【F】 Bringing A Rolex Submariner 5510 “MilSub” Once more To Life

Greg Petronzi is a passionate watchmaker who runs True Patina, a corporation that specializes in restoring traditional Rolex and Tudor watches. Simply these days, he sat down with me to share an ultra-rare Rolex Submariner 5510 that bought right here all through his workbench.

A couple of of the best points about Rolex and Tudor are the tales. It has been a fulfilling journey to evaluation and write about a few myself, from an earlier Rolex Submariner found on the ocean flooring and reunited with its distinctive proprietor to the small Rolex self-discipline watch that served in North Africa in WWII. And the way in which regarding the Tudor watches that served with the Royal Canadian Navy throughout the Battle of the Atlantic? Then, merely this month I acquired to place in writing about Harold Holt, thought of one in all Australia’s former prime ministers, who was gifted a Rolex Submariner resulting from his passion for pores and pores and skin diving.

There’s no shortage of fascinating tales in the marketplace, and I’m lucky to evaluation and write a couple of of them alongside my Fratello colleagues. Proper now, we are going to share one different. It incorporates a watchmaker, a reverend, and, in spite of everything, a Rolex. Be taught on.

An accomplished watchmaker and psychologist

Greg Petronzi is a humble man. A worthwhile psychologist by day, he moreover happens to be an skilled in restoring traditional Rolex and Tudor watches. As plenty of you notice, restoring traditional watches takes all kinds of specialist information and endurance. It in order that occurred that Greg, who runs @True_Patina, these days launched an Australian Rolex 5510 once more to its former glory. That’s a particularly unusual watch. After a bit of little bit of digging, I stumbled all through some earlier paperwork throughout the archives of thought of one in all its householders, a reverend who served throughout the Royal Australian Air Energy (RAAF) in WWII. Nonetheless first, let’s get to know Greg.

Greg talked about he acquired into watches at a extremely youthful age. “There are pictures of me as a toddler of solely 4 years earlier with a Mickey Mouse watch on. In middle school, it was a Swatch with a transparent plastic case and an automatic movement. The idea the watch was powered not by a battery nevertheless pretty my motion was one factor that thrilled me then, as a result of it continues to at present some 36 years later,” he talked about.

From passion to occupation

That keenness led to his enterprise into watchmaking, which, by his account, was further of a cheerful mistake than a focused intention. “I took an introductory watchmaking course for fulfilling and positioned that the experience bought right here naturally to me. After befriending a long-time Rolex watchmaker, I began an informal apprenticeship with him throughout the conclusion of my Ph.D. in counseling psychology. The additional that I labored on watches, the additional I cherished it,” he talked about.

Greg found that his skills in psychology paralleled these of watchmaking. “As with being a psychologist, being a wonderful horologist could possibly be very quite a bit about perception. Mates I amassed over years of watch enthusiasm/accumulating began to ship me their watches to work on after a few years of engaged on watches I owned. Points progressed from there, and proper right here we’re years later. I’ve developed a definite phase for the restore and restoration of traditional Rolex because of these are the watches that I am most excited by. My passion as a collector informs my technique to watchmaking — when potential, defend pretty than substitute,” he talked about.

A Rolex Submariner throughout the service of a reverend

Phrase will get spherical throughout the traditional watch group, and a rising number of unusual and intensely sought-after traditional Rolex and Tudor watches has started to circulation all through Greg’s workbench. Certainly one of many latest is the Rolex Submariner 5510. Proper right here, he tells us about its backstory:

“This 5510, of which solely 4 are recognized to exist, was produced in 1958 and issued to Royal Australian Navy clearance divers with the interior military designation of 645-66-010-8359. The watch is at current in full-spec A10 scenario retaining its distinctive fitted mounted lugs, 3-6-9 dial, and red-triangle insert.”

Battle data reveal a earlier proprietor

Truly, this Submariner 5510 is a bit of little bit of a historic gem amongst Rolex timepieces. Greg provides the background: “It has solely three householders from new and is the one recognized 5510 RAN with full provenance. This 5510 RAN was used from new until 1977 when it was then provided by way of Tottenham government-surplus auctions to Australian Reverend Jack Flentje,” Greg outlined.

“Flentje beforehand served throughout the RAAF all through WWII and was stationed in Marauke Dutch Guinea as a radar operator from 1942 to 1944. One in all his many hobbies and pursuits was repairing clocks and watches. He was recognized to keep up dozens of watches and parts in spare ammo bins, changing into for a 5510 RAN. The watch was later purchased by Alan Bloore — usually generally known as ‘Hammer’ in horology circles — and held in his assortment until this 12 months,” he talked about.

Reverend Jack Flentje had good fashion in watches, it seems. In my evaluation, I moreover managed to hint down his RAAF WWII data. In an beautiful stroke of wonderful luck, these data even have his enlistment pictures, which you can see a few paragraphs above.

Why the take care of earlier Rolex and Tudor?

I requested Greg what it’s favor to service older Rolex and Tudor watches and whether or not or not that they had any quirks. “In certain strategies, their assemble top quality is more healthy than many fashionable gadgets, nevertheless in several strategies, they’re very finicky and in need of good, nuanced care,” Greg talked about (this sounds acquainted to many individuals who’re keen about traditional watches). “With newer watches, it’s all too easy to hunt out new parts, swap them out, and by no means must make many adjustments; not so with traditional. I often say, ‘There’s no simple restore with a traditional watch.’ I’ve to be prepared for one factor small to complete up requiring way more time and a highlight than anticipated.”

In precise reality, Greg outlined, servicing older watches takes extreme ranges of endurance, which almost definitely tips me out from ever taking over watchmaking. “Basic calibers require greater ranges of endurance and diagnostics. As an illustration, they often require hairspring adjustments, end shake adjustments, and re-bushing of holes within the major plate. Problems with this nature is not going to be usually required of newer actions. With Rolex, the assemble top quality all through generations is fairly fixed. There’s a magnificence to the older caliber 1530s, as an illustration, that is significantly misplaced on the newer calibers. Nonetheless, newer calibers similar to the 3135 are engineering marvels that go collectively reliably successfully. Rolex manufactures its actions to be serviced, so the screws, bridges, and important plates are sometimes very robust. This makes servicing Rolex calibers further nice than, say, an older Tudor with an obscure ETA movement,” he talked about.

A memorable Rolex to work on

One in all Greg’s highlights was servicing a Rolex Explorer 1016 from his good buddy Eric Wind. Nonetheless even in that illustrious horological agency, this Australian Rolex Submariner 5510 stands tall.

“It’s a humbling experience to enter my workshop day-to-day and have watches that occupy that on-line legendary assemble alive and in entrance of me in three dimensions. I would say that this particular 5510 “MilSub” was thought of one in all them. As a consequence of its rarity, historic previous, and provenance along with the challenges I confronted in attempting to get it to run successfully as soon as extra, it really stands out in present memory. I like watches that inform tales. I like bringing points with historic previous once more to life whereas preserving their originality as quite a bit as potential.”

It moreover appears that Greg is a big Fratello fan, so I requested him what sort of articles he favored. I was thrilled when Greg talked about thought of one in all his excessive articles these days was one I’d penned. It was on a Certina DS-2’s descent down Mt. Everest, which you can study proper right here. “I benefit from historic gadgets showcasing the tool-watch/shopper relationship. An article on Fratello not manner again a couple of man who skied down Mt. Everest with a Certina entails ideas significantly. Great cool. I really benefit from seeing watches worn and used as supposed,” he talked about.

Final concepts

Certainly one of many elephants throughout the room is the increasingly more divisive baggage of the Rolex mannequin. It is truthful to say that gray-market antics and prepared lists have dented the keenness some might have had for the mannequin’s merchandise. And which may be a shame because of Rolex makes good watches. Seeing so many worthwhile watches go all through his workbench, Greg moreover thinks about this problem.

“I take into accounts the outrageous {{dollars}} (Rolex watches) command as of late, (and it) is the one issue that makes me shy about proudly proudly owning them. Whereas it’s good to know that putting money into a wonderful occasion typically is a reasonably protected funding, that’s not a trigger to buy a watch,” he talked about.

“I like them because of the software program facet of what they’re. I similar to the design language of sort following function and ease, the understated robustness. They aren’t loud or flashy. I really feel that’s what attracts many to traditional watches; they’re primarily a strategy to time journey everytime you take a look at your wrist. I like that.”

On that, Greg and I can agree. Nonetheless what do you assume, Fratelli? What’s it about traditional watches that pulls you in? And in case you may have a specific story to share, let me know throughout the suggestions. Or when you want to accomplish that privately, contact me on Instagram.