Every watch has a story. It’s one of the things we love most about vintage watches here at The Watch Preserve. Dials showcasing various stages of patina, cases with scratches from years of wear, physical totems of a lifetime of memories. But some — inexplicably — haven’t had their stories written yet. Today, we’re doing a deep dive into three new-old-stock watches that have come across our bench. This one is something special.
1969 Rolex 5512 Submariner
The Rolex Submariner is the dive watch as far as many enthusiasts — and non-enthusiasts, for that matter — are concerned, dating back to its 1953 release with the first generation of modern dive watches. Early Submariners went through multiple variations, with different dials, case sizes, bezel markings, and hands, rapidly evolving towards one of the most recognizable watches in the world.
Then came the 5512. Introduced in 1959, the 5512 began the form factor that the modern Submariner still draws from, adding crown guards, a slightly larger case, and increased water resistance to Rolex’s professional diver’s watch. Each featured a COSC-certified chronometer movement. To offer a less expensive, no less utilitarian version in 1962, Rolex introduced the reference 5513 — it was a runaway hit.
Despite the 5512 being introduced three years earlier, over 150,000 5513s were produced during the 5513’s production run of 1962-1989 compared to under 20,000 5512s from 1959 to 1979. As a result of the 5513’s success, it became common to see parts from that reference — such as the caseback on this example — appear on 5512s.
This 5512 dates to 1969, midway through the 5512’s production run, and is the most complete, pristine example Nik has ever seen. It features one small storage mark that disturbs an otherwise completely untouched, unpolished, original Submariner. The original box and papers are present as well, including Rolex’s guide to skin diving, with a correct alternative version of the chronometer certification included. This one may have to stay in The Watch Preserve.
Accutron was a revolutionary technology upon its release in 1960. Rather than operate on a mechanical basis, Bulova’s engineers looked to something entirely different — a tuning fork.
This allowed designers to completely skip the mechanical balance spring, instead relying on the tuning fork’s 360 Hz vibration to regulate timekeeping. The result? A movement with just 27 parts and a stated accuracy of two seconds per day in a movement that didn’t tick; it hummed.
Bulova launched a variant targeted specifically for aviators in 1962 — the Astronaut. The gamble paid off. The U.S. Air Force purchased Accutrons for every pilot in its X-15 Program, where pioneering hypersonic aircraft were pushed to the mechanical limit in pursuit of speed and altitude across 199 flights over a decade. Eight of the program’s twelve pilots qualified for astronaut wings.
NASA decided that the battery-powered Accutron might do well in space since its mechanical structure imparted high G-force resistance, and subsequently issued the Accutron Astronaut during the final Mercury mission in 1963, with Gordon Cooper completing 22 orbits of the Earth wearing an Accutron Astronaut.
United States Air Force Major Robert White exits the X-15 . His Accutron Astronaut is obscured by the hosing.
Astronauts were also selected for another, far more clandestine purpose: pilots of the CIA’s Lockheed A-12s. The product of Lockheed’s legendary “Skunk Works,” the A-12 Oxcart is the precursor of the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane. A-12s were intended to fly reconnaissance missions over the Soviet Union, yet, besides test flights, ultimately flew only 29 manned missions during the program’s 1962-1968 lifespan.
The Accutron Astronaut features a 38mm case in stainless steel or gold, with either a series of JB Champion bracelets or a leather strap. The extraterrestrial inspiration extends to the design, with the Astronaut sitting almost like a bowl, tapering outwards from its base with small horned lugs adding additional flair. There is no crown either — instead the Astronaut is set by a flip-out lever on the caseback.
This particular example is a stainless steel variant produced in 1967, and includes the original box, papers, and Accutron literature. It also features its original JB Champion bracelet. The original Caliber 214HN runs smoothly and hums along as it should. After over twenty years in the business and a lifetime of collecting, this is the only new-old-stock Astronaut Nik has ever seen. This is one rare bird.
1990 Rolex Wood Dial 18238 Day-Date
Rolex sport watches remain tremendously collectible, but there’s something about the brand’s more offbeat midcentury experiments that remain captivating today. Take this example: a neovintage 1990 18238 yellow gold Day-Date featuring a stunning wood dial. First appearing around 1973, the wood dials were notoriously difficult to produce, with samples undergoing a high rejection rate.
Introduced in 1956, the Day-Date became Rolex’s flagship timepiece, replacing earlier, more complicated designs in the Crown’s catalog. The Day-Date became the first Rolex to feature the “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” text, signifying its verified accuracy. The Day-Date soon gained an exclusive bracelet — the iconic President, as seen here — and became one of the earliest Rolex watches equipped with a modern sapphire crystal. It also served as a fitting canvas for some of Rolex’s most opulent designs, including creative dials like this.
Burlwood was a particularly opulent choice. It is uncommon in nature, forming from environmental stress, infection, or injury, and cannot be artificially created. The unique patterns take years to develop, and the result is prized by woodworkers. Place it onto the dial of an 18k yellow gold Rolex Day-Date, and you’re left with something truly spectacular.
Rolex’s fabric, stone, and wood dials from the 1970s and 1980s remain fantastic collector’s pieces for their rarity and unique material combinations, highlighting the Crown’s less austere side. Though it lacks its original box and papers, this reference 18238 Day-Date is in unworn condition. It stands as a tangible reminder of one of Rolex’s most daring design periods with its stunning wood dial against the gold case and bracelet — one of the rarest Rolex sport watches ever produced, and completely unworn.
Most watches that pass through our doors have histories behind them; these three share a different kind of story, one where they were tucked away and preserved for over fifty years. But for their future owners, that story may be beginning — half a century late. That is, if they ever come out of the safe.
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