957
Rolex
Ref. 5513, inside caseback stamped VI.66
Submariner, "Bart Simpson"
An attractive and rare stainless steel wristwatch with black lacquer dial, “Bart Simpson” Rolex coronet, sweep center seconds, bracelet, anchor and presentation box
Full-Cataloguing
This particular design of the dial, as seen on the present example, is referred to as the "Bart Simpson" because the Rolex coronet appears like the shape of Bart Simpson’s spiky hair, bestowing upon the timepiece a unique sense of playfulness and impishness. Even though some may contend that the “Bart Simpson” coronet is a far cry from a more majestic insignia found on other Submariner watches with lacquer dials, this distinctive and unusual coronet invigorates these "Bart Simpson" watches to have much more character than other examples.
Like all Submariners with lacquer dial, the “Bart Simpson” dial configuration is "meters first", in which the depth capability is displayed in meters (200m) first, before the equivalent depth in feet (660ft). “Bart Simpson” watches were also among the very last ref. 5513 created with glossy dials. Accompanied by a Rolex anchor accessory, this “Bart Simpson” is a hip, nonetheless classic, Rolex that is not easy to come by.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.