Le Monde Edmond
1049
Analogy is not fitting
Joe- first I enjoyed your post on the small crown 5508 very much. Not much is known about this reference. Your example is growing on me (indeed any 5508) as I much prefer the earlier small crowns namely the 6536-1 which have a much more 'gilt' dial and hands. Also a big congratulations on a small point BUT very important one. Your correct plus sign on the crown is a marvel. Very rare and correct- most are with the incorrect crown. The devil is in the details and you got the details here right.
Only one thing Joe. Your car analogy is a poor one. You cannot say a 5508 is boxster when a big crown is a Porsche 911. I think the DNA of any small crown is pure Rolex and thus your analogy does not make sense. A boxster carries no resemblance to a 911 and thus the comparison is a poor one. Rather it should be something like: A Small crown is a 911 1.8 L while a big crown is a 2.4L RS version. If you use the boxster analogy then I would argue a Tudor is the boxster where Rolex is the 911. That makes more sense to me as Tudor was a deliberate secondary line (and somewhat less expensive) to Rolex (the Tudor owners might not agree with me) 
All best Edmond
Rolex Submariner 5508
I am posting this thread as I know, soon, Nicolas will have completed his 5508 by getting the correct insert. After many years.....indeed. In fact, it is in any case time to take another look at this non crown guard Submariner - a watch that so often gets...
Thank you Joe for a fantastic post.
I have also made my part today: I bought a (too expensive) vintage Rolex Submariner that I expect to get on Thursday. In fact I expect to get two Submariners on Thursday. You guys with your posts and nice photos drive me nuts! Best, Kari
Superb, really superb article, Joe.
It is a fact that the 5508 is not winning the comparison with the 5512 / 13, at least for the last years... And I never got why the Small Crowns are less appreciated than the 5512 / 13. Since my interest for your article. I totally agree with you that the...
5508 years of production......
.......my answer to your question is that I am not sure. Certainly, a number of reference books suggest 1961......however, i have seen so many cases with serial numbers that suggest 1962 and even 1963....... ....of course, it is plausible that actual prod...
I always double check the sn and the quartal and year.
And, of course, I don't count my efforts. :) Count Jaeger.
earliest 5508 seen ( at least by me .. )
have case number in the 361.000 range ( roughly 1st quarter of 1958 ) . latest AFAIK with case number under 900.000. seen also some " out of range " .. but questionable......
5512 gilt vrs 5508?
For me, I have lovely versions of both, but I would go 5512. But I am especially attached to my 5512!
Nicolas- 100% with you on ALL points
I cannot remember the last time I agreed with you more. E
Analogy is not fitting
Joe- first I enjoyed your post on the small crown 5508 very much. Not much is known about this reference. Your example is growing on me (indeed any 5508) as I much prefer the earlier small crowns namely the 6536-1 which have a much more 'gilt' dial and ha...
Yep...i am with Nicolas on this....
.....the Tudor BC is in a different game to the 5508/6536...... it is a different beats altogether. They fight in different weight categories!! I think we have been on boxing analogies before, eh? BCs.....Ali, Tyson, Foreman..... SCs.....Sugar Ray
Happy that you liked the +!!!
But I still feel that the small crowns are not in the same league as the BCs. OK, if the Boxter comparison is too harsh on the 5508, then maybe 911 vrs 928 is more apt. I know you have a deep love for the 6536 small crown...and the small crown generally. ...
Team effort
Lets try and come with a good analogy. Because your analogy is not good- for the following reasons. 1) The first Sub which you oftened have argued is the DNA of Rolex (the submariner being the core DNA of Rolex) was a small crown. 6204 2) The second sub w...
well...strictly speaking not true.....
....as my post on the subject argued that the 6200 was the first Submariner that Rolex designed ... but not the first that they released to the public. I continue to argue that the very first concept of Submariner was with the 6200.....it was just not rel...
You agree with me then ;)
Joe- lets say even that your right (which your not). Lets say it was designed first- the 6200. But not released. We are talking about DNA and perception. What counts is the public perception. And here its clear the 6204 was the first sub. So you agree wit...
Ah, if what counts is public perception, as you say....then....
......the public perception...the market perception.....is that the 6536/5508 are the Boxters and the 6200/6538/5510 BCs are the 911s..... ....we come full-circle and you end up arguing in favour of my original view. Harsh maybe...but fair.
we are never going to agree
I see thing differently and so do many others. I see your point though. Let me get my hands on a BC and then I am in a better (unbiased position) to argue. Radium preferred ofcourse ;)
OK...but...
.....if you subsequently evaluate the situation and come to the conclusion that I was originally correct, then I reserve the right to change my mind. LoL
I can tell you that a nice 7924 all correct, is more expensive.
And much rarer than a 6536 even /1. Here we are speaking about an all correct and in nice condition 7924, of course, because with a service or incorrect dial, it is less expensive. Best, Nicolas
oh no please don't introduce that ...
damned minefield here too .. LOL LOL LOL btw don't think that the excl. point shows the passage from radium to tritium .
Hello there!
Hi all, I am a usual VRFer (Marcello knows me, if he remembers...LOL) but have found myself coming here more and more. I was trying to find the right post to make my first answer and this great review of the 5508 might just be it. Indeed, I just acquired ...
Welcome here, Fabrice. Your 5508 dial is WOW!
Looking foward to reading more from you, Nicolas
Welcome. You really know how to make a great impression
You Rolex 5508 is perfection in every way. WE hope to hear and see more. Bill
Well, thanks a lot, gentlemen....
I will post more of my collection when I get the time but I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, Bill, for your classic study of the 5513 gilt dials watch. It was my first read when I was researching my first gilt Sub (the Bart Simpson from ...
I hope there was at least some good facts in the report
and not too much Rolex fiction. With Rolex you can never say never as we learn new things every day. A lot of passion in the forum with a lot of crazy collectors. I look forward to seeing and sharing more with you. Bill
Hey Fabrice....
....welcome here. What an entrance with that 5508! It looks absolutely perfect. It is great to post here and we look forward to seeing more of your scans and thoughts. As collectors, it is always interesting to hear others views and how/why they made deci...
Superb post and thread dear Joe! I enjoyed so much reading...
... Viewing pictures and learning more about the 5508! Thank you! Kind regards, Abel.
Agreed BUT
All small crowns are awesome. But some more than others. In that foodchain of awesomeness the 5508 does not sit right at the top. Those belong to references beginning with a 6 ;)
i think that is right......i would rather have a 6204 or 6205 than a 5508....
.....which is ironic, since i had a 6205 and now don't....and now have a 5508. I think my youth must have confused my logic.
Your logic is not that bad
After all you have 6200 which begins with a 6. Perhaps you gave the 6205 to buy the 6200 so that would be a good deal anyway. I like the 5508, don't get me wrong. I much prefer it than 'normal' 5513 for example. But I think in the small crown world it wou...
.......well......
no......the 6200 came to me by luck.....the seller wanted cash four a quick deal......i happened to be standing by a friend who knows more about vintage Rolex than nearly anyone I know.....having collected for 40yrs...he checked the 6200...pronounced it p...
Thats always a nice position to be in
To have money when others don't. I hope I find myself in that position one day. A nice way to buy a 6200. Not like today when buying will cause your nose to bleed. Or half a heart attack. Whats the famous saying? 'Patience is a virtue'. Best Edmond
I am not a fan of that saying..."Patience is a virtue"....
......so often its not ! My old boss once told me..."Shoot first, ask questions later". Of course, that philosophy also has its drawbacks and is based on having a fairly decent intuition.
In general it is
My mother often tells me: timing in life is everything. She is so right. Take for example my 6205. I saw it on IG. I called the dealer. I met him next week in Lausanne and I knew when I saw it that I really had to decide right then and then. In that circu...