Uneven patina on 5513 tritium

[Slawek]

Hello everybody,
I'm considering a purchase of meters first 5513. What makes me concerned is the very uneven patina on tritium hour markers. Is it possible and if yes, does it affect the value negatively?
Many thanks in advance for help

[chows99]

Seems like a relume with unevenness and lumpness. The workmanship seems quite poor. Wonder if the uneven patina is due to moisture entering the case.

[Slawek]

Many thanks for the comment. I had similar feeling, it does not seem to be natural.

[77T]

Welcome to TRF.
Yes - condition is second only to authenticity in establishing value.

Poor condition can shave thousands off value. Authenticity, on the other hand, shaves away 100% of value.

Uneven patina aside, how confident are you regarding the seller and authenticity?

I have other concerns about that dial beyond the lume. Perhaps Google "Rolex 5513 Submariner" and see what you think.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[spoilsofwar01]

Hello And welcome to the forum,

The meters first is a more expensive dial opposed to feet first,

A few questions,

How much is being sold for?

what is the date of manufacture?

Is it a reputable seller?

The bracelet is it original and or correct for the watch?

Has it been over polished?

what is the movement like?

Does it come with its original box and papers?

When was it last serviced? and was this by Rolex?

perfect examples of 5513's (un touched) are V Rare, depending on the age you have to make some compromises, if the dial is a deal breaker consider having it professionally restored (there are enough recommended people on the forum) off set this against the asking price.

To close a few more photos should help more qualified people (than me) on the forum to help you with a decision.

Let me know how you get on as I really like 5513 No Date Submariners.
All the very best "H"

[chows99]

yup i agree more photos with different angles can help the pple here to provide a fair assessment. Lighting and angles may skew how the watch looks like.

[Slawek]

Many thanks for these comments. I will try to get some better pictures.

The serial number of the watch is 2.2 million which I think places it at around 1969.
It's hard to say about the seller. He is not a professional seller, a collector rather with some number of pieces.
The bracelet is 9315 with the end 380.
I think it was slightly polished in the past, however it still maintains the beveled lugs.
The movement is 1520, looks nice and works correctly however it has not been serviced.
No box or papers.
Overall the watch looks to me authentic. I fully agree that the pictures will help, I will try to get some still today.
And the most important, the price asked is around USD 10'000...

[Slawek]

Please see some additional pictures.

[Slawek]

One more picture of the front

[spoilsofwar01]

Originally Posted by Slawek

Many thanks for these comments. I will try to get some better pictures.

The serial number of the watch is 2.2 million which I think places it at around 1969.
It's hard to say about the seller. He is not a professional seller, a collector rather with some number of pieces.
The bracelet is 9315 with the end 380.
I think it was slightly polished in the past, however it still maintains the beveled lugs.
The movement is 1520, looks nice and works correctly however it has not been serviced.
No box or papers.
Overall the watch looks to me authentic. I fully agree that the pictures will help, I will try to get some still today.
And the most important, the price asked is around USD 10'000...

Hello Again, that's around £8,000 English pounds, Id ask for a close up of the case were the gasket sits ( looking for pitting) and check if the serial does in fact make it a meters first dial, as mention before this is the rarer dial, you also need to take consideration of the reluming that's happened and factor this in to the purchase price, It looks correct to me but then again Im no expert. I'd haggle until happy with the price, All the best "H"

[Slawek]

Many thanks, I really appreciate these remarks. The watch looks very attractive on the hand. What makes me the most concerned is the reluming of the dial which does not look extraordinary.

[Slawek]

What makes me perplexed with this dial is that when I look at this through the magnifying glass, I don't see any signs where lumen would go beyond the borders of the marker hours, which normally is the case after re-luming. However, it is hard to imagine what happened to make this lumen looking so uneven.

[spoilsofwar01]

hey Fella,

Ive attached a photo of mine its a 1968 5513 (Feet First)with service replacement Hands and Dial, all part of is history. I did consider trying to get a original replacement but was advised against it. id seriously consider getting a quote to have it professionally restored and off set this against the asking price, worth a thought and do let me know how you get on.

all the best "H"

[Base-Z]

We need better quality pictures, as already mentioned, apart from
the lume there appears to other concerns about the dial.
I have a 2.2 million meters first sub myself.

[Slawek]

Many thanks. I will need to meet the seller (he's in the other town) to take better pictures. What would be potential other concerns with the dial that you can see on the above pictures?

[Base-Z]

To me some of the printing seems a little off, it might just be the picture.
However one really good picture of the dial would help to put the matter to bed.
Here is a picture of my 2.2 mil sub, I have the original bezel insert and crystal
that I may put back in one day.

[BrazenC5]

Better examples to be had in the USD 10K range.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk