5513 Sub restoration complete

[RFC]

Really pleased how the restoration of my meters first 5513 ‘68 came out. Phillip Ridley in Arizona overhauled the movement, replaced worn internals, changed the crown, and installed a NOS T19 superdome. Drew and Emily Zimmerman in Pennsylvania refurbished the case to bring it back to original specs. Ridley delivered the watch to me in an original and the newest Rolex service pouch and case. I ordered from Velle Alexander in Minnesota a handcrafted stitched italian “cognac” leather strap for a more casual look. More on that for later.

I went into this adventure realizing that finding early matte dials 5513’s in excellent condition with unpolished cases at my budget would be very hard. I prioritized a piece from a trusted seller with an unrestored dial with matching hands, nice patina, and compromised by accepting that the case would be polished but not corroded or pitted and had to have the serial number visible as mine does. Found this meters first at Paul Duggan in NH and decided to restore it to make it my own. I highly recommend Phillip Ridley and Drew/Emily Zimmerman for service and restoration of Rolex vintage. Their work was meticulous and responsive. My i-phone pics don’t do justice to the piece.

[hutch300]

Looks great!

[RFC]

Two more pics of the case as a work then in progress and a uv light pic of the dial. Lights up green and wears off. Ridley filled the pip in the bezel with tritium. The amplitude is as it should be after the service and running well.

[P.C.]

lovely! good to know cases can be refurbished to such a standard. I may go down that route someday with my '91 two toned Sub.

[zapokee]

Jeez, look at that case. That's some awesome work.

It's good when people know what they're doing.

[HERITAGE82]

Amazing looking sub!

[RFC]

Originally Posted by P.C.

lovely! good to know cases can be refurbished to such a standard. I may go down that route someday with my '91 two toned Sub.

If my 5513 had never been polished I would not have done it.

But mine had been polished many times over five decades. So I treated it to the best craftsmanship I could find in the US to make it new. I did learn a lot in the process about bevels, chamfers etc. And, any nicks and scratches that might come next will be on my watch or my grandchildren’s.

[P.C.]

Originally Posted by RFC

If my 5513 had never been polished I would not have done it.

But mine had been polished many times over five decades. So I treated it to the best craftsmanship I could find in the US to make it new. I did learn a lot in the process about bevels, chamfers etc. And, any nicks and scratches that might come next will be on my watch or my grandchildren’s.

thanks for the helpful info, As I'm also based in the US but being inexperienced about such things its good to know that that Drew and Emily Zimmerman in Pennsylvania sounds like a good start at least regarding any refurbishment work. Do they also work /service movements? I noticed you had that done elsewhere Arizona.
thanks again for the useful info and pics.

[RFC]

Zimmerman is also a CW21 watchmaker (as is Ridley) and services Rolex vintage. He recently became Moser’s authorized service center in the US. Reason I went to Ridley is I had trusted him before to service another but newer Sub. Ridley does have in stock hard to find Rolex vintage OEM parts. Unsure if Zimmerman does. The whole process between the two took three months and that was in the middle of the Christmas holidays.

[DocRassy]

Amazing and beautiful. Congrats RFC!

[bullies]

Looks great, congrats and enjoy!

[P.C.]

Originally Posted by RFC

Zimmerman is also a CW21 watchmaker (as is Ridley) and services Rolex vintage. He recently became Moser’s authorized service center in the US. Reason I went to Ridley is I had trusted him before to service another but newer Sub. Ridley does have in stock hard to find Rolex vintage OEM parts. Unsure if Zimmerman does. The whole process between the two took three months and that was in the middle of the Christmas holidays.

good to know, thanks again for pics of wonderful watch

[ADINVA]

Case restoration means laser weld to restore the case to its "original" look?

[RFC]

Originally Posted by ADINVA

Case restoration means laser weld to restore the case to its "original" look?

You are mostly correct. Not all case restoration requires welding but in my case it did. For instance one lug was thinner than the rest and the case had minor dents. The chamfers were round and not sharp. The case was thick and the crown guards were fine. Laser welding requires using a steel filament of the same type of steel used for the period of the watch when manufactured, to fill, weld, and then polish the surfaces. If you go to Zimmerman’s IG page or website you’ll see that they take measurements and weigh the case to match as closely as possible the original specs of manufacture. It’s a time consuming process. Nothing that any Rolex service center would do in the US.

[Jackie Daytona]

Looks great! Congrats on the completion. Wonderful watch.

[swish77]

Originally Posted by RFC

You are mostly correct. Not all case restoration requires welding but in my case it did. For instance one lug was thinner than the rest and the case had minor dents. The chamfers were round and not sharp. The case was thick and the crown guards were fine. Laser welding requires using a steel filament of the same type of steel used for the period of the watch when manufactured, to fill, weld, and then polish the surfaces. If you go to Zimmerman’s IG page or website you’ll see that they take measurements and weigh the case to match as closely as possible the original specs of manufacture. It’s a time consuming process. Nothing that any Rolex service center would do in the US.

Congrats on a great restoration! Zimmerman are top-notch, and as you point out, they will do as much, or as little, case work as you request.

Laser-welding will have some critics, myself included, but if the case is shot already, why not? I think some of the negativity associated with laser-welding is when unscrupulous sellers are doing it to cases without disclosing it. It's often tough to spot.

[one80]

Look at those chamfers! Amazing result.

[danielkokinda]

That looks amazing. I’ll have to remember them if I every get that far. I’m currently looking for a birth year (1977) 5513 or 1680.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[strafer_kid]

Looks fantastic!

[ADINVA]

Originally Posted by RFC

You are mostly correct. Not all case restoration requires welding but in my case it did. For instance one lug was thinner than the rest and the case had minor dents. The chamfers were round and not sharp. The case was thick and the crown guards were fine. Laser welding requires using a steel filament of the same type of steel used for the period of the watch when manufactured, to fill, weld, and then polish the surfaces. If you go to Zimmerman’s IG page or website you’ll see that they take measurements and weigh the case to match as closely as possible the original specs of manufacture. It’s a time consuming process. Nothing that any Rolex service center would do in the US.

To the extent that you can, would you mind sharing the cost of restoring the case to its great current state now? Many thanks!

[ADINVA]

Originally Posted by swish77

Congrats on a great restoration! Zimmerman are top-notch, and as you point out, they will do as much, or as little, case work as you request.

Laser-welding will have some critics, myself included, but if the case is shot already, why not? I think some of the negativity associated with laser-welding is when unscrupulous sellers are doing it to cases without disclosing it. It's often tough to spot.

Nothing matters more than being truly happy wearing it. This is all it matters! Does not matter what others say about artificially restoring to its past glory, it is your own prized possession. Do what pleases you!

[RFC]

Originally Posted by ADINVA

To the extent that you can, would you mind sharing the cost of restoring the case to its great current state now? Many thanks!

Sure. For the full restoration of the case that you see here it's $930.

[RFC]

Originally Posted by swish77

Congrats on a great restoration! Zimmerman are top-notch, and as you point out, they will do as much, or as little, case work as you request.

Laser-welding will have some critics, myself included, but if the case is shot already, why not? I think some of the negativity associated with laser-welding is when unscrupulous sellers are doing it to cases without disclosing it. It's often tough to spot.

This case in particular was not "shot" as if I couldn't bear wearing it. It was like most old 5513's out there that had lived a long life. But the case had no identity to me. History unknown. The dents and scratches meant nothing. I wanted a pristine case and that was the only way to have it.

By the way, I think most of us in this forum would be able to tell when a vintage 5513 has been refurbished to perfection like mine versus an unpolished example that shows signs of wear. As you suggest, mine can't be sold as unpolished.

Going back to my watch I'm thrilled with the results and if a first scratch comes it will be on me!

[Arnozerosix]

Originally Posted by ADINVA

Nothing matters more than being truly happy wearing it. This is all it matters! Does not matter what others say about artificially restoring to its past glory, it is your own prized possession. Do what pleases you!

^This^ ... you spoke my mind ...

[joli160]

Incredible case work, beautiful

[Andy_Andy]

Amazing work on the lugs

[PVR]

Drew is great at case work, but you should disclose how long it took for Drew to restore that case. My guess is 4 months and $1000. He is meticulous but over booked and busy..

EDIT: Just saw it was $930 and took 3 months.. I was close :)

[RFC]

Originally Posted by PVR

Drew is great at case work, but you should disclose how long it took for Drew to restore that case. My guess is 4 months and $1000. He is meticulous but over booked and busy..

EDIT: Just saw it was $930 and took 3 months.. I was close :)

Drew would have had the case finished earlier but for his January trip to Moser in Switzerland for training or certification. Ridley had the movement ready by December. All in all, three months to ship was reasonable to me. I imagine that Rolliworks in Miami or LAW in LA would take as long or longer. But Ridley works with Drew for case restorations.

[brandrea]

What great result, looks awesome

[ADINVA]

Originally Posted by RFC

Sure. For the full restoration of the case that you see here it's $930.

This is actually and surprisingly reasonable. How long did the entire process take?