Lot 121
Rolex. A very rare British Military Issued stainless steel automatic wristwatch
Oyster Perpetual Submariner 'MilSub' Ref.5513, Case No.3764810, made circa 1972
Auction: 20 May 2026 from 14:00 BST
Description
Cal.1520 self-winding movement with hacking seconds, matt black dial with tritium luminescent dot, triangle and baton indexes, tritium T indication, Mercedes luminescent hands, centre seconds, stainless steel Oyster case with solid strap bars, screw-down reverse engraved 3763709 to the inside, screw-down Oyster Triplock crown, bi-directional rotating bezel calibrated to 60 minutes. Case, dial and movement signed. On grey fabric NATO strap.
Dimensions
Diameter 39mm.
Footnote
The Rolex Military Submariner, or ‘MilSub’ as it is known, were examples ordered in several batches by the British Ministry of Defence (MOD) between 1972 and 1979 for use by the Special Boat Service (SBS) and Special Air Service (SAS). The MOD requested modifications that matched the unusual working conditions they would be subjected to. Based on a regular Ref.5513, the movement had hacking seconds (unlike a regular 5513, the seconds stop when you pull the crown out) oversized sword hands and seconds with larger luminous, dials printed with an encircled T to show use of tritium luminescent, bezels with minute indicators the full 60 instead of just 15, a satin finished case, fixed strap bars and an engraved reverse with military designation and issue details, additionally, the serial number was repeated inside the case back. Due to the nature of their use, today, relatively few examples remain in their original ‘full spec’ configuration. We often see situations where case backs were swapped with another MilSub so the serial numbers do not match, or, commonly, as the MilSub was once regarded as lesser than a regular 5513, where the caseback engraving has been polished off and solid strap bars removed so a bracelet can be fitted. Considered by some collectors, including myself, as the ultimate vintage watch, a MilSub can worn daily and rarely attract attention, except for the few that really know watches.
This example offered is fitted with an early 1970s service replacement 5512 dial stamped with an encircled T, the case back has been polished to remove military marking and the inner caseback stamped for serial number 3763709. The hands are regular 5513 service hands as is the bezel.