OVERVIEW

The terms “rare” and “barn find” are probably some of the most overused and wrongly used terms people say to sell vintage watches and yet here I am using them to describe this watch. Rest assured that I wouldn’t do so unless I believed it.

No, this 1967 Rolex Submariner wasn’t actually found in a barn, but what appears to have been worn a lot at one point in time actually sat in a drawer of the original owner for at least as much time as it was worn. What makes this Sub really rare though, is its “Neat Fonts” dial configuration which was only made for the chronometer certified 5512 for only a short run and is characterized by the sharpness of the print on the dial as well as the size of the larger and more even SCOC print in comparison to the more common 5512 Meters First matte dials. It’s the exact same font that was used for the gilt era 5512 which was carried over to the matte dials. These dials were printed by the Singer dial company and have always been designated for the 5512 since the SCOC print on the dials was produced at the same time as the rest of the print. Also, the print style is completely different from the early matte 5513 (non-chronometer certified), which actually shares the same font and styling as the other version of the 5512 Meters First. Those dials were made for both the 5512 and 5513 with the SCOC print added only after a particular dial was designated for a 5512.

If this all sounds like a bunch of confusing nerdy watch collector mumbo-jumbo, you’re not crazy, it is. Nerdy watch collectors are the ones who would figure out how rare a Rolex 5512 Meters First “Neat Fonts” dial is in the first place and give it its name. They’re the ones who have determined that for every ten 5513’s ever produced only one 5512’s was produced. And out of all those 5512’s produced from 1959-1980, they’ve determined that about 15% of those are a matte Meters First dial. And out of those matte Meters First dials our nerdy collector friends have hypothesized that only 10-15% of those are a “Neat Fonts” dial. I think it’s safe to say that this watch is pretty RARE.

As I always say though, the rarest and most appealing characteristic of any vintage watch is if it’s in excellent and original condition which this watch very much is. As shown in the photos below I documented the state I found it in before cleaning it up and polishing the crystal. Besides that, the watch is in what I consider to be perfect vintage condition.

CONDITION NOTES

CASE: Sharp, thick & unpolished with light natural wear and no corrosion. Bracelet is tight and very long.

DIAL & HANDS: Untouched and excellent with attractive original yellow lume and perfect matching original handset.

MOVEMENT: Clean condition and running really well for a watch that hasn’t been serviced in forever, but will still perform a full service before delivery.