Specifications
The dial on these Military Submariner watches are the typical 5513 dial with a modified large “T” in a circle above the “200 meters/660 feet” markings at six o'clock. The “T” indicates the presence of tritium.The hands of this model are unique and are referred to as “sword” hands. The Omega Seamaster has similar hands and people sometimes use Seamaster hands to replace these, but a good collector can tell the difference. Because of their large surface area, the hands are prone to flaking.
The bezel may include an insert with markings all the way around. This was a special bezel made only for military Submariners. The case is a typical 5513 but the spring bars are affixed with metal bars to the NATO-type strap, and the caseback has an MOD number beginning with 0552 or W10 on it along with a triangle with a hat on top below the issue and year numbers.
These caseback numbers are quite different depending of the delivery date and must be compared to other watches in the same delivery sequence to verity their authenticity. A few watches were delivered with Mercedes hands, and some with 15-minute bezels, so identifying the right reference can be difficult.
In order to keep the 5513 and 5517 Military Submariners, straight, it is helpful to remember:
- The 5513 was delivered with either sword or Mercedes hands and either a full 60-minute or a 15-minute bezel
- The 5517 can only have sword hands and a full 60-minute bezel.