Kel Solaar Yes the new Submariners Ceramic definitely wear much larger than the previous models. If you have a 7”+ wrist you may find you like the current model as opposed to the older Subs. It’s not that much more than the previous 16610 dates, 14060 no-date in used MIB condition. Provided your AD has one in stock. My local AD’s almost never have them in the showcase. You usually have to get on a waiting list in my area. The new Subs have the much improved bracelet and Ceramic bezel. Also the movements have small improvements that make the current Subs the most refined and practical for a no-worry everyday watch. All are well made, durable and reliable mechanical watch that will retain its value and very likely go up in value. You can wear that new Ceramic Sub for 10 years and sell it for a nice profit if you choose. Or keep it and wear it for 50. Rolex SS Sports are a lifetime and heirloom watch. Good luck with your decision.

evan h Thanks for taking the time to answer, sounds like good advice. Yes, huge waiting lists for ss here too. I went to the AD today, after ringing they had confirmed they had a two tone ceramic so tried it on. I was surprised to find out my wrists were over 7", as a slim/slim wristed sort of guy I always assumed my wrists were less. I liked the size of the sub. I tracked down a 2nd hand ss from 2018 in London from a place recommended by one of the other swanky jewellers in my home town. It will be arriving tomorrow by post.

Jimmy split 77 Yeah kind of clickbait but I figured many Rolex guys might get a kick out of it. That 3/6/9 dial was real expensive to replicate correctly. It has to be perfect or Rolex fanatics will let you know quick lol. Wouldn’t it be cool if Rolex where to do a modern version of the Explorer dial Subs using the 114060? Not that they need the help but that watch would be a Basel Star and sell like crazy. Iv’e seen several versions that people have done and it looks fantastic. That 3/6/9 dial is so classic, so Rolex. Always been my favorite.

evan h couldn't agree with you more mate 👍🏻

Michael Young at Classic Watch HK did the partial restore on the original dial. 1st year matt dials had problems with the paint flaking and Rolex addressed this early on. This dial had bad chipping around the center post and seconds track. Probably some water damage. Everest repainted some of the minute track and fixed the chipping in the center. They also redid the lume which had nearly dissolved away. The Crown, text and most of the track and hour plots are original. Everything new was blended perfectly with the original finish. I don’t recommend redoing a vintage Rolex dial unless you absolutely have too. But if you do then Michael Young’s shop in HK is one of the best qualified to do complex dial restoration.

moosehak The company is called MTE or MotionTech Engineering. They are based in Germany but sell their products worldwide. I have ordered directly from them but they do have a dealer network. I have seen them on ebay check there to find one for less. Being German made these are very high quality, robustly made, but somewhat expensive. They make several models including one that has the winder on a wood base, a lighted version with the winder under a clear plexiglass dome. I like their design, it reminds me of the Bergeon Cyclotest winders that a big watch service center like Rolex will use to test their work after service.

@@SPQR-Z thanks so much forgetting back to me man. Really appreciate it!

It certainly would make it more functional. Unfortunately a new Glidelock is Bloody expensive and would need to be adapted somehow. There are quality aftermarket Glidelock clasps that you can put on a 16610 but having a factory GL bracelet would be awesome

Bill A. Your watch is probably 80k now

Kevin C Agreed. I think people need to buy what they like at a price point that is comfortable. I saved 3 years for my first Rolex. They aren’t cheap but in the long run they pay dividends that are not apparent to average people. For instance I just sold a Rolex Sub that I paid $2600 wore 17yrs and sold for $6000. As far as expensive vintage Rolex Sport watches, I can’t justify spending $150,000 on an Explorer dial 5513 Submariner but I can afford a $500 Steinhart/ Gnomon collaboration Classic 39mm limited edition Explorer dial Homage. Very nice watch for a bargain price

@@SPQR-Z I wanted to apologize if I came across as a jerk early I honestly really wasn't trying too. I've had that moment where I could have easily whipped out that CC and bought that Rolex Sub or that Omega Seamaster. But then I had to ask myself do I really want to spend that much on a watch this stage in my life? I'm only 33 so its not like I need to get a Rolex or an Omega right this second. Watches like those are always gonna be around so I don't mind waiting and that's the fun of this hobby the thrill of the hunt.

Kevin C No didn’t take it that way at all. I get it, watch enthusiast grow and develop as their taste and disposable income circumstances change. I made many mistakes in my watch journey but looking back I never regretted buying SS Rolex Sport models. In the long run they never let me down. Iv’e also had good luck with Seiko and Steinhart for affordable brands. Save for that Rolex Sport you have your eye on.

@@SPQR-Z That's some good advice.

Steve Rice Sorry about to burst your bubble. Watch is a genuine1966 Rolex 5513 and has plenty of wear to it. The original chamfering is still quite strong but the case has plenty of dings and scratches, just hard to see because of the low resolution camera. The bezel insert is a NOS service Rolex insert I put on to wear the watch along with an original Rolex 5513 refinished 3-6-9 dial that I had laying around. The crystal is a genuine domed Rolex that has been polished and is proper for this vintage 5513. A crystal can typically be polished 3-5 times before becoming to thin. I totally agree with not touching a dial for “most” reasons. However there are 3 schools of thought concerning Rolex restoration and the argument is both intense and never ending. I obviously fall into the camp of certain things are acceptable if one wants to have a presentable watch for wear. This 1966 mat dial is not a rare variant nor particularly valuable. My 1962 1st year 5513 gilt I would probably never touch. So different standards for different value/rarity watches. This particular mat meters first dial had water damage at 1 and 5 o’clock positions + some paint flaking around the spindle hole. It was mint condition otherwise. Nice and dark with beautiful cream yellow lume. One of the best I’ve ever encountered in 100/s + 5513’s I’ve owned and/or handled. I had it touched up by one of the best dial restorers in the business with the results shown in a video I posted recently. They added the missing lume, fixed the finish in the 3 locations and blended everything just about perfectly. The watch is now worth more than with the damaged dial. So it sometimes depends on how and why you do a repair. But don’t fool yourself. There are a ton of nice looking 5513’s out there for sale that have refinished, repaired or replaced dials. I’d say more than half of them.

evan h, I’m sorry if I embarrassed you, friendo, but there’s just too much BS sloshing around in this video to ignore. Occam’s razor is screaming at me loud and clear. What you are describing with swapping out your original, genuine Rolex dial, bezel insert and now shaving down the crystal, all of which would destroy the originality and value of a vintage timepiece, for shits and giggles? And you chose to install reproduction or refinished parts that straight up rape the once-pristine condition and price of a classic Rolex??? Come on dude. And yep, I saw the other video. And I commented on that steaming pile as well. Your stories are not just nonsensical, but they are contradictory and plainly fabricated. I’m sorry but I don’t get it. Why claim to own a watch, make a long video about it (full of holes), and now respond to a viewer who sees thru the sham? Ultra-Fragile ego, wrapped up in false acquisitions of material possessions is in big trouble! One fun part is how your misuse of the nomenclature is laughable in the extreme! There are gloss dials, and MATTE dials. The plexi crystals are TROPIC #s, not TROPICAL...that’s when a black dial fades to a brown-orange-yellow hue over the years from a faulty chemical in the original dial paint/varnish. One of these mistakes would raise eyebrows when made in front of even a casual vintage collector/enthusiast. But all of these add up to sheer and utter disbelief. But hey, maybe I am totally wrong. It would be easy enough to prove me wrong and make me look like a big old douchebag here on this worldwide stage...... New video of you cracking open the caseback on the old 5513 and show everyone the movement, engravings, dial front/back and of course, live Geiger counter readings as you do the tear down. And re-install all the original parts to restore the originality and value of the piece. Up to you, bro. Gauntlet thrown.

Oh please. Your worried about someone’s feelings. That’s rich. I checked out your KZfaq channel. Kids Video game’s, really? First off before I waste anymore time debating you about Rolex what are Your credentials? Post up a video with all your vintage Rolex’s opened up with all markings and serial numbers so I can run them and determine if they’re fake. That you even bring that up leads me to believe you wear a replica Rolex. I have found people that make that immediate leap to judgement to be more often or not some butthurt wearer of replicas. News flash. Not everyone showing a Rolex unboxing on YT is necessarily showing a replica. Just saying. So You prove to me your worthy of my time. So far you’ve demonstrated that you can pick apart someone’s grammar or misspeaks and misspellings and spot a fake Rolex that isn’t a fake Rolex. At this point I would assume you know just about nothing about buying and selling vintage Rolex except what you’ve managed to glean by watching KZfaq videos. In case you haven’t noticed KZfaq Isn’t the gospel end-all of Rolex collecting & buying/selling. You fail to see the difference between a high level overview for general knowledge and entertainment vs an attempt at a deep dive into the intricacies of vintage Rolex discussion which you and I both know would take hours, if not days. Your a vintage Rolex expert eh? You’ve never put a temporary strap or dial or bezel insert. Your vintage Rolex are 110% correct exactly as they left the factory with the original oil and air in the case. Are you one of those ultra purist holy than mother Teresa guardians of the Holy shrine of Rolex and Your British or Aussie right? You do understand stand there’s you and then there’s everyone else, right? Why aren’t you on RPR or Hodinkee pedaling these false narratives? Oh the horrible YT man “shaved” the crystal down and had his 55 year old movement serviced. It’s not original anymore lol And since we’re parsing words, “Shaving down” a crystal in context of installing on a vintage 5513 means reshaping a more modern service crystal to mimic a vintage domed crystal. Polishing a proper vintage pexi crystal to remove scratches and be presentable means taking a buffer wheel to it. It’s done 1000’s of times a day all around the world by countless watchmakers including those at Rolex service centers. Yes, keep doing it and you end up with a flat spot and a thin crystal. Now if you scratch your crystal you can always replace it with a NOS domed Tropic.....oh wait those are 500 bucks for a genuine, if you can even find one. As an Rolex 5513 expert surely you know most offered as genuine are FAKE repro’s. I used to politely listen to this ultra crazed fanatical originality Rolex swill. Now I just call BS on it Ricky Gervais style

Shit I can’t help myself. In response to your gauntlet thrown challenge. #1. This watch just had a $1500 service/repair including a pressure test to ensure waterproofness. I would not open it and void my warranty just to satisfy a YT troll. You mention letting everyone see the movement number and case back markings. To what end? I’m quite sure the newer replicas have the correct markings now and only an expert close examination could reveal the cloned movement. Certainly not looking at a grainy YT video. You yourself couldn’t even see the scratches and dings on the case exterior let alone see if the internal case markings are correct. For your info the case back is marked III/66 with all the proper engraving including three watchmakers etching pen markings. The movement is a 1530 an older upgraded 1520. These watches used both movements and getting a 1530 was the luck of the draw up through about 66, 67. Second point concerning a Geiger counter check of what I assume is the lume? This 5513 being a 1966 uses Tritium lume NOT Radium. The Geiger counter test would not reveal anything. As anyone remotely familiar with vintage Rolex knows the Geiger counter test is only useful for pre 1960, 1961 at the latest when Rolex still employed Radium. The proper test for a Tritium dial is the UV light test to see if the phosphor used in the Tritium paint reacts. You should still get a slight glow that lasts a short duration. It’s not 100% reliable but it is a fair indication that it is indeed Tritium lume and not something like Luminova. Tritium paint has been unavailable since around the early 2000’s so it is somewhat hard for dial restorers to procure. The last of the Tritium lume was actually produced in the early 90’s and has since half-life about twice so any left around is nearly inert at this point in time. And yes the lume on this watch does react to the UV except for the three indices that were relumed. Pearl reacts also. If you watched my other recent video you would see that the original dial and proper Fat Font Long 5 insert are reinstalled as is the correct 7206 riveted bracelet. With the Boxset and accessories it would easily fetch $16,000 should I choose to sell it, (which I’m not) repaired dial/polished crystal and all. You may live in a world of plentiful 100% perfect vintage Submariners but for the rest of us mortals these are very hard to procure. A perfect 100% original would be prohibitively expensive for most people. This is a wearer not a safe queen. Like I said you know very little about this vintage Rolex thing and I don’t have to prove your a D-bag. Your doing a great job on your own. My suggestion to you is produce some vintage Rolex content and show all us amateurs how it’s done. Anyone can sit back and poke holes in someone else’s content from the peanut gallery. Honestly I would love to see more vintage Rolex Sport model content. Especially your perfect examples. That goes for all the Rolex guru’s from Turf, RPR, Hodinkee and the like. Post up your original 3-6-9 Explorer Subs. Please!

evan h, wow, bro......you are way more wrapped up in this than I thought. And I have obviously hit a nerve! Just to make sure I understand your response correctly..... When I challenged you to prove the veracity of your claims, and the legitimacy of your watch, you declined, and instead, you suggested that I do it, with a watch that I have never claimed to own. Brilliant. The only thing that might top that maneuver would be a “double dog dare” or a chicken noise. So, you are not going to visually prove your watch to be authentic, but rather, you’re going to double down on just repeating “yes it is!”. You, sir, have a real talent for debate, and a razor-sharp wit. However, the juxtaposition of your tall tales and braggadocio with the actual hardware and nonsensical claims of grandiosity are ultimately anachronistic and clearly lies when given a modicum of scrutiny. Reminds me of a childish attempt to make others think you are rich or own a treasure-trove of valuable watches, which would only fool an equally childish audience! You couldn’t make me believe your BS even if you filmed it in the front seat of your Ferrari, on the tarmac in front of your Lear Jet, while getting head from Marilyn Monroe. You have a smattering of trivial knowledge about vintage Rolex, but then you try to fill in the gaps with assertions and lies that aren’t true or even plausible. And the kicker is how over-the-top defensive and butt-hurt you get the instant you are challenged! Having rewatched your video, (you’re welcome for the views!) which was apparently filmed at the Unabomber’s shack in the woods, I noticed some more bullshit that can not go unremarked upon..... These rare “accessories” that you have acquired, which are undoubtedly authentic but one-of-a-kinds, like that misprinted stamp with the upside-down airplane..... Caseback sticker left on the backing paper and preserved in a ziplock bag, or the amazing, possibly time traveling, complimentary “Cellini”-branded polishing cloth......fabulous! I feel truly lucky to have even laid eyes upon these magical unicorns of Rolex ephemera. What I’m getting at here, is that nobody who owns an authentic 1966 5513 would talk BS like you do, treat the watch in the manner you claim, or get their panties in a bunch when challenged about it! But instead of doing anything to prove me wrong and you honest, you just pile on some more flimsy BS, and try to insult the person who points out your falsehoods. Ps....I had to look and see what kids video games my account viewed, and I guess my son might have used my phone to watch KZfaq when I wasn’t looking! He’s 9 years old. And you checking up on my account’s history is CREEPY. As in, lecherous, sexual predator old man hanging around a public men’s room CREEPY. Wtf dude?

Agreed. For an everyday wear cost effective alternative to a latest generation ceramic or a pexi vintage. Probably the most sensible and practical Submariner you can get. These older 5 digit Sport watches will be the “new” vintage in years to come

Mr Wilsdorf I fully agree. I search around for a decent replacement but the prices were ridiculous. Normally I would never refinish a dial, especially a significant Rolex but these are fairly common and I was confident that Michael Young’s dial restoration magicians in HK could pull it off. They expertly repaired some pretty significant water damage and paint chipping. Also replaced the original Lume with old Tritium paint that isn’t available anymore. They managed to salvage all the text and crown. The whole repair is seamless and blended perfectly with the original parts of the dial. But again, I wholeheartedly agree with you and if this had been a rare or significant Rolex I would never restore or repair it. Hope this explanation makes you a bit at ease