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Auction 109
Lot 396

109th Auction

2023/11/18

Lot 396

Rolex
Bart Simpson

A charismatic, vintage diving wristwatch with "Bart Simpson dial" and beautiful, warm patina

estimated
20.000—30.000 €
Price realized
-
specific features
Case
Steel, screw back with with perfect toothing and marking 5513 I/66, bidirectional rotating black "long 5 insert" bezel (pearl slightly damaged), screwed vintage "Rolex" winding crown without dots, riveted steel "Oyster" bracelet ref. 7206, 6/6 bracelet elements, endlinks stamped 80, "paw" clasp dated 3/66, bracelet length 150 mm, total length 190 mm.
Dial
Black, slightly matte "full glossy Bart Simpson dial", meters first, nicely patinated luminous indexes (zinc sulphite), later Mercedes hands (tritium).
Movement
Automatic.
Case no.1391945
Ref.5513
Cal.1520
Diam.39 mm
Circa1966
Ctry.Switzerland


This stunning watch for divers has a slightly matte full gloss dial, its surface has slight micro blistering at the edge, resulting in a unique patina. The Rolex crown on the dial is reminiscent of Bart Simpson's crown of hair, after which this Submariner is named. The charmingly aged toffee-coloured luminous vintage indexes and tritium Mercedes hands add to its overall pleasant appeal.


Reference 5513 was introduced around 1961 and produced until 1989, which means it had the longest production run of all Submariner models. This enormous success results from a number of attractive details: The watch is waterproof to a depth of 200 m, the large and sturdy crown with protection device is suitable for scuba-diving and the black bezel with the silver triangle has a minute division from 1 to fifteen minutes.
Reference 5513 set benchmarks in the world of sports watches and this timepiece is an impressive example of that. It is a worthy addition to any superior collection of rare sports watches.