Short answer

A Rolex 5513 Big Triangle copy replicates the late-1970s Submariner no-date reference 5513 fitted with the Mk I maxi dial. That dial carries a wider 12 o'clock triangle, thicker lume plots and a matte black finish. A convincing copy gets four things right: dial print, lume tone, case geometry and movement beat rate. Everything else is secondary.

Know the original before you judge a copy

You cannot spot a bad replica of a watch you have never studied. The 5513 ran from 1962 to 1989 and stayed a no-date, time-only diver the whole time. The Big Triangle dial sits in a narrow window, roughly 1976 to 1978, and collectors treat it as a distinct variant rather than a generic 5513.

  • Reference 5513, no date window, no cyclops.
  • Mk I maxi dial with an oversized triangle at 12 o'clock.
  • Caliber 1520, 26 jewels, 19,800 beats per hour.
  • Tropic 19 plexi crystal, 704 crown, 93150 bracelet with 580 end links.
  • Matte dial, painted white print, tritium lume plots.

Step-by-step inspection

  1. Pull up two or three reference photos of a genuine Mk I dial at the same angle as the watch you are checking.
  2. Measure the 12 o'clock triangle against the minute track. On the Big Triangle it is visibly wider than a standard 5513 marker and nearly touches the inner edge of the chapter ring.
  3. Read the depth rating text. Genuine print is crisp, evenly spaced and sits at a consistent distance from the rehaut. Blurred or crowded lettering ends the inspection.
  4. Check lume color. Tritium plots age to a warm cream or light pumpkin. Uniform beige across every marker with zero variation points to synthetic lume.
  5. Run a finger along the case flanks. Original lugs carry a soft bevel that tapers into the caseband. Sharp machined edges usually mean a CNC case with no hand finishing.
  6. Look at the crystal profile. The Tropic 19 sits low and domed, not tall and flat.
  7. Time the movement. A 1520 ticks at 19,800 vph, which looks slow and slightly lazy next to a modern 28,800 clone.
  8. Inspect the bracelet clasp stamps for depth and font. Shallow laser etching is a common shortcut.

Dial and print details

The maxi dial is the whole point of this reference. Check that the triangle surrounds are thick, the plot surrounds are polished and the word SUBMARINER sits centered above the depth rating. Uneven spacing here is the easiest tell to spot, even in a phone photo.

Case, crown and crystal

Crown guards on the 5513 are broad and rounded. Compare the gap between the guard inner edge and the crown tube. Oversized gaps show up on cheaper cases. The 704 crown should sit close to the guards with no visible thread.

Movement and feel

Ask for a timegrapher reading. Amplitude above 270 and a beat rate of 19,800 vph suggest a movement built to the original spec rather than a generic high-beat unit. Winding should feel smooth with no gritty spots through the full reserve.

What to skip

Pass on any piece with printed indices instead of applied surrounds, an oversized triangle that crowds the minute track, or a date window cut into a 5513 dial. Those errors cannot be corrected with a service.