Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1513

Yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1513 on a leather strap — Ref. 1513/1503, Antiquorum, lot 477 (2020).

The 1513 is a 34 mm gold Oyster Perpetual Date with a patterned bezel. Phillips described the 2018 Geneva example as having a textured gold bracelet; the 2020 Hong Kong catalogue specifies a gold mesh bracelet. Antiquorum and listing W1121 show leather straps with gold buckles. One seller listing describes a Jubilee bracelet and a 14K case; both details remain uncorroborated. Auction catalogues identify the movement as Cal. 1570, while reference and parts lists place 1513 under Cal. 1575.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	1513; some auction records also give 1503 for the inside caseback
model name	Date or Oyster Perpetual Date in catalogue text; Phillips' structured model field says Datejust
documented dates	Auction records date examples from the 1970s to circa 1980; production endpoints are unknown
case	Gold Oyster case with date at 3 and a Cyclops lens in the recorded examples
diameter	34 mm in Phillips, Antiquorum and Finarte records
material	Phillips, Antiquorum and Finarte catalogue 18K examples; one image-backed seller listing describes a 14K example, an uncorroborated seller attribution
movement	Catalogues list Cal. 1570; reference and parts lists associate 1513 with Cal. 1575; a seller lists 1570 and shows that bridge marking
dial descriptions	Champagne, black and silver sunburst examples are recorded; no dial sequence or factory range is established
bezel	Cross-patterned texture; sources call it textured, bark-finished or cross-fluted. A Rolex Forums author says “cross-fluted” is his own term
crown and crystal	Time Connection II lists crown 24-530, tube 24-5320 and acrylic Cyclops 25-117; Westphal lists Cyclop 117
bracelets	Gold mesh, leather straps with gold buckles, and one seller-described Jubilee bracelet appear in individual records; original delivery is unestablished

Where it sits in the line

The 1513 belongs to the four-digit Oyster Perpetual Date group. Phillips' essays call its examples Date, while the structured model fields label them Datejust. Antiquorum and Finarte call their examples Oyster Perpetual Date or Date. The records identify 34 mm watches with a date display.

Production outline

Catalogue dates place examples in the 1970s and circa 1980. Finarte dates case 2,973,274 to the 1970s. Phillips dates cases 3,561,316 and 3,561,300 to circa 1973; Antiquorum dates case 3,561,303 to circa 1980. A seller listing estimates 1974–1975 for its photographed example. The case-side photos show a 1513 engraving and serial 3,561,350; the estimate remains uncorroborated. The two November 2020 auction records give different estimated dates and case numbers three digits apart. The catalogues do not resolve whether they describe separate watches or contain a transcription error.

These records place the 1513 in production before 2020; they leave its factory start and end dates uncharted. Serial numbers date an individual watch only within the limits described in the serial-number guide.

Movement notes

Phillips and Antiquorum identify their examples as Cal. 1570. Time Connection II and Watch-Wiki list the 1513 under Cal. 1575; a seller listing also gives Cal. 1570 and shows a 1570-marked bridge. A Rolex parts-manual comparison reproduced in a 2018 forum discussion shows how both labels can appear: the date-equipped 1575 belongs to the 1570 family and can carry a bridge marked 1570. The open movement in listing W1121 has that marking. It fits the parts-manual explanation, but does not identify the exact caliber in either photographed watch. See the movement guide for the broader 1570/1575 distinction.

Open back of a gold Rolex Date showing a movement marked 1570 — Movement and inside caseback from archived listing W1121; the case number is not legible.

Dial map

The records describe champagne (Phillips Hong Kong), black (Finarte and a seller listing), and silver sunburst (listing W1121) dials. The Phillips Geneva photograph shows a dark dial, but its text gives no color. These are individual examples, not a production sequence; the records do not date each dial or establish its originality.

Champagne dial, patterned bezel and gold mesh bracelet on Rolex ref. 1513 — Champagne dial and patterned bezel, Phillips Hong Kong lot 857.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The auction catalogues describe their gold cases as 18K yellow gold and measure them at 34 mm. A seller describes its pictured example as 14K yellow gold; the case photos show a 1513 engraving, while the listing provides no assay or papers. The 14K attribution remains a single seller report, not an established factory material range.

The bezel has a close cross-hatched texture. Phillips describes it as textured and Finarte calls it “bark-finished.” Bulang’s W1121 listing and a 2022 Rolex Forums author use “cross-fluted”; the forum author says the term is his own description. These are collector and catalogue descriptions, not a confirmed Rolex factory name. Time Connection II lists crown 24-530, tube 24-5320 and acrylic Cyclops 25-117 for ref. 1513. Westphal's catalogue separately groups 1513 with a Cyclop 117 crystal. These parts lists describe reference-level associations; they do not identify parts on an individual watch.

Close view of the patterned yellow-gold bezel and case on a Rolex ref. 1513 — Bezel and case detail from archived listing W1121.

Phillips and Antiquorum report an inside caseback stamped 1503 on watches identified externally as ref. 1513. Their records leave the relationship between the two numbers unexplained.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Phillips’ 2018 Geneva catalogue describes a textured gold bracelet; the 2020 Hong Kong catalogue specifies a gold mesh bracelet and deployant clasp. Antiquorum shows a leather strap and lists a gold Rolex buckle; listing W1121 shows a similar configuration with a gold plaque buckle. A seller describes a Jubilee bracelet on its 14K example. The records give no bracelet or end-link reference numbers, and original delivery is unestablished. The fitted box in the Antiquorum sale is sale packaging; the catalogue does not trace it to the watch's original delivery.

Gold Rolex plaque buckle on the strap shown with a Rolex ref. 1513 — Buckle pictured with archived listing W1121; original delivery is not established.

Historical market and auction record

sale	recorded example	result
12 May 2018, Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: SEVEN, lot 239	Case 3,561,316; circa 1973; 18K yellow gold; Cal. 1570; textured gold bracelet	CHF 12,500
8 November 2020, Antiquorum Geneva, lot 477	Case 3,561,303; circa 1980; 18K yellow gold; Cal. 1570; leather strap and gold buckle	CHF 4,375
29 November 2020, Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction XI, lot 857	Case 3,561,300; circa 1973; 18K yellow gold; Cal. 1570; gold mesh bracelet	HK$113,400

The two November 2020 catalogues give estimated dates that differ, case numbers separated by three, and different strap configurations. They may describe separate watches, but the catalogue records leave that uncertain; they should not be treated as two independently established production examples.

Related references

Oyster Perpetual Date 1500 — steel-cased examples in the same date-equipped group.
Oyster Perpetual Date 1512 — adjacent four-digit reference with its own bezel and case variants.
Oyster Perpetual Date 1511 — a nearby gold Date with its own conflicting movement labels and bezel descriptions.

Antiquorum lot 477: ref. 1513/1503 on a leather strap
Champagne dial and textured bezel, Phillips Hong Kong lot 857
Cross-patterned bezel, archived listing W1121
Gold plaque buckle shown with the strap, archived listing W1121
Movement marked 1570 and inside caseback, archived listing W1121; case number not legible

Sources