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, this 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.

Tracing its origins back 1973, this example was bought by the Greek Navy as part of a move in the 70s that saw Rolex Submariner ref. 5513's, like the one we have here, see use in combat on the wrists of elite frogmen in the Underwater Demolition Command. Intended for use as part of the diving equipment each diver would receive on their missions, these timepieces were incredibly important in executing missions in a safe and timely manner, as they had done since their founding. The timepieces were then decommissioned and auctioned off in 2014, and provided with a letter from the 13th Special Ops Command attesting to the serial number of each watch and that it was part of the batch of watches originally ordered by the military, as our example includes.