Rolex

I wanted to take a moment and catalog a range of Rolex 5512 serial numbers beyond the known Rolex serial range reports.  The focus is narrowly on Rolex 5512 Gilt Chapter Ring Pointed crown guard from the period 1959 – 1963.  The idea was not have all the answers but to build a report based on a sample set which is included below.  We know the Square crown guards with MK1 dials are the earliest.  I did not have any examples to catalog  but we can assume that they are from the 1959 period. I have seen early MK1 dials in PCG 5xx,xxx serial range.  Also this report is using the case back date as the true validation of the serial range as it is the most reliable. Even with papers watches can be sold long after production  and cosc could have stamped the movement papers prior to being in the final assembled case.  Of course there can be mismatched case backs to serial range but you can use the list below as guide.  So that means if you have 600,xxx serial range with III.63 it is most likely mismatched as would a 99x,xxx with a I.60 case back.  We have no official Rolex tables that give us dates and serial ranges so we can only build based off of sample sets and first-hand experience.

I did notice that the 2 line and 4 line Chapter ring  are not consecutive but run in parallel.  So you can have a Rolex 5512 CR 2 line in 1961 as easily as a 4 line in 1961 same case in 1962.  I did not have a big enough sample to extrapolate into 1963 as most in the sample where 2 line in 1963. The earliest 5512 4 line chapter ring are the MK1 dial from 1959.

The reference model number 5512 was placed on top above registered design on the early models up to 5xx,xxx to 1961 and placed at the bottom in 1961 from the 6xx,xxx.

I do not have a sample but have read reference to 478,xxx III.59 being one of the earliest cases serial range. And the dial that was on the watch was a Tulip dial 2 line chapter ring Pointed crown guard.

The Tulip dial (Shape of the crown is flat across the top) in the two line configuration is more common than the Rolex 5512 Tulip dial in 4 lines.  While I found several Tulip 2 line in the 1961 range I only found one or two 4 line Tulip in the 1962 range as they are less common.

I would also say that is more common to find the Rolex 5512 2 line with exclamation point between 1961 and 1963 than to find them without the exclamation point based on the sample set.

This sample set has 14 Rolex 5512 gilt 2 line and 8 Rolex 5512 4 line Chapter ring.  While this small sample implies almost 2 to 1 two line vs four line I think the ratio is more like 1 in 5 would be 4 line or less just based on personal experience. There was an additional cost for the cosc so it may explain this difference.

The cover picture shows two great examples 5512 MK1dial from 1959 and the 5512 4 line chapter Tulip dial PCG from 1962.

1961 Rolex Submariner 5512     PCG with Tropical Gilt Chapter Ring 2 Line Dial

661,XXX   1.61 caseback

1963 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with Gilt Glossy Chapter Ring Dial

891,XXX  11.63 caseback

1962 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with Gilt Glossy Chapter Ring Dial

819,XXX 111.62 caseback

1961 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG 2 Line "Tulip Crown" Gilt Chapter Ring Dial

578,XXX  11.61 Tulip dial.

1963 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG Gilt Glossy Chapter Ring Dial

990,xxx  111.63  exclamation

1963 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with Gilt Glossy Chapter Ring Dial

990,xxx  111.63  exclamation

1961 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG Gilt Chapter Ring Dial

693,xxx    11.61 caseback

1960's Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG Gilt Chapter Ring Dial

1962 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with Gilt Glossy Chapter Ring Chocolate Tropical Dial

87x,xxx   IV.62 caseback

1961 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG Gilt 4 Line Chapter Ring Dial

693,xxx II.61 caseback

1962 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with Gilt 4 Line Chapter Ring Dial

819,xxx III.62 caseback

1961 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with Gilt Chapter Ring Exclamation Dial

661,xxx I.61 caseback

1961 Rolex Submariner 5512 with Gilt Chapter Ring Exclamation Dial

693,xxx II.61 caseback

1961 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with 4 Line Chapter Ring Dial

693,xxx II.61 caseback    

1959 Rolex Submariner 5512 4 Line Gilt Chapter Ring PCG Tropical Dial

554,xxx III.59 caseback

1962 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with Gilt Glossy Chapter Ring Dial

765,xxx

1962 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with Gilt Glossy Chapter Ring Dial

876,xxx IV.62 caseback

1959 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with Tropical Chapter ring dial

554,xxx III.59 caseback

1963 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with 4 line gilt non chapter ring dial

89x,xxx  II.63 caseback        

1963 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with 4 line gilt non chapter ring dial

89x,xxx II.63 caseback

1963 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with Glossy Chapter Ring Dial

99x,xxx III.63 caseback

1962 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with 4    line chapter ring dial

765,XXX 

1961 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with 4 line chapter ring exclamation dial

69x,xxx  II.61 caseback

1962 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with beautiful 4 line 2 color chapter ring

764,XXX I.62 caseback

1962 Rolex Submariner 5512 PCG with Chapter Ring Tropical Dial

87x,xxx IV.62 caseback 

Source: All pictures in this report come from HQ Milton a well-respected Vintage Rolex site and great resource.