Reference:milsub: Difference between revisions
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==Configuration features== | ==Configuration features== | ||
<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 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 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 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. | |||
</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. | 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. | ||
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==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.]] | [[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. | 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. | ||
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==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.]] | [[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. | 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. | ||
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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. | 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. | ||
== Related references == | == Related references == | ||