Rolex military Submariner hogs limelight at Bonhams sale

Bonhams’ most recent London Watches sale took place last week, with exceptional results being achieved with Rolex.

The 141-lot sale made £996,414, which represented 98% of the value of the lots, and 88% of the volume. Although brands like Breguet, Patek Philippe, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget, Cartier and Tiffany & Co. were represented, Rolex stole the show.

The standout performer was a Rolex military Submariner, reference 5513/5517, circa 1975, which had originally been made as a direct order for the British military via the Ministry of Defence. with 88% sold by lot and 98% sold by value.

Distinguishable from its civilian equivalent through specific enhancements, the reference 5513 was the first model to be customised for military use. 

Its sale price of £82,950 was at the very top end of its pre-sale estimate of £65,000–85,000.

“The Bonhams London Watches live sale presented an impressive array of highly desirable timepieces by some of the most illustrious makers, each celebrated for exceptional craftsmanship,” said Charles Dower, Bonhams’ head of Knightsbridge watches.

“Among the standout offerings was an outstanding collection of Rolex watches spanning nearly a century, from a 1930 Prince to a notable 1975 military Submariner. This carefully curated selection of vintage and contemporary Rolex models sparked competitive international bidding, with many lots surpassing their pre-sale estimates. Particularly rare examples achieved exceptional results, underscoring sustained collector demand for well-preserved timepieces distinguished by quality, rarity and provenance,” he continued.

Other lots of significance were a Rolex ‘Jean-Claude Killy’ Oyster Dato-Compax, circa 1953. They got this nickname as a result of Olympic champion skier Killy being seen wearing a reference 6036 (one of just four references of the Dato-Compax that were produced).

This rare 18K gold manual-wind triple calendar chronograph trebled its pre-sale estimate of £20,000–30,000 by achieving a sale price of £76,600.

A rare Rolex GMT-Master II ‘Sea King,’ one of just 123, sold for £34,560 against an estimate of £20,000–25,000, while a 14K gold automatic Rolex Oyster Perpetual, circa 1947, achieved an extraordinary 10 times its estimate, by selling for £25,600.