Rolex

Throughout the 1970s Rolex supplied watches to the British Military for use by the Special Forces, namely the Rolex Submariner. Over the course of the decade, around 1200 pieces were manufactured for the Armed Forces. Nonetheless, it is believed that only a few hundred pieces have survived. Utilizing references 5513, 5513/5517 and 5517, the watches were altered to meet strict military specifications and as such are especially collectible. These special pieces had their dials marked with a letter T above the depth rating, the lugs feature fixed bars, and the case backs engraved with a Military issue number, supply date and the famous ‘Broad Arrow’, specifying military property. As opposed to the 5517, the reference 5513 came with any combination of hands (standard or Sword) or bezels (calibrated to 15 or 60 units).

Dubbed the "Milsub" by collectors, the modifications made have now become renowned in the vintage watch world. What’s more, given the conditions and environments that they were made to endure, examples in good condition are incredibly sought after. The present watch has a mismatching caseback, often these were mismatched during service.

The present watch was purchased by the current owner, a helicopter engineer, at a navy surplus store in southwest England in the late 1980's for £200. It has been his daily wearer since. The watch comes accompanied by the original Oyster winding crown which was replaced with an associated crown, visible on the watch.

Research suggest that there is a total of 4 different dial variations available, the non-serif dial, serif dial, smudge dial and lastly maxi dial. The present watch has a smudge dial named so due to its softer coronet.