Essence of vintage Rolex

Maybe i showed you to many watches and many thoughts on why i love vintage Rolex so much already. But this one i surly want to share with you! I am not into this because of mechanics, technical issues of wristwatches. But because of design, lifestyle and most important the feeling of wearing something with meaning on your wrist. A piece that will be part of your life and history. Will meet the important moments in your life and will past them on. And often might show them by scratches, patina etc. Something i might be able to past on to my kids. 

But i also love vintage Rolex because everytime i put on a vintage watch i realize that the watch already has seen a life. Uhhh how many stories small and big could it tell... imagination is a mighty tool LOOL!

So i collected many watches over the years. From 'small' pieces up to Milsub's, Comex, Newmans etc. I was lucky to had great guidance and friends. And did all the 'must have pieces'. But now after 6 years of collecting vintage Rolex i reached a stage where i am back at the beginning.

The essence of vintage Rolex for me.

I started with a 6536 small crown Submariner. Non Date. And then went crazy...

In all those years i kept getting back to the non-date Subs and vintage Daytona's. 2 of the most beautiful designs ever! So what is new?

Last week i was able to buy a watch, which holds all the greatness of our hobby. I was so lucky a friend who bought is from the original owner passed it on to me.... 

A 'simple' but ohhh so nice 5513 Submariner.

The watch holds all the iconic vintage style elements. Great Submariner case, revited bracelet which makes the design of the case look even nicer, great symmetrical dial design...

But is has much more...

It's a watch that was on the wrist of a now more then 80 years old guy. Who has been wearing it for years.. and then put it in a kitchen drawer... and left it there for about 15 years. And that makes it so special. A watch in it's full original state. Nothing changed... even the original bracelet.  Look at the details of the lugs.. untouched. You even see the scratches and her cracks inside the plexi.

Just cleaned it up, polished a bit of the scratches off the plexi.. and left as found.

It's one of the early matte dial versions. 1.5 million serial. Just in the change from gilt to matte in 1967.

The indexes seem to be a tritium zinc sulfat mixture which is known to be used in the 60th. Which still give a bright light when hit by daylight. And doves rather quickly again. This dial is still so fresh, guess as it was hidden for so long, that it still has kind of a greenish feel to it. As we also often see in older Rolex advertisement from that era.

The case shape is so elegant and those beveled lugs make it so nice to look at and keep flipping your wrist towards the light.

Look at the lugs. As seen on many of these watches in that era.. non symmetrical lugs. Why did Rolex do it?  

And then the most sexy detail of the watch. Look at the structure of the steel. Completely untouched. So cool!

Well i am very happy to be able to share such piece with you. 

One could feel it's just another 5513... so what. Ask yourself... how often have you had the chance to find a 5513 in all original, unpolished condition. Without being flipped by 10 dealers before.. changed inlay... etc. Finding those watches becomes harder and harder,.... and harder.

For me these are the new grail watches.

Finding all original, original owner watches. Cherish them and pass the history on ....