Reference:5512

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Submariner → 5512

The 5512 is the chronometer no-date Submariner and the watch that locks crown guards into the Submariner line. It overlaps with the 5513, but it sits above it in the range and ends up being the scarcer watch by a wide margin: only 17,338 units total, according to the Rolex-commissioned Submariner book by Nicholas Foulkes.

Core facts

detail value
reference 5512
family Submariner (no date, chronometer)
production approximately 1959 to 1978/1979
total production 17,338 units
movement caliber 1530 (early), 1560 (mid), 1570 (late)
case 39.5–40mm, first Submariner with crown guards
crystal acrylic
dial path chronometer (COSC four-line) and early non-chronometer two-line

Where it sits in the line

The 5512 is the premium no-date Submariner.

  • 5512: chronometer no-date Submariner
  • 5513: cheaper non-chronometer no-date Submariner

That is the commercial split, and in broad terms it is still the collecting split too. The 5512 is the scarcer, higher-specification watch at every point in the production overlap.

Production outline

The easiest way to read the 5512 is as a long run with four distinct generations, each defined by crown guard shape, dial type, and movement caliber. The generations are not clean factory transitions — they overlap at the edges — but they are stable enough to use as a navigation framework.

Crown guard generations

Four production generations are documented for the 5512. The table below maps the key variables for each.

Generation Period Crown guards Dial Movement
1 1959 Square Gloss gilt, Chapter Ring Cal. 1570
2 ~1960–1963 Pointed (Cornino) Gloss gilt, Chapter Ring; 2-line and 4-line Cal. 1530 or 1560
3 Mid-1960s Pointed (Cornino) Gloss gilt, 4-line only Cal. 1560
4 Late 1960s Rounded Matte, white print Cal. 1560

Note on serial band ranges: Serial band ranges are collector approximations based on caseback production stamps and known examples, not Rolex factory records. Rolex does not confirm vintage production dates. Individual watches near any transition point may not conform to expected specifications.

Generation 1 — Square crown guards, 1959

Only approximately 12 known examples survive — arguably the rarest 5512 configuration in any form. The square profile is immediately recognizable: the guards are blunt and straight rather than angled or pointed, a shape Rolex abandoned quickly after the first production run. The serial number for square guards starts at 478 0xx onwards (1959), with eagle beak guards starting at serial 478 1xx. Combined square and eagle beak production is estimated at no more than 300 total. The movement is caliber 1570, the dial is gloss black with gilt printing and a chapter ring. One square-crown-guard 5512 sold at Christie’s in December 2013 for CHF 190,000. That sale price has not been beaten in public auction since, which gives some sense of where the ceiling sits when one of these appears.

Rolex Forum collectors note that three distinct crown guard shapes are concentrated within 1959 alone — the square guards, an early transitional form, and the beginning of the pointed Cornino profile. Rolex was iterating fast.

Generation 2 — Pointed “Cornino” crown guards, ~1960–1963

The transition from square to pointed guards happened sometime in 1960, but it was not a clean break — there are transitional examples. The term “eagle beak” is also used for this guard shape, with approximately 200 examples estimated for this configuration. “Cornino” is Italian for “little horn” and describes the sharply pointed tip that gives this generation its personality. Serial number 870xxx (approximately 1962) is a solid Generation 2 example. Both two-line and four-line dials appear in this generation, which matters: the “5512 = four-line chronometer” shorthand breaks down here. Two-line dials carry no COSC certification text. Movement is caliber 1530 or 1560 depending on exact production timing.

Generation 3 — Pointed “Cornino” crown guards, mid-1960s

Still Cornino guards, but by this stage only four-line dials appear. This is where the 5512 starts to fully express its chronometer identity. Movement is caliber 1560. Dial is still gloss gilt.

Generation 4 — Rounded crown guards, late 1960s

The transition from pointed to rounded guards happens mid-to-late 1960s. Dial printing shifts from gilt to matte white around the same period — the exact boundary overlaps with the 5513’s own matte transition. This generation bridges into the long matte phase that runs to the end of the reference.

Early crown-guard and gilt years

The 5512 starts in the glossy gilt dial era. “Gilt” here means a glossy black dial with gilt-colored printing rather than the later matte style. Early gilt 5512 watches with square or pointed crown guards are where the reference reaches its highest values.

Matte years

The matte era follows and carries most of the long middle and late production. This is where meters-first and feet-first language starts to matter — those terms simply describe whether the dial prints 200m before 660ft, or the other way around. Late in the run, maxi dials appear: collector shorthand for matte dials with noticeably larger lume plots.

Movement notes

The 5512 runs through three calibers across its production span.

  • early run: caliber 1530
  • middle run: caliber 1560
  • later run: caliber 1570

Forum research adds a specific part number: the caliber 1560 balance assembly carries part number 7980. Useful for authentication and parts sourcing.

The earliest dial and movement picture is less tidy than the usual “5512 = chronometer” summary suggests. Early two-line 5512 dials exist without COSC certification text, and the movement progression from 1530 to 1560 to 1570 tracks the reference’s long development rather than representing a clean single-caliber identity.

The 1530 is the transitional movement shared with the 5510 and early 5513. The 1560 and 1570 are the mature chronometer-grade movements that define the 5512’s premium identity.

One complication worth flagging: the first-generation (1959, square-crown-guard) 5512 is documented as carrying caliber 1570, which runs counter to the usual early=1530 sequence. Whether this reflects pre-production or very early inventory use of the 1570 before a brief return to 1530 and 1560, or a documentation quirk, is not yet settled. Treat the Generation 1 / caliber 1570 pairing as documented but not fully explained.

The COSC/non-COSC split within the 5512 explains why some 5512s carry caliber 1530 — the same movement found in the 5513. Hodinkee Reference Points confirms: “The early generations of 5513s use the caliber 1530, the same caliber that you’d find in the non-chronometer 5512s.” Only the COSC-certified 5512s used the higher-spec 1570 and 1560-family calibers. Non-COSC examples within the 5512 reference share the 1530 with the 5513, which is why the two references’ movement histories are not as divergent as the four-line/two-line shorthand suggests.

Dial map

The 5512 dial story is one of the main reasons the watch stays interesting.

Its dial taxonomy is organized by generation rather than by named dial variants — this differs from the 5513, which collectors classify by named types (Underline, Bart Simpson, Maxi). The two systems reflect different collecting priorities for each reference.

Early two-line and gilt

Early 5512 examples can be two-line, not yet settled into the later four-line chronometer layout. These non-COSC two-line dials exist in the earliest production and stop the reference from being flattened into a pure four-line chronometer watch. Two-line gilt examples with square or pointed crown guards are exceptionally rare.

Four-line gilt

Four-line gilt examples are the cleaner chronometer-era expression of the reference and one of the main reasons collectors chase the 5512 over the 5513. The four-line layout adds COSC chronometer certification text below the depth rating, and the gilt finish adds the warmth and character of the early production era.

Matte white-letter dials

After approximately 1967, the 5512 transitions from gilt to matte dials with white lettering — the same broad transition that affects the entire Submariner line. Matte 5512 dials include meters-first, feet-first, and late maxi examples. The exact subtype map is still messier than the current package can claim to settle.

Forum collectors identify a “Meters First Neat Fonts” variant as a named sub-type within the matte meters-first category — distinguished by a particularly clean, precisely spaced typeface in the dial printing. A serif dial variant is also documented from approximately 1971–1972, where the dial text uses a serif typeface that differs from both the earlier and later non-serif matte printing. These named variants track the same typographic progression documented in the 5513 dial genre timeline.

Gilt to matte transition

The transition from gilt to matte dials happens around 1967, but the exact boundary is fuzzy. Some late-gilt and early-matte examples overlap in the serial number range. Treat the transition as a zone rather than a clean line.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The 5512 is the case-development watch. It is the first Submariner with crown guards, and it represents a significant case size increase from the 38mm of the preceding 6536/1. Some sources measure the case at 39.5mm; most round to 40mm. Either way, this is the case diameter that becomes standard for the entire line through the modern era. That is the lasting contribution.

Crown guard evolution from square to pointed to rounded is the most important physical change across the production run. Collectors call the earliest guard shapes “square crown guards” and the second generation “eagle beaks” or “Cornino.” Those names are useful collector field language rather than a neat factory taxonomy.

The crystal is a super dome plexi (model 19 or Tropic 39), giving early examples a pronounced domed profile. The watch keeps the usual no-date Submariner format and rotating bezel, with early Long 5 inserts — meaning bezel inserts whose 5 has a long tail — still showing up often enough to matter.

Early gilt dials show an exclamation dot below the 6 o’clock lume plot — a small round marker that likely serves as a radium warning indicator. The radium-to-tritium transition occurred in the mid-1960s, with dial printing shifting from “SWISS” to “SWISS T<25” to denote the change in luminous material.

Bezel authentication: Fat Font Mark 1 and the “Kissing 40”

The earliest 5512 bezels are Fat Font Mark 1 — identifiable by two things working together: thick, bold numerals, and the “kissing 40” at the 40-minute position where the 4 and 0 are nearly touching each other. The gap between them is almost nothing. Once recognized, it is unmistakable. A service bezel walks right past unnoticed without that knowledge.

The Mark 2 bezel was likely introduced with Generation 3 in the mid-1960s, though the exact transition point is not cleanly documented. Service bezels use thin-font numerals and no kissing 40 — both flags that a bezel has been swapped. A genuine Fat Font Mark 1 bezel on an early gilt 5512 is a meaningful authenticity and value indicator; a service bezel on the same case represents a significant collector downgrade.

Dial authentication: the gilt fraud vector

5512 gilt dials — especially chapter ring dials — are one of the more active fraud vectors in vintage Submariner collecting. The value premium on an original gilt 5512 dial is large enough to make refinishing and dial swapping commercially attractive. A genuine 5512 gilt dial should have: a gilt chapter ring with the correct hash mark style for its production period, a Rolex coronet in the shape appropriate for that era, and print characteristics (font weight, letter spacing, depth rating format) consistent with the serial band.

Late gilt 5512 examples from approximately 1966 can show what collectors call “Bart Simpson” coronets — the deep yellow of the galvanic gilt process produces a coronet whose color and proportions draw the cartoon comparison. Less common on the 5512 than on the 5513, but it exists, and auction catalogues use the term. A bright yellow coronet on a late gilt 5512 warrants verifying the serial range before assuming it is genuine.

Movement authentication: butterfly rotor

Rolex Forum collectors flag the butterfly rotor as an authentication checkpoint for the 5512. The butterfly rotor — named for its shape — is the correct rotor type for certain production periods within the reference’s long run. A 5512 presented with an incorrect rotor type for its serial range is a red flag for movement replacement or parts mixing. This is a quick visual check that can be performed with the caseback removed and is especially useful when evaluating early examples where the movement premium is highest.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Current book-backed fitment notes:

  • 7206/80: rivet bracelet (early production)
  • 9315 with end links 280 or 380: folded-link Oyster bracelet (mid production)
  • 93150 with end link 580: solid-link Oyster bracelet (late production)

That is a fitment map, not a delivery chart.

The observed examples back that caution up. Early documented watches wear rivet bracelets, while a late maxi example is on 93150/580 with a clasp dated later than the watch. Useful for understanding survival patterns, not for claiming what left the retailer on a specific day.

Packaging needs the same caution. One early high-end example is stated as box and paper, but that is still one example, not a policy.

Special branches

Square crown guards

This is the most obvious early branch and one of the main reasons the 5512 matters beyond the dial text. Square-crown-guard 5512 examples from 1959 are among the rarest and most valuable vintage Submariners, and they represent the very first expression of what becomes the standard Submariner case shape.

Pointed “Cornino” crown guards

The second-generation crown guards form a distinct collecting branch. Less rare than square guards but still representing early production that predates the rounded guards most collectors know.

Early two-line dials

These matter because they show the 5512 before it settled into its four-line chronometer identity. A two-line gilt 5512 with early crown guards is a fundamentally different watch from a late four-line matte 5512.

Historical market and auction record

The Rolex-commissioned Submariner book by Nicholas Foulkes puts total 5512 production at 17,338 watches. That number helps explain why the reference feels scarcer than the 5513 in the market and why prices have consistently run higher.

The early high-end branch is in a different universe from later commercial examples. A sold 1960 tropical gilt tulip 5512 with stated box and paper traded at $75,000, and a sold 1965 four-line gilt example at $32,500. At the other end, a sold 1979 late-run maxi 5512 traded at about $18,495. The spread tells the story.

One Sotheby’s lot in the package documents a 1967 5512 with 1570 movement and inner caseback marked 5513, but the public page is sloppy enough to call it a watch with date while plainly showing a no-date Submariner. Treat it as documented but not clean enough for a benchmark.

Crown guard type has an enormous effect on value. Square-crown-guard examples from 1959 trade in a completely different tier from rounded-crown-guard examples from the mid-1960s onward, even when both carry gilt dials. The crown guard is not just a cosmetic detail. It is a date marker and a rarity indicator.

Sources

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