The Bart Simpson and The Classic Coronet

[Beaumont Miller II]

There has been some talk on the forum recently about the last run of gilt gloss dials for the Rolex Submariner aka the "Bart Simpson" dial.

While this may be a bit pedestrian for some of the vintage collectors here, I thought it might be helpful to some of the new members to compare the "Bart Simpson" gilt gloss dial to the more classic gilt gloss dial that immediately preceded it. I must confess that I learned something myself.

Photos used with permission from Andrew Shear.

The "Bart Simpson" dial, so named because of the odd shaped coronet resembling the odd shape of Bart Simpson's head, is considered by collectors to be the last run of gilt gloss dials for the 5512 and 5513 before the change to the matte dials. As such, the serial number range for the dial is typically in the 1.4 to 1.5 mil range, with examples also being seen a little earlier and a bit later in the 1.3 mil and 1.6 mil serial number range as well.

Starting from the top of the dial, its easy to spot the coronet for which the dial is named. But, I don't want to stop there because I think it's important for collectors to know the other nuances about the dial to make sure that the dial has not been altered/repaired/restored etc.

So here goes:
....The "L" in Rolex is all the way to the left of center and underneath the coronet
....The "P" in Perpetual is directly under the extended part of the serif on the "L"
in Rolex.
....When considering the depth rating and the text below it, the 2 and the 0 are
directly over the S and the U in Submariner, the 6's are open, and the horizontal
marks of the "f" and "t" are aligned.





While I have seen examples of the more classic coronet seen below in the very late 1.0 mil serial range, it is typically seen in the 1.1 to 1.3 mil serial range prior to the "Bart Simpson". Please allow that there is some overlap during the transition of this dial to the "Bart Simpson" dial. It is also common to see this dial with an underline in the serial range that correspond to 1963.

Again starting from the top of the dial it is evident that this coronet is shaped with, shall I say cleaner lines than the "Bart Simpson"?

Other differences are as follows:
....While the "L" in Rolex is to the left of center and underneath the coronet, the "P" in
Perpetual is farther to the left and underneath the "L" in Rolex.
....The shape of the letter "S" in Submariner is distinctly different on this dial
than the "Bart Simpson" dial.
....The horizontal marks on the "f" and "t" in the depth rating are not aligned as
they are on the "Bart Simpson" dial

[Jason71]

Excellent info John. Thanks for taking the time to write this up

[SUBversive]

Very interesting. Thx

[nsumner]

Wow John, thanks for that. Extremely interesting.

[g-boac]

Hi John. One of the most comprehensive writeups on the gilt gloss Bart sub dials I've ever seen. Thanks.

[a4id]

Excellent write up, thank you John.

[Netminder1]

John,

Great Contribution to the School of Knowledge here. Anyone know who gets the credit for the naming?

[hdrazor251]

Great information. Thanks for posting.

[omitohud]

Awesome write up. Sticky?


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[Franks07]

Very informative any increasingly important in today's "shark infested waters" of the vintage Rolex world that is infested with unscrupulous dial fakers seeking to deceive those without this kind of esoteric knowledge.
Thank you Doc for this terrific tutorial as I am currently on the hunt for an excellent (and 100% authentic) example of a 5513 "Bart" and this information in concert with only dealing with our Forum's community of "trusted sellers" will help me to eventually buy with great confidence.
Thank you...and yes I totally agree this post is "sticky" worthy for sure.
Well done!

[The_Walrus]

A wealth of information John to us novices
Thank you

[AWS]

Great info, John. Thanks for explaining.

[Rogdogg]

Great information and presented in a very clear and concise manner, with great pictures. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

[crowncollection]

Good post mate cheers

[Robbyvm]

this is such an amazing forum !!
glad to part of it

[joli160]

Thank you for the education

[mluther]

Superb post John - thanks for taking the time to do this.

[mike]

It's a sticky.

This is what TRF is all about. Thank you.

[fmc000]

Originally Posted by mike

It's a sticky.

Great!

[brandrea]

John, thank you for the post. I'm slowly learning about vintage Rolex, and it's posts like this that helps people like me to gain knowledge.

Thanks

[PoderEsBueno]

Great post

[QueueCumber]

It's probably worth noting that the gilt features of the Bart Simpson dials can get a bit wonky/fuzzy depending on the level of crazing. The paint/gloss on these generally have major crazing issues, but the crazing comes with a beautiful brown tropical hue in many cases.

Here is a closeup of mine (bought from Christies private sales) that has a bit of wonkiness on the crown and lettering due to micro-crazing:

[A.F.W.]

It looks quite different in various light conditions.
It is 1.35 million series.




[QUOTE=QueueCumber;5319369]It's probably worth noting that the gilt features of the Bart Simpson dials can get a bit wonky/fuzzy depending on the level of crazing. The paint/gloss on these generally have major crazing issues, but the crazing comes with a beautiful brown tropical hue in many cases.

Here is a closeup of mine (bought from Christies private sales) that has a bit of wonkiness on the crown and lettering due to micro-crazing:

[JerimiahLee]

Great content and information as always. Thanks John!

[lhanddds]

Great stuff John, thanks

[Ben39]

Great info my bro:) TFS

[Beaumont Miller II]

Thanks everyone for the kind words.
I am glad you found it both interesting and informative.
Enjoy your weekend.

[GeoGio Greece]

Learning from You a lot, appreciating what we do have. Thanks John

[enhamhale]

I've got one of these and I didn't now a lot of this info

[CrownMe]

Thanks for the Info John. As always your great at not only being very detailed but also making it easy to understand.