Reference:submariner-5xxx-family: Difference between revisions

The 5xxx Submariner family is the core no-date vintage Submariner story. Understanding how the Submariner became the thing most collectors picture in their heads starts here.

The family runs across six references. The [[Reference:5508|5508]] is the small-crown, no-crown-guard watch — the last of that mainstream branch. The [[Reference:5510|5510]] is the big-crown transitional bridge to the later family. The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the chronometer crown-guard no-date Submariner and the [[Reference:5513|5513]] is its non-chronometer counterpart. The [[Reference:5514|5514]] is the COMEX-only branch with a helium escape valve, and the [[Reference:5517|5517]] is the military-only fixed-bar branch.

The family starts without crown guards and ends with them fully baked into the model. The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the structural pivot — it makes crown guards permanent.

The [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]] overlap for years, but they are not the same watch in market position. The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the chronometer no-date watch. The [[Reference:5513|5513]] is the cheaper non-chronometer no-date watch. The distinction matters more than it might appear.

The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the premium no-date Submariner — the first where crown guards become a lasting part of the model’s identity. It carries the chronometer story.

The [[Reference:5517|5517]] is the dedicated military branch. Fixed bars, full-minute bezel markings, and military hand and dial traits put it in a different lane from the standard commercial references. The package now includes two direct Sotheby’s [[Reference:5517|5517]] lot pages, a photographed 1977 example from Hodinkee’s Mike Wood report, and a sold military [[Reference:5513|5513]] archive example. The military branch finally has real observed footing.

The family is not one dial story. Early 5xxx watches still sit in the glossy gilt world — glossy black dials with gilt-colored printing rather than the later matte style. The [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]] then split into different long-run dial arcs. The [[Reference:5512|5512]] movement path runs through 1530, 1560, and 1570, while the [[Reference:5513|5513]] movement path settles into 1530 and 1520.

The current book-backed fitment picture already overlaps heavily across [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]], with the 7206/80, the 9315/280 (or 380), and the 93150/580 all documented. That does not mean those combinations were all original-delivery defaults across the run. The same caution applies to boxes and papers.

That gap does not mean every [[Reference:5512|5512]] is automatically better. It does explain why the [[Reference:5512|5512]] feels scarcer and why special-branch 5xxx watches move into a different price tier fast.

The special branches now have more than abstract rarity language. A sold 1976 [[Reference:5514|5514]] COMEX archive example with box, service papers, and diver provenance is in the local package, while Sotheby’s direct [[Reference:5517|5517]] lots from 2018 and 2023 give the military branch real auction footing with six-figure CHF estimates and explicit military-spec component notes.