Rolex Submariner 6538 and 5513 at Bonhams Fine Watches auction

A rare Rolex Submariner 6538 and a Rolex 5513, both models known to be worn by James Bond in his films, will be offered at the Bonhams Fine Watches and Wristwatches Sale in New Bond Street, London on 9 December.

Note that the watches on auction have NOT appeared in the films but are the same model.

Rolex Submariner 6538
The Rolex Submariner 6538 was supplied for just four years but it has become one of the best known and sought after of the Submariner models.

The Rolex on offer is a 6538 from circa 1956.

Its general defining features are the over size (8mm) crown, lack of protective crown guards and gilt dial. The gilt dial comes with gilt hands which are unusual for a stainless steel case but typical for this date. These features mean that it is instantly recognisable and since it became the adopted watch of the James Bond (Sean Connery) in the early Bond films.

Price estimate: £ 50,000 - 90,000 / US$ 66,000 - 120,000

Rolex Submariner 5513
Rolex introduced the reference 5513 in 1962, and produced the reference until the mid-1980's. The model is recognizable by its lack of date feature, allowing the dial to have a well-balanced design.

Early examples of the 5513 featured a glossy black dial with gilt text, and in the mid-1960's, Rolex started producing the reference with a matte dial and white printing. These dials featured the depth rating with meters indicated first "200m=660ft", and towards the end of the 1960's Rolex began producing dials with the depth rating that indicated feet first.

A Rolex 5513 was worn by James Bond in On her Majesty's Secret Service, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, and by a stunt man in Licence to Kill (watch was similar to Timothy Dalton's more modern Rolex Submariner 16610).

Price estimate:£ 15,000 - 20,000 / US$ 20,000 - 27,000

Read more about James Bond and Rolex.

Also on offer at Bonhams are many other diver's watches including is a rare Rolex Sea Dweller, produced exclusively for the world-famous French engineering and deep-sea diving company COMEX with an estimate of £30,000 - 40,000.

Rolex Submariner 6538 and 5512 (similar to the 5513) watches were offered recently at a Bob's Watches auction, where they fetched $180,000 and $30,000 respectively.

For more info and bidding, visit the Bonhams website.

In another upcoming Bonhams auction on 16 December, one of the Mercury Cougar XR7 cars from On Her Majesty's Secret Service will be offered.