Aussie snorkeler finds a corroded 14060 in the ocean

[Styles Bitchley]

And it’s still ticking. Fun story.




https://www.fratellowatches.com/aust...pacific-ocean/

[thenobbox]

I believe it is a 5513 (note the 200m depth rating), but what a cool find and article! I love seeing and reading about stuff like this

[Snowballs]

That is really cool. Just a quick clean and back in action?

[brandrea]

Darn fabric straps

[dhknola]

Beyond cool find.

[TimeLord2]

A little Polywatch and back on the wrist!

[zapokee]

"...it technically still tells the time, but not in my time zone"

If only it were possible to set it.

[SOG DIVER]

Look closely at the dial: depth rating and W gold surrounds indicate that its a 1980s 5513
Submariner, possibly with a service dial. The other indicator is the scratches on
the acrylic crystal. A good NATO rather than a cheaper nylon band might have saved it. Or the 93150 bracelet it came with. Spring bars still intact. The explorer who found it deserves his credit; he cleans up part of the Aussie rocky beach front according to the Fratello Watch story.

[Haywood_Milton]

Some dealer will christen that a "tropical bezel" and ask a premium by tea-time.

[Arnozerosix]

Originally Posted by Haywood_Milton

Some dealer will christen that a "tropical bezel" and ask a premium by tea-time.

in fact this is a nice patina , LOL :-)

cool story !

[southtexas]

Originally Posted by Haywood_Milton

Some dealer will christen that a "tropical bezel" and ask a premium by tea-time.

Rolex needs to buy that one back…talk about truth in advertising.


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[alwayshere]

Originally Posted by southtexas

Rolex needs to buy that one back…talk about truth in advertising.


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haha I tend to agree!

[996marty]

What a brilliant find

[CF999]

Just fabulous

[zapokee]

Imagine how devastated the poor guy who lost it must have been.

And yes, I'm guessing "guy." Although Rolex Subs do look fantastic on a lady-sized wrist.

[MrGoat]

Originally Posted by zapokee

Imagine how devastated the poor guy who lost it must have been.

And yes, I'm guessing "guy." Although Rolex Subs do look fantastic on a lady-sized wrist.

It could have been lost 30 yrs ago. Was a lot less of a loss then than now.


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[zapokee]

Originally Posted by zapokee

Imagine how devastated the poor guy who lost it must have been.

Originally Posted by MrGoat

It could have been lost 30 yrs ago. Was a lot less of a loss then than now.

Yes, you're right, but it's probably more emotional than value-based.

I would be heartbroken if the 150-buck Seiko diver that I've had for 20 years fell off my wrist and disappeared into the sea.

It's got all my scratches, dents and memories. Completely irreplaceable.

[JimSnyder]

What a cool story. Love these

[Jackie Daytona]

Saw that the other day. Really cool one. I hope they update it in some way so we can see it after they clean it a bit.

[BigBlue1]

Wow. That is so cool. Imagine what creatures swam up to it and may have looked at it, totally unaware of its value �� Treasure. Thanks for sharing.

[Boopie]

Very cool!

[TuRo]

5513 and it's a service dial so I'm out of the resto'

[Old Expat Beast]

This is what it could look like cleaned up.

[77T]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

This is what it could look like cleaned up.

Yep, and if one had a spare thousand to get it cleaned and serviced.

Would love to see Bas’ face if it hit his bench.


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[Mk2rick]

Fantastic story ! Rolex should keep it in this condition buy make sure movement is running and ticking !


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[zapokee]

What is that residue, anyway? Looks like it's just salt, with a bit of bacterial growth for the brown bit.

5 minutes of gentle rubbing with pure warm water will get rid of that, followed by 5 minutes of Polywatch treatment to buff up the scratched plexi crystal (possibly caused by an enthusiastic crab). Good as new.

New NATO, of course, or splash out and get a proper Oyster bracelet for it. Job done.

[dbhak22]

Very cool, thanks for sharing! So curious what the insert looks like under there.

[Filipão]

Aluminium even duly anodized, eventually oxidizes and turns to a sort of dust, in this case water bonds it.

[RFC]

Time and Tide Watches https://timeandtidewatches.com reports in an opinion piece (can’t hyperlink the article here) that an Australian surfer discovered a Sub from the bottom of the ocean. This Sub, which looks like a white gold surround 5513, has seen better days. It is covered by barnacles after years of exposure to the elements. Apparently the watch is still running and the dial looks in good shape. The author is cynical about how a seller would market this vintage Sub with a new catchy name which if restored he says would probably end up in C24. Of course he takes a jab at the endless and mind bending descriptions (tropical, spider, ghost etc.) used to market and sell vintage=old high maintenance watches with damaged or discolored dials/bezels and other components. On a positive side he says Rolex would be served for itself to restore this example as proof of the robustness of its watches.

[BigBlue1]

Already posted Sir
Very cool indeed though

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=907677