5513 Input Requested

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by LateLearner

The reason I asked, I didn’t see the point in getting a Geiger until a restoration expert asked me if my 5513 had been checked for radium. Didn’t think it was possible, despite the sorry relume. Until it did. The relume on this watch reminds me of the radium relume on my 1965 5513.


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I get it, but my point it is ... why does it matter?

[LateLearner]

Originally Posted by Dan S

I get it, but my point it is ... why does it matter?

To many owners, perhaps it matters not at all. To an owner who wears his watch to bed, perhaps a great deal? Radium is now my niche interest.


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[Kingface66]

Originally Posted by LateLearner

To many owners, perhaps it matters not at all. To an owner who wears his watch to bed, perhaps a great deal? Radium is now my niche interest.


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Why would it be radium? Tritium, possibly. But, radium that late in the game? Who would be using it?

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by Kingface66

Why would it be radium? Tritium, possibly. But, radium that late in the game? Who would be using it?

I know, it's a really weird distraction for the OP. The original watch is from 1965, and someone is speculating that the redone dial might have radium. Buy a Geiger counter to test it. Why?

[coalace]

Regardless of material I don't feel there's any harm in checking for curiosities sake, in the unlikely event its a micro chernobyl that would be weighed when choosing what path to undergo with the dial. In latelearners example someone had an old vial stashed somewhere.

Which brings me to my next factoid. The gentleman who wore this one spent some time with Bulova, and I know he had some lume vials of his own squirreled away, they were mainly used on his fishing apparatus to aid with surfcasting at night. Perhaps some made its way to this dial, perhaps not. might be worth a saw buck or two after all to help me connect some (non lume, and likely non radioactive) dots.

[coalace]

Originally Posted by 1watch

There’s a difference between reprinted, relumed and outright fake, which I wouldn’t rule out from the pics. That’s why I shared my opinion and included as a possibility

Thank you for your input


Whats everyone's take on the movement, does it appear genuine or "aftermarket". I haven't been able to locate as much information online to help estimate its time period as I have for some other things like dials and cases

From my reading I believe the 26 jewel 1520s came later in the run correct? may imply swapped around 83 or 92 service marked in the caseback if genuine?

[alwayshere]

movement looks fine - to date, fake vintage rolex movements have been seldom (if ever) seen (never say never).

[LateLearner]

Originally Posted by Kingface66

Why would it be radium? Tritium, possibly. But, radium that late in the game? Who would be using it?

An old-school relumer, using old radium, probably in the very late 1960s. Yes, it happened at least once, with my 1.28M 5513.


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[Kingface66]

Originally Posted by LateLearner

An old-school relumer, using old radium, probably in the very late 1960s. Yes, it happened at least once, with my 1.28M 5513.


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Your mid-60s Sub was relumed in the late 60s? That’s so nuts.

[PaulMiami]

My great uncle in the early 70s gave me a very similar 5513, almost exactly same vintage as yours. The dial was also a mess, although not as bad as yours. I used it all throughout high school and college. But in 2017 I felt it was time to bring it back to its glory days. I had Rick Dietel restore it. He sent the dial to London, it came back undistinguishable from a new old stock gilt 5513. Total cost was about 3000 including 2000 for the work done on the dial. You should look up my posts from 2017 to see before and after pictures. I cannot recommend Rick more. He’s amazing. The watch looks like it came out of a time tunnel. I for one preferred this to having the watch looking a mess, but I’m sure purists disagree. Some in the forum started complaining thinking I may resell it as an original dial, the work was that good. No worries there. My son will inherit it and he’s never selling it.

[PaulMiami]

Below are the before and after pics of a watch my great uncle gave me. He bought it new in the 1960s and it’s a very similar vintage to yours.

I had Rik Dietel restore it, including refinishing the dial. I don’t know what happened to the original gilt dial, but best I can tell there was some very shoddy refinishing done in the 60s.

Rik sent my dial to London where it was redone, and he worked on the movement and polished the case and band. The watch keeps very good time now, before this it always ran fast. As best he could tell me, it was not a fake dial, but clearly someone had messed it up.

It looks absolutely spectacular now, like new old stock, and it’s been in the family almost 60 years. Well worth it for me. I had purchased a new Rolex band in 1976 that is still on the watch, and tossed out the original rivet/spring band. That was clearly a mistake in hind sight.