Reference:5512: Difference between revisions

Production totals: 17,338 units across the full 1959-1980 run. For comparison, the non-chronometer 5513 produced 151,449 units — roughly one 5512 for every 11.4 5513s. Period retail pricing reflects the chronometer premium: in 1966–1968, a 5512 cost $210–$235 versus $160–$175 for the 5513.

The easiest way to read the 5512 is as a long run with four distinct generations, each defined by crown guard shape, dial type, and movement caliber. The generations are not clean factory transitions — they overlap at the edges — but they are stable enough to use as a navigation framework.

Only approximately 12 known examples survive — arguably the rarest 5512 configuration in any form. The square profile is immediately recognizable: the guards are blunt and straight rather than angled or pointed, a shape Rolex abandoned quickly after the first production run. The serial number for square guards starts at 478 0xx onwards (1959), with eagle beak guards starting at serial 478 1xx. Combined square and eagle beak production is estimated at no more than 300 total. The movement is caliber 1570, the dial is gloss black with gilt printing and a chapter ring. One square-crown-guard 5512 sold at Christie’s in December 2013 for CHF 190,000. That sale price has not been beaten in public auction since, which gives some sense of where the ceiling sits when one of these appears.

Gilt-gloss dial construction: The gilt text on 5512 dials is not painted on top of the dial surface. The gold-colored text is actually the brass dial plate visible through precision cutouts — it sits below the surface. Black glossy paint is applied over the brass plate, then a clear lacquer coat is applied on top. Silver text (when present, such as SCOC lines) is applied on top of the final clear lacquer coat. Luminous material is applied last. This layered construction explains why gilt dials age differently from later printed matte dials.

Rolex Forum collectors note that three distinct crown guard shapes are concentrated within 1959 alone — the square guards, an early transitional form, and the beginning of the pointed Cornino profile. Rolex was iterating fast.

The transition from square to pointed guards happened sometime in 1960, but it was not a clean break — there are transitional examples. The term “eagle beak” is also used for this guard shape, with approximately 200 examples estimated for this configuration. “Cornino” is Italian for “little horn” and describes the sharply pointed tip that gives this generation its personality. Serial number 870xxx (approximately 1962) is a solid Generation 2 example. Both two-line and four-line dials appear in this generation, which matters: the “5512 = four-line chronometer” shorthand breaks down here. Two-line dials carry no COSC certification text. Movement is caliber 1530 or 1560 depending on exact production timing.

The transition from pointed to rounded guards happens mid-to-late 1960s. Dial printing shifts from gilt to matte white around the same period — the exact boundary overlaps with the 5513’s own matte transition. This generation bridges into the long matte phase that runs to the end of the reference.

The matte era follows and carries most of the long middle and late production. This is where meters-first and feet-first language starts to matter — those terms simply describe whether the dial prints 200m before 660ft, or the other way around. Late in the run, maxi dials appear: collector shorthand for matte dials with noticeably larger lume plots.

Luminous material transition: The 5512 spans the radium-to-tritium transition. 1950s and very early 1960s examples used radium, which tends to develop a darker, more orange-toned patina over time. From the early 1960s onward, tritium replaced radium — tritium dials tend toward lighter shades of gold. The color difference between aged radium and aged tritium plots is partly attributed to how the brass dial plate reacted with different anti-corrosion chemicals during manufacturing. The dial text at the bottom reflects this: pre-1964 dials read “SWISS” only; from 1964 onward, “SWISS T<25” denotes tritium use.

The COSC/non-COSC split within the 5512 explains why some 5512s carry caliber 1530 — the same movement found in the 5513. Hodinkee Reference Points confirms: “The early generations of 5513s use the caliber 1530, the same caliber that you’d find in the non-chronometer 5512s.” Only the COSC-certified 5512s used the higher-spec 1570 and 1560-family calibers. Non-COSC examples within the 5512 reference share the 1530 with the 5513, which is why the two references’ movement histories are not as divergent as the four-line/two-line shorthand suggests.

Its dial taxonomy is organized by generation rather than by named dial variants — this differs from the 5513, which collectors classify by named types (Underline, Bart Simpson, Maxi). The two systems reflect different collecting priorities for each reference.

The two-line configuration carries the depth rating and “SUBMARINER” only — no chronometer certification text. The four-line configuration adds “SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER” and “OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED” (SCOC text). A rare OCC variant exists from the very earliest production: “OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED / CHRONOMETER” instead of the standard SCOC layout — analogous to the OCC 1675 GMT.

After approximately 1967, the 5512 transitions from gilt to matte dials with white lettering — the same broad transition that affects the entire Submariner line. Matte 5512 dials include meters-first, feet-first, and late maxi examples. The exact subtype map is still messier than the current package can claim to settle.

Forum collectors identify a “Meters First Neat Fonts” variant as a named sub-type within the matte meters-first category — distinguished by a particularly clean, precisely spaced typeface in the dial printing. A serif dial variant is also documented from approximately 1971–1972, where the dial text uses a serif typeface that differs from both the earlier and later non-serif matte printing. These named variants track the same typographic progression documented in the 5513 dial genre timeline.

The crystal is a super dome plexi (model 19 or Tropic 39), giving early examples a pronounced domed profile. The watch keeps the usual no-date Submariner format and rotating bezel, with early Long 5 inserts — meaning bezel inserts whose 5 has a long tail — still showing up often enough to matter.

Early gilt dials show an exclamation dot below the 6 o’clock lume plot — a small round marker that likely is a radium warning indicator. The radium-to-tritium transition occurred in the mid-1960s, with dial printing shifting from “SWISS” to “SWISS T<25” to denote the change in luminous material.

Chapter ring timing: Gilt 5512 dials from 1959 through 1962 feature a characteristic gold-tone connected minute track (chapter ring) spanning the dial periphery. From 1963 onward, the chapter ring is absent — unless the dial is a carryover from an earlier production year. A chapter ring combined with an underline is very rare; when found, casebacks are typically dated to Q4 1962.

The earliest 5512 bezels are Fat Font Mark 1 — identifiable by two things working together: thick, bold numerals, and the “kissing 40” at the 40-minute position where the 4 and 0 are nearly touching each other. The gap between them is almost nothing. Once recognized, it is unmistakable. A service bezel walks right past unnoticed without that knowledge.

The Mark 2 bezel was likely introduced with Generation 3 in the mid-1960s, though the exact transition point is not cleanly documented. Service bezels use thin-font numerals and no kissing 40 — both flags that a bezel has been swapped. A genuine Fat Font Mark 1 bezel on an early gilt 5512 is a meaningful authenticity and value indicator; a service bezel on the same case represents a significant collector downgrade.

5512 gilt dials — especially chapter ring dials — are one of the more active fraud vectors in vintage Submariner collecting. The value premium on an original gilt 5512 dial is large enough to make refinishing and dial swapping commercially attractive. A genuine 5512 gilt dial should have: a gilt chapter ring with the correct hash mark style for its production period, a Rolex coronet in the shape appropriate for that era, and print characteristics (font weight, letter spacing, depth rating format) consistent with the serial band.

Late gilt 5512 examples from approximately 1966 can show what collectors call “Bart Simpson” coronets — the deep yellow of the galvanic gilt process produces a coronet whose color and proportions draw the cartoon comparison. Less common on the 5512 than on the 5513, but it exists, and auction catalogues use the term. A bright yellow coronet on a late gilt 5512 warrants verifying the serial range before assuming it is genuine.

# Elongated spikes coronet (1963): Broad base with very long spikes. Seldom seen — a rare variant.

Rolex Forum collectors flag the butterfly rotor as an authentication checkpoint for the 5512. The butterfly rotor — named for its shape — is the correct rotor type for certain production periods within the reference’s long run. A 5512 presented with an incorrect rotor type for its serial range is a red flag for movement replacement or parts mixing. This is a quick visual check that can be performed with the caseback removed and is especially useful when evaluating early examples where the movement premium is highest.