Watch Paparazzi

Politician Giuseppe Sala spotted wearing Rolex

The photograph comes from Expo 2015, Milan's landmark world exposition, where mayor Giuseppe Sala joined the spectacle of the world's longest pizza — a decidedly informal backdrop that nevertheless framed something worth a closer look on his wrist: a vintage Rolex Submariner reference 5508 in stainless steel.

The Submariner 5508 was manufactured from approximately 1958 to 1962, occupying a precise and transitional moment in Rolex's dive watch lineage. It sits at the end of the crown-guard-free era — the last Submariner reference produced before Rolex introduced the now-iconic protective shoulders flanking the winding crown. It features a 38mm stainless steel case, a calibre 1530 or 1560 movement depending on production year, and the distinctive pencil hands and gilt or matte dial configurations that define early Submariner aesthetics. The luminous indices of the period were made with radium or tritium compounds, genuinely radioactive materials that today add both a patina story and a handling caveat for collectors.

The 5508 is sometimes colloquially grouped under the "James Bond Submariner" label, though purists correctly note that Sean Connery wore the larger-cased reference 6538 in Dr. No (1962). The confusion is understandable — both references share the crown-guard-free silhouette — but the 5508 is the smaller-dialed, arguably more refined sibling. Its collector reputation is substantial: pristine examples with original tropical or gilt dials are among the most sought-after vintage Rolex references on the market.

Giuseppe Sala, long-serving mayor of Milan and a figure associated with the city's design and cultural identity, wearing a reference this specific suggests genuine watch knowledge rather than incidental ownership. The 5508 is not a watch one stumbles upon; it requires deliberate pursuit through specialist dealers or auction houses.

On the current market, a clean Rolex Submariner 5508 with original dial and unpolished case commands serious money. Auction results at Phillips, Christie's, and Antiquorum consistently place honest examples well above $30,000, with exceptional specimens — particularly those retaining original radium dials with even patina — pushing toward six figures. No current retail price exists; this is a vintage reference available only on the secondary market.