Hi team OF, I met up with an old boy yesterday and saw he had a nice Rolex. He knows it is valuable and is not looking to sell. We had a nice watch chat / I wore it for a while. I am not normally taken with them but this was a lovely watch. I was wearing my MC so we had a chat about vintage etc. He bought his from new in 68 or 69.
Basically it is still his daily watch - he was just off to Pilates where it will sit in a church hall locker for a bit :0)
I told him I would post some pictures as it might now be worth more than he realises?
Not being Rolex guy I think it is a 5513 Sub? ......
What is it’s condition like?
What should he do / not do in terms of any care or repair?
Recommendation and cost for UK based service?
Best guess of a current value for insurance?
I will pass on any info to him.

 

Small bump for any feedback on this one please

 

It looks like 5513 feet first dial. For value, you can look on Chrono24 and get the market value. But if your friend wants to insure it, he will probably need an official appraisal from a jewelry store. I’m sure there is one locally that deals with vintage Rolex watches (there are about a dozen where I live). They will write up a full appraisal for a fee (probably $100 or so) which you can submit to your insurance company.

 

I’ll bet never serviced. In this case not a good thing. There has been moisture in there. Looks legit …

 

Thanks - is that (moisture) from the second hand?
I also think it may not have had much attention and I am pretty sure it is all original.
I would like to give him a steer on what to get done / replaced and a good watchmaker for that in the UK.
In terms of a value It is good if everything is original but less so if damaged / worn? I sense the vintage world for Rolex is even more fraught than Omega so I am not sure what to advise him on that as a sighter. The watch seems to be running well for him at least.

 

As mentioned above, it's a 5513, from the very late 60s or early 70s. Substantial wear, but legit and still appealing. These days he would need at least $15k USD to buy a replacement of this reference from a retail dealer; maybe $18k would be safer in the current market. Of course, he wouldn't get quite that much if he tried to sell that particular example personally.

 

I’d tell him to budget at most a thousand quid from a sympathetic watchmaker. Based on history with my 5513 and 1675, my guys would charge $6 to $700 to
Make this right.

 

@Larry S and @Dan S
Thanks both for the feedback - I will pass it on and try to steer him on a good path / it is a lovely watch and just needs some TLC. I think he will be surprised at the value ... but will still be a keeper for him :0)

 

That would be my assessment as well.
A good service with a new plexi. Do not touch the case. And voilà! If he’s still wearing it it’s because it is mechanically sound and worth spending a “few” bucks to give the movement new life. Very cool 5513. A classic in every sense.

 

It’s hard to believe the $$$ these are fetching today. The last 5513 i bought back in 2008, a metres first example, I paid $2500.00! Sold it for $4500 after a full service at an authorized Rolex service center in western Canada

 

I agree, especially since they are not rare watches in any sense. Huge numbers were produced over a long period of time, and you see them everywhere. To people who have been following prices for a while, it's crazy. 10 years ago, I had the sense that the 5512 prices would skyrocket, since they are more rare and special. But I would not have guessed we would see these prices for standard matte 5513s.

 

I’m glad I got in before things went completely crazy, the train has left the station as far as I’m concerned.

 

2 things: after all these years of originality and value questions, why would nobody move the hands away from the only really tell tale writing on the dial ? Especially in Rolex watches. And: somehow I do not like the discrepancy between the normal aged hour and minute hands and the rusty seconds hand. Makes no sense.....

 

That was just the time of day. I did not move the hands as it was just a very casual photo taken in real time (as shown by my own watch shot taken just after). It was nice of him to let me look at the watch / it would have been a bit rude to start adjusting the time as well - :0) I am very confident this is a one owner from new and he will not be looking to sell it. I just want to give him some advice and avoid him getting mugged. Not being a Rolex aficionado I wanted to check with you guys first.

A last piece of advice - I normally use Swiss Time or SImon Freese for UK Omega watches - any recommendations for Vintage Rolex so I can set this guy on a good path?

 

William rice watches and steven hale (SHWR) get good reviews, although i have had no need to use either

for valuations, no better place than Miltons Jewellers, as Haywood Milton is a major Rolex expert in the UK

https://www.miltonsjewellers.com/

 

Can anyone recommend an excellent repair service for a couple of Omega Seamasters from the 60's and 70's and a Rolex Perpetual Date from the 70's? I'm located in the upstate NY region of Tompkins County. I am not a watch expert by ANY means. Just love my dad's old watches. Sadly, as a physician, he always removed the OEM bands and replaced with (no vomiting) a speidle stretchy so he could quickly pull of the watch when scrubbing in for surgery....Sigh...Hey, at least I still have the watches! Thanks to all for your suggestions. Evie