ROLEX SUBMARINER 5512 "EXPLORER Steel bracelet... - Lot 79 - Maison R&C, Commissaires-Priseurs Associés

Lot 79
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Estimation :
25000 - 28000 EUR
Result without fees
Result : 19 230EUR
ROLEX SUBMARINER 5512 "EXPLORER Steel bracelet... - Lot 79 - Maison R&C, Commissaires-Priseurs Associés
ROLEX SUBMARINER 5512 "EXPLORER Steel bracelet watch, black dial, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" at noon and "SUBMARINER/200m=660ft", golden "Chapter Ring" minute track, 3/6/9 index in Arabic numerals, "Mercedes" hands, golden "SWISS" mention. Unidirectional bezel, tritium ball. Signed screw-down crown, pointed crown shoulders. Case marked between the lugs, with the reference 5512 and the serial number 870697. Steel caseback signed Rolex reference 5512, date IV.62 inside. Mechanical self-winding movement signed Rolex reference 1530, numbered 45411. Steel bracelet, folding clasp. Watch not functional at the time of the expertise, without guarantee of future operation and condition of parts. Watch visibly waterlogged, oxidation of the dial and hands, partially of the movement. Complete overhaul to be expected. Damage to the winding stem. Circa 1962 Diameter 40 mm The Rolex Submariner 5512 is introduced in 1959, and its production period will last until 1979. Its importance in the chronology of the great Submariner family is significant. It is the first Submariner to be equipped with the famous crown shoulders. Indeed, the previous reference 5508 did not have them. With this evolution, the diameter also evolves, going from 38 to 40 mm. If we go a little further into the technical side of things, the Submariner reference 5512 also introduces a chronometer-certified caliber, which has led to the appearance of two additional lines at six o'clock indicating it. But this does not concern the first occurrences of the 5512, of which our example is one, having been produced in 1962. In summary, the reference 5512 introduces a nice dose of modernity in the Submariner lineage. The reference offered today is particularly rare and exceptional because it is one of the first examples of Submariner reference 5512, with a glossy dial, known in the jargon as "glossy" with gold writing called "gilt", without forgetting the famous "chapter ring" including the minute track surrounded by a border here in gold. But the piece offered for sale today goes much further. Indeed, it is equipped with a dial called "Explorer", an obvious reference to the reference Explorer at Rolex known for its dial indexes in Arabic numerals for marks 3, 6 and 9. The Rolex Submariner 5512 called "Explorer" can be counted on the fingers of two hands, their production having been only a few dozen pieces, and probably reserved for the English market. Our example of reference 5512 comes from the direct descent of the first owner. The proposed watch is in its original condition. Indeed, the serial number in 800XXX stipulates a production year between 1962 and 1963, and this is confirmed by the engraving on the inside of the case back IV 62, meaning a production in the last quarter of 1962. The bezel insert was probably changed during an overhaul in the early 1970s, as the typography of some of the numbers suggests. Our example, as a diver's watch, has probably experienced a little too much salt bath. The decision was made not to touch the watch, which comes to us from the son of the first owner, and which has never been opened since its last revision in 1992, as the signatures of its watchmaker inside the case back stipulate. As a result, the dial has oxidized heavily with its hands, not preventing the 3.5 and 9 indexes and the writing from being clearly visible. The luminescent material of the hands and some indexes has also disintegrated with time. A watch that will need a major overhaul to regain its former splendor, marked by a unique face.
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