A rare Rolex Submariner 6538 and Rolex 5513, both models that James Bond wears in his films, will be offered at the Bonhams Fine Watches and Wristwatches sale on New Bond Street in London on December 9th.
Note that the auctioned watches did NOT appear in the films, they are the same model.
Rolex Submariner 6538
The Rolex Submariner 6538 was only shipped for four years but has become one of the most famous and sought-after Submariner models.
The Rolex on offer is a 6538 from 1956.
Its general distinguishing features are the oversized (8 mm) crown, the lack of protective crown protection, and the gold-plated dial. The gold-plated dial comes with gold-plated hands, which are unusual for a stainless steel case, but typical for this date. These features mean it’s instantly recognizable, and ever since it became the adopted watch of James Bond (Sean Connery) in the early Bond films.
Price estimate: £ 50,000 – 90,000 / US $ 66,000 – 120,000
Rolex Submariner 5513
Rolex introduced the reference 5513 in 1962 and produced the reference until the mid-1980s. The model can be recognized by the lack of a date function, so the dial has a balanced design.
Early examples of the 5513 featured a glossy black dial with gold-plated text, and in the mid-1960s Rolex began making the reference with a matte dial and white printing. These dials had the meter depth rating, which first stated “200m = 660 ft”, and in the late 1960s Rolex began making dials with the depth rating that indicated feet first.
A Rolex 5513 was worn by James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, live and Let Die, The man with the golden gunand by a stuntman in Licence to kill (The watch was similar to the more modern Rolex Submariner 16610 made by Timothy Dalton.)
Price estimate: £ 15,000 – 20,000 / US $ 20,000 – 27,000
Read more about James Bond and Rolex.
Many other diving watches are also sold at Bonhams, including a rare Rolex Sea Dweller made exclusively for world famous French engineering and deep-sea diving company COMEX with an estimate of £ 30,000 to £ 40,000.
Rolex Submariner 6538 and 5512 (similar to the 5513) watches were recently put up for auction by Bob’s Watches, where they fetched $ 180,000 and $ 30,000, respectively.
For more information and bids, Visit the Bonhams website.
In another upcoming Bonhams auction on December 16, one of the Mercury Cougar XR7 cars from Her Majesty’s Secret Service is being offered.
