Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu

Rolex. A stainless steel automatic wristwatch with bracelet, Ref. 5508, Submariner, ‘James Bond’, circa 1960
Movement: cal. 1530, automatic, 26 jewels, no. 83730
Dial: black service dial, triangular, baton and dot indexes, centre seconds
Case: stainless steel Oyster case, screw-down crown and back, calibrated bezel, inside case back stamped 5508 11.62, stainless steel Oyster bracelet
Signed: case, dial, movement and bracelet
Dimensions: diameter 38mm. £6,000-£8,000

The Submariner reference 5508 was first released in 1958, replacing the 6536 and featured the new calibre 1530 movement. All these early Submariner models without crown guards are know to collectors as the James Bond models. This is because this was the watch of choice for the famous British secret service agent in the early films featuring Sean Connery in the 1960’s.