Rolex Submariner Big Crown Explorer Dial Reference 5510 Australian Military

This Rolex Submariner Reference 5510 is a very cool and special timepiece with very interesting provenance. The watch is a very rare example issued to the Australian military. It originally featured fixed spring bars, but at some point these were drilled off to make the watch more “civilianized” so a bracelet could be fitted to the watch. This is not uncommon to see with ex-military Rolex Submariners The dial is original, but the lume appears to be tritium. It is possible that it is relumed. There are other Australian Big Crown Submariners like this with similar lume and perhaps they were just a later delivery for the Australian military in the mid-1960s. The hands may be original and appear to have been painted black, and they do seem relumed, but they match the dial. The bezel and red-triangle insert are original and have sold for $40,000+ by themselves. The case has been polished at some point in the past. The watch dates to circa 1958 with a 362,XXX serial. These watches are almost mythical because they are the only Rolex 5510s with Explorer dials. This is offered at a very attractive price and a fraction of what others have sold for in the past.

To learn more about the Rolex Submariner, dive into my ‘Reference Points: Understanding The Rolex Submariner’ video and corresponding article.

SOLD (Item SBUXYT1204)