Rolex Vault › All references › Submariner
Submariner · 1959 to 1978 · Discontinued · Vintage
“Four-Line 5512”
Graded on the vintage scale: rank #25 of 26 rated vintage references
Market range: the middle half of 19 recorded eBay sales in the last 12 months. Vintage sales include serviced and redialed examples, so the best original pieces can sell above it.
Median recorded eBay sale price for each quarter with 3 or more sales. Dashed line marks the 1968 retail price.
The 5513's chronometer-certified big brother and the thinking collector's blue-chip vintage Sub. Same looks, meaningfully lower production, and the four lines of text at 6 o'clock are the tell.
Early examples with square crown guards or gilt dials trade multiples above the standard examples. This is the no-date Sub that auction houses lead with.
Steve McQueen's personal Submariner was a 5512; it sold at Antiquorum in 2009 for $234,000. The reference also spent the sixties on the wrists of actual frogmen who had no idea they were wearing future auction lots.
Square crown guards, then pointed, then rounded: the early case evolution alone fills reference books, and each stage prices differently. The four lines of chronometer text are what separate it from the 5513 at a glance and at the bank.
Our verdict: The vintage Sub to buy when you want the one collectors respect most. Condition and originality set the price, so buy the seller.
| Sizes | 40mm |
|---|---|
| Case & bracelet | Oystersteel (stainless) |
| Factory bracelet | Oyster |
| Factory bezels | Faded aluminum dive bezel; early square-crown-guard cases carry huge premiums |
| Notable dials | Gilt gloss four-line (chronometer); Matte |
| Caliber | 1560 / 1570 |
| Production | 1959 to 1978 (discontinued) |
| Sold | Example | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $26,100 |
| Oct 6, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $15,500 |
| Sep 3, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale ↗︎ | $11,350 |
| Jul 29, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale | $9,700 |
| Jun 24, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale | $10,500 |
| Apr 27, 2026 | Pre-owned · eBay sale | $14,995 |
Recorded eBay completed sales, logged at our last data refresh.
Recorded eBay sales from the last 12 months put the typical Rolex Submariner 5512 at $9,700, with the middle half selling between $7,800 and $12,000 (19 sales). Condition, box and papers move the price within that range.
The Crown Index grades it F (39/100) from real resale data, and today's call is avoid. It has lost value; not one to buy as an investment. Past prices are not a forecast.