Submariner (ref 5513) brochure from 1969

[Dan S]

Some fun reading.

[El Cascarrabias]

Nice!

[stmoore]

Funny they are showing chapter ring / gilt watches in 69.

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by stmoore

Funny they are showing chapter ring / gilt watches in 69.

Seems like a PCG case, too. I'm guessing they were re-using a drawing from previous brochures, but I haven't made a study of them. I like how there is so much attention paid to actually using it as a dive watch.

[sutats]

• 9:12:31
• "Special safety Auto-lock device"?
• A time when colour printing was costly.

[1William]

Nice.

[roh123]

Originally Posted by stmoore

Funny they are showing chapter ring / gilt watches in 69.

Yeah. You’ll find the same on GMT brochures from the same era.

[Rumar89]

The locations are fascinating to me: 9 offices in Asia (if OZ/NZ are excluded) including 3 in Japan alone, 7 in Europe, 3 each in NA & SA, and 1 in Africa. Was Rolex doing that much business in Asia in the 60’s?

[wsfarrell]

Originally Posted by sutats

• "Special safety Auto-lock device"?

I think they're talking about the clasp lock.

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by sutats

• "Special safety Auto-lock device"?

Originally Posted by wsfarrell

I think they're talking about the clasp lock.

This refers to the bezel. You need to push it down to rotate it.

"The Auto-lock safety revolving bezel, which can be turned only by pressing down on the bezel ..."

[sutats]

Originally Posted by Dan S

This refers to the bezel. You need to push it down to rotate it.

"The Auto-lock safety revolving bezel, which can be turned only by pressing down on the bezel ..."

Fascinating stuff, I always thought Rolex bezels were clicky since introduction and that the press to turn mechanism was strictly a Tudor feature.

[swish77]

Thanks for sharing. My favorite Rolex brochure. I love the language.

I wonder what guys would have thought back then if they knew the fanatical Rolex collectors' market in 2020.

“Deepsea divers … know that their life depends on knowing how long their air supply will last …” and knowing that their 5513 from 1969 has a serial number in the 2 million serial number range or it ain't legit!

[Styles Bitchley]

I love reading this old copy. So different from new Rolex luxury language.

[macharle]

God how do I get a poster of that B&W image???

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by macharle

God how do I get a poster of that B&W image???

Now I'm wondering which image you're referring to.

[Dan S]

Originally Posted by swish77

Thanks for sharing. My favorite Rolex brochure. I love the language.

I wonder what guys would have thought back then if they knew the fanatical Rolex collectors' market in 2020.

“Deepsea divers … know that their life depends on knowing how long their air supply will last …” and knowing that their 5513 from 1969 has a serial number in the 2 million serial number range or it ain't legit!

Yeah, it's a nice change of pace from all the threads about fakes, frankens, and frauds.