Launched in 1962, reference 5513 is considered amongst watch collector as the purest vintage Submariner.
Armed Forces around the world commissioned Rolex to custom make watches for their high-ranking officials and personnel. Amongst the military watches produced by Rolex, those made in the 1960s and 1970s for South American military forces were the most uncommon probably because of the political turmoil of that period. Amongst South American military watches, the Submariner reference 5513 commissioned by the Chilean Navy is by far the rarest and most sought after especially since only four of these models are known to date.

The Rolex Submariner models commissioned for the Chilean Navy were delivered with an engraving on the outside caseback reading "Propiedad Armada de Chile". Unlike the civilian versions of these watches, those designed for the Navy not only had the serial number engraved in-between the lugs at 6 o’clock, but also had the last 3 digits inscribed in the caseback. Furthermore there was no movement number. This reference 5513 comes correctly equipped with its original caseback and matte dial. The latter, along with the bezel have aged beautifully to a dark grey color .
As we can assume these watches were used and worn often by the recipients in military environments, the present example is especially well preserved in overall excellent condition, making it a worthy example for the discerning Submariner collector.