Rolex 5517 Submariner
Submariner › 5517
The 5517 is a Submariner reference associated with British Ministry of Defence procurement. Auction records show dedicated 5517 cases and double-reference 5513/5517 cases, with examples dated in the 1970s. Collectors commonly group surviving cases into batches, but Rolex has not published a complete batch register.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 5517 |
| family | Submariner, military procurement reference |
| distribution | British Ministry of Defence procurement; surviving records include Royal Navy and Army issue |
| production | approximately 1971–1979 in the surviving auction and reference records |
| total program output | estimates vary by source, roughly 1,100–1,500 delivered; surviving population estimates also vary |
| 5517-batch-3 specific | Phillips reports an estimate of about 250 produced and 50 known for one 5517-only subset |
| movement | caliber 1520, 26 jewels in the major-house lots cited here; inspect the individual movement |
| case | 40mm Oyster, fixed lug bars (friction-welded permanent spring bars) |
| crystal | acrylic |
| bezel | full 60-minute graduated bezel on documented military examples |
| hands | sword hands on documented 5517 examples; some earlier military 5513 cases are recorded with Mercedes hands |
| dial | matte black with T SWISS T (tritium); Maxi I and II generations on later examples |
| caseback | Royal Navy: 0552 / 923-7697 / [issue]/[year] + broad arrow. Army (W10): W10 / 6645 / 99 / 923-7697 / [issue]/[year] + broad arrow. T-circle is a DIAL marking, not caseback. |
Where it sits in the line
The 5517 sits outside the ordinary retail no-date Submariner line in the cited records. The surviving military examples show fixed bars, full-minute bezels, luminous-dial markings, sword hands on many examples, and military caseback engravings. These features are associated with Ministry of Defence specifications; the surviving records do not document the requirement for every individual part.
The 5514 COMEX and 5517 are separate non-standard branches of the 5513-era Submariner. The 5514 is associated with COMEX; 5517 records include British military issue. Earlier military Submariner references, including A/6538 examples, predate the 5517.
Production outline
Collectors describe three broad case-marking groups, but the surviving evidence is incomplete and the production totals are estimates from secondary and auction sources.
Batch 1: 5513 engravings only
Some early military cases carry 5513 markings between the lugs. Auction and specialist records also show both sword and Mercedes hand configurations among early military 5513 cases. The available sources do not establish how many were delivered with each hand set or how many later changed hands during service.
Batch 2: 5513/5517 double-reference
Some cases carry 5513 between the lugs and a 5517 stamp under a lug. This double-reference format is a collector classification supported by auction examples; it does not by itself prove a factory transition sequence. The cited major-house lots place several double-reference examples in the 3.926M serial band — Phillips New York 2019 lot 28 (case 3,926,768, c.1972, issue 688/77), Phillips Hong Kong 2017 lot 807 (case 3,926,923, c.1974, W10 Army issue 941/79), Antiquorum Monaco 2022 lot 77 (case 3,926,842, c.1975, W10 issue 960/79), Sotheby's 2023 lot 64 (case 3,926,898, c.1973), Bonhams 2018 lot 90 (392xxxx, c.1972). Issue years 77 and 79 dominate the cluster.
Batch 3: 5517 engravings between lugs
Some later cases carry 5517 between the lugs without a 5513 marking. The cited major-house lots place several such examples in the 5.339M serial band: Phillips Geneva XIV 2021 lot 152 (case 5,339,827, c.1978), Sotheby's November 2023 lot 3 (case 5,339,705, c.1978, issue 853/78), the Phillips MilSub-discovery article reunited pair (case 5,339,667, c.1978). The cited examples are dated around 1978. Phillips reports an estimate of about 250 produced and 50 known for one 5517-only subset; that figure is not a factory production record.
The 3.9M and 5.3M clusters recur in the cited auction records. A missing serial band in those records is not proof that no intermediate cases exist.
Movement notes
The major-house lots cited here describe caliber 1520 with 26 jewels. That is the working movement attribution for the 5517 examples in this article. A movement should still be checked on the individual watch; the absence of a 1570 description in these lots does not establish what every surviving case contains.
The 5517’s distinction from a standard 5513 in the cited records is its case, bezel, dial, hands, and military engravings; the movement descriptions are the same caliber 1520 family.
Dial map
Standard T SWISS T military dial
Documented military dials use a circled-T or T SWISS T marking to identify tritium. Dial text and depth-rating lines vary by example; the cited auction records should be used for the individual watch. The dial marking is one authentication feature alongside the case, bezel, hands, and engravings.
Maxi dial generations
Some late 5517 examples are described with Maxi dial terminology used for contemporary 5513 watches. The labels and date ranges are collector classifications, not a published Rolex 5517 register. The Sotheby's 2023 lot 3 (case 5,339,705, c.1978) catalogues a Maxi I dial. Maxi III ("lollipop") arrives c.1978 in the 5M–6M range — the latest 5517 dial generation surfaced in major-house lots.
Sword hand variants
Sword or “gladiator” hands are documented on 5517 examples. Earlier military 5513 records also show Mercedes hands. The sources do not provide a complete delivery or service-replacement count, so hand originality must be assessed from the individual watch and its provenance.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
Fixed lug bars
The military examples use fixed bars attached to the lugs, intended for fabric straps. The construction affects bracelet fit and should be inspected for original welds and lug geometry; the sources do not establish the same production method for every batch.
Full 60-minute graduated bezel
Military examples are documented with bezels graduated for all 60 minutes. Some early military 5513 records show different inserts; the cited material is not a complete parts register for every 5517 case.
Caseback engraving formats
The caseback records combine Rolex case and serial markings with military identification marks. 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 / SBS issue uses the 0552 prefix: 0552 / 923-7697 / [issue]/[year] plus the broad arrow. Army / SAS / W10 issue uses the W10 prefix: W10 / 6645 / 99 / 923-7697 / [issue]/[year] plus the broad arrow. The T-circle is a dial marking, not a caseback engraving, and articles that describe it as caseback-side conflate two separate authentication tells.
Documented issue numbers in major-house lots: 688/77, 691/77, 853/78, 941/79, 960/79, 395/75. The broad arrow identifies British government property. A civilian-market watch with that mark needs a documented chain of custody; the mark alone does not explain how it left service.
Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes
The cited military examples are shown on fabric straps, and the fixed bars constrain bracelet fit. Packaging and original delivery accessories are less consistently documented than the watches themselves; do not infer a complete packaging standard from one lot.
Authentication
The 5517’s military parts and provenance make authentication difficult. A standard 5513 can be altered with replacement parts, so case, bezel, dial, hands, engravings, movement, and provenance must be checked together.
Phillips documents examples with caseback and movement or case-number histories that require explanation. A non-matching number requires documented service or issue history. A matching set still needs the same provenance and physical checks.
“5513-T-MOD” and “5517-T-MOD” are dealer and collector terms rather than Rolex references. Use the documented reference, case marks, parts, and provenance instead.
Replacement bezels, hands, relumed dials, and added T markings are known inspection questions. The cited sources do not support a fixed value penalty. Check provenance, case construction, engravings, bezel, dial, hands, movement, and known examples together.
Historical market and auction record
| Sale | Lot | Year | Serial | Batch / config | Hammer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips Geneva XIV | 152 | 2021 | 5,339,827 | Batch 3, c.1978 Maxi, Henry Hudson letter | CHF 504,000 incl. premium |
| Sotheby's Important Watches I Geneva | 3 | 2023 | 5,339,705 | Batch 3, c.1978 Maxi I, issue 853/78 | CHF 482,600 |
| Phillips Bacs & Russo Geneva | - | 2025 | - | 5517 39mm | USD 401,270 |
| Antiquorum Monaco | 353-77 | 2022 | 3,926,842 | Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1975, W10 issue 960/79 | EUR 260,000 |
| Phillips New York "Game Changers" | 28 | 2019 | 3,926,768 | Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1972, Royal Navy issue 688/77 | USD 218,750 |
| Bonhams London Knightsbridge | - | 2022 | - | Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1975, original Royal Navy diver provenance, caseback 691/77 | GBP 195,600 incl. premium |
| Phillips Bacs & Russo Geneva | - | 2024 | - | 5517 | USD 123,283 |
| Wannenes Italy | - | 2025 | - | 5517 39mm | USD 182,178 |
| Fellows Birmingham Luxury Watch Sale | 129 | 2020 | - | 5517, MOD engravings | GBP 174,800 incl. premium (Fellows house record) |
| Phillips Hong Kong | 807 | 2017 | 3,926,923 | Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1974, W10 Army issue 941/79 | HK$ 1,625,000 |
| Sotheby's New York | 238 | 2018 | - | 5517 c.1978, MOD engravings | not publicly listed |
| Sotheby's Important Watches II Geneva | 64 | 2023 | 3,926,898 | Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1973, Maxi Mk I pumpkin patina | not publicly listed |
| Bonhams London Fine Watches | 90 | 2018 | 392xxxx | Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1972, military engravings removed, inner caseback I.72 | GBP 72,500 incl. premium |
| Phillips New York "Winning Icons" | 48 | 2017 | - | 5513/5517, 1979, W10 Army Air Corps | not publicly listed |
The table records a CHF 504,000 Phillips 2021 result and a CHF 482,600 Sotheby’s 2023 result. Those are individual auction outcomes, not a universal price hierarchy. Double-reference and 5513 examples differ in condition, provenance, and completeness, so the results should be compared lot by lot.
Auction descriptions emphasize batch or case markings, military documentation, condition, and completeness of the dial, hands, bezel, and caseback. These features explain differences between lots but do not create a fixed ranking.
Related references
The 5517 is the dedicated Submariner of the MilSub program, used in the third Royal Navy batch after the first two ran on 5513 cases. It sits inside the 5xxx Submariner family with the chronometer 5512, the long-run civilian 5513, and the COMEX 5514.
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Rolex Submariner 5517 military-issue case and dial -
5517 on a military fabric strap with fixed bars -
5517 reference example
Sources
- History of the Rolex Submariner — Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date — Tom Mulraney (Monochrome, 2020)
- Inside Mike Wood's "For Exhibition Only": A Private Rolex Collection On Limited Display — Tim Vaux (Hodinkee)
- Reference Points: Understanding The Rolex Submariner — Stephen Pulvirent (Hodinkee, 2019)
- Rolex MilSub Submariner Reference 5513 — Eric Wind (Wind Vintage)
- An Unexpected Discovery on a Vintage Rolex Submariner MilSub (Phillips)
- The Rolex Milsub — Rolex 5517 The Rolex Military Submariner — Daniel Bourn
- The Rolex Milsub: the MIL-itary SUB-mariner (Italian Watch Spotter)
- 5513/7 Double Reference Rolex Royal Navy MilSub (Hairspring)
- The Rolex Military Submariner 5513 (drsd.com)
- Maxi Dials — 5513 Matte Dial Review — Beaumont Miller II
- Rolex MilSub Sells for Over £174,000 Smashing Fellows House Record (Fellows Auctioneers, 2020)
- Military Submariner — A Watch Made by History — Corrado Mattarelli (OnlyVintage Magazine listing)
- The Rolex MilSub Submariner Ref. 5517 resource page (editorial)
- Rolex Submariner MilSub Ref. 5517 — Phillips Geneva XIV lot 152 (Phillips, 2021)
- Full Spec Military Submariner Reference 5517 c.1978 — Sotheby's Important Watches Part I lot 3 (Sotheby's, 2023)
- MilSub Submariner Ref 5517 c.1978 — Sotheby's lot 238 (Sotheby's, 2018)
- Rolex Military Submariner Double Reference 5513/5517 — Phillips New York Game Changers lot 28 (Phillips, 2019)
- Rolex Military Submariner Ref. 5513/5517 — Phillips Hong Kong lot 807 (Phillips, 2016)
- Rolex Ref. 5513/5517 Military Submariner — Antiquorum Monaco 2022 lot 77 (Antiquorum, 2022)
- Rolex Royal Navy Military Submariner Ref. 5513/5517 — Bonhams Knightsbridge 2022 (Bonhams, 2022)
- Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513/5517 Military — Bonhams 2018 lot 90 (Bonhams, 2018)
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra