5513 help me choose

[KiliKiliWatch]

Dear people at Vintage Rolex Forum,

I'm very new to the Rolex vintage world and I'm looking to buy a 5513. Two offerings are currently on my radar. It would be a great help to get some opinions from seasoned collectors on this forum.

1. A "Meters first" form 1967 offered for 12000 euro (13k USD). Serial 167xxx. Serviced january 2020, with error "Pateted" clasp, box, anchor and booklet.


2. A "Feet first" from 1967 offered for 10000 euro (10,9k USD). Serial 1752xxx. Serviced in 2015. But isn't this an early 1970's dial? Bracelet late 70's. Superdomed plexi service crystal - original included. With 5513 box from late 1970's.

Both seem to have replacement dials.

Any of these worth their price or can I do better? I've tried to do my research, but have to admit it's quite a minefield...

This is my first post, so I would like to thank all members for letting me join in.

All the best.

[1665fan]

The feet first is way nicer

[42itus]

I’m just a casual fan, not an expert by any stretch.

The insert is not correct, is it? And if the dial isn’t original either that price seems high.

But if you’re asking based on looks I think the feet first looks nice.


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[Dan S]

1.75M seems very early for a feet-first (serif) dial, I'm a bit skeptical. Both have later inserts I believe. Accessories that lack the serial number of the watch don't add much value. I would ignore them. Your photos don't really show the condition of the cases, which is important for valuation, but at first glance, they are polished, but still with fairly thick lugs. You should also show the inside of the caseback. In general, it's better to show photos instead of just giving serial numbers and other info, since people often make mistakes when transcribing numbers (sellers, and even you). You'd be surprised how often innocent mistakes like that happen. Double-check everything. For example, if that feet-first dial is actually in a 2.75M case, instead of 1.75M, it's much more desirable.

Edit: I was just looking around a bit, and I'm seeing quite a few nice matte dial 5513s for $14k USD and under, from top-notch dealers and sellers. I won't say the market is soft, but maybe just that there are a lot of them on the market currently. I'd be hard-pressed to compromise on a piece with a service insert or service dial. Perhaps this was inevitable, given the incredible number of 5513s that were manufactured.