Replica Rolex Submariner 5512: Short Answer
The 5512 is the chronometer-rated vintage Submariner that Rolex produced from 1959 to 1978. A replica of that reference has to match four things before anything else counts: a 40 mm case with crown guards, a 20 mm lug width, a bidirectional friction bezel with an era-correct insert, and a dial finish that matches the year being copied. A 5512 replica that misses the friction bezel or runs a 28,800 vph movement gives itself away on the wrist. Lume tone, crystal dome, and crown profile are refinements after those four boxes are ticked.
Before You Start
- Pick an era: glossy gilt dial (1959 to roughly 1966) or matte dial (roughly 1966 to 1978).
- Keep a caliper or a steel ruler on hand. Case width and lug width matter to the millimeter.
- Have photos of genuine 5512 examples open at the same angle as the watch you are inspecting.
What the Genuine 5512 Specifies
- Case: 40 mm stainless steel, screw-down caseback, crown guards present from the first year of production.
- Lug width: 20 mm, with drilled lugs on most examples.
- Bezel: bidirectional friction rotation, no click, 60-minute scale on an aluminum insert.
- Crystal: domed acrylic (Tropic profile), not flat sapphire.
- Crown: screw-down Twinlock, small by modern standards.
- Movement: caliber 1530, later 1560 and 1570, all chronometer certified at 19,800 vph.
- Depth rating: 200 m / 660 ft, printed on the dial as 660 ft = 200 m on most dials.
- Distinction from the 5513: the 5512 is chronometer rated, the 5513 is not.
How to Evaluate a 5512 Replica
- Measure the case across the bezel at 2 and 8 o'clock. It should read 40 mm, not 41 or 39.
- Measure the lug width. It should read 20 mm, and the spring bars should sit inside drilled lugs if the era calls for it.
- Turn the bezel. It should move with friction in both directions and hold position, with no ratchet click.
- Read the insert font against a photo of a genuine insert from the same period. Early inserts carry fewer hash marks than later ones.
- Check the dial for period errors: a gilt dial needs a chapter ring and gold printing, a matte dial needs flat white printing and no gloss.
- Compare the hands. Gilt-era watches use gold-toned hands; matte-era watches use white painted hands, and the minute hand should reach the inner edge of the bezel.
- Look at the crystal from the side. A 5512 has a domed acrylic look with visible distortion at the edge, not a flat sapphire top.
- Ask which movement is inside and how fast it beats. See the next section for why that matters.
- Weigh the watch. A vintage-profile case in the 110 to 130 g range with a bracelet feels right; anything much lighter usually means a thinner case.
Movement Beat Rate
The genuine caliber runs at 19,800 vibrations per hour, about 5.5 beats per second. A replica with a modern 28,800 vph movement sweeps almost smoothly, which reads as wrong to anyone who handles vintage Submariners. Lower-grade builds often use a basic 21,600 vph automatic, which is closer but still off. The movement also sets the case thickness, so a thin movement usually means a case that sits too flat on the wrist.
Dial, Lume, and Patina
Factory-fresh lume is a giveaway on a watch meant to be 50 years old. Replicas in this reference class are usually sold with pre-aged lume in a cream or pumpkin tone, and the better ones vary the tone between the hands and the plots. Bezel inserts get faded and scratched to match. Judge the aging for consistency, not for how dramatic it looks, because uneven patina between dial and insert is the most visible flaw in a vintage replica.
Practical and Legal Note
A replica is a replica. Selling one as a genuine Rolex is fraud in the United States and most other markets, and customs agencies seize counterfeit watches in transit. Wear it knowing what it is, keep the paperwork clear, and never pass it off in a resale listing. If authentication matters to you, a watchmaker can open the caseback and identify the movement in under a minute.