Debuting in 1953 and released to the public the following year, the Rolex Submariner has undoubtedly become one of the most iconic timepieces of all time thanks to its legendary status as Rolex's flagship dive watch. Used extensively by the British Royal Navy and professional diving operations like COMEX, the Submariner set the bar for all dive watches to follow. Featuring a genuinely timeless design that has remained relatively unchanged throughout its history, the Rolex has become the archetypal sports watch. With very few large-scale aesthetic upgrades made to it over the years except for timely advancements like introducing a date function to the collection in the late '60s, and its modern cerachrom bezels, the Submariner is seen as the prototypical dive watch thanks to its consistency. The Submariner has earned its status as a legendary watch, with it today remaining as one of the most sought-after timepieces around.

The 5513 was produced from 1962 to 1988, and was the non-chronometer version of the non-date Submariner. There were a multitude of dial variants made over those 26 years, ranging from gilt chapter ring dials in the beginning to matte dials, then ultimately the glossy dials with white gold luminous surrounds. Offered here, we have what is believed to be one of only six Cigarette 1-cosigned Submariners in existence, with five of them being in steel like ours, and one in 18kt yellow gold. So the story goes, Don Aronow, the owner of Cigarette 1, a company that produced long hulled speedboats and also operated a racing team told the crew on one of his boats during a fishing competition that if they won they would all get a Rolex. As such, when they won they were each presented with a stainless steel co-signed Cigarette 1 ref. 5513 in stainless steel as we have here. The one gold example was Don’s. Regardless of the accuracy of the folklore behind these watches, it is certain that they are rare, seldom come to market, and special given Cigarette 1’s history as one of the world’s premier speedboat manufacturers.

The watch is in near-mint condition. The steel case presents as near mint, having been fully serviced in 2020, with signs of previous polishing and light wear visible. The case back has some light marks. The bezel is well defined, and the black insert is virtually mark-free. The black dial is near mint, featuring the Cigarette 1 logo and original tritium lume that has aged to a warm cream tone. The hands are later Luminova replacements. The watch is fitted with a solid link Oyster bracelet with 501B end links, showing light marks and negligible play between the links. The bracelet currently fits a 7 1/4” wrist, and is fitted with 11 links, 1 of which is removable. The watch comes with a Rolex service pouch and service card dated 2020.