482,600; result reported by Sotheby’s in 2026
| Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1972, military engravings removed, inner caseback I.72
| GBP 72,500 incl. premium
|-
| Sotheby's
| —
| 2020
| —
| 5513 South African Army-associated, c.1970
| (5513 commercial; not a MilSub)
|}
|}


The Phillips Geneva XIV 2021 result is the public auction record for the 5517 at CHF 504,000. The watch is a Batch 3 example in the 5,339,xxx cluster with a Henry Hudson letter from Rolex UK confirming issue to Her Majesty's Dockyard, Portsmouth in 1978. The result nearly tripled the high estimate of CHF 200,000. Fully documented full-spec MilSubs come up rarely enough that the room priced well past what the house had read.
The results span different years, currencies and condition histories; together they are not a current market range. Phillips’ 2021 lot 152 carried a Rolex UK letter confirming issue in 1978; its catalogue reported the result as CHF 504,000. Sotheby’s later reported CHF 482,600 for its 2023 lot 3. Auction catalogues also document mismatched casebacks, service parts and owner-added components, so sale descriptions should be read at the lot level.
 
[[File:Milsub 5513-5517 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Dial on a double-reference 5513 and 5517 military Submariner|Dial on a double-reference 5513/5517, case 3,926,898. Sotheby’s, 2023, lot 64.]]
 
==Authentication notes==
 
Authentication depends on the whole watch. Compare the case references and numbers, caseback inscriptions, movement, dial, hands, bezel and documented service history. Phillips’ caseback-swapping example shows why a mismatch needs explanation rather than an automatic rejection; the same evidence does not make every mismatch acceptable.


Batch 1 5513-only MilSubs trade lower than the headline numbers because of the more frequent service-component drift on early examples and the difficulty of separating an honest Batch 1 from a converted retail 5513. The cleanest Batch 1 lots still pull six figures when the chain of custody and the configuration both hold up; the spread is wider than it is on Batch 3.
Preserve lot-specific observations when describing an individual watch. The sources cited here do not give a complete serial range or the original delivery configuration of every watch.


== Related references ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Milsub 5517 batch3-hero.webp|alt=Rolex military Submariner 5517, whole watch|Whole watch, 5517
File:Milsub 5517 caseback-movement.webp|alt=Caliber 1520 and inside caseback|Movement and case interior
File:Milsub 5517 sword-hands-detail.webp|alt=Sword hands and dial close-up|Hands and dial
File:Milsub 5517 bezel-60-minute-detail.webp|alt=Full 60-minute bezel|Bezel
File:Milsub 5517 dial-T-circle-detail.webp|alt=Encircled T dial marking|T marking
File:Milsub 5513-5517 fixed-bars-profile.webp|alt=Fixed bars between case lugs|Fixed bars
File:Milsub 5513-5517 dial-detail.webp|alt=Double-reference dial detail|Double-reference example
</gallery>


* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner family index]]
[[Category:Submariner]]
* [[Reference:5513|Submariner 5513]] — the base reference for most MilSubs
* [[Reference:5517|Submariner 5517]] — the dedicated military-issue reference
* [[Reference:5512|Submariner 5512]] — early crown-guard MilSub base
* [[Reference:6538|Submariner 6538]] — the A/6538 Special Boat Service precursor


== Sources ==
== Sources ==


* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.phillips.com/article/151026516/a-cool-new-discovery-on-a-vintage-rolex-milsub "An Unexpected Discovery on a Vintage Rolex Submariner MilSub", Phillips, 2024-10-30]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-2-the-55xx-1680references/ Tom Mulraney, "History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date", Monochrome, 2020-08-19]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/inside-mike-woods-for-exhibition-only-a-private-rolex-collection-on-limited-display Tim Vaux, "Inside Mike Wood's 'For Exhibition Only': A Private Rolex Collection On Limited Display", Hodinkee, 2025-10-20]
* [https://www.phillips.com/article/151026516/a-cool-new-discovery-on-a-vintage-rolex-milsub "An Unexpected Discovery on a Vintage Rolex Submariner MilSub", Phillips, 2021]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080221/152 "Rolex Submariner MilSub Ref. 5517 — Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XIV lot 152", Phillips, 2021-05]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080221/152 "Rolex Submariner MilSub Ref. 5517 — Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XIV lot 152", Phillips, 2021-05]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/NY080119/28 "Rolex Military Submariner Double Reference 5513/5517 — Phillips New York Game Changers lot 28", Phillips, 2019-12]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/NY080119/28 "Rolex Military Submariner Double Reference 5513/5517 — Phillips New York Game Changers lot 28", Phillips, 2019-12]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080316/807 "Rolex Military Submariner Ref. 5513/5517 — Phillips Hong Kong lot 807", Phillips, 2017-05]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080316/807 "Rolex Military Submariner Ref. 5513/5517 — Phillips Hong Kong lot 807", Phillips, 2017-05]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-5513-5517-under-the-lug-submariner-so-called-milsub-lot-353-77 "Rolex Ref. 5513/5517 Military Submariner — Antiquorum Monaco 2022 lot 77", Antiquorum, 2022]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-5513-5517-under-the-lug-submariner-so-called-milsub-lot-353-77 "Rolex Ref. 5513/5517 Military Submariner — Antiquorum Monaco 2022 lot 77", Antiquorum, 2022]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/27662/lot/44/ "Rolex Royal Navy Military Submariner Ref. 5513/5517 — Bonhams Knightsbridge 2022", Bonhams, 2022]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/24632/lot/90/ "Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513/5517 Military — Bonhams 2018 lot 90", Bonhams, 2018]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-watches-part-i-2/military-submariner-reference-5517-a-stainless?locale=en "Full Spec Military Submariner, Reference 5517, Circa 1978", Sotheby's, 2023-11-05]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-watches-part-i-2/military-submariner-reference-5517-a-stainless?locale=en "Full Spec Military Submariner, Reference 5517, Circa 1978", Sotheby's, 2023-11-05]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/important-watches-ge1804/lot.238.html?locale=en "MilSub Submariner, Ref 5517, Stainless Steel Military Wristwatch Made for the British Armed Forces, Circa 1978", Sotheby's, 2018-11]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/0bfeaa8a-22d0-4e8d-9200-0d1a611ef7ea/lots/ec00c334-b62d-4907-8bb3-568a5101a36b "Rolex Submariner "South African Army", Ref 5513, Military Stainless Steel Wristwatch With Bracelet, Circa 1970", Sotheby's, 2020-10-28]
* [https://www.fellows.co.uk/blog/watches/2020/08/24/rolex-milsub-sells-for-over-165000-smashing-fellows-house-record/ "Rolex MilSub Sells for Over £174,000 Smashing Fellows House Record", Fellows, 2020-08]
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-milsub-submariner-reference-5513 Eric Wind, "Rolex MilSub Submariner Reference 5513", Wind Vintage]
* [https://danielbourn.com/the-rolex-milsub/ Daniel Bourn, "The Rolex Milsub — Rolex 5517 The Rolex Military Submariner", Daniel Bourn]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/rolex-milsub-military-submariner/?lang=en "The Rolex Milsub: the MIL-itary SUB-mariner", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.drsd.com/watch-info/mil-sub/the-military-submariner.html "The Rolex Military Submariner 5513 (drsd.com)", drsd.com]
* [https://www.drsd.com/watch-info/mil-sub/the-military-submariner.html "The Rolex Military Submariner 5513 (drsd.com)", drsd.com]
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/5513-7-double-reference-rolex-royal-navy-milsub "5513/7 Double Reference Rolex Royal Navy MilSub", Hairspring]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/fine-watches-10/submariner-milsub-reference-5513-a-stainless-steel "Submariner Milsub, Reference 5513, made for the British Royal Navy, circa 1972", Sotheby's, 2023]
* [https://watchesofdistinction.com/product/rolex-military-submariner-ref-5513-1974/ "Rolex Military Submariner Ref 5513 (1974)", Watches of Distinction]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-anatomy-of-the-most-valuable-rolex-watches "The Anatomy of the Most Valuable Rolex Watches", Sotheby's, 2026-02-09]
 
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-watches-2/reference-5513-5517-submariner-milsub-a-stainless "Reference 5513/5517 Submariner 'Milsub', circa 1973, lot 64", Sotheby's, 2023]
[[Category:Submariner]]

Latest revision as of 06:03, 29 September 2026


Submariner → MilSub

British military Rolex Submariner 5517, batch 3, case 5,339,705
Rolex Submariner 5517, case 5,339,705, catalogued as a circa-1978 military issue watch. Sotheby’s, 2023, lot 3.

The name “MilSub” refers to Rolex Submariners supplied to the British Ministry of Defence in the 1970s. Auction catalogues describe three forms: reference 5513, double-marked 5513/5517 cases, and reference 5517. The military configuration is identified by a combination of case, bezel, dial, hands and service markings; individual watches may have later service parts or mismatched components.

Core facts

detail value
program British Ministry of Defence Submariners, supplied in the 1970s
documented case markings 5513; 5513 with 5517 under a lug; and 5517
dimensions Auction catalogues describe examples at 39 or 40 mm
case Stainless steel, with fixed bars in place of removable spring bars
bezel Full 60-minute graduation on documented military examples; some 5513 configurations are catalogued with a 15-minute insert
dial Black dials with tritium markings; the cited catalogues describe an encircled T on military examples
hands Sword hands are common; Sotheby’s notes that 5513 examples can also have standard hands
movement Cal. 1520, 26 jewels, in the Phillips and Antiquorum lots cited below
strap NATO or nylon strap in the cited auction lots; the fixed bars do not accept an ordinary spring-bar bracelet
production count Published estimates differ by scope; see the production notes below.

What “MilSub” covers

Collectors use “MilSub” for the military configuration across 5513, double-marked 5513/5517, and 5517 cases. The reference 5513 was also sold commercially; its military cases were made or configured to the Ministry’s requirements. Auction records show the three forms, while a complete factory batch register remains unavailable.

Auction descriptions place the program in the 1970s. Sotheby’s 2023 lot 3 catalogue note estimates about 1,500 watches for the full program. Phillips’ 2024 article estimates about 250 reference 5517 watches, with about 50 recorded. These are different scopes, and neither figure is a factory census. Issue dates can also differ from catalogue manufacture dates, so record the numbers, markings and attributed date for each watch; serial clusters alone do not settle production chronology.

Case and batch markings

The case between the upper lugs identifies the main reference marking. On double-marked examples, the 5513 appears between the lugs and 5517 is stamped under a lug. Phillips’ 2019 lot 28 and 2017 lot 807 document this arrangement. Phillips catalogued lot 28 as 1972, although its military issue number ends in /77; lot 807 was catalogued circa 1974 and carries issue number 941/79. Those dates describe individual records, not a settled batch timetable.

Phillips’ 2021 lot 152 is a 5517 catalogued circa 1978. Its case number, 5,339,827, is repeated inside the caseback; the external markings include 0552, NATO stock number 923-7697 and issue 842/78. Sotheby’s 2023 lot 3 is another 5517 catalogued circa 1978. These examples document the dedicated 5517 form without establishing that every case was marked in the same way.

The prefixes 0552 and W10 appear on military casebacks. Phillips catalogues a 0552-marked example as Royal Navy; Antiquorum describes its W10-marked 5513/5517 as made for the Royal Navy. These attributions conflict. Read the full inscription and provenance together; a prefix alone does not establish a named unit or an individual’s service history.

Configuration

Fixed bars are welded into the lugs. The auction records describe NATO or nylon straps, which pass under the case rather than attach to removable spring bars. Fixed bars do not establish which strap came with an individual watch.

The full 60-minute bezel appears on documented 5517 military examples. Sotheby’s describes the 5513 military examples as having either standard or sword hands and 15- or 60-minute bezels. Collector reference site drsd.com also reports both combinations among 5513 MilSubs. These sources support variation in the 5513 group; a loose bezel or hand set does not establish a watch’s issue configuration.

Auction catalogues describe black dials with tritium and an encircled T. The marking identifies luminous material; it does not authenticate the watch by itself. Dial wording and condition should be recorded from the watch in hand, since service and restoration can alter a dial.

  • Close view of sword hands and dial
    Sword hands and dial, 5517
  • Full 60-minute graduated bezel insert
    Full 60-minute bezel, 5517
  • Encircled T marking below six o’clock
    Encircled T marking
  • Fixed bars welded between the lugs
    Fixed bars

Movement

Phillips lots 28, 807 and 152, and Antiquorum lot 77, catalogue the movements as Cal. 1520 with 26 jewels. That is the movement recorded in these examples; the sample does not establish that every watch retaining military markings still has its original movement.

Inside case showing movement and caseback markings
Movement and inside caseback markings on the 5517 example shown.

Casebacks and service history

Military inscriptions commonly combine a service prefix, NATO stock number, issue number and year, with a broad arrow. Exact layouts vary. The broad arrow is a government property mark; it is evidence about the watch’s issued status, not a complete chain of custody after disposal.

Casebacks and other components can change during service. In a 2024 article, Phillips describes two 5517s whose casebacks had been swapped and later reunited by their owner. Phillips also records a civilian bezel insert replaced with a military insert and hands relumed before sale. This is a specific documented history, not proof that every mismatch or replaced part came from military service.

Auction record

The following entries are individual auction records. Prices are shown as the auction house reports them; estimates are identified separately.

Auction Lot Catalogue description Published result
Phillips Geneva XIV, 2021 152 5517, case 5,339,827; circa 1978; 0552/923-7697, issue 842/78; Cal. 1520, 26 jewels; Rolex UK issue letter sold for CHF 504,000
Phillips New York, 2019 28 5513/5517; case 3,926,768; catalogued 1972; 0552/923-7697, issue 688/77; Cal. 1520, 26 jewels; owner’s dive log sold for USD 218,750
Phillips Hong Kong, 2017 807 5513 with 5517 under lug; case 3,926,923; circa 1974; W10 stock marking, issue 941/79; Cal. 1520, 26 jewels sold for HKD 1,625,000
Antiquorum Monaco, 2022 77 5513/5517; case 3,926,842; circa 1975; W10 stock marking, issue 960/79; Cal. 1520 sold for EUR 260,000
Sotheby’s Geneva, 2023 64 5513/5517; case 3,926,898; circa 1973; Cal. 1520, 26 jewels; catalogued later-added bezel insert Result hidden behind login on the public page reviewed
Sotheby’s Geneva, 2023 3 5517; case 5,339,705; circa 1978; issue 853/78; Cal. 1520, 26 jewels CHF 482,600; result reported by Sotheby’s in 2026

The results span different years, currencies and condition histories; together they are not a current market range. Phillips’ 2021 lot 152 carried a Rolex UK letter confirming issue in 1978; its catalogue reported the result as CHF 504,000. Sotheby’s later reported CHF 482,600 for its 2023 lot 3. Auction catalogues also document mismatched casebacks, service parts and owner-added components, so sale descriptions should be read at the lot level.

Dial on a double-reference 5513 and 5517 military Submariner
Dial on a double-reference 5513/5517, case 3,926,898. Sotheby’s, 2023, lot 64.

Authentication notes

Authentication depends on the whole watch. Compare the case references and numbers, caseback inscriptions, movement, dial, hands, bezel and documented service history. Phillips’ caseback-swapping example shows why a mismatch needs explanation rather than an automatic rejection; the same evidence does not make every mismatch acceptable.

Preserve lot-specific observations when describing an individual watch. The sources cited here do not give a complete serial range or the original delivery configuration of every watch.

  • Rolex military Submariner 5517, whole watch
    Whole watch, 5517
  • Caliber 1520 and inside caseback
    Movement and case interior
  • Sword hands and dial close-up
    Hands and dial
  • Full 60-minute bezel
    Bezel
  • Encircled T dial marking
    T marking
  • Fixed bars between case lugs
    Fixed bars
  • Double-reference dial detail
    Double-reference example

Sources

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