Grail Material: Spending Time With A 1959 Rolex Submariner Ref. 5508

You know what they say: “Don’t meet your heroes. It will only disappoint you. The curtain will lift on your enamored illusions, and you will come out sadder and wiser, maybe even cynical.” So when Nacho asked me if I would be interested in doing a hands-on with a 65-year-old Rolex Submariner, I was apprehensive. Should I? The younger reference 5513 has always been a grail watch of mine. It is one that I have spent a lot of time with, in many of its different guises. What would it be like to hang out with the older reference 5508? Would it be so delicate and rattly that it would turn me off of vintage Submariners altogether? Or could it shove the 5513 aside and become my new grail?

Of course, I could not turn down the opportunity, so I found myself slipping the 1959 dive watch over my left hand. I would love to say I closed the clasp with a confident click, but the thin, pressed sheet metal had warped over time, and I had to wrestle it into submission. I pulled the outer casing of the clasp towards me and pushed it down. It held. As a matter of fact, it felt oddly secure. The 5508 and I were off on our first date. Let’s see how we fared…

Putting the Rolex Submariner 5508 in context

A quick succession of minor and major updates characterizes the early years of the Rolex Submariner. Therefore, you would be forgiven if you don’t know your 1950s Sub references by heart. I am happy to admit I don’t either. In fact, the late ’50s saw several different generations and versions overlap, making matters particularly complicated.

The 5508 and 5510 both came out in 1958. The Submariner 5510 was thicker, at about 15mm, and featured an 8mm so-called “big crown.” Rolex rated its water resistance at 200 meters. Reference 5508, on the other hand, measured only 12.6mm thick and had a small crown and water resistance rated at 100 meters. You will find versions with a red triangle as well as ones with a silver triangle on the bezel for the 60-minute marker. The one I have here is retrofitted with a later bezel.

This is the first generation to feature Rolex’s caliber 1520, a different version of which also ticks in my 1967 Datejust. Simultaneously, this is the last Submariner generation without crown guards. The dials still featured radium lume, although the compound was diluted towards the end of the production run in 1962. Later models, therefore, tend to have lighter-colored lume. Also, the dials are my favorite type — gilt.

Going back to the source

I had a visceral reaction when I first pulled this 5508 out of its pouch. It was a weirdly comforting sensation of relief. Over the past years, I have handled so many vintage-inspired dive watches. Domed crystals, gilt-colored dial printing, and faux patina all became a bit stale. Here I was, holding the real deal. This is exactly what all of those watches try to look like. The 5508 brings me back to the source of an aesthetic that has become something of a cliché.

Interestingly, it only makes this watch more attractive to me. I was afraid I would have tired of this look through sheer exposure to homages to it. The opposite is true. Gazing at this 5508, I realize that no amount of gold paint and beige lume can approach a well-aged gilt-dial Submariner. It is as if Justin Timberlake sang the blues; it may be perfectly in pitch and technically skilled, but I’ll take Howling Wolf or Big Joe Williams any day.

Through the years, the dial’s black galvanized surface cracked, forming sharp lines like the shards in a thin layer of ice on a lake. It is the horological equivalent of the lines around an old person’s eyes, shaped by decades of laughter and crying. It may all be cracked, but it is certainly not broken. To me, a beautifully aged dial like this exudes gravitas and confidence. Everything still stands proud, not hiding its battle scars. This is the source, and I love it.

Wearing the Rolex Submariner 5508

If you have never handled a Rolex of this age, the experience is probably nothing like you might envision. Modern Rolex watches feel like ultra-precise, solid chunks of steel. The moving parts feel as if they run on ceramic ball bearings, and the heft inspires confidence. There is none of that here. The 5508 is light, even eerily so. It feels as if I could pull parts off with my bare hands.

This is partly an illusion. Rolex developed and produced these watches as serious diving tools. They are plenty reliable and tough. It is just that we don’t associate this type of feel — rattly and light — with toughness. Still, there is a reason these watches survived over six decades of often hard use. Of course, there is a marked difference between modern Rolex watches and the 5508. Its offspring will outperform it in all aspects except one — charm. As a diving tool, this watch is inferior to its later updates. As an object of our affection, however…

The thin, riveted bracelet made of folded sheet metal holds the 5508 on the middle of my wrist. This is a small Submariner, measuring 37.5mm × 46.9mm × 12.6mm, which is within spitting distance of a Tudor Black Bay 54. Interestingly, it does not feel like a small dive watch. Its design is so balanced that it has a commanding presence. The 5508 asserts itself beyond its size, just as Luka Modrić does on any midfield.

Is the Submariner 5508 my new grail watch?

I apologize if this is turning into something of a love song. Trust me when I say this is not to make up for my recent Rolex-related indiscretions on Fratello Talks. The Rolex Submariner 5508 simply represents everything I love about watches. I love dive watches, and I cannot think of a single one that came after this that I prefer over it. This, to me, is peak dive-watch design. Here we are, six decades later, and every other brand is still trying to make its watches look like this.

Admittedly, you would have to regard the ownership of a watch like this as a hobby in and of itself. You may find yourself scouring the web for period-correct parts when something needs replacing. I would certainly drop by my watchmaker at least once a year to get the seals inspected. Then again, caliber 1520 is reliable and still easy to service in 2024. If this watch were mine, it would certainly not spend its days in the safe.

In the end, all that matters is how a watch makes you feel. This Rolex Submariner 5508 made me feel really special. I felt the same when I recently played a 1933 Gibson L-00 acoustic guitar. Its cracked black lacquer looked like an upscaled version of this 5508’s dial. The guitar had repaired cracks, worn-out spots, and tuners that felt nothing like the buttery-smooth ones found on modern guitars. I struck a chord, and the guitar barked, trembling and bucking in my lap like a nervous dog. That one chord was an event…an addictive experience. The 5508 had precisely the same effect on me. Yes, this is my new grail watch.

What do you think of the Rolex Submariner 5508? Let us know in the comments below!