No request for advice - just a long thank you to announce my new 5513 Maxi 3!

[fizz]

This isn't a thread asking for advice, it's to give thanks and announce the arrival of my 5513 Maxi 3 "Lollipop".

It finally got here over the weekend. After nearly a week of delay in payment processing (thanks to the reduced working week for banks between Christmas and New Year, which is the period that I foolishly decided to purchase and make the payment), I finally held the package in my hands.

Picking it up from the Fedex guy, I tried to act cool and calm but once it was with me, I was like a kid with the keys to Willy Wonka's factory. Honestly, nothing could have prepared me for how gorgeous the watch actually looked. I had spent weeks, days, hours looking at pictures of this and other similar dials. I had tried a 5513 a few times before but never a Lollipop maxi 3 and when it was finally on my wrist it felt strikingly unique, like nothing else honestly.

In retrospect, I'm glad I ended up with this (thank you fate) instead of the one that Bulang was selling (and which I was late to buy). The grey bezel is superbly even and the T19 superdome gives the dial a indescribable look matched only by the Plexi of my Speedy. It was really quite surreal to finally get it and start wearing it and after adjusting the bracelet and putting it on I realised why everyone recommended I drop the idea of buying just the watch head. Honestly, the bracelet is light and very comfortable. One of the reasons that I wear all my other watches (primarily the Speedy and Planet Ocean) on leather is because my tiny 6.5 inch wrists find all that steel to be quite bulky. The 5513 is of ideal dimension and proportions and once on its easy to forget that there is something gracing my wrist.

More than anything else, after all the initial joy settled down to realistic levels, I realised that I couldn't have done this or pulled it off without the immense patience and help of the folks who hang around on this forum and make it such a great, friendly, insightful, informative place. In no particular order, some of the people who really put in an effort to provide feedback to the numerous threads I created over the last few months and/or PM with their suggestions or 5513's they had found included (but are probably not limited to) the following:

Kingface66, RC2, Zoran, Pharmlou, RolexJNJ, 05carbondrz, studioal, SLS, asleep, Wing Zero, swish77, Robbyvm, Jetkopite, Matdaytona, nycpassat, jdog111578, qadhi, GhostWriter, The Walrus, linesiders, omitohud, Boaters, springer, waspy1, fmc000, U5512, Frogman4me, ADINVA, eparisini, Beelzy, scooba, high5, Gliderguy, zapokee, buenosdias

Now onto the pictures...

I was convinced pretty early on that the seller was not very good at taking pictures (and now I know I was right). The watches never looked as good as they could in comparison to other sites that had similar models, so I decided to take some photos of my own (but still don't think I did it absolute justice). I didn't take any wrist shots but I will update this thread eventually with some of those as well.

Finally, there is one thing I have to mention that might be the only negative about this experience and that is that the watch isn't *gasp* a 1979 (as per the serial no) but a instead a 78 (so technically not a birth year, but who cares right?). The seller, who I was negotiating with for 2 different watches, confused the serial numbers of the two and mixed them up in his description. I never asked for pictures of the serial number and trusted his description to be accurate. Imagine my surprise when I received the watch and the serial no turned out to be 56XXXXX instead of 59XXXXX as he had stated. Rest assured I got in touch with him but he is a cold, slightly arrogant person to deal with and didn't admin to this being a mistake and so after having worn it now for a couple of days I've grown to love it so I will be keeping it. I know some of you probably will have strong opinions and even recommendations about this, but I'm just glad I got such a wonderful vintage 5513 in great condition.

[Gliderguy]

Beautiful!!! Really astounding. Congrats and enjoy. There is nothing like vintage!!

[RolexJNJ]

Big congrats my friend! Great watch!!

[05carbondrz]

Awesome,The Serial number is no big deal.

[ADINVA]

Looks amazingly clean with a very nicely evenly faded insert. Importantly, a very nice strong case. Good even and matching patina on dial, hand and insert. Well worth the search! I am surprised if it is within your said budget for this wonderful piece.

Congrats! *Super jealous*

[nycpassat]

I think it looks great. Enjoy and congrats!

[Kingface66]

So happy for you, Faizan! I knew you'd be over the moon w this one. And MAN, I'm super jealous, too!!

[asleep]

Congrats, Fizz, you did it the right way and stalked your prize.

Great faded bezel on that one, right up your alley.

[dysondiver]

congratulations , fine looking watch

[jrs146]

With a watch that beautiful who cares what the serial number is!

[Kingface66]

For the sake of argument, and not knowing what month you were born, could you argue that you were conceived in '78??

[Wing Zero]

I am glad you held out. Looks perfect in every way.
I tried and tried, but I cannot find any flaws.

Congratulations on your 5513 !!

[HL65]

Congrats!

[fizz]

Originally Posted by Kingface66

For the sake of argument, and not knowing what month you were born, could you argue that you were conceived in '78??

Haha...that is actually most certainly true!

Thanks all for your wishes. I am one happy bunny at the moment.

Just this morning I paired it with 2 different straps - a vintage brown (from Bulang) that I originally bought for my Speedy and a vintage grey, very identical in shade to the lovely faded insert. Pictures shortly.

[Zoran]

I'm sorry Faizan, but I don't like it... I LOVE IT!!

Huge congrats! Well worth the hunt and the wait
Glad you can start enjoying that beauty!

[droptopman]

Great example. Congratulations!

[U5512]

Big CONGRATS on that fine looking Sub!!! Wear it in good health now!!!

[GB-man]

Beautiful congratulations!

[MP5]

Thats a smoking example! Congrats

[scooba]

I am pleased for you , It looks lovely enjoy wearing it ,Patience has paid off

[theflywrist]

Looks stunning! Congrats man

[linesiders]

Smooth Piece

[watchcrank]

very nice watch, congrats m

[lhanddds]

Nice, congrats

[fizz]

Thank you everyone for the overwhelmingly positive wishes.

As promised, here are some wrist shots.

And just as you'd expect, I went ahead and experimented with straps as well. I already had a Bulang and Sons camel brown vintage leather which looked great on it. I also impulsively went ahead and purchased another vintage leather strap from a local store (these are Kauffman straps) in grey that nearly matches the colour of the faded insert.

While these were all great, I realised nothing comes close to the level of perfection and balance achieved by the bracelet. I was never really a bracelet guy but on the 5513, I don't think I'll be in any hurry to change it.

Also, I've provided a picture in formal clothes (which is how I dress for work each day). Some things to note (from pic 4):

- It looks great in formal attire as well.
- Juxtaposed with a bright white shirt, the colour of the dial patina is very evidently a pleasant and smooth coffee cream off-white. Much more aesthetically pleasing on a faded insert than the light yellow would have been.
- It looks sportier with a strap as compared to a bracelet. With my Speedy it's the other way round (I think!)
- That superdome really is one of the key components of what makes the dial and overall beauty of this watch pop!

[RLX-lvr]

Wow, really nice maxi 3 you picked up.
Super sharp!

Congrats.

[05carbondrz]

Nice Wrist shots,You deserve that Watch.

[Boaters]

WOW Fizz BIG CONGRATS that is a real beauty your perseverance really paid off. I thought for awhile that you would never pull the trigger but WOW when you did it was perfect. I am jealous what a beauty a watch to keep forever give that beauty plenty of wrist time.

[strafer_kid]

Very nice indeed!

[qadhi]

Super clean..love the faded insert..congratulations!

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