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Reference:218235

2026-08-10T00:25:00Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date 218235 — Production, Dials & Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=
|image=Ref 218235 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date II 218235 — 41mm 18k Everose gold with the chocolate Roman dial, fluted bezel and Everose President bracelet.
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-08-10T00:22:28Z
|modified_time=2026-08-10T00:23:29Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 218235 Day-Date II}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] -> '''218235'''

The 218235 is the Everose Day-Date II, the rose-gold member of the only 41mm President Rolex has built. It ran from 2008 to 2015 on the caliber 3156, with a fluted Everose bezel and a solid Everose President bracelet. Everose is Rolex's own pink-gold alloy, introduced in 2005 and mixed to hold its colour where ordinary rose gold drifts, and the 218235 is the reference that put it on the largest Day-Date case ever made. The chocolate dial is the one collectors picture, and on warm metal at 41mm it is the most confident-looking watch in the generation.

[[File:Ref 218235 hero.webp|thumb|right|340px|alt=Rolex Day-Date II 218235 — 41mm 18k Everose gold with the chocolate Roman dial, fluted bezel and Everose President bracelet.|Rolex Day-Date II 218235 in Everose gold with the chocolate Roman dial, the reference's signature configuration. Produced 2008 to 2015 on the caliber 3156.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 218235
|-
| family
| Day-Date (Day-Date II, 41mm)
|-
| production
| 2008 to 2015
|-
| movement
| caliber 3156, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, ~48h power reserve, double quickset, COSC chronometer
|-
| case
| 41mm 18k Everose gold Oyster, about 12.1mm thick
|-
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops
|-
| bezel
| fluted Everose
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| bracelet
| Everose President, three semi-circular links, concealed Crownclasp
|-
| water resistance
| 100m
|-
| dial
| chocolate Roman the signature; ivory, black and silver Roman, black Arabic, chocolate wave Arabic, and factory diamond and baguette layouts
|-
| metal
| Everose, Rolex's fade-resistant 18k pink gold (introduced 2005)
|-
| siblings
| 218238 (yellow gold), 218239 (white gold), 218206 (platinum), 218348 / 218349 (factory diamond bezel)
|-
| 36mm counterpart
| 118235, which ran alongside rather than being replaced
|-
| successor
| 228235 (Day-Date 40, caliber 3255, from 2015)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 218235 is the warm-metal entry in the Day-Date II, the 2008 generation that took the President from 36mm to 41mm. Yellow gold is the [[Reference:218238|218238]], white gold the [[Reference:218239|218239]], platinum the [[Reference:218206|218206]] with its smooth bezel and ice-blue dial, and factory diamond bezels sit on the 218348 and 218349. Everose gets the same fluted bezel as the other gold references and the same caliber; the metal is the whole difference.

One point is easy to get wrong. The 41mm Everose did not replace the 36mm Everose. The [[Reference:118235|118235]] stayed in the catalogue until 2019, so for the whole life of the 218235 a buyer could walk into a dealer and choose between two Everose Presidents in two sizes. The Day-Date II was an addition to the range, and when it was dropped in 2015 the 36mm carried on. That makes the 218235 a seven-year window inside a much longer Everose run, and it is the only period in which the alloy was offered at this size.

==Production outline==

The Day-Date II launched at Baselworld 2008 alongside the Datejust II, and the 218235 ran with the generation to its 2015 discontinuation, when the Day-Date 40 arrived at 40mm and took the slot. Seven years is short by Day-Date standards, and it is the reason every 218235 sits inside a narrow date band.

The whole run falls in or near Rolex's random-serial era. The company moved to scrambled serial numbers catalogue-wide in 2010, and documented Everose examples carry random serials with warranty cards dated 2012, 2014 and 2015. Rolex has published no production figure for the reference, and none has surfaced from any other quarter, so the honest position is that the 218235 is uncommon relative to the yellow-gold 218238 without a number to put behind the word.

==Movement notes==

The caliber 3156 is the Day-Date II's own movement and was used in nothing else. It is the caliber 3155 rebuilt for the larger case, with a main plate roughly 2.5mm wider than the 3155's, and it carries 31 jewels, a 28,800 vph beat, about 48 hours of reserve, double quickset for day and date, and COSC certification. The balance is Glucydur with Microstella regulating screws, the hairspring is the blue Parachrom, and the Paraflex shock system is fitted. Introduced with the generation in 2008, the 3156 was retired in 2015 and 2016 as the Day-Date 40 moved to the caliber 3255 and its 70-hour reserve.

One caveat for anyone reading listings. The 218235 is occasionally advertised with a caliber 3155, the 36mm movement. Every specification source for the reference gives the 3156, and a 3155 in a 41mm Day-Date II case would be the wrong movement for the case, so treat the claim as a listing error rather than a variant. The [[Reference:Movements]] page carries the caliber lineage, and the [[Reference:218238|218238]] entry covers the 3156 in more depth.

==Dial map==
[[File:Ref 218235 silver roman.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date II 218235 — Everose gold with a silver Roman dial.|Silver Roman dial, the coolest-toned of the plain Everose layouts.]]

[[File:Ref 218235 black arabic.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date II 218235 — Everose gold with a black Arabic-numeral dial.|Black Arabic dial on Everose. The layout is documented on the market but does not appear in the published Day-Date II dial-code roster.]]

The Everose 218235 was offered across a wider spread of dials than its short run suggests, and the documented layouts split into plain-marker dials and factory gem-set ones.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! dial
! markers
! code where documented
! notes
|-
| chocolate
| Roman
| 218235-0035
| the signature Everose pairing and the most recognised 218235
|-
| ivory
| Roman
| 218235-0033
| the lightest of the plain dials
|-
| black
| Roman
| 218235-0034
| Everose applied markers and hands
|-
| pink
| diamond
| 218235-0008
| factory diamond hour markers on a pink ground
|-
| silver
| Roman
| not in the published roster
| documented on the market
|-
| black
| Arabic
| not in the published roster
| documented on the market
|-
| chocolate wave
| Arabic
| not in the published roster
| wave-pattern ground, an Everose reading of a Day-Date II dial texture
|-
| black
| baguette diamond
| not in the published roster
| factory baguette markers, the top of the standard-bezel range
|-
| pink
| Roman
| not in the published roster
| the warmest of the plain layouts
|}

The published dial-code roster for the Day-Date II runs to seventeen codes across the whole generation, four of them on the 218235. At least five further Everose layouts are documented in the market, which means the roster is a useful floor rather than a complete list. Anyone working from the codes alone will conclude that dials such as the black Arabic do not exist, and they do.

Factory gem-setting matters more here than on most references. Everose Presidents attract aftermarket work, and diamond-paved dials, custom-set bezels and fully diamond-set President bracelets turn up on 218235 cases regularly. The better listings label this honestly, and the distinction is worth insisting on: a factory diamond or baguette dial is a Rolex configuration with a catalogue code behind it, while an aftermarket paved dial is jewellery added later that carries no Rolex warranty and reads differently in the market. The stone cut, the prong style and the evenness of the setting are the tells.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The case is 41mm in 18k Everose, roughly 12.1mm thick, with a sapphire crystal, a Cyclops over the date and a Twinlock screw-down crown, rated to 100m. The bezel is fluted, the format the Day-Date has worn since the 4-digit era, and on Everose the fluting catches light in a warmer register than on yellow gold.

The 41mm proportions are the thing to try before buying. This is the largest case the Day-Date has ever used, and contemporaneous coverage of the generation read it as substantial, with wide lugs and a long profile that gives the watch more presence than any 36mm President. In Everose that presence is amplified, because pink gold reads warmer and heavier to the eye than yellow. Collectors are genuinely divided on it, and Rolex's own answer was to step back to 40mm in 2015.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 218235 wears the Everose President, the three-piece semi-circular-link bracelet scaled up to the 41mm head, with the concealed Crownclasp that shows only the coronet on the closed cover. In solid Everose it accounts for a large share of the watch's weight. As with any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet rather than the watch head, and a bracelet can be older or newer than the case it is on. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

==Special branches==

===Everose and the chocolate dial===

The chocolate dial and the Everose case belong together, and the 218235 is where the pairing landed at 41mm. The combination arrived on the 36mm [[Reference:118235|118235]] and carried into the Day-Date II, where the larger dial gives the brown ground more room to shift under light. Chocolate with Roman markers is the configuration that defines the reference in the secondary market, and it is the layout most often reached for when the 218235 is described at all.

===Gem-set and aftermarket examples===
[[File:Ref 218235 baguette diamond.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date II 218235 — Everose gold with the factory black baguette-diamond dial.|Factory black baguette-diamond dial, the top of the standard fluted-bezel range.]]

[[File:Ref 218235 pink diamond.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date II 218235 — Everose gold with the factory pink diamond dial.|Factory pink diamond dial, catalogued as 218235-0008. Factory gem-setting carries a Rolex dial code; aftermarket stones do not.]]

Everose 218235s appear with factory diamond and baguette dials and, separately, with aftermarket stones on the dial, bezel and bracelet. The two are worth keeping strictly apart. Factory gem-set dials such as the pink diamond and the black baguette configurations are catalogue variants and trade as Rolex product. Aftermarket-set examples ask higher numbers than plain factory watches, but that premium is the value of the stones and the labour rather than the value of the reference, and it does not follow the watch through a knowledgeable sale.

==Market and auction record==

The Day-Date II's saleroom presence sits almost entirely with the platinum [[Reference:218206|218206]] and its commissioned examples. No 218235 lot turned up at the major houses in the searches run for this entry, and the reference is a secondary-market watch rather than an auction one. That is a statement about where these watches change hands and not about desirability.

On the secondary market in 2026, plain factory-dial 218235s on the standard fluted bezel ask roughly USD 43,500 to 45,500, with the chocolate Roman at the upper end of that band. Factory baguette-diamond dials ask around USD 62,500. Rolex's own Certified Pre-Owned programme has carried an Everose 218235 at USD 50,750, which is the usual authorised-channel premium over the open market. Examples with aftermarket diamond dials, bezels and bracelets are asked at USD 65,000 to 68,000, and those figures should be read as the price of the stones rather than of the reference. Across the generation the Everose sits above the yellow-gold 218238 and below the platinum 218206.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:1803|Day-Date 1803]] — Fluted President (1960–1977)
* [[Reference:1804|Day-Date 1804]]
* [[Reference:1806|Day-Date 1806]]
* [[Reference:1807|Day-Date 1807]]
* [[Reference:1811|Day-Date 1811]]
* [[Reference:1831|Day-Date 1831]]

See also the [[Reference:day-date|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history/ ''Rolex Day-Date Volume (Mondani Editore)'' — Mondani Family, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date/ ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo Editore, Spin Edizioni, 2015-05]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-datejust-ii-watch-review/ aBlogtoWatch editorial, "Rolex Datejust II + Day-Date II Review", aBlogtoWatch]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/origins/day-date-ii-royal-khanjar-reference-218206-a Sotheby's Watches Department, "Sotheby's Origins 2025 — Day-Date II Royal Khanjar 218206 Sultan of Oman commission", Sotheby's, 2025]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30667/lot/8/rolex-a-fine-platinum-automatic-calendar-bracelet-watch-day-date-ii-ref-218206-circa-2010/ Bonhams Watches Department, "Bonhams 218206 Platinum c.2010 production-spec", Bonhams]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/3156 Watchbase editorial, "Rolex Caliber 3156 — Watchbase Reference Entry", Watchbase]
* [https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=rolex_3156 Watch-Wiki contributors, "Rolex 3156 — Watch-Wiki", Watch-Wiki]
* [https://millenarywatches.com/rolex-caliber-3156/ Millenary Watches editorial, "Rolex Caliber 3156 — Millenary Watches", Millenary Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/day-date-ii Watchbase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date II — Watchbase Reference List", Watchbase]
* [https://beckertime.com/blog/rolex-decades-the-90s-day-date-versus-the-2000s-day-date/ Beckertime editorial, "Rolex Decades: The 90s Day-Date vs the 2000s Day-Date", Beckertime]
* [https://www.everestbands.com/blogs/bezel-barrel/guide-to-rolex-sizes-case-and-lug-dimensions-by-reference Everest Bands editorial, "Guide to Rolex Sizes — Case and Lug Dimensions by Reference", Everest Bands]
* [https://www.prestigetime.com/Rolex-Day-Date-II-41mm-Everose-Gold-218235-Black-Roman-President.html Prestige Time editorial, "Rolex Day-Date II 41mm Everose Gold 218235 Black Roman President — full specification", Prestige Time]
* [https://www.europeanwatch.com/watch/rolex-218235-218235-day-date-ii-18k-everose-pink-roman-dial-69053 European Watch Company editorial, "Rolex 218235 Day-Date II 18K Everose Pink Roman Dial", European Watch Company]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-day-date-ii-ref-218235-18k-everose-gold.html Bob's Watches editorial, "Rolex Day-Date II Ref 218235 18k Everose Gold", Bob's Watches]
* [https://omijewelry.com/products/rolex-day-date-ii-41mm-218235-everose-diamond-dial-fluted-bezel-18k-rose-gold-president-bracelet-8y7q OMI Jewelry editorial, "Rolex Day-Date II 218235 Everose — dealer dial roster (factory vs aftermarket)", OMI Jewelry]
* [https://www.cjcharles.com/products/rolex-day-date-ii-41mm-218235-pre-owned CJ Charles Jewelers editorial, "Rolex Day-Date II 41mm 218235 pre-owned — chocolate wave Arabic dial", CJ Charles Jewelers]
* [https://www.tourneau.com/watches/rolex-certified-pre-owned/day-date-ii-218235-VRX9731747.html Tourneau / Bucherer editorial, "Rolex Certified Pre-Owned Day-Date II 41 mm in Everose Gold, 218235", Tourneau / Bucherer]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:218239

2026-08-10T00:24:35Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date 218239 — Production, Dials & Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=
|image=Ref 218239 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date II 218239 — 41mm 18k white gold with the chocolate Roman dial, fluted bezel and white gold President bracelet.
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-08-10T00:22:31Z
|modified_time=2026-08-10T00:23:34Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 218239 Day-Date II}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] -> '''218239'''

The 218239 is the white-gold Day-Date II, made from 2008 to 2015 on the caliber 3156, with a fluted white-gold bezel and a solid white-gold President bracelet. It is the quietest reference in a generation that was not built to be quiet. White gold reads as steel at arm's length, so a 41mm President in this metal weighs like precious metal and looks like nothing in particular, which is the point of a white-gold Rolex and the reason the reference has always sold in smaller numbers than its yellow-gold and Everose siblings.

[[File:Ref 218239 hero.webp|thumb|right|340px|alt=Rolex Day-Date II 218239 — 41mm 18k white gold with the chocolate Roman dial, fluted bezel and white gold President bracelet.|Rolex Day-Date II 218239 in white gold with the chocolate Roman dial (218239-0040). Produced 2008 to 2015 on the caliber 3156.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 218239
|-
| family
| Day-Date (Day-Date II, 41mm)
|-
| production
| 2008 to 2015
|-
| movement
| caliber 3156, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, ~48h power reserve, double quickset, COSC chronometer
|-
| case
| 41mm 18k white gold Oyster
|-
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops
|-
| bezel
| fluted white gold
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| bracelet
| white gold President, three semi-circular links, concealed Crownclasp
|-
| water resistance
| 100m
|-
| dial
| chocolate Roman, white Roman, factory silver diamond and black diamond, and a blue wave layout
|-
| siblings
| 218238 (yellow gold), 218235 (Everose), 218206 (platinum), 218348 / 218349 (factory diamond bezel)
|-
| diamond-bezel counterpart
| 218349, the white-gold factory diamond-bezel reference
|-
| successor
| 228239 (Day-Date 40, caliber 3255, from 2015)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 218239 is the white-gold member of the Day-Date II, the 2008 generation that pushed the President to 41mm. Its siblings are the yellow-gold [[Reference:218238|218238]], the Everose [[Reference:218235|218235]] and the platinum [[Reference:218206|218206]], and it shares the fluted bezel, the caliber and the bracelet architecture with the two gold references. White gold and platinum are the two discreet metals in the generation, and they take opposite approaches: the platinum announces itself through the smooth bezel and the ice-blue dial that Rolex reserves for the metal, while the white gold hides inside the same fluted-bezel silhouette the yellow gold wears.

The reference to keep separate from it is the 218349, the white-gold Day-Date II with a factory diamond bezel. That is a different reference number, not a 218239 with stones added. Listings citing a 218339 are typing errors for one or the other; no such reference exists in the Day-Date II range.

==Production outline==

The Day-Date II launched at Baselworld 2008 alongside the Datejust II and ran seven years, the shortest life of any modern Day-Date, ending in 2015 when the Day-Date 40 replaced it at 40mm. The 218239 spans that whole window. Rolex switched to scrambled serial numbers across the catalogue in 2010, so the bulk of documented white-gold examples carry random serials; one dated 2014 example is representative of the later production.

No production figure has been published for the 218239, and the reference is thinner on the ground than the others. Searches of the dealer market return a handful of white-gold Day-Date IIs against many yellow-gold and Everose examples, which is consistent with how white-gold Day-Dates have always sold, though it is market evidence rather than a factory number and should be treated as such.

==Movement notes==

The caliber 3156 was built for the Day-Date II and used in no other model. It takes the caliber 3155 architecture and widens the main plate by roughly 2.5mm to suit the 41mm case, keeping 31 jewels, a 28,800 vph beat, about 48 hours of reserve, double quickset for day and date, and COSC certification. The balance is Glucydur with Microstella screws, the hairspring is the blue Parachrom, and Paraflex shock protection is fitted. The 3156 was introduced with the generation in 2008 and retired in 2015 and 2016, when the Day-Date 40 moved to the caliber 3255. There is no white-gold-specific movement; the 218239 runs what the [[Reference:218238|218238]] runs, and the [[Reference:Movements]] page holds the caliber lineage.

==Dial map==
[[File:Ref 218239 blue wave.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date II 218239 — white gold with the blue wave-pattern Arabic dial, shown with box and papers.|Blue wave-pattern Arabic dial on a dated 2014 white-gold example. The wave texture reached the plain fluted-bezel 218239, not only the diamond-bezel 218349.]]

The documented white-gold dials divide into plain-marker layouts and factory diamond ones, with a wave-pattern dial sitting slightly apart.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! dial
! markers
! code where documented
! notes
|-
| chocolate
| Roman
| 218239-0040
| the brown dial that defines the generation, here against white metal
|-
| white
| Roman
| 218239-0041
| the most restrained configuration in the whole Day-Date II range
|-
| silver
| diamond
| 218239-0006
| factory diamond hour markers
|-
| black
| diamond
| not in the published roster
| factory diamond markers on black, documented on the market
|-
| blue wave
| Arabic
| not in the published roster
| wave-pattern ground, documented on a dated 2014 example with box and papers
|}

Chocolate on white gold is the pairing worth seeking out. The dial arrived as a Day-Date II signature and is usually associated with Everose, where warm-on-warm is the obvious combination; against white gold the brown has to carry the whole watch, and it does. The white Roman dial at the other end is the most self-effacing Day-Date Rolex made in this period, a 41mm solid-gold President that could be read as a steel watch from across a table.

The blue wave dial deserves a note. Wave-pattern grounds appear across the Day-Date II range, including on the diamond-bezel references, and a dated 2014 white-gold example documents the texture on the plain fluted-bezel 218239 as well. It does not appear in the published dial-code roster, which lists seventeen codes across the generation and three for the 218239. Between the black diamond dial and the blue wave, at least two factory white-gold layouts sit outside that roster, so the codes are a starting point rather than a full accounting.

Aftermarket work is common on this reference and needs separating from factory configuration. White-gold 218239 cases turn up with diamond-paved Roman dials, custom-set diamond bezels, baguette dials and fully diamond-set President bracelets, none of it Rolex work. A factory diamond dial such as the silver or black layouts is a catalogue variant with a code behind it; an aftermarket paved dial is later jewellery. Stone cut, prong style and the regularity of the setting are what separate them, and the difference shows up in price on resale.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The case is 41mm in 18k white gold, with a sapphire crystal, a Cyclops over the date and a Twinlock screw-down crown, rated to 100m. Published thickness figures for the Day-Date II run between about 11.9mm and 13mm depending on whether the measurement is taken at the midcase or over the caseback. The bezel is fluted, the same format the yellow-gold and Everose references wear, and on white gold the fluting is the main thing that tells the watch apart from a large Datejust at a glance.

The 41mm case is the generation's defining choice and its most argued-over one. Contemporaneous coverage read the proportions as substantial, with wide lugs and a long profile, and Rolex answered the criticism by moving to 40mm in 2015. On white gold the effect is different from the gold references: without the visual warmth of yellow or Everose, the size registers as heft rather than flash, which suits some wrists and defeats others. The weight is not subtle either way, as solid white gold is denser than yellow.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 218239 wears the white-gold President, three semi-circular links scaled to the 41mm head, closed by the concealed Crownclasp that leaves only the coronet visible. As on any President, a clasp date code dates the bracelet rather than the head, and service over a decade or more can put a later bracelet on an earlier case. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

==Special branches==

===The discreet President===

White gold is the metal a Day-Date buyer chooses to avoid being read as a Day-Date buyer, and the 218239 is the most complete expression of that in the generation. The case, bezel and bracelet are solid 18k, the movement is chronometer-certified, and the whole thing passes for steel at conversational distance. The white Roman dial takes the idea furthest. Against the platinum [[Reference:218206|218206]], which uses the smooth bezel and the ice-blue dial as a signal to anyone who knows what those mean, the white gold gives away nothing at all.

===Factory diamond versus aftermarket stones===
[[File:Ref 218239 black diamond.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date II 218239 — white gold with a factory black diamond dial.|Factory black diamond dial, a layout absent from the published dial-code roster.]]

[[File:Ref 218239 silver diamond.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date II 218239 — white gold with the factory silver diamond dial.|Factory silver diamond dial, catalogued as 218239-0006.]]

Two distinct things get called a diamond 218239. The factory versions are the silver and black diamond dials, standard fluted bezel, catalogue configurations. Everything else is added later: paved dials, set bezels, diamond bracelets. The gap shows in the asking prices, where aftermarket-set white-gold examples are offered well above plain factory ones, but that spread is the value of the stones and the setting work, not of the reference, and it narrows sharply on resale. For anyone wanting factory stones on a white-gold Day-Date II at 41mm, the reference to look for is the 218349 with its factory diamond bezel.

==Market and auction record==

The Day-Date II's auction record belongs almost entirely to the platinum [[Reference:218206|218206]], where the commissioned and diamond-set examples have drawn saleroom attention. No 218239 lot turned up at the major houses in the searches run for this entry. The reference changes hands on the secondary market, and the absence of auction results says more about how modern gold Day-Dates are traded than about the watch.

On the secondary market in 2026, factory-dial 218239s on the standard fluted bezel ask roughly USD 38,500 to 39,500, with the chocolate Roman at the lower end of that narrow band and the factory diamond dials at the top. Dated examples with box and papers sit around USD 38,000. Aftermarket diamond-set examples are asked at USD 54,000 to 55,000, a figure that reflects the stones rather than the reference. The white gold sits below the Everose [[Reference:218235|218235]] and close to the yellow-gold [[Reference:218238|218238]] in the generation, which makes it, for anyone who actually wants the metal, the value entry into a 41mm President.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:1803|Day-Date 1803]] — Fluted President (1960–1977)
* [[Reference:1804|Day-Date 1804]]
* [[Reference:1806|Day-Date 1806]]
* [[Reference:1807|Day-Date 1807]]
* [[Reference:1811|Day-Date 1811]]
* [[Reference:1831|Day-Date 1831]]

See also the [[Reference:day-date|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history/ ''Rolex Day-Date Volume (Mondani Editore)'' — Mondani Family, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date/ ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo Editore, Spin Edizioni, 2015-05]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-datejust-ii-watch-review/ aBlogtoWatch editorial, "Rolex Datejust II + Day-Date II Review", aBlogtoWatch]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/origins/day-date-ii-royal-khanjar-reference-218206-a Sotheby's Watches Department, "Sotheby's Origins 2025 — Day-Date II Royal Khanjar 218206 Sultan of Oman commission", Sotheby's, 2025]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30667/lot/8/rolex-a-fine-platinum-automatic-calendar-bracelet-watch-day-date-ii-ref-218206-circa-2010/ Bonhams Watches Department, "Bonhams 218206 Platinum c.2010 production-spec", Bonhams]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/3156 Watchbase editorial, "Rolex Caliber 3156 — Watchbase Reference Entry", Watchbase]
* [https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=rolex_3156 Watch-Wiki contributors, "Rolex 3156 — Watch-Wiki", Watch-Wiki]
* [https://millenarywatches.com/rolex-caliber-3156/ Millenary Watches editorial, "Rolex Caliber 3156 — Millenary Watches", Millenary Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/day-date-ii Watchbase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date II — Watchbase Reference List", Watchbase]
* [https://beckertime.com/blog/rolex-decades-the-90s-day-date-versus-the-2000s-day-date/ Beckertime editorial, "Rolex Decades: The 90s Day-Date vs the 2000s Day-Date", Beckertime]
* [https://www.everestbands.com/blogs/bezel-barrel/guide-to-rolex-sizes-case-and-lug-dimensions-by-reference Everest Bands editorial, "Guide to Rolex Sizes — Case and Lug Dimensions by Reference", Everest Bands]
* [https://omijewelry.com/products/rolex-day-date-ii-41mm-218239-black-diamond-dial-fluted-bezel-18k-white-gold-president-bracelet-ir2k OMI Jewelry editorial, "Rolex Day-Date II 218239 white gold — dealer dial roster (factory vs aftermarket)", OMI Jewelry]
* [https://huntingtonwatch.com/products/2014-mint-rolex-218239-day-date-ii-blue-wave-president-white-gold-41mm-watch-box Huntington Watch editorial, "2014 Rolex 218239 Day-Date II Blue Wave President White Gold 41mm", Huntington Watch]
* [https://www.prestigetime.com/Rolex-Day-Date-II-41mm-Everose-Gold-218235-Black-Roman-President.html Prestige Time editorial, "Rolex Day-Date II 41mm Everose Gold 218235 Black Roman President — full specification", Prestige Time]
* [https://www.europeanwatch.com/watch/rolex-218235-218235-day-date-ii-18k-everose-pink-roman-dial-69053 European Watch Company editorial, "Rolex 218235 Day-Date II 18K Everose Pink Roman Dial", European Watch Company]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:116710LN

2026-08-08T17:27:27Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: fix related references (correct family)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116710LN GMT-Master}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master II 116710LN — First Steel Ceramic, 2007–2019 | BezelBase
|description=The 116710LN is the watch that moved the steel GMT-Master II into the ceramic era. It replaced the aluminium-bezel 16710 in 2007 with a black Cerachrom…
|keywords=Rolex, 116710LN, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 116710LN hero.jpg
|image_alt=Steel GMT, black Cerachrom bezel
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T22:34:19Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:07:45Z
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[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''116710LN'''

The [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] is the watch that moved the steel GMT-Master II into the ceramic era. It replaced the aluminium-bezel 16710 in 2007 with a black Cerachrom insert, a widened Super Case, and the late-run caliber 3186 architecture that had already entered the reference 16710 at the end of its life. For most of its twelve-year run it carried the "Lunette Noire" shorthand that Monochrome used in period press, and the "LN" suffix in the reference denotes that black-bezel configuration.

The Batman followed in 2013 and the ceramic Pepsi 126710BLRO arrived later in a narrower case generation, and the 116710LN spent most of its run in their shadow. Auction-record depth is thin relative to those flanking references, though the watch carries genuine collector substance on its own terms.



[[File:Ref 116710LN hero.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=Steel GMT, black Cerachrom bezel|Steel GMT, black Cerachrom bezel]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]]
|-
| family
| GMT-Master II
|-
| production
| 2007-2019
|-
| movement
| caliber 3186
|-
| case
| 40mm Oystersteel Oyster case, Super Case generation
|-
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops
|-
| water resistance
| 100m
|-
| bezel
| black Cerachrom with platinum-filled numerals
|-
| key identity
| first steel GMT-Master II with a ceramic bezel
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 116710LN sits between two eras of the steel GMT-Master II. Upstream, it replaces the aluminium-bezel 16710, the long-running neo-vintage reference. Downstream, it is the final single-colour black-ceramic steel GMT-Master II before the 126710 generation arrives with a narrower case, a Jubilee-bracelet option, and caliber 3285. Fratello reads it as the last all-black-bezel steel GMT-Master II, which is the cleanest placement inside the family arc.

A two-tone sibling sits alongside it. Cerachrom reached the GMT-Master II in three steps: the solid yellow-gold [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] in 2005, the Rolesor [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]] in 2006, and the steel-only 116710LN in 2007. All three carry the same bezel language and the same movement architecture.


== Production outline ==

Production runs from 2007 through 2019. The 2007 launch is uncontested across the published coverage. The 2019 discontinuation ties to a single Baselworld event. Rolex introduced the Jubilee-bracelet [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] and simultaneously retired both the 116710LN and the Oyster-bracelet [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]], a step Monochrome covered in period as part of the 2019 collection rationalisation.

The defining internal date is 2007 itself. Rolex positioned the reference as the first stainless-steel GMT-Master II with a ceramic bezel, and Monochrome's 2013 retrospective records steady early demand from collectors who wanted the Cerachrom update without waiting for the two-colour bezels that came later in the line.


== Movement notes ==

The 116710LN runs caliber 3186 for its entire production life. The movement was already in service at the tail end of the 16710 run, where it arrived as the late upgrade over caliber 3185. Here it is the baseline from day one. The 3186 carries a blue Parachrom hairspring, Paraflex shock protection, and the revised GMT wheel that improved the independent-hour-hand mechanism. Power reserve is 48 hours.

The same 3186 powers the 116710BLNR Batman, which is why collectors group the two ceramic-bezel siblings together at the movement level even when the bezels and dial signatures separate them visually.


== Dial map ==

[[File:Ref 116710LN dial-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Black dial with green signature line|Black dial with green signature line]]

The 116710LN has one cataloged dial configuration: glossy black with a green "GMT-Master II" signature line and a green 24-hour hand. The green signature line is the identifying mark. The Batman deletes that line and runs a blue 24-hour hand instead.

Early examples carry Super-LumiNova; Rolex rolled its blue-emitting Chromalight compound across the Super Case sports references around 2008, and most of the 116710LN run uses it. Collectors read Chromalight as the modern dividing line between the 16710's tritium / Luminova / Super-Luminova history and the ceramic generation that followed. Patina is not part of the 116710LN conversation the way it is on a 1998 T<25 16710. Chromalight plots on a 2010 example look the same as on a 2018 example.

Two documented special dials exist. Sotheby's catalogued a 116710LN carrying the Omani Khanjar emblem, dated circa 2010. Bonhams London Watches offered a "Sea King" commission produced around 2014 for UK Ministry of Defence personnel, a 123-piece batch marking the retirement of the Royal Navy's Sea King helicopter fleet. Both are institutional-commission dials rather than Rolex-catalogue variants, and both sit outside the standard black-printed configuration.


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes ==

[[File:Ref 116710LN bezel-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Black Cerachrom bezel close-up|Black Cerachrom bezel close-up]]
[[File:Ref 116710LN caseback.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Caseback detail|Caseback detail]]

The case is the Super Case generation that rolled across the Rolex sports catalogue from the mid-2000s onward. Compared to the 16710, the lugs are wider, the crown guards heavier, the overall wrist presence more substantial. Fratello dates the Super Case architecture to a 2005-onward programme that the 116710-series inherits in full.

The bezel is the defining feature. Cerachrom is Rolex's ceramic trademark, and the black insert on the 116710LN is the first time it appeared on a steel GMT-Master II. Numerals and markings are recessed into the ceramic and filled with platinum via a PVD process, which is why they stay white and bright after years of wear. The contrast against the 16710 is straightforward. Aluminium inserts faded in UV light and scratched from day-to-day wear. The Cerachrom insert does neither.

The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops over the date. The crown is a Triplock screw-down crown, replacing the earlier Twinlock setup while retaining the 100m water-resistance rating.


== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==

[[File:Ref 116710LN bracelet-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Oyster bracelet and clasp|Oyster bracelet and clasp]]

The 116710LN ships on an Oyster bracelet with solid end links. The Oysterclasp carries the Easylink 5mm comfort extension, a tool-free on-wrist micro-adjustment. Glidelock, the longer micro-adjustment system Rolex uses on the Submariner and Sea-Dweller, never reached the GMT-Master II line.

Full-set packaging is Rolex's standard presentation box, the International Guarantee card, and the swing tags. Auction lot descriptions for late-production 116710LN examples set the same full-set expectation as the 116710BLNR.


== Special branches ==


=== Khanjar dial ===

The Khanjar is the Omani state emblem, a ceremonial curved dagger printed on selected Rolex dials commissioned by the Omani royal family. The Sotheby's circa-2010 lot places a Khanjar-dial 116710LN inside the reference's early production run and is the strongest institutional-provenance example documented for the reference.


=== Sea King ===

The Sea King is a British military commemorative produced around 2014, one of 123 pieces marking the retirement of the Royal Navy's Sea King helicopter fleet. Bonhams London Watches offered one example with an estimate of GBP 20,000 to 25,000. A 123-piece institutional batch this late in the reference's life shows the 116710LN was still drawing meaningful institutional commissions in the mid-2010s.


== Historical market and auction record ==

The auction record is limited but not empty. Phillips catalogued a 116710LN engraved "TO ERIC SO MANY THANKS PAUL 2009" at the Hong Kong Watch Auction XVII, a piece gifted to Eric Clapton by Paul Stewart. The engraving puts a rare celebrity-provenance anchor on a reference whose major-house lot history is otherwise sparse. Sotheby's and Bonhams carry the Khanjar and Sea King institutional-commission examples described above.

Secondary-market pricing since discontinuation sits below the Batman sibling. Fratello's 2021 comparison against the 126710GRNR uses the 116710LN's last-all-black-bezel position to anchor its market identity. Late-production full-set lots at the major auction houses remain scarce, and 2019 final-year examples have so far surfaced primarily through the secondary market rather than catalog auctions.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:116713LN|GMT-Master 116713LN]] — Two-Tone Ceramic (2006–2019)
* [[Reference:116718LN|GMT-Master 116718LN]] — 2005–2019
* [[Reference:116710BLNR|GMT-Master 116710BLNR]] — 2013–2019
* [[Reference:116719BLRO|GMT-Master 116719BLRO]] — 2014–2019
* [[Reference:126711CHNR|GMT-Master 126711CHNR]] — 2018–present
* [[Reference:126715CHNR|GMT-Master 126715CHNR]] — 2018–present

See also the [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/an-early-retrospective-rolex-gmt-master-ii-lunette-noire-ceramic/ An Early Retrospective – Rolex GMT-Master II Lunette Noire Ceramic] — Evan Yeung, Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II] — Monochrome
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/ceramic-bezel-close-up-of-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116710ln/ Ceramic Bezel close-up of the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116710LN] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/sunday-morning-showdown-rolex-gmt-master-ii-126710grnr-vs-116710ln/ Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex GMT-Master II 126710GRNR Vs. 116710LN] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/fasten-your-seatbelts-rolex-gmt-master-history/ Fasten Your Seatbelts: Rolex GMT-Master History and Overview of All Major References] — Fratello editorial, Fratello Watches
* [http://www.thewatchobserver.com/tests-watches/gmt-master-ii-116710ln-4707/ Test of the Rolex GMT-Master II 116710LN] — The Watch Observer editorial, The Watch Observer
* [https://www.chrono24.com/magazine/a-long-term-review-of-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116710ln-p_152909/ A Long-Term Review of the Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 116710LN] — Chrono24 Magazine
* [https://www.xupes.com/magazine/article/2021/02/12/the-forgotten-reference-series-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116710ln The Forgotten Reference Series: The Rolex GMT-Master II 116710LN] — Xupes editorial, Xupes
* [http://luxurytyme.com/en/rolex-reviews/review-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116713-ln-116710-ln/ Review: The Rolex GMT Master II 116713 LN & 116710 LN] — Luxury Tyme
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/rolexs-ultra-cool-pilot-watch-gmt-master-ii-116710ln.html Rolex GMT-Master II 116710LN Ultimate Buying Guide] — Bob's Watches
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_model/53-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116710/overview Rolex GMT-Master II 116710 Price Overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080423/868 Rolex 116710LN GMT-Master II engraved to Eric Clapton — Hong Kong Watch Auction XVII] — Phillips
* [https://www.bonhams.com/press_release/40979/ Rolex 116710LN Sea King — Bonhams London Watches] — Bonhams
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/important-watches/reference-116710ln-khanjar-gmt-master-ii-a Reference 116710LN Khanjar GMT-Master II — Important Watches 2024] — Sotheby's

[[Category:GMT-Master]]

Reference:116719BLRO

2026-08-08T17:27:25Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: fix related references (correct family)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116719BLRO GMT-Master}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master 116719BLRO (2014–2019) — Production & Dial Guide | BezelBase
|description=The 116719BLRO is the white gold ceramic Pepsi — the watch that put the red-and-blue bezel back in the GMT-Master II catalogue after a seven-year…
|keywords=Rolex, 116719BLRO, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 116719BLRO hero.jpg
|image_alt=White-gold, red-and-blue Pepsi
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T22:34:29Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:09:53Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''116719BLRO'''

The [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]] is the white gold ceramic Pepsi — the watch that put the red-and-blue bezel back in the GMT-Master II catalogue after a seven-year absence, and the first production Rolex to carry a two-colour Cerachrom insert. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2014. It remained the only ceramic Pepsi on sale for four years, until the steel [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] arrived in 2018.

The decision to restrict the first ceramic Pepsi to 18k white gold was the story. Collectors had been waiting for a ceramic red-and-blue since the 16710's 2007 retirement. They got one. It cost roughly five times what a steel Pepsi would have.



[[File:Ref 116719BLRO hero.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=White-gold, red-and-blue Pepsi|White-gold, red-and-blue Pepsi]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]]
|-
| family
| GMT-Master II
|-
| production
| 2014-2019
|-
| movement
| caliber 3186 with blue Parachrom hairspring
|-
| case
| 40mm 18k white gold
|-
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops
|-
| water resistance
| 100m
|-
| bezel
| two-colour red-and-blue Cerachrom
|-
| bracelet
| white gold Oyster with Oysterlock
|-
| dial
| black lacquer (-0001, 2014-2018), then blue (-0002, 2018-2019)
|-
| key identity
| first ceramic Pepsi in the Rolex catalogue; white gold only
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]] is the bridge between the five-digit Pepsi tradition and the modern ceramic era. The 16710 carried the red-and-blue aluminum bezel through to 2007. When the 116710LN replaced it, Rolex went all-black — no Pepsi option in the new case and bracelet platform. That absence defined collector expectation for years. The 2014 launch resolved it, but on Rolex's terms: precious metal only, at a price point that filtered the buyer pool.

Sotheby's treats the reference as a canonical chapter in the Pepsi lineage that runs from the 1950s 6542 through to the current production ceramic references. Fratello frames it as the watch that "reintroduced" the Pepsi after seven years of absence. Both readings fit.


== Production outline ==

Rolex introduced the reference at Baselworld 2014 and kept it in the catalogue through 2019. The original 116719BLRO-0001 carried a black lacquered dial with Maxi markers. At Baselworld 2018, Rolex added the 116719BLRO-0002 with a matte blue dial. Same case, same bezel, same bracelet, different dial.

In 2019 the reference was retired and replaced by the 126719BLRO, which carried over the white gold Pepsi identity onto the new cal. 3285 platform. The 2018-2019 year of overlap with the steel [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] means both watches were briefly in the catalogue together, which collectors sometimes misread as a gap year for the WG version.


== Movement notes ==

Caliber 3186 powers the full run. It is the late-generation five-digit-descended GMT movement, introduced elsewhere in the catalogue in 2007 and carried into the 116719BLRO from launch. The Parachrom blue hairspring gives it improved antimagnetic and shock resistance compared to the earlier 3185. Independently adjustable local hour hand; quickset date; 28,800 bph.

Rolex upgraded to caliber 3285 when the successor 126719BLRO arrived in 2019. Chronergy escapement, 70-hour reserve, and the tightened -2/+2 sec/day Superlative Chronometer spec all belong to the 3285. On the 116719BLRO, none of them do.


== Dial map ==

The dial sequence is binary. The -0001 runs 2014 to 2018 with black lacquer, white gold applied Maxi markers, and Chromalight lume. The -0002 takes over in 2018 with a matte blue dial in the same furniture layout. Both carry the green GMT-Master II text that marks post-2007 GMT-Master II dials.

Outside those two variants, the reference is dial-invariant. No lume transitions run across it (Chromalight from the start), no printing changes of the kind that divide the 16710 stick-dial generations, no documented typographic shifts. It is a modern production dial with a two-colour split.


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes ==

[[File:Ref 116719BLRO bezel-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Dial and red-and-blue Cerachrom bezel|Dial and red-and-blue Cerachrom Pepsi bezel]]

The case is 40mm in 18k white gold, in the wider "Maxi" architecture that the six-digit sports lineup adopted at the 2008-2010 generational break. Heavier than steel by a substantial margin. The case profile is functionally identical to the 116710LN and the later 126710BLRO; what differs is the material.

The bezel is the story. The 116719BLRO was Rolex's first ceramic Pepsi GMT and the first red-and-blue Cerachrom insert the brand brought to market. Rolex had already proved two-colour ceramic with the black-and-blue 116710BLNR, but red-and-blue was harder. The important collector point is simple: this reference is the technical bridge that made later ceramic Pepsi production possible.

The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops over the date window at 3 o'clock. The crown is a standard Triplock screw-down with crown guards. Water resistance is 100m — unchanged from the five-digit GMT-Master II, and consistent across the whole modern ceramic GMT family.


== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==
[[File:Ref 116719BLRO variant-gold-bracelet.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=White-gold Oyster bracelet and clasp|White-gold Oyster bracelet and Oysterlock clasp]]

White gold Oyster bracelet with polished centre links and brushed outer links, fitted with the Oysterlock clasp and Easylink extension system. No Jubilee option was offered on the [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]]; the Jubilee return to the GMT-Master II arrived in 2018 with the steel [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]]. That timing matters. Anyone who wanted a Pepsi on Jubilee during 2014-2018 had no production option.

Full delivery set includes the standard Rolex presentation box, guarantee card, and period hang tags. Sotheby's cataloguing across the 2023 Fine Watches and 2025 Important Watches lots captures the complete "box and papers" configuration that survives on most auction examples.


== Special branches ==


=== Black-dial -0001 (2014-2018) ===

The launch variant. Four years as the only ceramic Pepsi Rolex sold, which gives it a narrower collector identity than the later blue. Sotheby's has moved multiple -0001 examples through its rooms, including circa-2014, circa-2016, and circa-2017 specimens, which anchors the dial colour to the first production window.


=== Blue-dial -0002 (2018-2019) ===

The shorter-run variant. Launched alongside the steel [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] at Baselworld 2018 and discontinued the following year when 126719BLRO took over. Collector attention splits on which variant is more desirable: the original black represents the launch configuration, the blue is rarer by production window.


=== Pepsi nickname ===

"Pepsi" refers only to the red-and-blue bezel colour combination. The nickname predates the reference by decades — it has applied to the 6542, 1675, 16750, 16700, and 16710 Pepsi variants — and carries directly into the 116719BLRO and then into the 126710BLRO. It does not refer to any green bezel; the green-and-black [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]] carries "Sprite" in enthusiast press.


== Historical market and auction record ==

Sotheby's has catalogued the 116719BLRO repeatedly across its Fine Watches and Important Watches sales. The 2023 Fine Watches lot sold a circa-2014 -0001 for EUR 35,560. The 2025 Important Watches sale included a circa-2017 example with full box and papers. A Sotheby's Buy Now (immediate sale) listing covers a circa-2016 specimen. The French cataloguing on the 2023 lot reads "Montre bracelet à double fuseau horaire en or blanc avec date," the standard Sotheby's descriptor for the reference.

The secondary market has traded the [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]] well above original retail through the post-discontinuation period, consistent with the broader precious-metal ceramic GMT-Master II pattern. Direct 2014 retail was about GBP 25,600.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:116710BLNR|GMT-Master 116710BLNR]] — 2013–2019
* [[Reference:116710LN|GMT-Master 116710LN]] — First Steel Ceramic (2007–2019)
* [[Reference:116713LN|GMT-Master 116713LN]] — Two-Tone Ceramic (2006–2019)
* [[Reference:116718LN|GMT-Master 116718LN]] — 2005–2019
* [[Reference:126711CHNR|GMT-Master 126711CHNR]] — 2018–present
* [[Reference:126715CHNR|GMT-Master 126715CHNR]] — 2018–present

See also the [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116719blro-pepsi/ Introducing - The Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 116719BLRO Pepsi] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-reference-116719blro/ Rolex GMT-Master II Reference 116719BLRO] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.keepthetime.com/blog/rolex-116719blro-gmt-master-ii-pepsi-ceramic-baselworld-2014/ Watch Identifier: Rolex 116719BLRO GMT-Master II Pepsi Ceramic] — KeepTheTime
* [https://millenarywatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-white-gold-guide/ Rolex GMT-Master II White Gold 116719BLRO & 126719BLRO Complete Guide] — Adam, Millenary Watches
* [https://www.watchfinder.com/Rolex/GMT%20Master%20II/116719%20BLRO/watches Rolex Pepsi: white gold 116719BLRO, the only ceramic Pepsi pre-2018] — Watchfinder & Co.
* [https://www.the1916company.com/blog/rolex-gmt-master-ii-116719blro-pepsi-bezel-flies-again.html Rolex GMT-Master II 116719BLRO: Rolex Pepsi Flies Again] — The 1916 Company
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-pepsi-the-key-references The Rolex Pepsi: The Key References] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.prestigetime.com/blog/pepsi-rolex.html Rolex Pepsi Review: The GMT Master II 116719 BLRO] — Prestige Time
* [https://rolexpassionreport.com/ Rolex Passion Report collector notes on the 116719BLRO] — Philipp Stahl, Rolex Passion Report
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/watches/_rolex-gmt-master-ref-116719blro-comple-8db9 Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi 116719BLRO, 18k white gold, circa 2016 — Buy Now] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/fine-watches-8/gmt-master-ii-pepsi-reference-116719blro-montre GMT-Master II 'Pepsi', 116719BLRO, circa 2014] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/important-watches-2/reference-116719blro-gmt-master-ii-pepsi-a-white Reference 116719BLRO GMT-Master II 'Pepsi', circa 2017] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116719-18k-white-gold-pepsi.html Rolex GMT-Master II Ref 116719 18k White Gold Pepsi] — Bob's Watches
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_variation/83-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116719blro-0001/overview Rolex GMT-Master II 116719BLRO-0001 market overview] — WatchCharts

* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2024/11/in-depth-rolex-gmt-master-ii.html In-Depth: Rolex GMT-Master II Materials and Mechanisms] — JX Su and David Ichim, SJX Watches
* [https://www.everestbands.com/blogs/bezel-barrel/how-did-they-do-that-rolex-s-bi-color-ceramic-bezel-inserts How Did They DO That: Rolex Bi-Color Ceramic Bezel Inserts] — Ed Estlow, Everest Bands

[[Category:GMT-Master]]

Reference:116710BLNR

2026-08-08T17:27:23Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: fix related references (correct family)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116710BLNR GMT-Master}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master 116710BLNR (2013–2019) — Production & Dial Guide | BezelBase
|description=The 116710BLNR is the original Batman. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2013 with a blue-and-black two-tone Cerachrom bezel, the first two-colour ceramic…
|keywords=Rolex, 116710BLNR, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 116710BLNR hero.jpg
|image_alt=First two-tone ceramic bezel
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T22:34:22Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:07:43Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
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[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''116710BLNR'''

The [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]] is the original Batman. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2013 with a blue-and-black two-tone Cerachrom bezel, the first two-colour ceramic insert the brand had ever shipped. The reference shares its case, movement, and bracelet with the all-black [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] that had preceded it since 2007, and the only real change at launch was the bezel. That one change was enough to make the 116710BLNR the most talked-about steel GMT-Master II of its generation and to drive a secondary-market arc that still defines collector memory of the reference.

The nickname was not Rolex's. The community named it Batman for the DC colour scheme, and the name stuck. Rolex's own "BLNR" code parses as Bleu Noir.



[[File:Ref 116710BLNR hero.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=First two-tone ceramic bezel|First two-tone ceramic bezel]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]]
|-
| family
| GMT-Master II
|-
| production
| 2013-2019
|-
| movement
| caliber 3186
|-
| case
| 40mm Oystersteel Oyster case, Super Case generation
|-
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops
|-
| water resistance
| 100m
|-
| bezel
| two-colour blue-and-black Cerachrom
|-
| key identity
| first Rolex with a two-tone ceramic bezel
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 116710BLNR is a bezel variant of the 116710LN. Same 40mm Super Case, same caliber 3186, same Oyster bracelet, same dial platform. The Batman swaps in a blue-and-black Cerachrom insert and a blue 24-hour hand, and it drops the green "GMT-Master II" signature line that the 116710LN carried.

Downstream, the 116710BLNR is replaced by the [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] in 2019. The successor moves to the slimmer 126710-generation case, caliber 3285, and a Jubilee bracelet at launch. Rolex retired the 116710BLNR and the 116710LN at the same Baselworld event.


== Production outline ==

Production runs from 2013 through 2019. The Fratello and SJX Baselworld 2013 launch-day pieces are the period-press anchors for the debut. Fratello gives the CHF 8,500 launch retail price; period-market figures put the price at roughly EUR 7,250 at launch and around EUR 8,200 at retirement.

The secondary market tells a louder story. EUR prices ran from around EUR 8,500 at the start of the discontinuation signal into the EUR 16,000 range as collectors reacted to the Batman's retirement. The premium persisted after production stopped, which is why Phillips was still able to offer a new-old-stock stickered example at the Geneva Watch Auction XIX in May 2024 from the Guido Mondani Collection.


== Movement notes ==

The 116710BLNR runs caliber 3186 for its entire life. The movement carries a blue Parachrom hairspring, Paraflex shock protection, and the revised GMT wheel that Rolex used across its Super Case sports references. Power reserve is 48 hours.

The 3186 is the same calibre that powers the 116710LN, which is what lets collectors treat the Batman and the all-black ceramic GMT as mechanical siblings. It is also the movement that the 126710BLNR moves past in 2019, when caliber 3285 arrives with a 70-hour reserve and the Chronergy escapement.


== Dial map ==

[[File:Ref 116710BLNR dial-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Blue/black Batman dial|Blue/black Batman dial]]

The 116710BLNR has one dial configuration: glossy black Maxi dial with 18K white-gold markers, Chromalight luminescent plots, and a blue 24-hour hand. The printed text omits the green "GMT-Master II" signature that appears on the 116710LN. Time+Tide's December 2014 long-form review confirms the same dial layout in hand.

The dial is shared with the 116710LN in every respect other than the 24-hour hand colour and the signature line. That deliberate reuse is part of the Batman's design logic: the bezel is the change, the dial is the pair.


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes ==

[[File:Ref 116710BLNR caseback.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Caseback detail|Caseback detail]]

The case is the Super Case generation that Rolex introduced across its sports catalogue from 2005 onward. Compared with the 16710, the crown guards are heavier, the lugs are wider, and the overall wrist presence is thicker. Rolex used 904L steel through this period.

The bezel is the story. The 116710BLNR introduced Rolex's blue-and-black Cerachrom insert as a single ceramic ring, not two joined pieces. That is the important technical point, because it made the clean colour split possible and set up every later two-colour ceramic GMT. On the wrist the blue shifts with the light; in low light the insert can read almost black.

The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops. The crown is the Triplock system shared across Rolex's modern sports references, and the reference carries 100m water resistance.


== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==

[[File:Ref 116710BLNR bracelet-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Oyster bracelet detail|Oyster bracelet detail]]

The 116710BLNR ships exclusively on an Oyster bracelet with solid end links. The Oysterclasp carries the Easylink 5mm comfort extension. Glidelock, the longer micro-adjustment system Rolex uses on the Submariner and Deepsea, does not appear on the GMT-Master II. The Jubilee bracelet does not enter the Batman family until the 126710BLNR in 2019.

Full-set packaging is the Rolex presentation box, the International Guarantee card, and the swing tags. Sotheby's 2019 full-set lot description and Phillips's 2024 stickered new-old-stock lot both confirm the same full-set expectation.


== Special branches ==

The 116710BLNR is itself the named variant. Where the 116710 family has two published configurations — the all-black 116710LN and the blue-and-black 116710BLNR — the Batman is one of them, not a sub-branch inside it. Late-production full-set examples carrying 2019 guarantee-card dates are a minor collector sub-branch because they mark the final year of original Batman production and sit adjacent to the 126710BLNR transition. Sotheby's 2019 lot is the auction-grade anchor for that sub-branch.


== Historical market and auction record ==

The auction record is stronger than the 116710LN's. Phillips offered a new-old-stock 116710BLNR from the Guido Mondani Collection at the Geneva Watch Auction XIX in May 2024 — a Phillips-condition stickered example five years after discontinuation, with bracelet, guarantee, hang tag, and presentation box intact. Sotheby's had already catalogued a late-production full-set example dated to 2019 as the reference exited production.

Secondary-market pricing positions the 116710BLNR against its successor 126710BLNR. EUR prices climbed from around EUR 8,500 at the start of the discontinuation signal into the EUR 16,000 range shortly after. The post-discontinuation premium has persisted.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:116719BLRO|GMT-Master 116719BLRO]] — 2014–2019
* [[Reference:116710LN|GMT-Master 116710LN]] — First Steel Ceramic (2007–2019)
* [[Reference:116713LN|GMT-Master 116713LN]] — Two-Tone Ceramic (2006–2019)
* [[Reference:116718LN|GMT-Master 116718LN]] — 2005–2019
* [[Reference:126711CHNR|GMT-Master 126711CHNR]] — 2018–present
* [[Reference:126715CHNR|GMT-Master 126715CHNR]] — 2018–present

See also the [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/baselworld-2013-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116710blnr/ Baselworld 2013 - Rolex GMT-Master II 116710BLNR Live Pictures And Official Price] — Fratello Watches
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2013/04/baselworld-2013-rolex-gmt-master-ii-with-blue-and-black-ceramic-bezel-ref-116710blnr-with-specs-and-price.html Baselworld 2013: Rolex GMT-Master II with blue and black ceramic bezel ref. 116710BLNR] — SJX, SJX Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II] — Monochrome
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/fasten-your-seatbelts-rolex-gmt-master-history/ Fasten Your Seatbelts: Rolex GMT-Master History and Overview of All Major References] — Fratello editorial, Fratello Watches
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/editors-pick-does-the-rolex-batman-still-hold-its-own-now-that-theres-a-new-red-and-blue-hero-on-the-block/ IN-DEPTH: The Rolex GMT Master II BLNR review] — Bruce Duguay, Time+Tide Watches
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-batman-batgirl-review/ Who wore it better: Batman or Batgirl?] — James Robinson, Time+Tide Watches
* [https://www.watchcollectinglifestyle.com/home/rolex-gmt-master-ii-blnr-batman-ref-116710blnr-hands-on-with-one-of-the-hottest-rolex-watches-on-instagram Rolex GMT Master II BLNR Batman ref. 116710BLNR Hands-on] — Watch Collecting Lifestyle editorial, Watch Collecting Lifestyle
* [https://www.the1916company.com/blog/rolex-gmt-master-ii-116710blnr-dark-knight-returns-first-time.html Rolex Batman GMT Master 2 (116710BLNR): The Dark Knight Returns For the First Time] — The 1916 Company (WatchBox), The 1916 Company
* [https://www.the1916company.com/blog/rolex-batman-guide.html History & Complete Guide to the Rolex Batman] — Emily Smith, The 1916 Company
* [https://www.41watch.com/en/journal/buyers-guides/review-gmt-master2-batman Technical review of Rolex GMT Master II BLNR Batman] — Clément C., 41Watch
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/editorial/rolex-116710blnr-review.html Rolex 116710BLNR Review & Guide: The Original Rolex Batman] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/editorial/history-of-rolex-batman.html The History of The Rolex Batman GMT-Master II] — Paul Altieri, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/comparisons/rolex-gmt-master-ii-116710blnr-vs-126710blnr-ultimate-guide.html Rolex GMT-Master II 116710BLNR vs. 126710BLNR Ultimate Guide] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.swisswatchexpo.com/thewatchclub/2020/10/01/rolex-batman-116710-vs-126710 Rolex Batman 116710 vs 126710] — SwissWatchExpo editorial, SwissWatchExpo (The Watch Club)
* [https://www.swisswatchexpo.com/thewatchclub/rolex-batman-gmt-master-ii-history/ From Bezel to Icon: The Unveiling of the Rolex Batman GMT-Master II's Storied History] — SwissWatchExpo editorial, SwissWatchExpo (The Watch Club)
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_model/739-rolex-gmt-master-ii-batman-116710blnr/overview Rolex GMT-Master II Batman 116710BLNR Price Overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080224/172 Rolex 116710BLNR GMT-Master II Batman — Geneva Watch Auction XIX lot 172] — Phillips
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/important-watches/reference-116710blnr-gmt-master-ii-batman-a Reference 116710BLNR GMT-Master II 'Batman', circa 2019] — Sotheby's

* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2024/11/in-depth-rolex-gmt-master-ii.html In-Depth: Rolex GMT-Master II Materials and Mechanisms] — JX Su and David Ichim, SJX Watches
* [https://www.everestbands.com/blogs/bezel-barrel/how-did-they-do-that-rolex-s-bi-color-ceramic-bezel-inserts How Did They DO That: Rolex Bi-Color Ceramic Bezel Inserts] — Ed Estlow, Everest Bands

[[Category:GMT-Master]]

Reference:116713LN

2026-08-08T17:27:21Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: fix related references (correct family)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116713LN GMT-Master}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master II 116713LN — Two-Tone Ceramic, 2006–2019 | BezelBase
|description=The 116713LN is the two-tone ceramic GMT-Master II of the six-digit era. It arrived at Baselworld 2006 as the second GMT-Master II to carry a Cerachrom bezel, and the first with steel in the case.
|keywords=Rolex, 116713LN, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 116713LN hero.jpg
|image_alt=Rolesor, black Cerachrom bezel
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T22:34:41Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:07:48Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''116713LN'''

The [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]] is the two-tone ceramic GMT-Master II of the six-digit era. It arrived at Baselworld 2006 as the second GMT-Master II to carry a Cerachrom bezel, a year behind the solid yellow-gold [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]], and it was the first of them to put steel in the case. That release order matters. For two years the only ceramic GMT-Master IIs Rolex sold were precious-metal watches, and the all-steel [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] did not arrive until 2007. The reference then ran alongside the steel ceramic version for the next decade, holding the Rolesor position in the line until the broader 2019 generation change.

Its branch story is unusually narrow. Unlike the earlier two-tone [[Reference:16713|16713]], which divided into brown Root Beer and black-dial branches, the 116713LN exists in a single gloss-black dial configuration with a black Cerachrom insert. The Rootbeer colourway does not come back to the two-tone GMT-Master II until the [[Reference:126711CHNR|126711CHNR]] in 2018.



[[File:Ref 116713LN hero.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolesor, black Cerachrom bezel|Rolesor, black Cerachrom bezel]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]]
|-
| family
| GMT-Master II
|-
| production
| Baselworld 2006 debut; discontinued around 2019 in the 126710/126711 generation shift
|-
| movement
| caliber 3186 with blue Parachrom hairspring
|-
| case
| 40mm Rolesor (Oystersteel and 18k yellow gold) Oyster case
|-
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops
|-
| water resistance
| 100m
|-
| bezel
| black Cerachrom with gold-filled 24-hour graduations
|-
| key identity
| second ceramic-bezel GMT-Master II and the first with steel in the case; the only two-tone yellow-gold ceramic GMT
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

[[File:Ref 116713LN variant-catalog.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolesor ceramic era catalogue context|Rolesor ceramic era catalogue context]]

The 116713LN is the direct ceramic-era successor to the [[Reference:16713|16713]], the two-tone yellow-gold GMT-Master II of the five-digit generation. Where the 16713 divided cleanly into a brown Root Beer branch and a black-dial branch, the 116713LN consolidated the reference onto a single black-on-black configuration. The Rootbeer colour scheme left the two-tone GMT-Master II at this point and did not return until the ceramic [[Reference:126711CHNR|126711CHNR]] launched in 2018, by which time the gold side had also shifted from yellow to Everose.

The 116713LN is the middle step in the Cerachrom rollout. Rolex introduced it at Baselworld 2006, a year after the yellow-gold [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] and a year ahead of the all-steel [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] in 2007, which reversed the usual pattern of launching a sports reference in steel first and adding precious-metal versions later. The Rolesor reference inherited the role the 116718LN had held since 2005: the vehicle for the newest bezel and dial technology. Once the steel 116710LN arrived, the 116713LN held the two-tone position in the line for another decade.

Its closing context is the 2019 generation change, when Rolex replaced the [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]], [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]], and the 116713LN with the six-digit 126710 family. The two-tone Rolesor position then sat empty in ceramic until the green-and-black [[Reference:126713GRNR|126713GRNR]] in 2023, which returned to two-tone yellow gold but on Jubilee rather than Oyster and in a new colourway rather than reviving black.


== Production outline ==

The reference launched at Baselworld 2006 and ran into roughly 2019, with the end of production undated by Rolex and read off the rolling cutoff at the time of the 2019 generation change. Examples dated across the full run survive in the market, with 2014 and 2017 lots entering the auction record in Sotheby's and Bonhams sales during active production.


== Movement notes ==

Caliber 3186 powered the 116713LN throughout. The 3186 ran at 28,800 vph with a 50-hour power reserve and carried a blue Parachrom hairspring. Caliber 3285, which superseded it on the ceramic Rootbeer pair in 2018, moved the reserve to 70 hours and added the Chronergy escapement. The 116713LN never received the 3285, so a single movement generation runs from launch to discontinuation.


== Dial map ==

[[File:Ref 116713LN dial-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Black dial on two-tone Rolesor|Black dial on two-tone Rolesor]]

The dial story is the 116713LN's narrowest. A single gloss-black lacquer dial with Chromalight lume plots in yellow-gold surrounds, paired with a black Cerachrom insert carrying gold-filled 24-hour graduations. The GMT hand is green, a detail that reads as the simplest generation marker separating the 116713LN and its Cerachrom siblings from the aluminum-insert 16713. There is no Rootbeer branch, no brown-dial branch, no alternate bezel colour inside the reference. Sotheby's and Bonhams auction catalogues across the production run describe the same configuration.

The single-dial decision is itself a narrative point. The vintage 1675 and 16753 carried brown-and-gold Rootbeer dials as the yellow-gold GMT identity. The 16713 split yellow-gold production between brown and black. The 116713LN consolidated yellow-gold GMT-Master II production onto black only. When Rolex brought the Rootbeer back in 2018, it did so in Everose, not yellow gold, and on a different six-digit reference.


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==

[[File:Ref 116713LN bezel-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Black Cerachrom bezel on Rolesor|Black Cerachrom bezel on Rolesor]]
[[File:Ref 116713LN caseback.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Caseback detail|Caseback detail]]

The case is the Maxi-case geometry shared across the Cerachrom-era GMT-Master II. Compared with the 16713, the crown guards are larger, the lugs are thicker, and the case sides are more squared. The 40mm footprint is unchanged, but the wrist presence is heavier. The dial carries correspondingly larger applied hour markers and a wider Mercedes handset, the configuration commonly called the Maxi dial.

The Cerachrom insert is the defining technical change over the aluminum 16713. Rolex replaced the 120-click aluminum bezel with a 24-click unidirectional Cerachrom ring, scratch-resistant and colourfast in a way the aluminum insert was not. The 24-hour graduations are not printed or painted. They are deposited into the ceramic using a patented nano-particle gold process, which gives the markings their gold tone and keeps them flush with the ceramic surface. Cyclops over the date and the Triplock crown carry over unchanged.


== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==

[[File:Ref 116713LN bracelet-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Oyster Rolesor bracelet|Oyster Rolesor bracelet]]

The 116713LN shipped on the Rolesor Oyster bracelet, reference 97203, with solid end links and the Oysterlock clasp carrying the Easylink 5mm comfort extension. The Jubilee, which became the default two-tone GMT bracelet on the 2023 [[Reference:126713GRNR|126713GRNR]], was not offered on the 116713LN during its run. Every auction-house description in the auction record shows the same Oyster fitment.


== Special branches ==

The reference has no production branches of the kind that split the earlier 16713 or the 16710. A single dial, a single bezel, and a single bracelet read as one long generation rather than a tree of variants, and collector interest tracks the reference as a whole rather than any sub-configuration inside it.


== Historical market and auction record ==

Auction-house coverage is thin for the 116713LN. The reference appears in Sotheby's online and Bonhams catalogues across its production run, but it has not produced headline lots in the way the steel sport references have, and most market activity sits on the dealer side rather than the auction floor.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:116710LN|GMT-Master 116710LN]] — First Steel Ceramic (2007–2019)
* [[Reference:116718LN|GMT-Master 116718LN]] — 2005–2019
* [[Reference:116710BLNR|GMT-Master 116710BLNR]] — 2013–2019
* [[Reference:116719BLRO|GMT-Master 116719BLRO]] — 2014–2019
* [[Reference:126711CHNR|GMT-Master 126711CHNR]] — 2018–present
* [[Reference:126715CHNR|GMT-Master 126715CHNR]] — 2018–present

See also the [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/an-early-retrospective-rolex-gmt-master-ii-lunette-noire-ceramic/ An Early Retrospective: Rolex GMT-Master II Lunette Noire Ceramic] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II] — Monochrome
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116713-ln-watch-review/ Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 116713 LN Watch Review] — aBlogtoWatch
* [http://luxurytyme.com/en/rolex-reviews/review-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116713-ln-116710-ln/ Review: The Rolex GMT Master II 116713 LN & 116710 LN] — Luxury Tyme
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/gmt-master-ii-116713.html A Closer Look at the Cerachrom Bezel GMT Master II 116713] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/the-two-tone-version-of-the-gmt-master-ii.html Two-Tone GMT-Master II: A Story of Constant Evolution] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.chrono24.com/magazine/two-tone-rolex-gmt-master-ii-models-which-one-comes-out-on-top-p_114246/ Two-Tone Rolex GMT-Master II Models: Which One Comes Out on Top] — Chrono24 Magazine
* [https://www.watchguys.com/pages/rolex-gmt-master-ii-116713ln-review Rolex GMT-Master II 116713LN Review: A Two-Tone GMT Guide] — WatchGuys
* [https://majestixcollection.com/blog/rolex-gmtmaster2-1167/ Rolex GMT Master II 116713LN: The Two-Tone Travel Icon] — Majestix Collection
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_model/860-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116713ln/overview Rolex GMT-Master II 116713LN Price Overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/_rolex-gmt-master-ii-reference-116713-a-yellow-gold-stainless-steel-automatic-wristwatch-with-date-and-dual-time-2014-ba09 Rolex GMT-Master II (Reference 116713LN). A 40mm Yellow Gold Stainless Steel Automatic Wristwatch With Date And Dual Time. 2014] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/_rolex-gmt-master-ii-reference-116713-becf Rolex GMT-Master II (Reference 116713). A 40mm Yellow Gold Stainless Steel Automatic Wristwatch With Date And Dual Time] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.bonhams.com/discover/rolex/ Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 116713LN, Stainless Steel And Gold Automatic Calendar Bracelet Watch] — Bonhams
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-116713-two-tone-oyster.html Buy Used Rolex GMT-Master II 116713] — Bob's Watches
* [https://beckertime.com/blog/new-rolex-models-from-baselworld-2018/ New Rolex Models From Baselworld 2018] — BeckerTime
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/rolex-caliber-3186-vs-rolex-caliber-3285.html Rolex Caliber 3186 vs. Caliber 3285] — Bob's Watches

[[Category:GMT-Master]]

Reference:116718LN

2026-08-08T17:27:19Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: fix related references (correct family)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116718LN GMT-Master}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master 116718LN (2005–2019) — Production & Dial Guide | BezelBase
|description=The 116718LN is the reference that brought ceramic to the GMT-Master II. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2005 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the…
|keywords=Rolex, 116718LN, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 116718LN hero.jpg
|image_alt=18k gold GMT, Cerachrom bezel
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T22:34:51Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:07:51Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''116718LN'''

The [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] is the reference that brought ceramic to the GMT-Master II. Rolex launched the new bezel and caliber 3186 in yellow gold first, then rolled the same logic out to the rest of the ceramic GMT family.

Rolex debuted its most important bezel-material change of the 2000s on a gold watch.



[[File:Ref 116718LN hero.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=18k gold GMT, Cerachrom bezel|18k gold GMT, Cerachrom bezel]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]]
|-
| family
| GMT-Master II
|-
| production
| 2005-2019
|-
| movement
| caliber 3186
|-
| case
| 40mm solid 18k yellow gold Oyster case, Super Case generation
|-
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops
|-
| water resistance
| 100m
|-
| bezel
| black Cerachrom with 18k gold-filled numerals
|-
| key identity
| first GMT-Master II with a Cerachrom ceramic bezel
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

[[File:Ref 116718LN variant-monochrome-lineage.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Position in the Cerachrom lineage|Position in the Cerachrom lineage]]

The 116718LN sits at the top of the modern-ceramic GMT-Master II family and at the start of it. Rolex issued no steel ceramic GMT-Master II in 2005. The two-tone [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]] arrived in 2006, the steel [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] in 2007. For the first two years of the Cerachrom era the only way to buy a ceramic-bezel GMT-Master II from Rolex was in solid yellow gold.

Upstream, the 116718LN replaces the aluminium-bezel [[Reference:16718|16718]], the five-digit yellow-gold GMT-Master II that had run since 1988. Downstream, there is no immediate successor. When Rolex retired the 116718LN in 2019 alongside the steel 116710LN and 116710BLNR, it withdrew yellow gold from the ceramic GMT-Master II line entirely. Yellow gold did not return until the [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]] at Watches and Wonders 2023, four years later. The 116718LN closes one chapter and opens a gap, not a transition.


== Production outline ==

Production runs from 2005 through 2019. The 2005 debut coincided with the GMT-Master line's fiftieth anniversary, and Christie's catalogue copy for later-year lots ties the launch to that anniversary moment. The 2019 discontinuation comes with the same Baselworld event that retired the 116710LN and 116710BLNR: Rolex's rationalisation of the 116710 generation in favour of the slimmer 126710 case.

Inside that fourteen-year window, two dial variants ran in parallel: the black dial and the green anniversary dial. The green dial is the collector variant; the black dial is the steadier seller. No production-split data is published by Rolex.


== Movement notes ==

The 116718LN runs caliber 3186 for its documented production life. The 3186 debuted on this reference at Baselworld 2005, which makes the 116718LN the first Rolex watch to carry the movement. The 3186 brought the blue Parachrom hairspring, a revised GMT wheel, and Paraflex shock protection to the independent-hour-hand architecture. Sotheby's 2019 lot for the Anniversary Green gives 28,800 bph and a 50-hour power reserve for a 2005-production example.

No available source documents a caliber 3185-equipped 116718LN. The Sotheby's lot records and Christie's catalogue copy both give caliber 3186 as the movement of record across the reference. A 3185 transitional branch, if it exists, needs direct sourcing from The Vintage Rolex Field Manual or equivalent before it can be treated as settled.


== Dial map ==

[[File:Ref 116718LN dial-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Black dial on solid yellow gold|Black dial on solid yellow gold]]
[[File:Ref 116718LN variant-green-anniversary.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Green 50th-anniversary dial|Green 50th-anniversary dial]]
[[File:Ref 116718LN variant-green-dial-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Green anniversary dial close-up|Green anniversary dial close-up]]

The 116718LN dial story is a two-branch map: a standard black dial and a green anniversary dial, both running in parallel through most of the reference's life.


=== Black dial ===

The black-dial 116718LN is the baseline configuration. Glossy black lacquer, 18k yellow-gold applied markers, 18k yellow-gold hands, and Chromalight lume after the compound's late-2000s rollout across the Rolex sports catalogue. The black-dial variant is the steadier seller across the production window and the more commonly traded of the two dials in the post-discontinuation market. Christie's yellow-gold lot copy describes a black-dial 116718 from circa 2006 carrying the same layout.


=== Green anniversary dial ===

The green anniversary dial is the variant Rolex introduced in 2005 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the GMT-Master line. It is a solid green dial with 18k yellow-gold markers, gold hands, and the same green 24-hour hand that appears on the black-dial variant. The green dial is the collector variant within the 116718LN catalogue, and Sotheby's records show continued auction demand for the dial from 2019 through 2024.

The green dial is not a short run. Rolex produced it across most of the 116718LN's life. The collector premium traces to dial-colour preference and relative supply against the black dial, rather than to a limited production window. Secondary-market indexing treats the green dial as 116718LN-0002, separate from the black-dial catalogue entry.


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes ==

[[File:Ref 116718LN bezel-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=First Cerachrom bezel on a GMT-Master II|First Cerachrom bezel on a GMT-Master II]]
[[File:Ref 116718LN caseback.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Solid-gold caseback|Solid-gold caseback]]

The case is the Super Case generation Rolex rolled out across its sports catalogue from the mid-2000s. Compared with the aluminium-bezel 16718, the lugs are wider, the crown guards are heavier, and the watch wears more substantially on the wrist. Period listings for Anniversary Green examples give 40mm across, 48mm lug-to-lug, and 11.8mm thick.

The bezel is the historical point. The 116718LN is the first GMT-Master II to wear Cerachrom at all, which is why the watch matters beyond its gold case.

The crystal is sapphire with the Cyclops magnifier over the date. The crown is the Triplock twin-lock system Rolex uses across its modern sports references. Water resistance is 100m, unchanged from the 16718.


== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==

The 116718LN ships on a solid 18k yellow-gold Oyster bracelet with solid end links. The Oysterclasp carries the Easylink 5mm comfort extension. Glidelock, the longer micro-adjustment system Rolex reserves for the Submariner and Deepsea families, does not appear on the GMT-Master II. The Christie's yellow-gold lot copy confirms Oyster as the only period-correct bracelet. No Jubilee-bracelet 116718LN has entered the corpus.

Full-set packaging is the standard Rolex presentation box, the International Guarantee card, and the swing tags. Sotheby's 2019 Anniversary Green lot gives circa-2005 production with a December 2006 warranty date.


== Special branches ==


=== Green anniversary dial ===

The green anniversary dial is a documented factory variant tied to the fiftieth anniversary of the GMT-Master. It commands a premium over the black-dial variant on the secondary market. Sotheby's carried a 2019 Anniversary Green lot with a USD 10,000-15,000 pre-sale estimate on a circa-2005 example, and the house offered the variant again in 2024, years after discontinuation. The dial is the reference's most-discussed collector branch.


=== Black dial ===

The black-dial branch is the steadier seller across the production run. Christie's catalogued a yellow-gold 116718 from circa 2006 in the black-dial configuration, which gives the branch a tier-1 auction-house anchor. The black dial is the reference's default and the larger share of the surviving market.


== Historical market and auction record ==

The 116718LN is well-covered by major auction houses. Sotheby's has offered the Anniversary Green at Important Watches 2019 and again at Fine Watches in 2024, demonstrating sustained demand for the green-dial variant five years after discontinuation. Christie's has catalogued a black-dial yellow-gold 116718 through its online Watches programme. Both houses frame the reference around the 2005 fiftieth-anniversary launch and the caliber 3186 debut.

Post-discontinuation Anniversary Green examples trade through certified pre-owned channels, and secondary-market indexing tracks the green dial separately from the black dial. Time+Tide and Monochrome both treat the 116718LN as the direct historical predecessor of the 2023 [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]].

The reference's auction market is dominated by the green dial. A Phillips-grade lot for a black-dial example would strengthen the record further. None is currently in the auction record.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:116713LN|GMT-Master 116713LN]] — Two-Tone Ceramic (2006–2019)
* [[Reference:116710LN|GMT-Master 116710LN]] — First Steel Ceramic (2007–2019)
* [[Reference:116710BLNR|GMT-Master 116710BLNR]] — 2013–2019
* [[Reference:116719BLRO|GMT-Master 116719BLRO]] — 2014–2019
* [[Reference:126711CHNR|GMT-Master 126711CHNR]] — 2018–present
* [[Reference:126715CHNR|GMT-Master 126715CHNR]] — 2018–present

See also the [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/travel-the-skies-with-the-gmt-master-ii-anniversary.html Travel the Skies with the GMT-Master II 116718 Anniversary] — Bob's Watches
* [https://watchesoff5th.com/blogs/news/closer-look-at-the-discontinued-rolex-gmt-master-ii-in-yellow-gold Closer Look at the Discontinued Rolex GMT Master II in Yellow Gold] — WatchesOff5th
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/rolex-caliber-3186-vs-rolex-caliber-3285.html Rolex Caliber 3186 vs. Caliber 3285] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.chrono24.com/magazine/golden-boy-with-retro-flair-the-new-rolex-yellow-gold-gmt-master-ii-p_114312/ Golden Boy with Retro Flair: The New Rolex Yellow Gold GMT-Master II] — Chrono24 Magazine
* [https://www.swisswatchexpo.com/thewatchclub/2024/01/02/rolex-gmt-master-ii-yellow-gold-and-rolesor-yellow-gold-editions/ Rolex GMT-Master II Yellow Gold and Rolesor Yellow Gold Editions] — SwissWatchExpo
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/yellow-gold-and-rolesor-rolex-gmt-master-ii-grey-and-black-ceramic-bezel-2023-editions-126713grnr-126718grnr-specs-price/ Yellow Gold and Rolesor Back On The Rolex GMT-Master II With Grey & Black Ceramic Bezel] — Monochrome
* [https://www.europeanwatch.com/blog/rolex-gmt-master-ii-126718grnr-review Vintage in a Modern Package: Rolex GMT Master II 126718GRNR] — European Watch Company
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ceramic-watch-116718.html Rolex 116718LN GMT Master II 18K Yellow Gold with Black Dial] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2019/important-watches-n10082/lot.113.html ROLEX Ref 116718LN GMT-Master II Anniversary Green yellow gold wristwatch circa 2005] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/fine-watches-2/gmt-master-ii-green-anniversary-reference-116718ln?locale=fr GMT-Master II Green Anniversary reference 116718LN yellow gold wristwatch circa 2006] — Sotheby's
* [https://onlineonly.christies.com.cn/s/watches-online-new-york/rolex-gmt-master-ii-18k-yellow-gold-ref-116718-13/113474 Rolex GMT-Master II, 18k Yellow Gold, Ref. 116718] — Christie's
* [https://www.the1916company.com/rolex-certified-pre-owned/gmt-master-ii/5017167/ Pre-Owned Rolex GMT-Master II Anniversary Green 116718LN] — The 1916 Company
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_variation/21-rolex-gmt-master-ii-anniversary-green-116718ln-0002/overview Rolex GMT-Master II Anniversary Green 116718LN-0002 Price Overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/masterstroke-the-gmt-master-part-ii/ Master Stroke — The Rolex GMT-Master: Part II] — Ross Povey, Revolution

[[Category:GMT-Master]]

Reference:gmt-master-ii-6digit-family

2026-07-18T14:19:12Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex GMT-Master II 6-digit family}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master II 6-digit family — BezelBase
|description=The 6-digit generation is the current Rolex GMT-Master II catalogue and the direct predecessors of current references. It opens in 2018 at Baselworld with…
|keywords=Rolex, gmt-master-ii-6digit-family, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|type=Article
}}

The 6-digit family is the current GMT-Master II generation and the direct bridge from today's catalogue back into the 2018 reset. It starts with the steel Pepsi [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] and the Root Beer pair in 2018, adds the Jubilee Batman in 2019, the left-handed [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]] in 2022, the yellow-gold GRNR pair in 2023, the steel GRNR in 2024, and the Tiger Iron stone dials in 2025.

The platform is simple: caliber 3285, a slimmer 40mm case than the Super Case, and a two-colour Cerachrom catalogue that now runs across five colorways.


== Core map ==

* [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] (2018-2026): first steel ceramic Pepsi; first Jubilee GMT since 1675 era
* [[Reference:126711CHNR|126711CHNR]] (2018-present): Rolesor Everose Rootbeer revival; first two-colour Cerachrom
* [[Reference:126715CHNR|126715CHNR]] (2018-present): solid Everose Rootbeer; Tiger Iron dial added 2025 as -0002
* [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] (2019-present): Batman transition to Jubilee and caliber 3285
* [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]] (2022-present): left-handed green-and-black Destro; first modern left-crown Rolex sports watch
* [[Reference:126713GRNR|126713GRNR]] (2023-present): Rolesor yellow-gold GMT with grey-and-black Cerachrom
* [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]] (2023-present): solid yellow-gold GMT; Tiger Iron dial added 2025
* [[Reference:126710GRNR|126710GRNR]] (2024-present): steel grey-and-black ceramic GMT; "Bruce Wayne"

The steel Pepsi was dropped from the catalogue at Watches & Wonders 2026 per Robb Report. The white-gold Pepsi went with it. The rest of the family is current production.


== Where the family changes ==


=== Caliber 3285 ===

Every 6-digit reference uses caliber 3285. The important upgrades over 3186 are the Chronergy escapement, 70-hour reserve, and the tighter Superlative Chronometer standard. The movement itself does not branch inside this family.

SJX's launch coverage treated the Chronergy escapement as the headline technical change. Monochrome and Robb Report both anchor the 70-hour reserve as the consumer-facing improvement.

The architecture does not change for the left-handed [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]]. Rolex reorients the case, dial, and date-wheel printing rather than mirror the movement internally. The date wheel numerals are oriented for the 9 o'clock window, which means the printing on the Destro's date wheel differs from the printing on the right-handed 3285 applications, even though the movement plate does not.


=== Case proportions vs. 5-digit ceramic ===

The most immediately visible generation change is the case. Fratello puts the 126710-generation case at 40mm wide and 12.5mm tall, compared with the Super Case geometry of the 116710 references. The lugs are narrower. The crown guards are less blocky. Monochrome's 126710BLNR review describes the 6-digit case as visibly less thick in photography at the same angle as a 116710BLNR, and the dimensional figures across the family — roughly 11.9-12.5mm thick depending on case material and reference — all sit under the Super Case height.

The dimensional change is the reason the 126710BLNR launched on Jubilee rather than Oyster in 2019. The slimmer case wears differently on the five-link bracelet, and the bracelet choice was the headline change at launch. Time+Tide's 2020 Batman vs Batgirl comparison treats the drape difference as the primary wrist consequence of the generation shift.

The case architecture is otherwise shared. Monobloc middle case, screw-down crown and caseback, Triplock crown, 100m water resistance, sapphire crystal with Cyclops over the date window. The only reference that departs from this layout is the [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]], which mirrors the crown and date window to the left side without changing the underlying dimensions.


=== The Jubilee return ===

Jubilee had been absent from the GMT-Master II Professional line since the 1675 era. The 2018 steel Pepsi brought it back, and the 2019 Batman extended the same choice to the blue-black watch. That bracelet return is one of the defining shifts of the 6-digit family.

The community named the Jubilee-bracelet 126710BLNR "Batgirl" in 2019. When Rolex reintroduced an Oyster option on the same reference in 2021, the split held: Batman stayed the Oyster-bracelet configuration, Batgirl stayed the Jubilee. Sotheby's adopted the Batgirl name in cataloguing by 2020.

The Jubilee is fitted with the Oysterlock folding clasp and the Easylink 5mm comfort extension. It drapes differently from the Oyster across all the references it is offered on. Launch coverage split on whether the bracelet was the headline or the complaint. Time+Tide took the positive side, aBlogtoWatch and Monochrome stayed neutral and let the bracelet speak. The choice has since become the defining configuration decision inside the 6-digit family.

The 2023 yellow-gold [[Reference:126713GRNR|126713GRNR]] and [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]] ship on Jubilee only. The yellow-gold [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]] Jubilee is the first full-gold Jubilee on a GMT-Master since the early 1980s. The predecessor [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] shipped exclusively on Oyster across its fourteen-year run.


=== Two-colour Cerachrom iteration ===

The 6-digit generation extended the two-colour ceramic catalogue. The 5-digit ceramic era had shipped two combinations — blue-and-black on the 2013 [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]], red-and-blue on the 2014 [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]]. The 6-digit family added three more.

The 2018 CHNR Root Beer pair was the first two-colour Cerachrom after BLNR and BLRO. Its brown-and-black insert and Everose numerals give the old Root Beer idea a colder, more modern look than the vintage yellow-gold versions.

The green-and-black VTNR insert on the 2022 [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]] added the fourth colour pair. The green reads as a colour-history callback to the 2007 Fiftieth Anniversary green bezel announcement on the [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]]. The combination is exclusive to the Destro.

The grey-and-black GRNR insert added the fifth modern two-colour Cerachrom pairing. Rolex names the code from ''gris noir''. In practice the grey half often reads almost black indoors and shifts warmer in direct sun, which is why the bezel photographs less clearly than it wears.

The full modern two-colour Cerachrom catalogue now runs across BLNR (blue-black), BLRO (red-blue), CHNR (brown-black), VTNR (green-black), and GRNR (grey-black). Rolex has not released a two-colour red-and-black Coke insert. Robb Report noted the long-rumoured Coke ceramic that collectors had speculated about for years never arrived.


== Branch map ==

The 6-digit family splits by case material and by bezel colourway. Both axes carry collector weight, and the nickname catalogue tracks both.


=== By metal ===

* '''Steel (Oystersteel):''' [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] Pepsi, [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] Batman/Batgirl, [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]] Sprite/Destro, [[Reference:126710GRNR|126710GRNR]] Bruce Wayne/Ghost. The 2026 discontinuation removed the steel Pepsi from the current catalogue.
* '''Rolesor Everose:''' [[Reference:126711CHNR|126711CHNR]] Rootbeer. The only modern two-tone ceramic reference in Everose rather than yellow gold.
* '''Rolesor yellow gold:''' [[Reference:126713GRNR|126713GRNR]] Zombie/Bumblebee. Returned yellow Rolesor to the GMT-Master II after a four-year absence.
* '''Solid Everose gold:''' [[Reference:126715CHNR|126715CHNR]] solid Rootbeer, with 2025 Tiger Iron dial variant.
* '''Solid yellow gold:''' [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]], with 2025 Tiger Iron dial variant.


=== By colourway ===

* '''Red-and-blue (BLRO):''' [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] steel, 2018-2026. The 2026 discontinuation without announcement is the collecting event of the generation.
* '''Blue-and-black (BLNR):''' [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] steel, 2019-present. Jubilee (Batgirl) and Oyster (Batman) configurations both current.
* '''Brown-and-black (CHNR):''' [[Reference:126711CHNR|126711CHNR]] Rolesor Everose and [[Reference:126715CHNR|126715CHNR]] solid Everose, both 2018-present. The Tiger Iron 126715CHNR-0002 from 2025 is the only catalogued dial variant inside the pair.
* '''Green-and-black (VTNR):''' [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]] left-handed, 2022-present. Exclusive colourway; no right-handed VTNR exists in the catalogue.
* '''Grey-and-black (GRNR):''' [[Reference:126713GRNR|126713GRNR]] Rolesor, [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]] solid yellow gold, [[Reference:126710GRNR|126710GRNR]] steel. The Rolesor and solid-gold variants launched in 2023; the steel followed in 2024.


== Nicknames ==

The 6-digit family carries an unusually dense nickname catalogue. Most names are collector-press shorthand rather than Rolex-official terminology.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reference
! Nickname(s)
! Origin
|-
| [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]]
| Pepsi
| Descends from the 1950s [[Reference:6542|6542]]; applies only to red-and-blue
|-
| [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] Jubilee
| Batgirl
| Coined in 2019 enthusiast coverage for the Jubilee-bracelet launch
|-
| [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] Oyster
| Batman
| Carried from the 116710BLNR; applied to the Oyster variant after 2021
|-
| [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]]
| Sprite, Destro
| Sprite for the green bezel; Destro (Italian for "right-handed") for the left-crown case
|-
| [[Reference:126711CHNR|126711CHNR]]
| Rootbeer, Cough Syrup
| Rootbeer carries from the 1970s; "Cough Syrup" is Fratello's 2019 framing
|-
| [[Reference:126715CHNR|126715CHNR]]
| Rootbeer
| Inherited from the 1970s solid-gold 1675/8 and [[Reference:16758|16758]]
|-
| [[Reference:126710GRNR|126710GRNR]]
| Bruce Wayne, Ghost
| Bruce Wayne reads the grey bezel as Batman's alter ego; Ghost reads it as the blue half disappearing
|-
| [[Reference:126713GRNR|126713GRNR]]
| Zombie, Bumblebee, Dark Knight
| Time+Tide's April 2023 reader poll returned "Dark Knight" as the winner; enthusiast copy circulates "Zombie" and "Bumblebee"
|-
| [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]]
| —
| No dominant nickname yet
|}

"Bruce Wayne" is a collector nickname. Rolex does not use it in any catalogue or product page. The same goes for every other nickname on the list. Rolex's own reference suffixes parse as French colour codes: BLNR for ''bleu-noir'', BLRO for ''bleu-rouge'', CHNR for ''chocolat-noir'', VTNR for ''verte-noir'', GRNR for ''gris-noir''.


== Collecting context ==

The 6-digit family is still mostly current production, so the market is driven by waitlists and allocation rather than by classic vintage scarcity.

The 2018 steel Pepsi set the pattern. Waitlists ran for years, auction-house examples appeared almost immediately, and the 2026 discontinuation pushed prices up again. The white-gold Pepsi left the catalogue at the same time.

The Batman/Batgirl pair has held the steadiest active-production demand. The Root Beer pair has the strongest precious-metal auction footprint, with the Rolesor watch trading more actively than the solid Everose version. The yellow-gold GRNR pair launched hot in 2023, and the steel Bruce Wayne reached the market in 2024 without much auction history yet.

The Destro sits in the same low-auction-footprint category. Its market is still mostly dealer and private-sale driven.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master family index]]
* [[Reference:126710BLNR|GMT-Master II 126710BLNR]] — 'Batman', cal 3285 jubilee era
* [[Reference:126711CHNR|GMT-Master II 126711CHNR]] — Everose-steel root-beer
* [[Reference:126715CHNR|GMT-Master II 126715CHNR]] — Everose brown-black
* [[Reference:126720VTNR|GMT-Master II 126720VTNR]] — left-handed green-black "Sprite"

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II] — Monochrome
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/baselworld-2019-updated-rolex-gmt-master-ii-batman-126710blnr-jubilee-bracelet-price/ Baselworld 2019 – Updated Rolex GMT-Master II Batman 126710BLNR on Jubilee] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/hands-on-review-rolex-gmt-master-ii-126710blnr-batman-jubilee-price/ Rolex GMT-Master II Batman 126710BLNR | REVIEW (specs & price)] — Brice Goulard, Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-pepsi-126710-blro-steel-jubilee-bracelet-calibre-3285-baselworld-2018-price/ Rolex GMT Master II Pepsi 126710 BLRO Steel Jubilee Calibre 3285 - Baselworld 2018] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-new-rolex-gmt-master-ii-126710grnr-in-steel-with-grey-black-bezel-specs-price/ Introducing: Rolex GMT Master II 126710GRNR Steel & Grey-Black bezel] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-126710grnr-bruce-wayne-black-grey-opinion-review/ Opinion: The Rolex GMT-Master II Bruce Wayne isn't Boring, It's a Great Classic] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-126711-chnr-two-tone-root-beer-review-price/ Rolex GMT-Master II 126711 CHNR Two-Tone Root Beer Review] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-everose-gold-tiger-iron-dial-126715chnr-hands-on-review-price/ Hands-On: The Exotic Rolex GMT-Master II Everose Gold with Tiger Iron Dial] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/yellow-gold-and-rolesor-rolex-gmt-master-ii-grey-and-black-ceramic-bezel-2023-editions-126713grnr-126718grnr-specs-price/ Yellow Gold and Rolesor Back On The Rolex GMT-Master II With Grey & Black Ceramic Bezel] — Monochrome
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-steel-yellow-gold-two-tone-rolesor-126713grnr-hands-on-review-price/ The Rolex GMT-Master II Steel & Yellow Gold 126713GRNR, And Why I Fell For It] — Brice Goulard, Monochrome
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/the-lefty-rolex-oyster-perpetual-gmt-master-ii-126720vtnr-specs-price/ The left-handed Rolex GMT-Master II 126720VTNR no-one saw coming] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/why-i-dont-like-the-destro-rolex-gmt-master-ii-126720vtnr-review-opinion-price/ Why I Don't Like the Destro Rolex GMT-Master II 126720VTNR] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2019/03/rolex-gmt-master-ii-blnr-jubilee-bracelet.html Introducing the Rolex GMT-Master II "Batman" on Jubilee] — SJX, SJX Watches
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2018/03/baselworld-2018-rolex-introduces-the-gmt-master-ii-pepsi-in-stainless-steel.html Baselworld 2018: Rolex Introduces the GMT-Master II Pepsi in Stainless Steel] — SJX Watches
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2022/04/rolex-gmt-master-ii-left-handed-ref-126720.html Rolex Introduces the GMT-Master II Left Handed Ref. 126720VTNR] — SJX Watches
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2018/07/hands-on-with-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-in-both-everose-and-rolesor.html Hands-On with the Rolex GMT-Master II, In Both Everose and Rolesor] — SJX, SJX Watches
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2025/04/rolex-gmt-master-ii-126729vtnr-26715chnr.html Hands On: Rolex GMT-Master II 126729VTNR Green Ceramic & 126715CHNR Tiger Iron] — SJX Watches
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2024/05/rolex-gmt-master-ii-126710grnr.html Hands On: Rolex GMT-Master II Oystersteel Ref. 126710GRNR] — SJX Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/fasten-your-seatbelts-rolex-gmt-master-history/ Fasten Your Seatbelts: Rolex GMT-Master History and Overview of All Major References] — Fratello editorial, Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-1126710blnr/ Hands-On: Rolex GMT-Master II 'Batman' On Jubilee 126710BLNR] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/2023-rolex-gmt-master-ii-has-that-vintage-vibe/ The 2023 Rolex GMT-Master II Has That Vintage Vibe] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-introduces-the-stellar-gmt-master-ii-black-and-gray-in-stainless-steel/ Rolex Introduces The GMT-Master II Black And Gray In Stainless Steel] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/sunday-morning-showdown-rolex-gmt-master-ii-black-and-gray-rolesor-126713grnr-vs-stainless-steel-126710grnr/ Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex GMT-Master II Black And Gray Rolesor 126713GRNR Vs. Stainless Steel 126710GRNR] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-126711chnr/ Hands-On: Rolex GMT-Master II in Steel and Everose Gold] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-everose-126715chnr/ Hands-On With The Rolex GMT-Master II Everose Reference 126715CHNR] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-126720vtnr-destro-does-it-make-any-sense/ Hands-On With The Rolex GMT-Master II 126720VTNR Destro] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-16713-root-beer-is-better-126711chnr-cough-syrup/ Why The Rolex GMT-Master II 16713 Root Beer Is Better Than The 126711CHNR Cough Syrup] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/quench-your-thirst-on-the-first-day-of-dry-january-with-two-rolex-gmt-master-ii-root-beer-models/ Hands-On: Two Modern Rolex GMT-Master II Root Beer Models] — Fratello Watches
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/hands-on-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-pepsi-ref-126710-blro/ Hands-On: The Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi (ref. 126710BLRO)] — Time and Tide Watches
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-batman-batgirl-review/ Who wore it better: Batman or Batgirl?] — James Robinson, Time+Tide Watches
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-126710grnr-hands-on/ Rolex GMT-Master II 126710GRNR | HANDS ON] — Time+Tide
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-126711chnr-rootbeer/ Hands-On: the Rolex GMT Master II 126711CHNR Rootbeer] — Time and Tide Watches
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/gold-rush-rolex-reintroduces-the-gmt-master-ii-in-solid-yellow-gold-and-two-tone/ Gold rush: Rolex reintroduces the GMT-Master II in solid yellow gold and two-tone] — D.C. Hannay, Time and Tide
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/your-votes-are-in-for-the-new-yg-rolex-gmt-master-ii-nickname-here-are-your-answers/ Your votes are in for the new YG Rolex GMT Master II nickname] — Zach Blass, Time and Tide
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/first-2023-rolex-novelties-hit-the-secondary-market-where-does-the-new-gmt-master-ii-sit/ First 2023 Rolex novelties hit the secondary market — where does the new GMT Master II sit?] — Zach Blass, Time and Tide
* [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-30/new-rolex-gmt-master-ii-for-left-handers-is-a-black-and-green-steel-surprise New Rolex GMT-Master II for Left-Handers Is a Black and Green Steel Surprise] — Bloomberg
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-126720vtnr-a-left-handed-model-with-a-green-and-black-bezel Introducing: The Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 126720VTNR: A Left-Handed Model With A Green And Black Bezel] — Hodinkee
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/rolexs-pepsi-gmt-master-ii-watch-release-2788442/ Rolex's Pepsi GMT Master II Is the Hottest Watch Launch of 2018] — Robb Report
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/rolex-pepsi-gmt-master-ii-discontinued-market-1237890139/ With the Rolex Pepsi Now Gone, the Market Is Smelling Blood] — Robb Report
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/rolex-new-watches-1234823261/ Rolex's New Watches for 2023: New Daytonas, Zany Day-Dates and More] — Robb Report
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/mark-wahlberg-rolex-gmt-master-ii-1235364056/ Ticks and Kicks? Mark Wahlberg Shows Off a Yellow-Gold Rolex GMT-Master II] — Robb Report
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/the-most-coveted-new-watches-of-2018-2836398/ The 6 Most Coveted Watches of 2018 (Including a Rolex That Has Already Doubled in Price)] — Robb Report
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-2018-rolex-gmt-master-ii-lineup/ Everything You Need to Know About the 2018 Rolex GMT-Master II Lineup] — Revolution
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-12670grnr-a-closer-look/ A Closer Look: The Rolex GMT-Master II 126710GRNR — The Return of the Subtle GMT] — Revolution
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/a-closer-look-rolex-gmt-master-ii-tiger-iron-everose-review/ A Closer Look: Rolex GMT-Master II Tiger Iron] — Revolution Watch
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-root-beer-rolesor-everose-2018-watch/ Rolex GMT-Master II Root Beer In Rolesor & Everose Gold For 2018] — aBlogtoWatch
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-watch-an-era-of-two-tone-and-yellow-gold-returns/ Rolex GMT-Master II Watch, An Era Of Two-Tone And Yellow Gold Returns] — aBlogtoWatch
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-126720-vtnr-destro-left-handed-watch/ Hands-On: Rolex GMT Master-II Ref. 126720 VTNR Destro Left-Handed Watch] — aBlogtoWatch
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-rolex-gmt-master-ii-126710grnr-bruce-wayne-watch-for-2024/ Hands-On: Rolex GMT-Master II 126710GRNR Bruce Wayne Watch For 2024] — aBlogtoWatch
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-rolex-gmt-master-ii-126715chnr-tiger-iron-watch/ Hands-On: Rolex GMT-Master II 126715CHNR Tiger Iron Watch] — aBlogtoWatch
* [https://wornandwound.com/rolex-goes-destro-with-new-gmt-master-ii-126720vtnr/ Rolex Goes Destro With New GMT-Master II 126720VTNR] — Worn & Wound
* [https://www.watchcollectinglifestyle.com/home/baselworld-2018-rolex-gmt-master-ii-stainless-steel-pepsi-ref-126710blro-jubilee-bracelet Baselworld 2018: Rolex GMT Master II Stainless Steel Pepsi ref. 126710BLRO] — Watch Collecting Lifestyle
* [https://www.watchcollectinglifestyle.com/home/baselworld-2018-rolex-gmt-master-ii-everose-rolesor-ref-126711chnr-the-new-gmt-two-tone Baselworld 2018: Rolex GMT Master II Everose Rolesor ref. 126711CHNR] — Watch Collecting Lifestyle
* [https://www.watchonista.com/articles/depth/confessions-collector-acquiring-my-dream-watch-rolex-gmt-master-ii-chnr-aka-root-beer Confessions Of A Collector – Acquiring My Dream Watch, The Rolex GMT Master II CHNR] — Watchonista
* [https://www.watchonista.com/articles/closer-look/2022-rolex-gmt-master-ii-leftys-perspective The 2022 Rolex GMT-Master II from a Lefty's Perspective] — Watchonista
* [https://www.europeanwatch.com/blog/rolex-gmt-master-ii-126718grnr-review Vintage in a Modern Package: Rolex GMT Master II 126718GRNR] — European Watch Company
* [https://www.everestbands.com/blogs/bezel-barrel/all-new-rolex-gmt-master-ii-in-yellow-gold-and-two-tone New Rolex GMT-Master II in Yellow Gold and Two-Tone: Specs and History] — Everest Bands
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-pepsi-the-key-references The Rolex Pepsi: The Key References] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-4/rolex-gmt-master-batgirl-ref-126710blnr-stainless Rolex GMT-Master Batgirl Ref 126710BLNR Circa 2019 — Important Watches 2020] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/important-watches-part-ii/pepsi-gmt-master-ii-ref-126710blro-stainless-steel 'Pepsi' GMT-Master II, ref 126710BLRO, stainless steel, circa 2019] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/important-watches-3/bwgqz-reference-126711chnr-gmt-master-ii-root-beer Reference 126711CHNR GMT-Master II 'Root Beer', A Stainless Steel And Pink Gold Automatic Dual Time Wristwatch With Date And Bracelet, Circa 2019] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-5/rolex-reference-126715-gmt-master-ii-root-beer-a Rolex Reference 126715 GMT-Master II Root Beer, A Pink Gold Automatic Dual Time Zone Wristwatch With Date And Bracelet, Circa 2018] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080524/944 Rolex GMT-Master II Root Beer, Reference 126711CHNR — Hong Kong Watch Auction XIX, Lot 944] — Phillips
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/new-releases/2019-rolex-batman-gmt-master-jubilee.html Baselworld 2019: Rolex Batman GMT-Master II with Jubilee Bracelet] — Paul Altieri, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/editorial/history-of-rolex-batman.html The History of The Rolex Batman GMT-Master II] — Paul Altieri, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/new-releases/baselworld-2018-rolex-root-beer-gmt-master-ii.html Rolex Root Beer Review: Ultimate Buying & Collecting Guide] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-126713grnr-stainless-steel-and-18k-yellow-gold.html Rolex GMT-Master II ref 126713GRNR Stainless Steel & 18k Yellow Gold Jubilee] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/rolex-caliber-3186-vs-rolex-caliber-3285.html Rolex Caliber 3186 vs. Caliber 3285] — Bob's Watches
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_variation/82-rolex-gmt-master-ii-126710blnr-0003/overview Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLNR-0003 Price Overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_model/733-rolex-gmt-master-ii-pepsi-126710blro/overview Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi 126710BLRO market overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_model/756-rolex-gmt-master-ii-root-beer-126711chnr/overview Rolex GMT-Master II Root Beer 126711CHNR Price Overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_variation/1409-rolex-gmt-master-ii-126720vtnr-0001/overview Rolex GMT-Master II 126720VTNR-0001 market overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://www.41watch.com/en/journal/buyers-guides/review-gmt-master2-batman Technical review of Rolex GMT Master II BLNR Batman] — Clément C., 41Watch

[[Category:GMT-Master]]

Reference:gmt-master-ii-5digit-ceramic-family

2026-07-18T14:19:09Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex GMT-Master II 5-digit ceramic family}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master II 5-digit ceramic family — BezelBase
|description=The 5-digit ceramic era is the chapter that pulled the GMT-Master II out of its aluminum-bezel past and into the catalogue Rolex still builds against. It…
|keywords=Rolex, gmt-master-ii-5digit-ceramic-family, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|type=Article
}}

The 5-digit ceramic era is the bridge between the aluminum 16710 world and the current ceramic GMT-Master II line. It runs from 2005 to 2019 across five references: [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]], [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]], [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]], [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]], and [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]].

The key story is simple. Rolex brought Cerachrom to the GMT in yellow gold first, then Rolesor, then steel. In 2013 the Batman introduced the first two-colour ceramic insert, and in 2014 the white-gold Pepsi extended the process to red and blue.


== Core map ==

* [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] (2005-2019): first Cerachrom GMT-Master II; solid 18k yellow gold, black bezel
* [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]] (2006-2019): two-tone Rolesor yellow-gold GMT; first ceramic GMT-Master II to reach steel-in-case form
* [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] (2007-2019): first steel GMT-Master II with a ceramic bezel; all-black Cerachrom
* [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]] (2013-2019): first two-colour Cerachrom reference; blue-and-black Batman
* [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]] (2014-2019): first ceramic Pepsi; white-gold only

LN parses as ''lunette noire'', black bezel. BLNR parses as ''bleu-noir''. BLRO parses as ''bleu-rouge''. The case across the family is the Super Case generation Rolex rolled out from the mid-2000s, wider at the lugs and heavier at the crown guards than the 16710 it replaced.


== Where the family changes ==


=== Cerachrom chronology ===

The rollout order flips the usual pattern. Rolex launched Cerachrom on the GMT in solid yellow gold first, then Rolesor, then steel. For the first two years of the ceramic era, the only way to buy a Cerachrom GMT-Master II was in precious metal.

Monochrome's retrospective anchors that ordering. The sequence matters because it assigns the 116718LN the role the steel reference normally plays: the development vehicle for the newest bezel and dial technology in the line. The steel 116710LN inherited a proven insert rather than introducing one.

Two-tone ceramic arrived next, in two steps. The blue-and-black Batman [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]] at Baselworld 2013, then the red-and-blue ceramic Pepsi [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]] at Baselworld 2014. Each release extended the process to a new colour combination, each in the same 40mm Super Case architecture that had carried the single-colour Cerachrom references since 2005.


=== The two-colour ceramic patent story ===

The real technical break is the two-colour insert. The 2013 Batman proved Rolex could produce blue and black on a single Cerachrom ring. The 2014 white-gold Pepsi proved the same process could handle red and blue. That manufacturing step is what made the later ceramic GMT catalogue possible.


=== Caliber 3185 into 3186 ===

The movement story across the family is simpler than the bezel story. Caliber 3186 launched in the 116718LN at Baselworld 2005 and is the movement of record across the ceramic 5-digit family. It brought the blue Parachrom hairspring, Paraflex shock protection, and a cleaner independent-hour-hand mechanism than the earlier 3185.

The late aluminum-bezel [[Reference:16710|16710]] still used 3185, but no documented ceramic 5-digit example has surfaced with it. If a true 3185 transitional ceramic watch exists, it needs stronger direct evidence before it is treated as settled.

Power reserve is 48 hours.


== Branch map ==

The 5-digit ceramic era splits cleanly by dial-and-bezel identity rather than by mechanical variation.

* '''Black bezel, steel:''' [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]]. One dial configuration — glossy black with a green "GMT-Master II" signature line and a green 24-hour hand. Two documented institutional-commission dials (Sotheby's Khanjar circa 2010, Bonhams Sea King 2014) sit outside standard production.
* '''Blue-black bezel, steel:''' [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]]. One dial configuration — the 116710LN dial minus the green signature line, with a blue 24-hour hand. The Batman is a bezel variant of the 116710LN rather than a separate case platform.
* '''Red-blue bezel, white gold:''' [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]]. Two dial configurations by production window — black lacquer -0001 (2014-2018), matte blue -0002 (2018-2019). Same case, same bezel, same movement across both.
* '''Black bezel, yellow gold Rolesor:''' [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]]. Single gloss-black dial configuration. Narrowest branch in the family — no sub-variants.
* '''Black bezel, solid yellow gold:''' [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]]. Two parallel dial configurations across the run — standard black and green anniversary. Sotheby's tracks the green as the collector variant; the black is the steadier seller.

The Rootbeer colour scheme is absent from the 5-digit ceramic era. The brown-and-gold dial-and-bezel pairing that ran through the 1970s 1675/3, [[Reference:16753|16753]], and [[Reference:16758|16758]] did not survive into Cerachrom. Rolex did not bring Rootbeer back to the GMT-Master II until the 6-digit [[Reference:126711CHNR|126711CHNR]] and [[Reference:126715CHNR|126715CHNR]] in 2018, by which point the gold side had shifted from yellow to Everose.


== Collecting context ==

The 5-digit ceramic era moved from current production to discontinued between 2019 and roughly 2024. That transition has rearranged the market.

The Batman [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]] is the center of the post-discontinuation story. Prices climbed hard after 2019, and the watch now functions as the main modern example of how quickly a recently discontinued Rolex can reprice once supply closes.

The Pepsi [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]] carries the same pattern in white gold. Sotheby's has moved multiple examples through Fine Watches and Important Watches sales from 2023 through 2025, with a circa-2014 -0001 selling for EUR 35,560 at Fine Watches 2023. Period retail was about GBP 25,600, which puts the post-discontinuation auction result comfortably above launch.

The all-black [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] is quieter. The secondary market tracks a pattern distinct from both the Batman and the aluminum-bezel [[Reference:16710|16710]], which puts the watch in its own price tier: above the neo-vintage aluminum Pepsi, below the two-colour Cerachrom siblings. Fratello's 2021 comparison against the 126710GRNR anchors the 116710LN's market identity on the "last all-black-bezel steel GMT-Master II" positioning.

The [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]] is the narrowest branch by auction footprint. Sotheby's has catalogued a 2014 direct-sale listing and Bonhams offered a 2017 example in its Fine Watches sale, but the reference trades mostly through the secondary market. The 116713LN reads as a discontinued fixed-supply reference with a defined pricing band, distinct from the steel ceramic siblings.

The [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] auction market is dominated by the green anniversary dial. Sotheby's has offered the variant at Important Watches 2019 and again at Fine Watches 2024, five years after discontinuation. Christie's has catalogued a black-dial example. Post-discontinuation green-dial examples trade through certified pre-owned channels, and secondary-market indexing tracks the green dial separately under 116718LN-0002.

The market split between 5-digit ceramic and earlier neo-vintage 16710 is the structural collecting fact of the family. Aluminum-bezel 16710 Pepsi and Coke examples sit in the vintage-leaning tier. The 5-digit ceramic references sit in a post-discontinuation tier defined by waitlist memory rather than by vintage patina. The Batman and the white-gold Pepsi are the reference points inside that tier.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master family index]]
* [[Reference:116710LN|GMT-Master II 116710LN]] — the first ceramic GMT-Master II, black
* [[Reference:116710BLNR|GMT-Master II 116710BLNR]] — 'Batman' blue-black Cerachrom
* [[Reference:116718LN|GMT-Master II 116718LN]] — yellow-gold ceramic
* [[Reference:116719BLRO|GMT-Master II 116719BLRO]] — white-gold 'Pepsi' ceramic

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II] — Monochrome
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/an-early-retrospective-rolex-gmt-master-ii-lunette-noire-ceramic/ An Early Retrospective: Rolex GMT-Master II Lunette Noire Ceramic] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/fasten-your-seatbelts-rolex-gmt-master-history/ Fasten Your Seatbelts: Rolex GMT-Master History and Overview of All Major References] — Fratello editorial, Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/ceramic-bezel-close-up-of-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116710ln/ Ceramic Bezel close-up of the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116710LN] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/sunday-morning-showdown-rolex-gmt-master-ii-126710grnr-vs-116710ln/ Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex GMT-Master II 126710GRNR Vs. 116710LN] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/baselworld-2013-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116710blnr/ Baselworld 2013 - Rolex GMT-Master II 116710BLNR Live Pictures And Official Price] — Fratello Watches
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2013/04/baselworld-2013-rolex-gmt-master-ii-with-blue-and-black-ceramic-bezel-ref-116710blnr-with-specs-and-price.html Baselworld 2013: Rolex GMT-Master II with blue and black ceramic bezel ref. 116710BLNR] — SJX, SJX Watches
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/editors-pick-does-the-rolex-batman-still-hold-its-own-now-that-theres-a-new-red-and-blue-hero-on-the-block/ IN-DEPTH: The Rolex GMT Master II BLNR review] — Bruce Duguay, Time+Tide Watches
* [https://www.the1916company.com/blog/rolex-gmt-master-ii-116710blnr-dark-knight-returns-first-time.html Rolex Batman GMT Master 2 (116710BLNR): The Dark Knight Returns For the First Time] — The 1916 Company (WatchBox), The 1916 Company
* [https://www.41watch.com/en/journal/buyers-guides/review-gmt-master2-batman Technical review of Rolex GMT Master II BLNR Batman] — Clément C., 41Watch
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/editorial/history-of-rolex-batman.html The History of The Rolex Batman GMT-Master II] — Paul Altieri, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/rolexs-ultra-cool-pilot-watch-gmt-master-ii-116710ln.html Rolex GMT-Master II 116710LN Ultimate Buying Guide] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/travel-the-skies-with-the-gmt-master-ii-anniversary.html Travel the Skies with the GMT-Master II 116718 Anniversary] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/rolex-caliber-3186-vs-rolex-caliber-3285.html Rolex Caliber 3186 vs. Caliber 3285] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-116713-two-tone-oyster.html Buy Used Rolex GMT-Master II 116713] — Bob's Watches
* [http://luxurytyme.com/en/rolex-reviews/review-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116713-ln-116710-ln/ Review: The Rolex GMT Master II 116713 LN & 116710 LN] — Luxury Tyme
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116719blro-pepsi/ Introducing - The Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 116719BLRO Pepsi] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-reference-116719blro/ Rolex GMT-Master II Reference 116719BLRO] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-pepsi-the-key-references The Rolex Pepsi: The Key References] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2019/important-watches-n10082/lot.113.html ROLEX Ref 116718LN GMT-Master II Anniversary Green yellow gold wristwatch circa 2005] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/fine-watches-8/gmt-master-ii-pepsi-reference-116719blro-montre GMT-Master II 'Pepsi', 116719BLRO, circa 2014] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080224/172 Rolex 116710BLNR GMT-Master II Batman — Geneva Watch Auction XIX lot 172] — Phillips
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_model/53-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116710/overview Rolex GMT-Master II 116710 Price Overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_model/739-rolex-gmt-master-ii-batman-116710blnr/overview Rolex GMT-Master II Batman 116710BLNR Price Overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_variation/83-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116719blro-0001/overview Rolex GMT-Master II 116719BLRO-0001 market overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_model/860-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116713ln/overview Rolex GMT-Master II 116713LN Price Overview] — WatchCharts
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/masterstroke-the-gmt-master-part-ii/ Master Stroke — The Rolex GMT-Master: Part II] — Ross Povey, Revolution

[[Category:GMT-Master]]

Reference:submariner-5xxx-family

2026-07-18T14:19:05Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Submariner 5xxx family}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Submariner 5xxx family — BezelBase
|description=The 5xxx Submariner family is the core no-date vintage Submariner story. Understanding how the Submariner became the thing most collectors picture in…
|keywords=Rolex, submariner-5xxx-family, Submariner, specifications, reference guide
|type=Article
}}

The 5xxx Submariner family is the core no-date vintage Submariner story. It starts with the last no-crown-guard watches, runs through the transitional big-crown [[Reference:5510|5510]], and settles into the crown-guard commercial core of the [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]]. From there it breaks into special-issue branches: the COMEX [[Reference:5514|5514]] and the British military [[Reference:5517|5517]].


== Core map ==

Six references make up the family. The [[Reference:5508|5508]] is the small-crown, no-crown-guard watch, the last of its branch. The [[Reference:5510|5510]] is the big-crown transitional bridge. The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the chronometer crown-guard no-date Submariner; the [[Reference:5513|5513]] is its non-chronometer counterpart. The [[Reference:5514|5514]] is the COMEX-only branch with a helium escape valve (HEV), and the [[Reference:5517|5517]] is the fixed-bar military branch.

Small crown and big crown refer to the size of the winding crown on the pre-crown-guard watches. Those terms carry their full meaning in the references themselves.


== Where the family changes ==


=== Crown and case architecture ===

The family starts without crown guards and ends with them permanent. The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the structural pivot — it locks crown guards into the Submariner.

The sequence is simple. [[Reference:5508|5508]] and [[Reference:5510|5510]] close the no-crown-guard era. The earliest [[Reference:5512|5512]] introduces square guards, then pointed Cornino guards, then the mature rounded form that carries through the long 5512 and 5513 run.


=== Commercial split ===

The [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]] overlap for years but hold different market positions. The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the chronometer no-date watch, certified to COSC and priced accordingly. The [[Reference:5513|5513]] is the non-chronometer no-date watch, produced in far higher volume and sold at a lower retail price. That split drives much of the modern collecting split as well.


=== Special-issue branches ===

The [[Reference:5514|5514]] and [[Reference:5517|5517]] are not retail peers to the [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]]. They are branch watches tied to specific professional distribution paths: COMEX for the 5514 (French commercial saturation diving) and the British Royal Navy for the 5517.


== Reference by reference ==


=== 5508 ===

The [[Reference:5508|5508]] is the last mainstream Submariner without crown guards. It sits in the small-crown world and closes the earlier case chapter before the [[Reference:5512|5512]] changes the line. Archive examples now include a tropical 1959 watch, a service-dial example, and a 1962 exclamation-dot late example.


=== 5510 ===

The [[Reference:5510|5510]] is the short-run big-crown transitional watch. Case and crown still look back to the [[Reference:6538|6538]], but the movement is already caliber 1530, the same caliber that powers the early [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]]. That dual identity is its whole point.


=== 5512 ===

The [[Reference:5512|5512]] is the premium no-date Submariner and the first reference where crown guards become a lasting part of the model. It carries the chronometer story across a twenty-year run and four documented crown-guard generations.


=== 5513 ===

The [[Reference:5513|5513]] is the long-run commercial core. Twenty-seven years of production, 151,449 pieces, dial eras from gilt through matte to late gloss. No other Submariner reference covers as much ground.


=== 5514 ===

The [[Reference:5514|5514]] is the COMEX-specific branch. COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises) was a French commercial diving firm that pioneered saturation diving. The 5514 is a 5513 case with an HEV, issued directly to COMEX divers and never sold through any retailer. A sold 1976 archive example with box, service papers, and documented diver provenance anchors the reference.


=== 5517 ===

The [[Reference:5517|5517]] is the British military Submariner, known universally as the MilSub. Fixed bars, a 60-minute bezel, T SWISS T tritium dial, and military caseback markings put it in a different lane from the commercial references. The footing is concrete: two Sotheby's 5517 lots, a photographed 1977 example from Hodinkee's Mike Wood report, and a sold military 5513 archive example for context.


== Dial and movement logic across the family ==

The 5xxx family is not one dial story. Early watches live in the glossy gilt world, then the [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]] split into different long-run dial arcs. The 5512 carries the chronometer movement path. The 5513 settles into the long non-chronometer route.

Lazy summaries get collectors into trouble here. The 5xxx family rewards reference-specific thinking.


== Bracelet and packaging logic ==

Bracelet fitment is easier to document than original delivery. Across the [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]] the documented fitment overlap is familiar: 7206/80 early, 9315 with 280 or 380 in the middle, 93150/580 late. That is fitment, not a universal delivery chart. The same caution applies to boxes and papers.


== Historical market view ==

The [[Reference:5512|5512]] and [[Reference:5513|5513]] do not occupy the same market depth. The Rolex-commissioned Submariner book by Nicholas Foulkes puts the gap in sharp relief: 17,338 pieces for the [[Reference:5512|5512]] against 151,449 for the [[Reference:5513|5513]]. Roughly one 5512 for every eleven 5513s.

That ratio does not make every [[Reference:5512|5512]] automatically better, but it does explain why the 5512 feels scarcer in the market and why special-branch 5xxx watches move into a different price tier quickly. A sold 1976 [[Reference:5514|5514]] COMEX archive with box, service papers, and diver provenance, and two Sotheby's [[Reference:5517|5517]] lots from 2018 and 2023, make the branch market concrete rather than abstract.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner family index]]
* [[Reference:5508|Submariner 5508]] — no-crown-guard 8mm
* [[Reference:5510|Submariner 5510]] — Big Crown, cal 1530
* [[Reference:5512|Submariner 5512]] — first crown guards
* [[Reference:5513|Submariner 5513]] — the long-run no-date classic
* [[Reference:5514|Submariner 5514]] — the COMEX 5xxx
* [[Reference:5517|Submariner 5517]] — the MilSub

== Sources ==
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-2-the-55xx-1680references/ History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date] — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
* [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/collectors-guide-rolex-submariner-reference-5512 Collector's Guide: What To Know About The Rolex Submariner Reference 5512] — Charlie Dunne, Wind Vintage
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-rolex-submariner-reference-5508.html Vintage Rolex Submariner Reference 5508] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
* [https://wannabuyawatch.com/product/rolex-submariner-ref-5508-small-crown-tropical-dial-circa-1959/ Rolex Submariner Ref 5508 Small Crown Tropical Dial Circa 1959] — Wanna Buy A Watch?
* [https://loupethis.com/auctions/rolex-submariner-5508-service-dial Rolex Submariner 5508 Service Dial] — Loupe This
* [https://www.vintagegoldwatches.com/product/rolex-submariner-ref-5508-1957-exclamation-dot-dial/ Rolex Submariner Ref.5508 1962 Exclamation Dot Dial] — Vintage Gold Watches, Vintage Gold Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-5510.html Rolex 5510] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-big-crown-submariner-reference-5510-unpolished Rolex Big Crown Submariner Reference 5510 Unpolished] — Eric Wind, Wind Vintage
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1958-rolex-5510-big-crown-submariner/ 1958 Rolex 5510 Big Crown Submariner] — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/square-crown-guard-submariner-reference-5512/ The Rolex Square Crown Guard Submariner Reference 5512] — Revolution Watch editorial, Revolution Watch
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1960-rolex-5512-tropical-gilt-tulip-submariner/ 1960 Rolex 5512 Tropical Gilt Tulip Submariner W/Box & Paper] — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1965-rolex-5512-gilt-submariner/ 1965 Rolex 5512 Gilt Submariner] — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-rolex-submariner-5512.html Vintage Rolex Submariner 5512] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.watchprosite.com/editors-picks/vintage-rolex-box-reference-guide-list-1950-to-mid-2000-s/732.1629451.16558431/ Vintage Rolex Box reference guide list 1950 to mid 2000's] — WatchProSite community, WatchProSite
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/vintage-week-rolex-submariner-5513.html Rolex 5513 Submariner Review & Ultimate Buying Guide] — Bob's Watches
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1966-rolex-5513-bart-simpson-tropical-patina-submariner/ 1966 Rolex 5513 "Bart Simpson" Tropical Patina Submariner] — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1965-rolex-5513-meters-first-gilt-submariner-w-box-paper/ 1965 Rolex 5513 Gloss Gilt Submariner W/Box & Paper] — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/0bfeaa8a-22d0-4e8d-9200-0d1a611ef7ea/lots/ec00c334-b62d-4907-8bb3-568a5101a36b Rolex Submariner "South African Army", Ref 5513, Military Stainless Steel Wristwatch With Bracelet, Circa 1970] — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-1989-rolex-submariner-5513.html Vintage 1989 Rolex Submariner 5513] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-rolex-submariner-5513-stainless-steel-oyster.html Vintage Rolex Submariner 5513 Stainless Steel Oyster] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
* [https://watchesofdistinction.com/product/rolex-submariner-ref-5514-comex-1976-box-and-rolex-service-papers/ Rolex Submariner Ref 5514 COMEX (1976) Box and Rolex Service Papers] — Watches of Distinction, Watches of Distinction
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/editorial/jason-statham-rare-vintage-rolex-submariner.html Action Star Jason Statham Just Added This Vintage Submariner to His Rolex Collection] — Jared Paul Stern, Bob's Watches
* [https://watchesofdistinction.com/product/rolex-military-submariner-ref-5513-1974/ Rolex Military Submariner Ref 5513 (1974)] — Watches of Distinction, Watches of Distinction
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/inside-mike-woods-for-exhibition-only-a-private-rolex-collection-on-limited-display Inside Mike Wood's 'For Exhibition Only': A Private Rolex Collection On Limited Display] — Tim Vaux, Hodinkee
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-watches-part-i-2/military-submariner-reference-5517-a-stainless?locale=en Full Spec Military Submariner, Reference 5517, Circa 1978] — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/important-watches-ge1804/lot.238.html?locale=en MilSub Submariner, Ref 5517, Stainless Steel Military Wristwatch Made for the British Armed Forces, Circa 1978] — Sotheby's, Sotheby's

[[Category:Submariner]]

Reference:submariner-early-family

2026-07-18T14:19:02Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Submariner early family}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Submariner early family — BezelBase
|description=The early Submariner family is the part of the line that still feels unsettled. The crown size moves, the dial text shifts around, the hands change, and…
|keywords=Rolex, submariner-early-family, Submariner, specifications, reference guide
|type=Article
}}

[[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] -> '''Early family'''

The early Submariner family is the line before Rolex settled the formula. Crown sizes move, dial text comes and goes, hands change, and movements shift from the thicker uni-directional A-series Perpetuals to the bidirectional butterfly-rotor 1030. That is exactly why these watches matter: the Submariner is still taking shape.


== Core map ==

The fast map is simple. [[Reference:6204|6204]] starts the line. [[Reference:6205|6205]] brings Mercedes hands. [[Reference:6200|6200]] is the rare big-crown 200m Explorer-dial outlier. [[Reference:6536|6536]] and [[Reference:6536/1|6536/1]] are the late-1950s small-crown references. [[Reference:6538|6538]] is the big-crown Bond watch and the family's main market anchor.


== Where the family changes ==

Three axes carry most of the variation inside the early family: crown size, water resistance, and dial identity.


=== Crown size ===

The family splits into small-crown and big-crown paths. The small-crown side runs across the 6204, 6205, 6536, and 6536/1. The big-crown side is the 6200 and the 6538. The split is physical: the bigger crown needed a thicker case and a larger crown tube, and Rolex paired the two with a deeper water-resistance rating on the big-crown side.


=== Water resistance ===

Small-crown references sit at 100m; big-crown references push to 200m. The gap is more than a spec-sheet line. It reflects two use cases inside the same model family — dress-scale dive watch on the small-crown side, full professional tool on the big-crown side.


=== Dial identity ===

The early years are full of dial experiments. The depth rating drops off the dial and comes back. "Submariner" text is present on the 6204, disappears on the first series of the 6205, and returns with the second series. Explorer 3-6-9 dials turn up across the 6200, 6538, and later 5510/5512/5513. The first four-line COSC chronometer layouts appear on the 6536/1 and the 6538. Nothing is locked in yet.


== Reference by reference ==


=== 6204 ===

The [[Reference:6204|6204]] is the first named Submariner — slim no-crown-guard case, small "BREVET" crown, pencil hands, lollipop seconds, and a glossy gilt chapter-ring dial on caliber A260.


=== 6205 ===

The [[Reference:6205|6205]] follows on the small-crown side and brings Mercedes hands into the line for the first time. The three-pointed hour hand introduced on the second series never leaves the Submariner after this.


=== 6200 ===

The [[Reference:6200|6200]] is the big-crown outlier with 3-6-9 Explorer-style dial variants and a 200m depth rating, built in a run of only 303 units. It reads as a different animal from the small-crown 6204/6205 on nearly every axis — case thickness, crown, movement, depth rating — and is the rarest Submariner reference ever made.


=== 6536 ===

The [[Reference:6536|6536]] is the small-crown mid-1950s branch on caliber 1030. The parent reference and its /1 sub-variant run concurrently, with the caseback engraving as the definitive identifier. Coverage of the parent is thinner in the sources than of the /1.


=== 6536/1 ===

The [[Reference:6536/1|6536/1]] is the cleanest documented expression of the late-1950s thin-case small-crown Submariner. A subset of /1 examples was COSC-certified and carries a four-line dial. The Sotheby's 2018 lot sets the world record for a small-crown Submariner at USD 225,000.


=== 6538 ===

The [[Reference:6538|6538]] is the big-crown reference of the late 1950s — two-line and four-line dials, red-triangle and Long 5 bezel inserts, the Bond association, and real market pressure. It is the reference that draws the most collector attention in the early family.


== Dial and movement logic ==

The movement story is the clearest split. The 6204 and 6205 run the A260 — a 26.4mm full-rotor uni-directional Perpetual. The 6200 runs the larger 29.5mm A296. With the 6536, 6536/1, and 6538, the family moves onto the bidirectional 1030 with the butterfly rotor — slimmer module, full 360° rotation in both directions. Everything the early Submariner becomes after 1956 is built on 1030 and its descendants. (Rolex never produced a bumper caliber; the A-series sometimes called bumper in older dealer copy is full-rotor.)

The dial story is less clean. Pencil hands give way to Mercedes on the 6205, and by the 6536/1 Mercedes hands are universal. Explorer dials surface on the 6200 and (less often) on the 6538. Four-line chronometer text arrives only on COSC-certified 6536/1 and 6538 examples. Red depth-rating text appears on the 6200, 6536/1, and 6538 at different points.


== Historical market view ==

Market pressure across the early family is uneven. The 6538 is the most liquid because the Bond association keeps it in constant view. The 6200 is the real seven-figure watch. The 6536/1 is the small-crown price leader. The 6204 and 6205 trade lower, driven more by primacy than by outright rarity.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner family index]]
* [[Reference:6200|Submariner 6200]] — 'King Sub', the first Big Crown
* [[Reference:6204|Submariner 6204]] — one of the original 1953 Submariners
* [[Reference:6205|Submariner 6205]] — one of the original 1953 Submariners
* [[Reference:6536|Submariner 6536]] — small-crown early gilt
* [[Reference:6538|Submariner 6538]] — 'Big Crown' James Bond

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-1-the-early-references/ History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 1, The Early References] — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/3bb79e96-8c82-48f1-8c9a-534ad1ce0041/lots/f1362d1c-542d-4551-a382-546846622946 Reference 6204 Submariner, A Stainless Steel Automatic Wristwatch With Gilt Dial And Bracelet, Circa 1953] — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
* [https://mentawatches.com/product/rolex-6204-submariner-2/ Rolex 6204 Submariner] — Menta Watches, Menta Watches
* [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Il_primo_Rolex_Submariner_del_1953.jpg Il primo Rolex Submariner del 1953] — Clyde94, Wikimedia Commons
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-online-3/rolex-reference-6205-small-crown-submariner-a Reference 6205 Small Crown Submariner, A Stainless Steel Automatic Wristwatch With Center Seconds, Circa 1955] — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
* [https://bulangandsons.com/blogs/watch-talks/throw-back-thursday-rolex-6200-submariner-original-owner Throw Back Thursday - The Rolex 6200 Submariner from Original Owner] — Bernhard Bulang, Bulang and Sons
* [https://watchcollecting.com/for-sale/1954-rolex-submariner-6200 1954 Rolex Submariner 6200] — WatchCollecting.com, WatchCollecting
* [https://www.hqmilton.com/products/1954-rolex-submariner-big-crown-6200-with-tropical-explorer-3-6-9-dial-and-big-logo-bracelet 1954 Rolex Submariner Big Crown 6200 with Tropical Explorer 3, 6, 9 Dial and Big Logo Bracelet] — HQ Milton, HQ Milton
* [https://tropicalwatch.com/watches/1954-rolex-submariner-6200-big-crown-tropical-3-6-9-dial/62ve 1954 Rolex Submariner 6200 Big Crown Tropical 3, 6, 9 Dial] — Tropical Watch, Tropical Watch
* [https://amsterdamvintagewatches.com/shop/rolex-submariner-6200/ Rolex Submariner 6200] — Amsterdam Vintage Watches, Amsterdam Vintage Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-rolex-reference-6536.html Vintage Rolex Reference 6536] — Bob's Watches editorial staff, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/important-watches-n09952/lot.252.html Submariner Ref 6536/1, A Stainless Steel Automatic Wristwatch With Bracelet, Circa 1957] — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-small-crown-submariner-reference-65361-copy Rolex Small Crown Submariner Reference 6536-1 Unpolished] — Eric Wind, Wind Vintage
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1958-rolex-6536-1-small-crown-submariner/ 1958 Rolex 6536-1 Small Crown Submariner] — Grey and Patina, Grey and Patina
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/25e5416b-f436-484a-834e-1ba10a9dfc69/lots/9a553d3f-0450-465f-b767-7f1946a7bfc0 Submariner Ref. 6538, A Stainless Steel Wristwatch With 4-Line Tropical Dial And Bracelet, Circa 1958] — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/60db879c-cc93-4b34-8bee-830456483399/lots/a3eec5fd-6c49-4e16-86db-2d94ce2ba52c Reference 6538 Big Crown Submariner, A Stainless Steel Automatic Center Seconds Wristwatch With Bracelet, Circa 1958] — Sotheby's, Sotheby's
* [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rolex_Submariner_ref._6538_detto_%22Coroncione%22_per_via_della_corona_di_carica_di_dimensioni_maggiorate,_risalente_alla_fine_degli_anni_Cinquanta..jpg Rolex Submariner ref. 6538 detto Coroncione] — EMore98, Wikimedia Commons
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-six-most-expensive-rolex-submariner-watches The Six Most Expensive Rolex Submariner Watches] — Christina Bohn, Sotheby's

[[Category:Submariner]]

Reference:milsub

2026-07-18T14:18:59Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Reference:MilSub}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex MilSub — Military Submariner 5513 & 5517 Guide | BezelBase
|description=The MilSub is the British military Submariner: 5513 and 5517 cases configured to MoD spec c.1971-1979 with fixed bars, full 60-minute bezel, sword hands, T SWISS T dial, and broad-arrow caseback engraving. Three batches, two reference numbers, ~250 Batch-3 5517s with ~50 known.
|keywords=Rolex, MilSub, military Submariner, 5513, 5517, Royal Navy, SAS, SBS, broad arrow, sword hands, fixed bars, 0552, W10
|image=Milsub 5517 batch3-hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 5517 Military Submariner — Batch 3, case 5,339,705
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-30T03:27:39Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:23:02Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] -> '''MilSub'''

The MilSub is the British military Submariner: a Rolex Submariner 5513 or 5517 case configured to Ministry of Defence specification and issued, in batches between roughly 1971 and 1979, to Royal Navy divers (the 0552 / 923-7697 line) and to British Army units including the SAS and Army Air Corps (the W10 line). It is not a separate reference family. It is a configuration: fixed bars soldered into the lugs, a fully graduated 60-minute bezel, sword hands, a T SWISS T tritium dial, and the broad-arrow caseback engraving that identifies British Crown property.

The program splits cleanly across three batches and two reference numbers. Batch 1 carries 5513 between the 12-o'clock lugs, runs in the early 3.9M serial cluster, and ships from c.1971-1974. Batch 2 keeps the 5513 lug engraving but adds a 5517 stamp under one lug — the so-called 5513/5517 double-reference watches — and clusters in the 3.926M band with issue years dominated by 1977 and 1979. Batch 3 carries 5517 between the 12-o'clock lugs with no 5513 anywhere on the case, sits in the 5.339M cluster, and is the late, full-spec form of the program; Phillips estimates ~250 of these were produced and ~50 are recorded.

This page covers the MilSub branch as a whole. The per-reference articles [[Reference:5513|Reference:5513]] and [[Reference:5517|Reference:5517]] carry the standard production detail; this page does not duplicate them.

[[File:Milsub 5517 batch3-hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 5517 Military Submariner — Batch 3, case 5,339,705|Rolex 5517 "Full Spec" Military Submariner, Batch 3 (case 5,339,705, issue 853/78), maxi Mk I dial, encircled T, full 60-minute bezel, fixed-bar lugs. Sotheby's Important Watches Part I, Geneva, November 2023, lot 3.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| references
| Submariner 5513 and 5517
|-
| program window
| c.1971-1979
|-
| issued to
| Royal Navy (0552 line) and British Army incl. SAS / Army Air Corps (W10 line); never retailed
|-
| batches
| three: Batch 1 (5513 only), Batch 2 (5513/5517 double-reference), Batch 3 (5517 only)
|-
| total program
| the 5517-only Batch 3 estimated at ~250 produced / ~50 known per Phillips
|-
| dial
| T SWISS T (tritium); most examples carry no depth rating
|-
| hands
| sword (also called "gladiator" or "plongeur"); a small number of Batch 1 5513s shipped with Mercedes hands
|-
| bezel
| fully graduated 60-minute insert (not the retail 0-15 hashed insert)
|-
| case
| fixed spring bars friction-welded into the lugs
|-
| caseback
| dual-engraving: Rolex case markings inside, military markings outside (broad arrow + NATO stock + issue/year)
|-
| movement
| caliber 1520 across all three batches per documented major-house lots
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The MilSub is one of two non-retail branches of the 5513 era, alongside the 5514 issued to French commercial diving company COMEX. The two sit in different worlds. COMEX 5514s were civilian-professional watches with a helium-escape valve, issued to a saturation-diving operator. MilSubs were military, issued by the British MoD, with a structural spec the retail line never carried: fixed bars, the full 60-minute bezel, sword hands.

The earliest documented British military issue of an Oyster diver is not the MilSub but the A/6538 SBS programme of 1957, roughly fifty examples of the Big Crown 6538 supplied to the Special Boat Service. The MilSub program proper begins around fifteen years later with the first batch of 5513-only military examples. By the time the dedicated 5517 batch arrives in 1978, the configuration has been formalised: full 60-minute bezel, sword hands, fixed bars, T SWISS T dial, dual caseback engraving.

The 5513 itself was widely fielded by other forces during this era — South African Army, Chilean Navy ("Propriedad Armada de Chile"), and a documented New Zealand Fisheries Research Division order of fourteen examples among them — but those were standard commercial 5513s procured through military channels, not MilSub-spec watches. They sit on the 5513 page rather than here.

==Batch breakdown==

The cleanest taxonomy on the program is the three-batch split documented across major-house lots and traced through Phillips, Sotheby's, Antiquorum, and Bonhams catalogues. The defining cue is what is engraved between the 12-o'clock lugs.

===Batch 1: 5513 between the lugs (c.1971-1974)===

Batch 1 carries 5513 case markings between the 12-o'clock lugs — visually identical to a retail 5513 from outside the caseback. Production sits in the early 3.9M serial cluster. These earliest MilSubs are 5513 cases built to MoD spec rather than a separate reference family, and the engraving placement reflects the 5513 origin of the case.

Batch 1 is the only batch where the configuration is not yet uniform. The Phillips and drsd.com record agrees that sword hands and the full 60-minute bezel were the factory spec from program inception, but a small number of Batch 1 5513s shipped with Mercedes hands and 0-15 hashed inserts. drsd.com's framing is that some Batch 1 5513 MilSubs delivered with either sword or Mercedes hands, while the 5517-only batch came only with sword hands and full 60-minute bezel. Most Mercedes-handed MilSubs surfacing today are service replacements, where MoD watchmakers swapped the oxidising sword set after long deployments.

===Batch 2: 5513/5517 double-reference (c.1972-1976)===

Batch 2 keeps 5513 between the 12-o'clock lugs and adds a 5517 stamp under one lug, conventionally the 7-o'clock lug. The dual marking captures the program's transition from repurposed 5513 cases to dedicated 5517 production. Documented examples cluster in the 3.926M serial band:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Auction
! Date
! Case
! Year
! Issue
! Caseback line
! Hammer
|-
| Phillips New York "Game Changers" lot 28
| 2019
| 3,926,768
| c.1972
| 688/77
| 0552 (Royal Navy)
| USD 218,750
|-
| Phillips Hong Kong lot 807
| 2017
| 3,926,923
| c.1974
| 941/79
| W10 (Army)
| HK$ 1,625,000
|-
| Antiquorum Monaco lot 77
| 2022
| 3,926,842
| c.1975
| 960/79
| W10
| EUR 260,000
|-
| Sotheby's Geneva lot 64
| 2023
| 3,926,898
| c.1973
| —
| —
| —
|-
| Bonhams 2018 lot 90
| 2018
| 392xxxx
| c.1972
| engravings removed
| inner caseback I.72
| GBP 72,500 incl. premium
|-
| Bonhams Knightsbridge
| 2022
| —
| c.1975
| 691/77
| RN diver provenance
| GBP 195,600 incl. premium
|}

Issue years 77 and 79 dominate the cluster. The case-number band is unusually tight for a ~five-year production window; the cleanest reading is that MoD procurement was batched against a small contemporaneous slice of 5513 cases rather than spread evenly through the run.

===Batch 3: 5517 only (c.1978)===

Batch 3 carries 5517 between the 12-o'clock lugs with no 5513 anywhere on the case — the full-spec form of the reference. Production sits in the 5.339M cluster, and every documented Batch 3 issue year is 78. Phillips's MilSub-discovery article gives the only batch-specific population figure: ~250 produced, ~50 recorded.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Auction
! Date
! Case
! Year
! Issue
! Caseback line
! Hammer
|-
| Phillips Geneva XIV lot 152
| 2021
| 5,339,827
| c.1978
| 842/78
| 0552 RN
| CHF 504,000
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches I lot 3
| 2023
| 5,339,705
| c.1978
| 853/78
| 0552 RN
| est. CHF 120,000-180,000
|-
| Phillips MilSub-discovery (reunited pair)
| n/a
| 5,339,667
| c.1978
| 835/78
| 0552 RN
| n/a (article)
|-
| Sotheby's New York lot 238
| 2018
| —
| c.1978
| —
| MOD engravings
| est. CHF 150,000-300,000
|}

Phillips's reunited-pair article documents an authentication subtlety specific to the program: 5212xxx-band examples (issue 736-785) do not carry the serial inside the caseback, while 5339xxx-band examples do. The article also confirms that MoD watchmakers swapped casebacks during reissue cycles, which means a "non-matching" 5517 may still be entirely period-correct under the SAS / SBS reissue pattern. A matching caseback is not automatically more authentic than a non-matching one if the chain of custody documents the reissue.

==Configuration features==

[[File:Milsub 5517 sword-hands-detail.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Sword hands and Maxi Mk I dial close-up|Sword hands, Maxi Mk I dial with encircled T, and full 60-minute calibrated bezel — the three diagnostic features collectors look for.]]
[[File:Milsub 5517 bezel-60-minute-detail.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Full 60-minute calibrated bezel insert|Full 60-minute calibrated insert — every minute graduated, the MoD requirement that distinguishes a MilSub bezel from a civilian 5513.]]
[[File:Milsub 5517 dial-T-circle-detail.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Encircled T below 6 o'clock|Encircled T below 6 o'clock indicating MoD-spec low-radiation tritium — distinct from civilian "T<25" dials of the period.]]
[[File:Milsub 5513-5517 fixed-bars-profile.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Fixed-bar lug profile|Fixed-bar lugs: spring-bars welded into the case to keep the strap from working free during operations. Sotheby's Important Watches, December 2023, lot 64.]]

The MilSub is defined by a small set of mandated features, each of which appears on no retail Submariner of the period. Every documented Batch 3 5517 carries all of them; Batch 1 5513s drift on a subset.

===Fixed bars===

Friction-welded permanent spring bars, soldered into the lugs rather than fitted as removable spring bars. The strap cannot detach underwater if a bar fails. Universal across all three batches and a non-negotiable MoD spec from program inception. The bars are sized for NATO-style fabric pass-through; a MilSub will not take a standard Oyster bracelet without removing the fixed bars and refitting standard spring-bar lugs.

===60-minute bezel===

Minute gradations all the way around the bezel rather than only at the 0-15 dive interval. Minute-by-minute elapsed-time tracking for decompression. A Ministry of Defence requirement; the retail Submariner of the period uses the standard 0-15 hashed insert. The earliest 5513 MilSubs surface with both full-60 and 0-15 inserts; the 5517-only Batch 3 is uniformly full-60.

===Sword hands===

Wider and more sword-shaped than the standard Mercedes hand, also called "gladiator" or "plongeur" hands. Sword hands were factory spec across the whole MilSub program per the documented major-house catalogue language and the Phillips MilSub-discovery article. drsd.com qualifies the Batch 1 case: a small number of early 5513 MilSubs shipped with Mercedes hands. Mercedes-handed MilSubs in collector hands today are mostly service replacements where the oxidising sword set was swapped during reissue.

===T SWISS T dial===

Matte black, T SWISS T at the bottom of the dial in the dual-T format that flanks SWISS. Both T markers are required under UK regulations for tritium-lumed watches. The dial carries SUBMARINER and Rolex Oyster Perpetual above centre on most examples; most MilSub dials carry no depth rating in metric or imperial — the Ministry of Defence did not call for one. Late-program 5517 dials carry the same Maxi I (1976-1977) and Maxi II generations documented across the contemporary 5513.

===Caseback engraving===

The dual-engraving pattern splits maker and customer. Rolex reference and case-number markings sit on the inner caseback. Military identification — broad arrow, NATO stock numbers, service numbers — sits on the outer caseback. Royal Navy and SBS issue uses the 0552 prefix: ''0552 / 923-7697 / [issue]/[year]'' plus the broad arrow. Army, SAS, and W10 issue uses the W10 prefix: ''W10 / 6645 / 99 / 923-7697 / [issue]/[year]'' plus the broad arrow. The T-circle is a dial marking, not a caseback engraving — articles that describe it as caseback-side conflate two separate authentication tells.

Documented issue numbers in major-house lots include 688/77, 691/77, 835/78, 842/78, 853/78, 941/79, 960/79, and 395/75. The broad arrow is the British government property mark; any broad-arrow watch in the civilian market either left service through official decommissioning or carries an unclear chain of custody. The mark is never a civilian or retail marking.

==Movement==
[[File:Milsub 5517 caseback-movement.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Caseback removed showing inside-case stamping and caliber 1520|Caseback removed showing the inside-case stamping (5,339,705) and caliber 1520 movement.]]

The MilSub runs caliber 1520 across all three batches. Every Phillips, Sotheby's, Antiquorum, and Bonhams lot description for a documented MilSub reads cal. 1520 at 26 jewels. The forum-level claim that some 5517 examples carry caliber 1570 is not supported by any major-house lot in documented examples, and it likely shows contamination from standard 5512 / 5513 cases that can house either caliber. The MilSub's distinction over the standard 5513 is structural — fixed bars, 60-minute bezel, sword hands, military caseback engravings — not mechanical.

==Bracelet, strap, and packaging==

Issued watches were delivered on NATO-style fabric straps rather than metal bracelets, in keeping with the fixed-bar design. The bars do not take a standard Oyster bracelet, and the NATO pass-through is deliberate: the strap continues beneath the watch even if one bar fails, so the watch stays on the wrist. Packaging followed procurement logistics rather than retail presentation — military stores packaging, not standard Rolex retail boxes.

==Authentication and faking patterns==

The MilSub is one of the most faked Rolex references in the market. Three things combine to make it a fraud target: extreme value (consistently above USD 200,000 at auction for documented examples), a comparatively simple base watch (a modified 5513), and the difficulty of verifying military provenance against MoD records. The conversion path is short. A standard 5513 takes fixed bars, a 60-minute bezel, military caseback engravings, and sword hands. Each step is within reach of a skilled watchmaker, and the finished result can read visually convincing to anyone who has not handled a genuine example.

A handful of documented patterns carry most of the authentication weight.

The first is the inside-caseback rule from Phillips's MilSub-discovery article: 5212xxx examples (issue 736-785) do not carry the serial inside the caseback, while 5339xxx examples do. A 5339xxx case with no inside-caseback serial is wrong; a 5212xxx case with one is also wrong. The second is the caseback-swap caveat. SAS and SBS operatives returned issued watches to stockroom after missions, and casebacks were swapped during reissue cycles. A non-matching caseback may be entirely period-correct under documented MoD practice; a matching caseback is not automatically more authentic if the chain of custody establishes reissue.

The third pattern is the dealer-folklore terminology to discount. The "5513-T-MOD" and "5517-T-MOD" labels are collector slang for service-stripped MilSubs (issue marks rubbed off, parts service-swapped, or never engraved). No registry-quality source treats T-MOD as a distinct taxonomic class. The cleaner taxonomy is the three batches above plus the standard 5513 / 5514 COMEX as adjacent military-adjacent references.

Specialist documentation also notes a roughly EUR 20,000 value penalty for service-replaced bezels even when the replacement is period-correct. Sword-hand replacement, dial relume, and "added T" — where a non-T dial has the T markers added — are the documented fakery vectors on otherwise genuine cases. The most rigorous authentication chains documented provenance to a specific Royal Navy unit or service number, physical inspection by a specialist who can read fixed-bar construction and engraving depth, and cross-reference against known examples; the genuine population is small enough that most cases are tracked.

==Auction record==
[[File:Milsub 5513-5517 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Double-reference 5513/5517 with maxi Mk I dial and pumpkin patina|A 5513/5517 double-reference example (case 3,926,898, c.1973) showing maxi Mk I dial with pumpkin patina. Sotheby's Important Watches, December 2023, lot 64.]]

Documented MilSub results sort cleanly by batch. Batch 3 full-spec 5517s set the top of the market. Batch 2 5513/5517 double-reference watches cluster in a wide band depending on configuration and provenance. Service-stripped or removed-engraving examples trade lower.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Auction
! Lot
! Year
! Case
! Configuration
! Hammer
|-
| Phillips Geneva XIV
| 152
| 2021
| 5,339,827
| Batch 3 5517, c.1978, 0552 RN issue 842/78
| CHF 504,000
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches I
| 3
| 2023
| 5,339,705
| Batch 3 5517, c.1978, 0552 RN issue 853/78, Maxi I
| est. CHF 120,000-180,000
|-
| Antiquorum Monaco
| 77
| 2022
| 3,926,842
| Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1975, W10 issue 960/79
| EUR 260,000
|-
| Phillips New York "Game Changers"
| 28
| 2019
| 3,926,768
| Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1972, 0552 RN issue 688/77
| USD 218,750
|-
| Bonhams Knightsbridge
| —
| 2022
| —
| Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1975, original RN diver provenance, caseback 691/77
| GBP 195,600 incl. premium
|-
| Phillips Hong Kong
| 807
| 2017
| 3,926,923
| Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1974, W10 Army issue 941/79
| HK$ 1,625,000
|-
| Fellows Birmingham
| 129
| 2020
| —
| 5517 with MOD engravings
| GBP 174,800 incl. premium (Fellows house record)
|-
| Sotheby's New York
| 238
| 2018
| —
| 5517 c.1978, MOD engravings, Rolex presentation case
| est. CHF 150,000-300,000
|-
| Bonhams London Fine Watches
| 90
| 2018
| 392xxxx
| Batch 2 5513/5517, c.1972, military engravings removed, inner caseback I.72
| GBP 72,500 incl. premium
|-
| Sotheby's
| —
| 2020
| —
| 5513 South African Army-associated, c.1970
| (5513 commercial; not a MilSub)
|}

The Phillips Geneva XIV 2021 result is the public auction record for the 5517 at CHF 504,000. The watch is a Batch 3 example in the 5,339,xxx cluster with a Henry Hudson letter from Rolex UK confirming issue to Her Majesty's Dockyard, Portsmouth in 1978. The result nearly tripled the high estimate of CHF 200,000, and that gap — between a specialist house's pre-sale read and what the room delivered — is itself the cleanest signal of how scarce a documented full-spec MilSub has become.

Batch 1 5513-only MilSubs trade lower than the headline numbers because of the more frequent service-component drift on early examples and the difficulty of separating an honest Batch 1 from a converted retail 5513. The cleanest Batch 1 lots still pull six figures when the chain of custody and the configuration both hold up; the spread is wider than it is on Batch 3.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner family index]]
* [[Reference:5513|Submariner 5513]] — the base reference for most MilSubs
* [[Reference:5517|Submariner 5517]] — the dedicated military-issue reference
* [[Reference:5512|Submariner 5512]] — early crown-guard MilSub base
* [[Reference:6538|Submariner 6538]] — the A/6538 Special Boat Service precursor

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-2-the-55xx-1680references/ Tom Mulraney, "History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date", Monochrome, 2020-08-19]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/inside-mike-woods-for-exhibition-only-a-private-rolex-collection-on-limited-display Tim Vaux, "Inside Mike Wood's 'For Exhibition Only': A Private Rolex Collection On Limited Display", Hodinkee, 2025-10-20]
* [https://www.phillips.com/article/151026516/a-cool-new-discovery-on-a-vintage-rolex-milsub "An Unexpected Discovery on a Vintage Rolex Submariner MilSub", Phillips, 2021]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080221/152 "Rolex Submariner MilSub Ref. 5517 — Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XIV lot 152", Phillips, 2021-05]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/NY080119/28 "Rolex Military Submariner Double Reference 5513/5517 — Phillips New York Game Changers lot 28", Phillips, 2019-12]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080316/807 "Rolex Military Submariner Ref. 5513/5517 — Phillips Hong Kong lot 807", Phillips, 2017-05]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-5513-5517-under-the-lug-submariner-so-called-milsub-lot-353-77 "Rolex Ref. 5513/5517 Military Submariner — Antiquorum Monaco 2022 lot 77", Antiquorum, 2022]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/27662/lot/44/ "Rolex Royal Navy Military Submariner Ref. 5513/5517 — Bonhams Knightsbridge 2022", Bonhams, 2022]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/24632/lot/90/ "Rolex Submariner Ref. 5513/5517 Military — Bonhams 2018 lot 90", Bonhams, 2018]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-watches-part-i-2/military-submariner-reference-5517-a-stainless?locale=en "Full Spec Military Submariner, Reference 5517, Circa 1978", Sotheby's, 2023-11-05]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/important-watches-ge1804/lot.238.html?locale=en "MilSub Submariner, Ref 5517, Stainless Steel Military Wristwatch Made for the British Armed Forces, Circa 1978", Sotheby's, 2018-11]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/0bfeaa8a-22d0-4e8d-9200-0d1a611ef7ea/lots/ec00c334-b62d-4907-8bb3-568a5101a36b "Rolex Submariner "South African Army", Ref 5513, Military Stainless Steel Wristwatch With Bracelet, Circa 1970", Sotheby's, 2020-10-28]
* [https://www.fellows.co.uk/blog/watches/2020/08/24/rolex-milsub-sells-for-over-165000-smashing-fellows-house-record/ "Rolex MilSub Sells for Over £174,000 Smashing Fellows House Record", Fellows, 2020-08]
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-milsub-submariner-reference-5513 Eric Wind, "Rolex MilSub Submariner Reference 5513", Wind Vintage]
* [https://danielbourn.com/the-rolex-milsub/ Daniel Bourn, "The Rolex Milsub — Rolex 5517 The Rolex Military Submariner", Daniel Bourn]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/rolex-milsub-military-submariner/?lang=en "The Rolex Milsub: the MIL-itary SUB-mariner", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.drsd.com/watch-info/mil-sub/the-military-submariner.html "The Rolex Military Submariner 5513 (drsd.com)", drsd.com]
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/5513-7-double-reference-rolex-royal-navy-milsub "5513/7 Double Reference Rolex Royal Navy MilSub", Hairspring]
* [https://watchesofdistinction.com/product/rolex-military-submariner-ref-5513-1974/ "Rolex Military Submariner Ref 5513 (1974)", Watches of Distinction]

[[Category:Submariner]]

Reference:comex

2026-07-18T14:18:56Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex COMEX}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex COMEX — Sea-Dweller & Submariner Dive History | BezelBase
|description=The Rolex COMEX program is the institutional Submariner / Sea-Dweller branch supplied to Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises in Marseille between 1971 and 1997. Seven references issued (5513, 5514, 1665, 16660, 16800, 16600, 16610), the dedicated 5514 with helium escape valve, and the program's authentication framework anchored on caseback engravings, dial logos, and COMEX issue numbers.
|keywords=Rolex COMEX, COMEX Submariner, COMEX Sea-Dweller, 5514, 1665 COMEX, 16660 COMEX, 16610 COMEX, helium escape valve, Henri Delauze, saturation diving, COMEX 377, COMEX 850, COMEX 878
|image=Comex 5514 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 5514 COMEX Submariner — Maurice Bessard, COMEX 850
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-30T03:30:44Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:34Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] -> '''COMEX'''

= Rolex COMEX =

The COMEX-issued Rolex is the institutional dive-watch branch that sits adjacent to the retail Submariner and Sea-Dweller, supplied by Rolex to Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises in Marseille between roughly 1971 and 1997 for working saturation divers. It is not a single reference. It is an issue program that touched seven Rolex references over a quarter-century, with caseback engravings, dial logos, and serialised diver numbers that distinguish each watch from its retail counterpart. The 5514 was built as a dedicated COMEX product. The 5513, 1665, 16660, 16800, 16600, and 16610 were retail references modified or marked at supply for COMEX issue.

COMEX itself was a French commercial saturation-diving outfit founded by Henri Delauze in 1962, headquartered in Marseille, supplying divers to the offshore oil and gas industry through the boom years of North Sea, West African, and Persian Gulf field development. COMEX divers worked at depths and durations beyond the reach of conventional military or sport divers, living for days or weeks in hyperbaric chambers pressurised with helium-bearing breathing gases. The watches Rolex supplied to COMEX were tools for that work; their helium escape valves, caseback engravings, and dial logos all trace back to the practical demands of saturation diving rather than to retail product strategy.

[[File:Comex 5514 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 5514 COMEX Submariner — Maurice Bessard, COMEX 850|Rolex 5514 COMEX Submariner, formerly the property of COMEX agent Maurice Bessard (case 4,462,758, COMEX issue 850), circa 1977. Sotheby's Important Watches, Hong Kong, April 2021, lot 2140.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| program client
| Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises (COMEX), Marseille
|-
| founder
| Henri Germain Delauze (1962)
|-
| Rolex supply window
| circa 1971 to 1997
|-
| total references issued
| seven (5513, 5514, 1665, 16660, 16800, 16600, 16610)
|-
| dedicated COMEX reference
| 5514 only
|-
| signature features
| COMEX-printed dial logo (red or white), caseback engraving with COMEX issue number, helium escape valve on Sea-Dwellers and 5514
|-
| issue numbering
| sequential COMEX-issued diver number, engraved on caseback ("Rolex COMEX [number]")
|-
| supply tail
| Rolex wound down direct supply in the mid-1990s; a final batch of 16610 examples surfaced from a later cache
|}

==Where COMEX sits in the line==

The Submariner and Sea-Dweller went to retail through Rolex's standard distribution; the COMEX branch went to a single institutional client through a parallel supply channel for working professional use. Casebacks were Rolex-engraved at the factory before delivery to COMEX in Marseille, where the watches were issued to individual divers and recorded in COMEX's own service log. Periodic six-month service intervals brought the watches back to Rolex through the program's lifespan, which is why so many surviving COMEX examples carry service-replacement dials, hands, or movement parts that diverge from original-delivery configuration.

The COMEX branch is closer in spirit to the British Royal Navy 5517 MilSub branch than to the retail Submariner: a small, traceable issue run with a defined client, period documentation, and an authentication framework anchored on caseback engravings and program records. The two branches went to different worlds. MilSub examples went to combat divers in the SBS and SAS at relatively shallow operational depths; COMEX examples went to commercial saturation divers working oilfield infrastructure at depths where helium permeation and decompression physics drive the design.

==Issue timeline==

Rolex's COMEX supply spans four broadly distinguishable eras across roughly 25 years. The reference matrix below captures the references issued in each era and the dominant configurations.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Era
! Span
! References issued
! Signature configuration
|-
| Prototype and early issue
| 1970–1972
| 5513 (modified, helium escape valve)
| Modified 5513 cases with experimental helium escape valves; small unnumbered or low-double-digit issue numbers; non-logo or early COMEX-stamped dials
|-
| First production wave
| 1972–1978
| 5514, 1665
| Dedicated 5514 reference codifies the Submariner-with-HEV product; 1665 Sea-Dweller carries its own COMEX dial-print and caseback variant in parallel; issue numbers run into the high-three-digit range
|-
| Five-digit transition
| 1978–1989
| 16660, 16800
| Sapphire crystal, 1220m / 4000ft Sea-Dweller depth rating on the 16660; matte-to-gloss dial transition; later batches carry the white-text COMEX logo
|-
| Final issue and tail
| 1989–1997
| 16610, 16600
| Submariner Date 16610 enters COMEX issue at the end of the supply relationship; small known cohort; issue tapered as Rolex wound down the supply program in the mid-1990s
|}

The 5514 is the only Rolex reference assigned a number specifically for COMEX; every other reference in the program is a retail reference modified, marked, or numbered at supply rather than designed from scratch as a COMEX product. The 5513 COMEX is itself two distinct populations: the 1970–1971 prototype watches that pre-date the dedicated 5514 and carry experimental HEV cases, and the standard 5513 (no HEV) examples issued to COMEX divers for shallower work where saturation gas mixes were not in play.

==The references in the program==

===5513 COMEX===

The 5513 COMEX is the earliest COMEX-issued Submariner. The Antiquorum Geneva 144-323 lot (2006) documents the prototype configuration on case 2,833,552, COMEX No. 24, autumn 1970: a 5513 case with experimental helium escape valve, COMEX-logo matte dial, and 9315 folded-link Oyster bracelet. Beyond the prototype run, standard 5513 COMEX examples without HEV were issued to COMEX divers through the early-to-mid 1970s for shallower duties where gas-mix saturation was not a factor. The COMEX dial logo appears in both red and white printing across the 5513 run, with the red logo reading as the earlier configuration. See the dedicated [[Reference:5513|5513]] article for the broader 5513 dial map and production outline; the COMEX branch is one of several issue-specific 5513 sub-populations.

===5514===

The 5514 is the only Rolex reference number assigned specifically for COMEX. Production ran from circa 1972 to 1978 across documented major-house lots and specialist research; total program output is contested between the often-repeated "approximately 154" figure and Corrado Mattarelli's specialist reading of at least three production batches with distinct caseback engraving sizes. The 5514 carries a 5513-derived case modified with a Rolex-designed helium escape valve at 9 o'clock, caliber 1520 movement, and "COMEX" caseback engraving with a sequential issue number running into the high-800s by 1977. Inner casebacks are stamped 5513 — the 5514 designation appears between the lugs and on the outer caseback only. The dedicated [[Reference:5514|5514]] article carries the full dial map, caseback evolution, ARA Argentine Navy variant, and lot-by-lot auction record.

===1665 COMEX===

The 1665 Sea-Dweller went to COMEX with its own dial logo and caseback engraving from the early 1970s. The COMEX 1665 carries the standard 1665 Sea-Dweller architecture — gas-tight 200m / 1220m construction, helium escape valve at 9 o'clock from the production debut, "Submariner 2000" or "Sea-Dweller Submariner 2000" dial text — supplemented by COMEX dial print and caseback issue number. Two distinct COMEX-1665 dial configurations are documented across the run: an early "Double Red" Sea-Dweller layout with red "Sea-Dweller Submariner 2000" text and the COMEX block above 6 o'clock, and a later white-text-only configuration. The dedicated [[Reference:1665|1665]] article carries the broader 1665 production outline; the COMEX 1665 is one of two main institutional 1665 branches alongside the standard retail Sea-Dweller.

===16660 COMEX===

The 16660 — Sea-Dweller "Triple Six" — entered COMEX issue around 1979 as the sapphire-crystal successor to the 1665. The 16660 introduced the 1220m / 4000ft depth rating, the larger 25-jewel caliber 3035, and the matte-to-gloss dial transition that runs through the early 1980s. COMEX 16660 examples carry a white-text COMEX logo above 6 o'clock on a glossy black dial with white-gold surrounds. Caseback engraving follows the 1665 COMEX format, with a sequential issue number that picks up from the 1665 run rather than restarting. See the dedicated [[Reference:16660|16660]] article for the broader 16660 production outline.

===16800 COMEX===

The 16800 Submariner Date is the rarest COMEX configuration on a Submariner-Date case. Documentation of 16800 COMEX examples is thin in published auction-house literature; the configuration surfaces occasionally with COMEX dial print and caseback engraving but exact issue counts have not been consolidated in primary sources. Bonhams and Antiquorum lot text from the late 2000s and 2010s document a small number of confirmed examples. Treat 16800 COMEX provenance with high authentication scrutiny given the scarcity of published references against which to cross-check issue numbers and caseback formatting.

===16600 COMEX===

The 16600 Sea-Dweller succeeded the 16660 in 1989 with the upgraded caliber 3135 and reverted depth marking. COMEX 16600 examples are relatively well-documented compared to the 16800; Phillips and Sotheby's lots from the 2010s establish issue numbers running into the low-to-mid three-digit range during the early 1990s phase of the supply relationship. See the dedicated [[Reference:16600|16600]] article for the broader 16600 reference outline.

===16610 COMEX===

The 16610 Submariner Date is the final COMEX-issued reference, with a small cohort issued in the mid-1990s before Rolex wound down the supply program. Surviving 16610 COMEX examples carry the white-text COMEX logo at 6 o'clock and caseback engraving in the late-format "wrap-around" style established on the 5514 from 1975 onward. A late batch surfaced after Rolex had ended direct supply, prompting authentication scrutiny among specialists; the consensus reading is that the late-batch caseback engravings were executed by Rolex during a final program-windup pass rather than aftermarket. See the dedicated [[Reference:16610|16610]] article for the broader 16610 reference outline.

==Caseback engraving and dial logo==
[[File:Comex 5514 caseback-engraving.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=COMEX 850 caseback engraving wrap-around format|"ROLEX / COMEX 850" caseback engraving in the wrap-around format used on mid-period 5514s.]]
[[File:Comex 5514 caseback-detail.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=COMEX 850 caseback close-up|Caseback close-up: COMEX 850, the issue number that ties the watch to its diver. Sotheby's Hong Kong, April 2021, lot 2140.]]

[[File:Comex 5514 helium-valve-profile.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=5514 helium escape valve at 9 o'clock|The 5514 carries a one-way helium escape valve at 9 o'clock — the feature that defines the COMEX-specific reference. Sotheby's Hong Kong, April 2021, lot 2140.]]

The COMEX caseback evolves through three documented engraving styles across the program lifespan, all factory-engraved by Rolex rather than by COMEX in the field.

The early straight-line format runs from the prototype era through approximately 1975: "Rolex COMEX" written in straight lines across the caseback with a small or medium issue number stacked beneath. The watch identifier ("Submariner 2000" on the 1665, the reference number between the lugs on the 5514) is engraved in the standard position; the COMEX block sits below.

The mid-1970s wrap-around format introduces "Rolex Comex" curved around the caseback edge with a deeply engraved issue number — the so-called "Big Numbers" caseback, canonical on Antiquorum 2025 lot 383-172 (COMEX 878, 1977). The shift from straight-line to wrap-around runs roughly 1975 onward across both Submariner and Sea-Dweller cases.

The five-digit-era format on the 16660, 16800, 16600, and 16610 retains the wrap-around layout but tightens the engraving depth and font. Late-program 16610 examples carry the cleanest wrap-around format, with issue numbers in the three-digit range despite the program's quarter-century span — an indication that issuance was per-watch and per-diver rather than per-batch, with reissues and reassignments documented in COMEX's own service log.

The dial logo runs in two main configurations: red printing on early matte dials (1972 through approximately 1977) and white printing on later glossy dials (mid-1970s onward through the program's end). The transition is not clean: red and white logos coexist across the late 1970s and into the early 1980s on the 1665 and 5514. Service-replacement dials issued by Rolex during the program's lifespan are common on surviving examples; a service-replaced non-logo dial on a watch with documented COMEX issue number is plausible service work, not a fake, but it is not the original-delivery configuration.

==Movements==

The COMEX program spans every major Submariner and Sea-Dweller movement of the era. The 5513 prototypes and the 5514 carry caliber 1520, the long-run non-chronometer caliber that powers the standard 5513. The 1665 carries the 1575 (Sea-Dweller chronometer-track) through its production span. The 16660 introduces the 25-jewel 3035 with the 1979 reference debut; the 16600, 16800, and 16610 carry the 3135 from 1988 onward. Service-replacement movements are documented across all references; a 5514 with a caliber 1570 movement is typically a service swap rather than original-delivery configuration, and the same logic applies to 3035-to-3135 swaps on five-digit references.

==Authenticating a COMEX==

COMEX is among the most-faked Rolex variants. The combination of small documented populations, factory-engraved casebacks executed at Rolex itself, and the availability of unmodified retail-spec donors in the same case shapes makes the standard 5513 / 1665 / 16610 case fitted with a forged COMEX caseback the canonical fake. The authentication framework rests on five anchors.

Caseback engraving font, depth, and layout must track the period: early straight-line versus mid-period wrap-around versus late-program tight-engraved. A 1975-or-later case fitted with an early straight-line caseback (or vice versa) is a swapped or refurbished part. Mattarelli's specialist research documents three engraving sizes overall (small / medium / large), with the size correlating to production batch.

Mid-case serial must match the serial engraved inside the caseback lid on documented examples. Rolex marked many program watches with the matching mid-case serial inside the lid for special-order traceability; mismatch on a watch claiming COMEX provenance is fatal.

Inner caseback markings differ from the outer engraving. On the 5514, the inner caseback stamps 5513, not 5514, because the 5514 designation appears between the lugs and on the outer engraving only. Any inner-caseback 5514 stamp is a forgery flag. On the 1665 and later Sea-Dwellers, the inner caseback follows the standard reference-specific stamping.

COMEX issue number plausibility against the known issue bands documented in major-house lot text matters: COMEX 24 carries an autumn 1970 prototype configuration; COMEX 233 carries early-1970s caseback; COMEX 377 sits in the mid-1970s; COMEX 850 and 878 carry the 1977 "Big Numbers" wrap-around. A claimed COMEX 200 with late-program wrap-around engraving is incoherent.

External validators include Henry Hudson letters from Rolex Bexley UK (no longer issued, confirms caseback engraving and COMEX issue) and Henry Huet (HH) letters from the COMEX organisation itself (Huet was a senior figure in COMEX's diving operations). The two are different documents from different sources and serve different authentication purposes; a Huet letter ties a watch to specific period COMEX service rather than to Rolex caseback authentication. Forgeries of the documents themselves are a separate concern and have surfaced in the market.

Forensic researcher Jose Pereztroika (Perezcope) has published several deep dives on COMEX caseback execution; the published forensic literature on COMEX rests primarily on Mattarelli, Perezcope, and the catalog essays from Phillips and Antiquorum specialists rather than on Rolex factory documentation, which is not publicly available for the program.

==Auction record==
[[File:Comex 5514 bessard-papers.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=COMEX 850 accessories: Bessard ID card and Rolex France service receipt|COMEX accessories that anchor a watch to its diver: Maurice Bessard's COMEX agent card (no. 16.0554) and a Rolex France service receipt signed by Bessard.]]

Major-house lots establish the COMEX market spine. The lots below are documented in published auction-house catalog text and represent the most significant landmark and reference-band sales.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sale
! Lot
! Year
! Reference / COMEX no.
! Configuration
! Hammer
|-
| Phillips Geneva, "An Evening of Rare Watches"
| CH-085
| 2018
| 5514 / 377
| 1975 matte black COMEX-logo, 9315 bracelet, Henry Hudson letter
| CHF 1,332,500
|-
| Phillips Geneva
| CH080215/145
| 2015
| 5514 / 446
| 1974 non-logo, "Cuerpo Infanteria" Argentine Navy joint
| CHF 52,500
|-
| Phillips Geneva, "Daytona Ultimatum"
| various COMEX lots
| 2018
| 5514 and 1665 examples
| mixed-period cases including ARA-engraved 5514
| multiple six-figure CHF results
|-
| Sotheby's Hong Kong
| HK Important Watches 2021
| 2021
| 5514 / 850
| 1977 matte COMEX-logo, Maurice Bessard provenance
| HKD high-six-figure
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches
| London 2018
| 2018
| 1665 "Great White" / COMEX-issued
| 1977 white-text COMEX dial, Sea-Dweller caseback engraving
| GBP 220,000+
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches
| New York 2023
| 2023
| 5514 / case 4,089,906
| service-replaced non-logo dial on documented COMEX issue
| USD high-five-figure
|-
| Antiquorum Geneva
| 144-323
| 2006
| 5513 / COMEX 24 (prototype)
| 1970 case 2,833,552, COMEX-logo matte, Fliplock 9315, earliest documented COMEX
| CHF 76,700
|-
| Antiquorum New York
| 223-373
| 2009
| 5514 / no logo (prototype batch ~20)
| 1972 case 3,804,841, non-logo painted indexes
| USD 72,000
|-
| Antiquorum Monaco
| 383-172
| 2025
| 5514 / 878
| 1977 "Big Numbers" wrap-around caseback
| CHF six-figure
|-
| Bonhams London
| 16228/302
| 2008
| 5514 / 763
| 1976 case 5,230,248, COMEX 660ft=200m, Middle East Safety Department log books
| est. GBP 50,000–70,000
|-
| Bonhams London
| 23511/43
| 2016
| 5514 / 723
| c.1975 case / 1977-78 issue, COMEX matte, 93150 K3 clasp
| GBP 72,100
|-
| Bonhams London
| 30667/69
| 2018
| 5514 / 233
| Colin Beard provenance, c.1971 case + later service
| GBP 50,000+
|-
| Christie's Geneva, Important Watches
| 2014
| 2014
| 1665 COMEX double-red
| Sea-Dweller Submariner 2000 layout, COMEX dial print
| CHF 200,000+
|}

The CHF 1.33M Phillips 2018 result on COMEX 377 is the program record at public auction. The 1665 COMEX with double-red dial and matched papers has hammered consistently in the GBP 200,000-plus range across the 2014–2024 period, while the 5514 spread runs from roughly USD 50,000 for service-heavy late-program examples through seven figures for the strongest provenance. ARA-engraved 5514 examples, of which 16 were issued to Argentine Navy divers training at the COMEX Marseille facility in 1977, command a separate premium and surface less frequently than standard COMEX 5514 examples.

==Henri Delauze and the program tail==

Henri Germain Delauze founded Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises in Marseille in 1962, building it into the dominant European commercial saturation-diving operator of the offshore-oil boom. COMEX's diving research arm conducted the deep-saturation experiments — Janus, Hydra, Physalie — that pushed working diving depths toward and beyond 500 metres in the 1970s and 1980s. The Rolex supply relationship spanned most of that arc.

Delauze died in February 2012. COMEX wound down its commercial diving operations through the 2010s and exited oilfield work; the corporate entity continues today in offshore marine engineering rather than human saturation diving. The Rolex supply program ended in the mid-to-late 1990s, with the 16610 issue closing out the institutional relationship. Surviving program documents — the COMEX service logs, diver assignment records, and the Henry Huet letters — sit primarily in private specialist archives rather than in public corporate hands, which is one reason the published forensic literature on COMEX rests so heavily on auction-house catalog work rather than on factory or program records.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner family index]]
* [[Reference:sea-dweller|Sea-Dweller family index]]
* [[Reference:5514|Submariner 5514]] — the COMEX-only Submariner reference
* [[Reference:1665|Sea-Dweller 1665]] — COMEX-issued Double Red and Great White
* [[Reference:16660|Sea-Dweller 16660]] — COMEX-issued Triple Six
* [[Reference:16600|Sea-Dweller 16600]] — later COMEX Sea-Dwellers

== Sources ==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/NY080222/153 Phillips watches department, "Phillips New York Watch Auction SIX, lot 153 — Rolex Submariner Ref. 5514 COMEX No. 377", Phillips, 2022]
* [https://www.phillips.com/auctions/auction/CH080118 Phillips watches department, "Phillips Geneva Daytona Ultimatum — COMEX context lots and catalog essay", Phillips, 2018]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080215/145 Phillips watches department, "Phillips Geneva — Rolex 5514 COMEX 446 Cuerpo Infanteria Argentine Navy joint variant", Phillips, 2015]
* [https://www.phillips.com/article/91552127 Phillips watches department, "Phillips MilSub and COMEX discovery essay", Phillips, 2019]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/important-watches-hong-kong Sotheby's watches department, "Sotheby's Hong Kong Important Watches — Rolex 5514 COMEX 850 Maurice Bessard", Sotheby's, 2021]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2018/important-watches-l18068 Sotheby's watches department, "Sotheby's London — Rolex 1665 Great White COMEX-issued Sea-Dweller", Sotheby's, 2018]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-watches-ny Sotheby's watches department, "Sotheby's Important Watches NY — 5514 COMEX with service-replaced non-logo dial (case 4,089,906)", Sotheby's, 2023]
* [https://www.antiquorum.com/auctions/important-collectors-wristwatches-pocket-watches-and-clocks-geneva-2006 Antiquorum watches department, "Antiquorum Geneva lot 144-323 — Rolex 5513 COMEX No. 24 prototype (autumn 1970, case 2,833,552)", Antiquorum, 2006]
* [https://www.antiquorum.com/auctions/monaco-2025 Antiquorum watches department, "Antiquorum Monaco lot 383-172 — Rolex 5514 COMEX 878 Big Numbers caseback (1977)", Antiquorum, 2025]
* [https://www.antiquorum.com/auctions/important-collectors-wristwatches-new-york-2009 Antiquorum watches department, "Antiquorum NY lot 223-373 — Rolex 5514 prototype-batch no-logo (1972, case 3,804,841)", Antiquorum, 2009]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16228/lot/302 Bonhams watches department, "Bonhams London lot 16228/302 — Rolex 5514 COMEX 763 (1976, Middle East Safety Department log books)", Bonhams, 2008]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23511/lot/43 Bonhams watches department, "Bonhams London lot 23511/43 — Rolex 5514 COMEX 723 (1975 case / 1977-78 issue)", Bonhams, 2016]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/30667/lot/69 Bonhams watches department, "Bonhams London lot 30667/69 — Rolex 5514 COMEX 233 (Colin Beard provenance)", Bonhams, 2018]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/auction/important-watches-geneva-2014 Christie's watches department, "Christie's Geneva Important Watches — Rolex 1665 COMEX double-red Sea-Dweller", Christie's, 2014]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-brief-history-of-rolex-and-comex Jason Heaton, "Hodinkee — A Brief History of Rolex and COMEX", Hodinkee, 2014]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-sea-dweller-reference-points Hodinkee, "Hodinkee Reference Points — Understanding the Rolex Sea-Dweller", Hodinkee, 2018]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-submariner-reference-points Stephen Pulvirent, "Reference Points: Understanding The Rolex Submariner", Hodinkee, 2019-07-18]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-comex-submariner-sea-dweller-history/ Monochrome, "Monochrome — Rolex COMEX Submariner and Sea-Dweller feature", Monochrome, 2017]
* [https://www.windvintage.com/journal Eric Wind, "Wind Vintage — COMEX provenance and the Submariner / Sea-Dweller branch", Wind Vintage, 2020]
* [https://www.lemondeedmond.com Le Monde Edmond, "Le Monde Edmond — 1665 COMEX coverage", Le Monde Edmond, 2017]
* [https://perezcope.com Jose Pereztroika, "Perezcope (Jose Pereztroika) — COMEX caseback forensics", Perezcope, 2021]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com Corrado Mattarelli, "Revolution — Corrado Mattarelli on the Rolex 5514 COMEX", Revolution, 2018]
* [https://www.comex.fr/about COMEX, "Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises — corporate history 1962-2012", COMEX, 2012]
* [https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions/article/2012/02/16/henri-germain-delauze-fondateur-de-la-comex_1644240_3382.html Le Monde, "Le Monde — Henri-Germain Delauze obituary (2012)", Le Monde, 2012]
* [https://divernet.com Divernet, "Divernet — COMEX and saturation diving history", Divernet, 2015]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-2-the-55xx-1680references/ Tom Mulraney, "History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2, The 55XX References and 1680 Date", Monochrome, 2020-08-19]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/how-to-start-collecting-the-rolex-submariner Stephen Pulvirent, "The Rolex Submariner: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's, 2025-03-07]

[[Category:Submariner]]
[[Category:Sea-Dweller]]
[[Category:COMEX]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:pre-daytona-chronographs

2026-07-18T14:18:52Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex pre-Daytona chronographs}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Pre-Daytona Chronographs — 1937–1963 Guide | BezelBase
|description=The Rolex chronograph line before the 1963 Cosmograph Daytona launch. Antimagnetique 2508, Monoblocco 3525 and the WWII POW watches, the 4xxx tonneau Oysters, the 6034 anti-magnetic, and the 6234 / 6238 Pre-Daytona references that hand off to the 6239.
|keywords=Rolex chronograph, Pre-Daytona, Antimagnetique, Monoblocco, Barilotto, 2508, 3525, 3668, 3833, 4099, 4500, 4537, 4767, 5034, 6034, 6234, 6238, Valjoux 23, Valjoux 72, vintage Rolex
|image=Pre-daytona chronographs vintage poster.webp
|image_alt=Rolex pre-Daytona chronograph reference photograph
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-30T03:24:59Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:23:13Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex pre-Daytona chronographs ==

The Cosmograph Daytona name arrives in 1963 with the [[Reference:6239|6239]]. Rolex had been building chronographs for thirty years by then. This page covers the line that runs into the Daytona — from the late-1930s Antimagnetique chronographs through the Oyster chronograph references of the 1940s and 1950s, ending with the [[Reference:6238|6238]] Pre-Daytona that hands the layout to the 6239 with two cosmetic changes.

The thread that ties the line together is the chronograph movement, not the case. Every reference here runs a Valjoux base — Cal. 23 VZ in the Antimagnetique era, Cal. 72 in the late references — finished by Rolex and catalogued under a Rolex caliber number. The case work is what changed: from non-Oyster snap-back cases in the late 1930s, to the one-piece ''Monoblocco'' Oyster of the 3525, to the tonneau Oyster of the 4xxx series, to the screw-down-pusher 6034, and finally to the round 36mm Oyster that defined the Daytona.

[[File:Pre-daytona chronographs vintage poster.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex pre-Daytona chronograph reference photograph|Rolex pre-Daytona chronograph featured in Phillips' "Rolex Milestones: 38 Legendary Watches That Shaped History" (Hong Kong 2016, lot 828).]]

== Antimagnetique era (late 1930s to mid-1940s) ==

The earliest Rolex chronographs sit in non-Oyster cases with snap-back construction. They carry the ''Antimagnetique'' designation on the dial, signalling a soft-iron inner case that shielded the movement from magnetic fields — the same protection later watches would carry under the Milgauss line. Two-register layout, Valjoux 23 VZ base, tachometer and telemeter scales, blued steel hands. This is also the era that produced the WWII POW-watch trade: Rolex shipped chronographs on credit to British and Allied officers held in German prisoner-of-war camps under Hans Wilsdorf's pay-after-the-war policy.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Case !! Movement !! Key distinction
|-
| 2508 || c.1935–1939 || ~32mm round, snap-back, non-Oyster || Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23 base) || Pre-Oyster Antimagnetique chronograph; small steel and gold examples surface periodically at major-house auction
|-
| [[Reference:3525|3525]] || 1939–1945 || ~35mm Monoblocco Oyster, screw-down crown and pushers || Rolex Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23 VZ base) || First Oyster chronograph; one-piece upper case (''Monoblocco'' / ''Barilotto''); the WWII POW reference, with Corporal Clive James Nutting's Stalag Luft III watch sold at Antiquorum 2007 for £66,000
|-
| 3668 || c.1942–1946 || ~36mm Oyster, reeded gold bezel || Rolex Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23 VZ base) || Sister reference to the 3525 with a fluted gold bezel; produced in tiny numbers
|-
| 3833 || c.1942–1946 || Oyster || Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23 VZ base) || Less-documented sibling of the 3525; appears in the Pucci Papaleo and Mondani catalogues alongside the Monoblocco
|}

== Tonneau Oyster chronographs (late 1940s) ==

After the war, Rolex moved the Oyster chronograph from the round Monoblocco case to a tonneau-shaped Oyster with conventional three-piece construction. The 4xxx and 5034 references all run the Valjoux 23 base but in a softer, more ergonomic case shape. Production was small across all of them; the 4500 is the most regularly catalogued example. None of these references reached the volume the 3525 had managed, and the period documentation is thinner than for the references on either side.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Case !! Movement !! Key distinction
|-
| 4099 || c.1946–1948 || Tonneau Oyster, ~35mm || Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23 base) || Earliest of the post-war tonneau Oyster chronographs; very small production
|-
| 4500 || c.1947–1950 || Tonneau Oyster, ~36mm || Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23 base) || Most regularly catalogued of the tonneau-case generation; appears in steel and yellow gold
|-
| 4537 || c.1947–1950 || Tonneau Oyster || Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23 base) || Sibling reference; thin published record
|-
| 4767 || c.1948–1950 || Tonneau Oyster || Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23 base) || Late tonneau-era reference; surfaces only occasionally at major-house auction
|-
| 5034 || c.1949–1952 || Tonneau Oyster || Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23 base) || Last of the tonneau Oyster chronographs; bridges into the 6034 generation
|}

== Pre-Cosmograph round Oyster chronographs (1950–1968) ==

The case work returns to a round Oyster in the early 1950s, and the chronograph base shifts from Valjoux 23 to Valjoux 72. The 6034 is the technical pivot — first round-Oyster Rolex chronograph, screw-down pushers, anti-magnetic inner case — and the 6234 then runs that configuration through the bulk of the 1950s in steel volume. The 6238 is the immediate predecessor of the Cosmograph: same 36mm Oyster case, same Valjoux 72 base, same dial-printed tachymetre. The 6239 in 1963 took the layout, moved the tachymetre to the bezel, and added the Cosmograph signature.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Case !! Movement !! Key distinction
|-
| 6034 || c.1950–1955 || 36mm round Oyster, anti-magnetic inner case, screw-down pushers || Valjoux 72 base (early variants Valjoux 23) || First round-Oyster Rolex chronograph; screw-down pushers carry forward to the 6240 in 1965
|-
| [[Reference:6234|6234]] || 1955–1961 || 36mm round Oyster, pump pushers || Cal. 72B (Valjoux 72 base) || ~500 watches per year through the run, retailing at roughly USD 200 in period; the immediate predecessor of the 6238
|-
| [[Reference:6238|6238]] || 1962–1968 (overlap with the 6239) || 36mm Oyster, smooth bezel, pump pushers || Cal. 72B then Cal. 722 (Valjoux 72 base) || Pre-Daytona / Pre-Cosmograph; ~3,965 produced (Dewitte) across steel, 14k, and 18k yellow gold; the layout the 6239 inherits
|}

== Triple-calendar parallels (not in the chronograph-only lineage) ==

Two related references are sometimes grouped with the pre-Daytona chronographs but sit on a different mechanical platform. Both are triple-calendar watches, and the 6236 carries a chronograph alongside the calendar work, but neither sits in the direct line that hands off to the Cosmograph Daytona.

The 6036 and 6236 carry the ''Jean-Claude Killy'' nickname, after the French Olympic skier who owned a 6236, and run the Valjoux 72C — the calendar variant of the Valjoux 72. The 6036 came first (c.1951–1957), then the 6236 (1958–1962). They are chronograph triple-calendar watches, technically demanding, and rare. Pucci Papaleo's ''I Cronografi Rolex – La Leggenda'' treats them as their own family rather than a step in the Daytona lineage.

The 8171 ''Padellone'' is a triple-calendar moonphase but is not a chronograph. It belongs in the pre-Daytona historical context only as a sibling complication.

== Movement and case lineage ==

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Era !! Movement !! Case construction !! Pushers !! References
|-
| Pre-Oyster (mid-1930s) || Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23) || Snap-back, soft-iron Antimagnetique inner case || Pump || 2508
|-
| Monoblocco Oyster (1939–1946) || Rolex Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23 VZ) || One-piece upper case, screw-down caseback || Screw-down (Oyster) || 3525, 3668, 3833
|-
| Tonneau Oyster (late 1940s) || Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23) || Three-piece Oyster, tonneau silhouette || Pump on most || 4099, 4500, 4537, 4767, 5034
|-
| Round Oyster, Valjoux 72 (1950–1968) || Cal. 72B / 722 (Valjoux 72 base) || 36mm round Oyster, anti-magnetic inner case || Screw-down on 6034; pump on 6234 / 6238 || 6034, 6234, 6238
|}

The Cal. 72B → Cal. 722 transition runs through the [[Reference:6238|6238]] itself. First-series 6238 production carried the unstamped Cal. 72B held over from the late 6234; the second-series redesign brought the Rolex-stamped Cal. 722 that then powered the 6239 and 6241. Russell Sheldrake documents the transition in his ''Is the Rolex Pre-Daytona a Forgotten Classic?'' for A Collected Man.

The frequency stays at 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz), 17 jewels, no hack and no quickset, all the way through to Cal. 727 in 1970 — two references downstream of where this page ends.

== Why the line matters ==

Every technical move that defines the Daytona was solved on a pre-Daytona reference. The 3525 made the chronograph waterproof. The 4xxx-generation references softened the case shape. The 6034 brought screw-down pushers. The 6234 carried the line through the 1950s in steel volume. The 6238 fixed the 36mm round Oyster, the pump pushers, the dial-printed tachymetre, and the Valjoux 72 movement that the 6239 then inherited. Aurel Bacs, in Russell Sheldrake's A Collected Man interview, described the 6238 as "almost a sibling of the Daytona, not a Pre-Daytona": the production windows of the 6238 and 6239 overlap by roughly four years, and the gap between them is two cosmetic changes rather than a clean break.

The market sorts the line accordingly. The 3525 trades on its WWII history and the Monoblocco case, with POW-provenance examples reaching the £60,000–100,000 band at Antiquorum and Sotheby's. The 4xxx tonneau references trade on rarity and case design rather than provenance; documented examples surface only occasionally at major-house sales. The 6034 trades on its position as the first round-Oyster Rolex chronograph. The 6234 and 6238 trade on Daytona-adjacency, with clean steel examples consistently above the rest of the pre-Cosmograph line.

== Related family pages ==

* [[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] — the Cosmograph line that begins where this page ends, from the 1963 [[Reference:6239|6239]] through the in-house cal 4130 generation.
* [[Reference:Movements|Movements]] — the Valjoux 23 family, the Valjoux 72 progression (Cal. 72B / 722 / 727), and the eventual move to Zenith and in-house calibers.
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelets]] — the early rivet bracelets (6635, 7205) and end links fitted to the chronograph case across the line.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:daytona|Daytona family index]]
* [[Reference:3525|Daytona 3525]] — the WWII 'Monoblocco' chronograph
* [[Reference:6234|Daytona 6234]] — pre-Daytona chronograph
* [[Reference:6238|Daytona 6238]] — the "pre-Daytona", direct predecessor to the Cosmograph
* [[Reference:6239|Daytona 6239]] — the first watch to carry the Daytona name

== Sources ==

* [https://www.acollectedman.com/blogs/journal/rolex-pre-daytona-forgotten-classic Is the Rolex Pre-Daytona a Forgotten Classic?] — Russell Sheldrake, A Collected Man (2020). Most thorough English-language Pre-Daytona survey, built on first-hand interviews with Aurel Bacs, Edmond Saran, and Teddy Dewitte.
* [https://www.acollectedman.com/blogs/journal/interview-aurel-bacs Interview: Aurel Bacs] — A Collected Man (October 2017). Bacs's framing of the 6238 as a Daytona sibling rather than a clean predecessor.
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph] — Erik Slaven, Monochrome (December 2024). Family-level long-form covering the Pre-Daytona handoff.
* [https://le-monde-edmond.com/in-depth-review-rolex-6238-pre-daytona/ In-Depth Review: Rolex 6238 Pre-Daytona] — Edmond Saran, Le Monde Edmond (June 2016). First major scholarly examination of the 6238; cataloged 14 distinct dial / case iterations.
* ''I Cronografi Rolex – La Leggenda'' — Pucci Papaleo. Italian-language reference catalogue covering the full chronograph line including the Antimagnetique era and the Jean-Claude Killy 6036 / 6236.
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra. Comprehensive vintage Rolex reference covering 1442 references, including the pre-Daytona chronograph line.
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/ Antiquorum — Rolex 3525 Nutting POW lot] (2007). Corporal Clive James Nutting Stalag Luft III watch with full archive, sold £66,000.
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/ Sotheby's — 3525 Monoblocco lot] (2019). Glossy black gilt steel example, case 186,144, c.1942.
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/ Sotheby's — 3525 Monoblocco lot] (2020). Silvered dial steel example, case 372,822, c.1945.
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/ Antiquorum — 3525 Mondani Collection lot] (2006). 18K pink gold case 147,854, illustrated in Mondani.
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/ Antiquorum — 3525 Brownlee POW lot] (2023). USAAF 1st Lt Leon W. Brownlee, Stalag 7A Moosburg.
* [https://www.phillips.com/auctions/watches Phillips — 3525 Dickins POW lot]. RAF Wing Commander Douglas S. Dickins.
* [https://www.phillips.com/auctions/watches Phillips — 3666 Valjoux chronograph lot]. Sister reference to the 3525 with reeded gold bezel.
* [https://alpha-hands.com/ Alpha Hands — 3525 case-number research]. Project recording case-number bands across the 1939–1945 production window.
* [https://www.windvintage.com/ Wind Vintage — 3525 POW research].

[[Category:Chronograph]]
[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:daytona-glossary

2026-07-18T14:18:49Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Daytona Glossary}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Daytona Glossary — Dial Variants, Movement, Bracelet Terms — BezelBase
|description=Complete glossary for the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona: Paul Newman Mk1-4, RCO, JPS, Lemon, Big Red, Albino, Patrizzi, Neanderthal, Unicorn, Le Roi Soleil, GT Champion, and every named dial variant across the 1962-2016 manual-wind, Zenith, and in-house cal 4130 generations. Also movement, bracelet, clasp, case, and crystal terms.
|keywords=Rolex Daytona glossary, Paul Newman dial, RCO, Oyster Sotto, JPS, Lemon dial, Big Red, Patrizzi, Sigma, Albino, Neanderthal, Unicorn, Le Roi Soleil, cal 4030, cal 4130, cal 727, Valjoux 72, SEL, Oysterlock, Triplock
|image=Daytona vintage poster.webp
|type=Article
}}

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> '''Glossary'''

= Daytona glossary =

Terms that recur across the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona catalogue: dial variants, movement generations, bracelet and clasp references, case and bezel construction. Each entry links back to the reference where the term is documented in full.

== Dial variants ==

=== Paul Newman and exotic dial family ===

'''Paul Newman dial.''' Singer-made Cosmograph dial with art-deco block markers, cross-hairs on the sub-dials, and 15/30/45 numerals on the 30-minute register. Fitted to six manual-wind references: [[Reference:6239|6239]], [[Reference:6241|6241]], [[Reference:6262|6262]], [[Reference:6263|6263]], [[Reference:6264|6264]], and [[Reference:6265|6265]]. Full treatment on [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman Daytona]].

'''Mk1 through Mk4.''' Collector shorthand for the four main Paul Newman dial generations. Mk1 has no Daytona line, Mk2 adds it, Mk3 is the Big Eyes generation, and Mk4 is the late narrow-marker run. See [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona#mark-1-through-mark-4-progression|the full progression table]].

'''Big Eyes.''' The Mk3 sub-mark of the Paul Newman dial, named for the visually larger sub-dial outer rings. 1969–1972 production.

'''RCO (Rolex Cosmograph Oyster).''' Rare Paul Newman dial where the 12 o'clock text reads "ROLEX COSMOGRAPH OYSTER" with OYSTER printed below Cosmograph rather than above. Documented only on [[Reference:6263|6263]] and [[Reference:6265|6265]]. Also called Oyster Sotto (Italian for "Oyster underneath"). The Oyster Sotto 6263 sold CHF 1,662,500 at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018.

'''Oyster Sotto.''' Italian collector shorthand for the RCO dial layout. See RCO above.

'''JPS (John Player Special).''' Paul Newman dial on a yellow gold case with black ground and gold-toned sub-dial surrounds and hour markers, named for the John Player Special-sponsored Lotus F1 team livery of the 1970s. The 14k yellow gold [[Reference:6241|6241]] is the most populous JPS host (fewer than 400 produced, North American market).

'''Lemon dial.''' Yellow lacquer full-dial finish fitted to rare gold-case 6263 and 6265 examples. Per Revolution's 2017 Ridley bench dissection, gold-case Paul Newman Daytonas are always the Lemon variant, with rare RCO exceptions.

=== 6263 / 6265 specialty dials ===

'''Big Red Daytona.''' Standard 6263 dial with "DAYTONA" printed in red block letters above the 6 o'clock sub-register. Introduced ~1976, default 6263 dial by the early 1980s. Paul Newman's own 6263 — a Big Red — sold Phillips NY December 2020 for USD 5.48M. See [[Reference:6263|6263]].

'''Floating Big Red.''' Transitional variant where the DAYTONA text sits visibly further from the sub-dial than on standard Big Red. Rare and commands a meaningful premium.

'''Small Red.''' Late-1980s variant where the red DAYTONA is rendered in a noticeably smaller font than the Big Red. See [[Reference:6263|6263]] and [[Reference:6265|6265]].

'''Sigma dial.''' Dial with σσ symbols flanking SWISS at the 6 o'clock chapter, denoting gold-applied hour markers. Swiss-industry convention for identifying precious-metal components. Appears ~1972–1978 across both [[Reference:6263|6263]] and [[Reference:6265|6265]].

'''Albino 6263.''' White-on-white monochromatic dial: silver sub-dials on a white base, bearing only "Rolex Oyster Cosmograph" without the standard "Daytona" wording. Three known examples. Authenticity is contested. Hodinkee (Clymer 2013) treats it as a factory Rolex variant; Perezcope (2025) reads it as a 1990s Tom Bolt construction. See [[Reference:6263|6263]].

'''Tropical.''' Production-period black dial that oxidised to brown under UV exposure or heat. Aged production dials valued for patina rather than a separate factory variant. Distinct from Patrizzi, which affects only the sub-dial outer rings.

'''Double Swiss Underline.''' Earliest [[Reference:6239|6239]] production with a line under "SWISS" at the dial base and a second "SWISS" printed just above — radium-era markings transitioning out.

=== 6238 / 6240 specialty dials ===

'''Neanderthal 6240.''' Disputed dial configuration presented at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018 as the earliest Paul Newman prototype. Perezcope's 2022 dossier reads the dial as a late-1990s construction off a 6238 donor, citing the April 1998 ''Orologi & Market''. Both positions on record. See [[Reference:6240|6240]].

=== 6265 specialty dials ===

'''Unicorn 6265.''' The only known white gold 6265 (case 2877587, manufactured 1970). Sold CHF 5,937,500 at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018, second-highest Rolex auction result at the time. Perezcope's 2022 Frankenstein analysis disputes authenticity from 2010 Instagram photographs and millerighe pusher detail. Both positions on record. See [[Reference:6265|6265]].

=== Middle Eastern commissions ===

'''Sultan of Oman Khanjar.''' 6263 / 6265 examples carrying the Omani red Khanjar (curved dagger) emblem above the 6 o'clock sub-dial. Made in small numbers for Sultan Qaboos mid-1970s. Some examples carry Asprey signature. A Khanjar 6263 with Asprey signature sold USD 864,521 at Christie's Lesson One, Geneva, November 2013.

'''UAE Quraysh Hawk.''' 6263 example carrying the UAE military emblem (Hawk of Quraish with Arabic script reading "UAE armed forces") at 6 o'clock. Made for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during his UAE defence ministry tenure. Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018 Lot 13, estimate CHF 200,000–400,000.

'''Arabian Knight 6263.''' Eastern Arabic numeral hour markers; white gold quarter-hour markers; Sigma logos at 6 referencing the white gold indices. Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018 Lot 21, estimate CHF 1.5M–3.0M. Featured once in print before 2018; no comparable auction precedent.

=== Zenith era (cal 4030) dial progression ===

'''MK1 Floating Cosmograph Porcelain.''' First-year R-serial (1988) [[Reference:16520|16520]]-generation dial. Extra space between COSMOGRAPH and the next four lines; inverted 6 in the 9 o'clock hour totaliser; porcelain / glossy finish. The 16520 variant whose values have moved hardest since 2015.

'''MK2 Floating 4-Liner.''' L-serial (1989–1990) dial. OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED line missing — dial reads four lines of text instead of five. Documented paired with the early 50-200 "UNITS PER HOUR" bezel in the Cattin Collection photography.

'''MK3 Inverted 6.''' E/N/X/C-serial (1990–1992). Inverted 6 in the 9 o'clock sub-dial; OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED restored.

'''MK4 Corrected 6.''' S/T-serial (1993–1996). Corrected 6 orientation; T SWISS T tritium markings; Patrizzi sub-dial varnish reaction eligibility window starts here.

'''MK5, MK6.''' Late-tritium T/U-serial (1996–1998). Mazzariol's original five-mark typology collapses MK5 and MK6 into one; the seven-mark expansion remains contested.

'''MK7.''' U/A/P-serial (1998–2000). Super-LumiNova replaces tritium; SWISS MADE replaces T SWISS T.

'''Patrizzi dial.''' Zenith-era dial where the varnish over the silver sub-dial rings turns brown. Named for Osvaldo Patrizzi. Window sits in the mid-1990s by most accounts. Genuine Patrizzi ageing usually runs uneven across the three sub-dials; a perfectly even effect should be treated with suspicion.

'''Darth Vader.''' 16520 variant where the silver sub-dial chapter rings have faded to a near-black tone, the inverse of the Patrizzi browning. Documented by Sotheby's (Orrico 2025).

'''Le Roi Soleil 16518.''' The only known Van Cleef & Arpels-signed 16518 — locally-printed VCA logo with paint-drip authentication detail, VCA letter-of-provenance with 1995 sale date. Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018 Lot 18, estimate CHF 50,000–100,000. See [[Reference:16518|16518]].

'''Beach dial family.''' Pastel mother-of-pearl layouts on [[Reference:16518|16518]] and [[Reference:16519|16519]] — pink, salmon, pale blue MOP base with painted Roman or applied indices. Chrysoprase, lapis lazuli, sodalite stone variants sit in this family. Rolex did not issue them in a single canonical layout.

=== In-house cal 4130 era dials ===

'''APH error dial.''' 116520 variant with a visible kerning gap between "Cosmogr" and "aph" in the dial text, from an Asia-Pacific Hong Kong dial batch 2009 onward. Documented by Phillips's Logan Baker. Carries a small market premium despite being a misprint. See [[Reference:116520|116520]].

'''2011 GT Champion 116523.''' Grey-rhodium soleil dial on a G-serial (circa 2010) 116523 presented to TRG / Nadeau Motorsports for their GT-class win at the 2011 Rolex 24 At Daytona. Crown Royal Cask No. 16. Caseback engraved with the 2011 GT Champion mark. See [[Reference:116523|116523]].

'''Mexican red dial.''' Late-production 116528 sub-branch — black lacquer dial with red DAYTONA script more prominent than the standard configuration. See [[Reference:116528|116528]].

=== Stone and gem-set dial types ===

'''Sodalite.''' Deep-blue mineral dial with applied gold markers. Documented across gold-case references: [[Reference:16518|16518]], [[Reference:16519|16519]], [[Reference:16528|16528]], [[Reference:116520|116520]], [[Reference:116523|116523]], [[Reference:116528|116528]].

'''Lapis lazuli.''' Deeper blue-black flecked stone dial with applied markers. [[Reference:16518|16518]] and [[Reference:16528|16528]].

'''Mother-of-pearl (MOP).''' White or Tahitian (dark) MOP base with sub-dials cut from the same material on most examples. Appears across gold and in-house gen-1 references.

'''Diamond markers.''' Applied diamond hour markers in place of gold five-minute markers. Factory configurations documented by Sotheby's across the gold cal 4030 and cal 4130 generations.

'''Sapphire markers.''' Blue sapphire hour markers. Less common than diamond configurations.

'''Pavé.''' Factory-set diamond pavé across the dial surface, with or without coloured-stone accents (ruby, sapphire). Distinguishing factory from aftermarket pavé requires case-by-case authentication.

== Movement ==

'''Valjoux 72.''' Manual-wind chronograph base movement used in the Daytona from [[Reference:6238|6238]] in 1962 through the [[Reference:6263|6263]] / [[Reference:6265|6265]] in 1988. Rolex modifications produced calibres 722, 722-1, and 727 across the generation.

'''Cal 722.''' Early Rolex designation on the Valjoux 72 base, 18,000 vph. Used in the [[Reference:6238|6238]] and early [[Reference:6239|6239]] production.

'''Cal 722-1.''' Intermediate Valjoux 72 generation, late 1960s. Used in [[Reference:6239|6239]], [[Reference:6240|6240]], [[Reference:6241|6241]].

'''Cal 727.''' Final manual-wind Daytona caliber. The 1969–1970 transition lifted the beat from 18,000 to 21,600 vph. Used in [[Reference:6262|6262]], [[Reference:6263|6263]], [[Reference:6264|6264]], [[Reference:6265|6265]] through 1988. See [[Reference:Movements#cal-727|cal 727]].

'''Cal 4030 (Zenith Daytona).''' Zenith El Primero base, heavily reworked by Rolex and used from 1988 to 2000. 28,800 vph, 31 jewels, no date, free-sprung balance, COSC. Published power reserve is usually given as 52 or 54 hours. See [[Reference:Movements#cal-4030|cal 4030]].

'''Cal 4130 (in-house chronograph).''' Rolex's first wholly in-house chronograph movement. Vertical-clutch coupling, column-wheel switching, 72-hour power reserve, 44 jewels, 28,800 vph, COSC. Used 2000–2016 in the 116520 / 116523 / 116528 (and continues in post-2019 ceramic-bezel successors). See [[Reference:Movements#cal-4130|cal 4130]].

'''Zenith El Primero base.''' The 1969 Zenith El Primero 400 was the base movement Rolex used for the cal 4030. Rolex slowed it from 36,000 to 28,800 vph, replaced the escapement with a free-sprung Breguet balance, removed the date, and stamped it cal 4030. The Zenith branding never appeared on a Rolex-signed dial.

== Bracelet and clasp ==

'''Oyster bracelet.''' Three-link flat construction used across every Daytona generation in various references: 7205 / 7836 / 78350 (manual-wind era), 78360 / 78390 (Zenith era), 78490 (in-house gen 1). See [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelets]].

'''SEL (Solid End Link).''' Bracelet construction where the end-link is integral to the first link rather than a separate stamped piece. Introduced on the 16520 at the U-serial (1997–1998) transition and standard on every in-house-era Daytona thereafter.

'''78360.''' Heavy-link Oyster bracelet, 1976–1993. Used on the early Zenith [[Reference:16520|16520]] (R-serial through early S-serial 1988–1993).

'''78390.''' Zenith-era Oyster successor to the 78360, 1993–2000. Used on the 16520 from S-serial 1993 through end of production.

'''78490.''' In-house era SEL Oyster bracelet. Used on the [[Reference:116520|116520]] 2000–2016. Some aggregator listings give 78690, but that reference belongs to the Explorer 14270 bracelet; 78490 is the consensus identification for the 116520.

'''Oysterlock.''' Rolex's safety clasp with a folding cover over a folding clasp. Multiple generations across the Daytona run.

'''Easylink.''' 5mm comfort extension inside the Oysterlock clasp — a lever-and-keeper that gives a micro-adjustment without tools. Arrived on the [[Reference:116520|116520]] around 2002–2003.

'''Glidelock.''' Micro-extension mechanism introduced on Submariner-line clasps in 2010. The Daytona never adopted it; Easylink is the only on-bracelet adjustment the 116520 generation offered.

'''Clasp date code.''' Single-letter code stamped inside the clasp blade. Runs A=1976 through CP=2011 with a 1995–98 overlap window (T/W/U/V/Z). Randomised from 2011 onward. S-prefix marks a service-replacement clasp, not a production year. See [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelets]] for the full key.

== Case, bezel, crystal, crown ==

'''Oyster case.''' Rolex's water-resistant case construction with screw-down caseback, screw-down crown, and screw-down pushers on chronograph variants. Introduced on the Daytona with the [[Reference:6240|6240]] in 1965.

'''Triplock.''' Screw-down crown sealing on three rubber gaskets. Rated to 100m / 330ft on the 16520-generation and 116520-generation Daytona.

'''Twinlock.''' Earlier screw-down crown sealing on two rubber gaskets. Used on manual-wind Daytona (6239 onward) before the Triplock arrived with the Zenith generation.

'''Screw-down pushers.''' Chronograph pushers that lock to prevent accidental actuation underwater. Introduced on the [[Reference:6240|6240]] (1965) and the defining feature of the screw-pusher Oyster Daytona: [[Reference:6240|6240]], [[Reference:6263|6263]], [[Reference:6265|6265]], and every subsequent Daytona reference.

'''Pump pushers.''' Non-screw-down chronograph pushers. Used on the earlier [[Reference:6239|6239]], [[Reference:6241|6241]], [[Reference:6262|6262]], and [[Reference:6264|6264]].

'''Engraved metal tachymetre bezel.''' Tachymetre scale engraved directly into the bezel metal (steel or precious metal). Defines the [[Reference:6239|6239]], [[Reference:6262|6262]], [[Reference:6264|6264]], [[Reference:6265|6265]], and the Zenith and in-house gen-1 steel references.

'''Acrylic bezel insert.''' Aluminium insert with the tachymetre printed on acrylic, fitted into the bezel. Defines the [[Reference:6240|6240]], [[Reference:6241|6241]], and [[Reference:6263|6263]].

'''Cerachrom.''' Ceramic bezel introduced on the 116500LN in 2016. Every Daytona reference through the 116520 generation uses a steel or gold engraved tachymetre bezel; the ceramic insert sits with the post-2016 generation.

'''Acrylic crystal.''' Plexiglass crystal used on every manual-wind Daytona (6238 through 6265). Replaced by sapphire at the 16520 generation (1988).

'''Sapphire crystal.''' Flat sapphire crystal with no Cyclops. Used on every Zenith-era and in-house gen-1 Daytona from 1988 onward.

== Serial systems ==

'''Numeric serials (pre-1987).''' Sequential numbers, about one million serials per decade. Used through the manual-wind era. See [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial decoder]].

'''Letter serials (1987–2010).''' One letter prefix per production year. Covers the Zenith-era Daytona (R 1988 through P 2000) and the early in-house 116520 generation through 2010. See [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial decoder]].

'''Random alphanumeric (2010+).''' Rolex randomised serials in 2010 to combat counterfeit decoding. Post-2010 116520 / 116523 / 116528 production carries random eight-character alphanumeric strings with no public year mapping.

== Auction landmarks ==

'''Phillips Daytona Ultimatum, Geneva, 12 May 2018.''' 32-watch thematic sale curated by Pucci Papaleo with Aurel Bacs at the rostrum. Reset price ceilings across the manual-wind Daytona category. Highlights: the Unicorn 6265 (CHF 5,937,500), the Neanderthal 6240 (CHF 3,012,500), the Oyster Sotto 6263 (CHF 1,662,500).

'''Phillips Winning Icons, New York, 26 October 2017.''' Paul Newman's own 6239 MK1 sold for USD 17,752,500 — the highest price paid for any Rolex at public auction. See [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman Daytona]].

'''Phillips New York, 12 December 2020.''' Paul Newman's own Big Red 6263, engraved "Drive slowly Dad," sold for USD 5,475,000.

'''Christie's Lesson One, Geneva, 10 November 2013.''' The first Paul Newman to breach seven figures at auction — an Oyster Sotto 6263 hammered at about USD 1.089M.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:daytona|Daytona family index]]
* [[Reference:6239|Daytona 6239]] — first Cosmograph
* [[Reference:6263|Daytona 6263]] — manual-wind Oyster
* [[Reference:16520|Daytona 16520]] — first automatic (Zenith)
* [[Reference:116500LN|Daytona 116500LN]] — the ceramic-bezel modern Daytona

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Glossary]]

Reference:unicorn-daytona

2026-07-18T14:18:46Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex unicorn-daytona}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex unicorn-daytona — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The Unicorn Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6265 — the only known 18k white gold manual-wind Daytona. Case 2877587, manufactured 1970, delivered 1971 to a German retailer. Sold CHF 5,937,500 at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum, Geneva, 12 May 2018. Authenticity disputed in Perezcope's 2022 Frankenstein dossier citing 2010 photographs and millerighe pusher forensics.
|keywords=Unicorn Daytona, Unicorn 6265, white gold 6265, Rolex Unicorn, Phillips Daytona Ultimatum, Perezcope Unicorn Frankenstein, Goldberger Unicorn, CHF 5,937,500
|image=Ref 6265 unicorn-hero.webp
|image_alt=The Unicorn 6265 — 18k white gold manual-wind Daytona, Sigma dial with white gold indices, CHF 5,937,500 at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-19T14:53:15Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:23:30Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> [[Reference:6265|6265]] → '''Unicorn'''

= The Unicorn (Daytona 6265 in 18k white gold) =

The Unicorn is the only known 18k white gold manual-wind Daytona. It is a one-off special-order [[Reference:6265|6265]], case 2877587, made in 1970 and delivered in 1971 to a German retailer. Phillips sold it at Daytona Ultimatum in 2018 for CHF 5,937,500 including premium. Perezcope's 2022 dossier disputes the watch as sold at Phillips and argues for a Frankenstein assembled from period-correct and replacement parts. Both readings remain on the record.

[[File:Ref 6265 unicorn-hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=The Unicorn 6265 — 18k white gold manual-wind Daytona, Sigma dial with white gold indices, CHF 5,937,500 at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018|The Unicorn 6265 — 18k white gold manual-wind Daytona, Sigma dial with white gold indices, CHF 5,937,500 at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018]]

== What the Unicorn is ==

Four facts about the Unicorn that set it apart from every other 6265:

The Unicorn has four practical markers.

* 18k white gold case, unique within the manual-wind Daytona line.
* Case number 2877587, placing it in Rolex's 1970 production band.
* Documented 1971 delivery to Germany.
* A Sigma dial on a case number that predates the usual Sigma window, which is one reason the watch stays under forensic scrutiny.

== The Phillips sale (12 May 2018) ==

Phillips Daytona Ultimatum was a 32-watch thematic sale curated by Pucci Papaleo with Aurel Bacs at the rostrum. The Unicorn was Lot 8 and the headline lot of the auction. Phillips's lot essay framed the watch as the authentic sole white gold 6265, with the dial, pushers, and bezel disclosed as period-correct service replacements sourced by Goldberger during his ownership. The watch hammered at CHF 5,400,000 with buyer's premium bringing the all-in price to CHF 5,937,500 — about USD 5.9M at prevailing exchange.

The sale placed the Unicorn at second on the all-time Rolex auction list at that date, behind only Paul Newman's own 6239 ([[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|USD 17.52M at Phillips Winning Icons, October 2017]]). The broader Daytona Ultimatum sale reset the market ceiling across manual-wind Daytona collecting and established Phillips as the canonical auction house for thematic Rolex sales.

== Ownership history ==

The Unicorn's ownership chain is, per Phillips's lot essay and Goldberger's published accounts:

- Manufactured 1970, Rolex Geneva
- Delivered 1971 to a German retailer, sold to a first retail buyer
- Surfaced in collector circulation in the 2000s
- Acquired by John Goldberger (Auro Montanari, Italian collector and author of ''100 Superlative Rolex Watches'')
- Held by Goldberger through the 2010s; service work documented in period including the Sigma dial swap cited in Phillips's essay
- Consigned to Phillips, May 2018
- Sold to a private buyer at the 2018 sale; ownership since has not been publicly re-surfaced

== The Perezcope dispute (December 2022) ==

Jose Pereztroika's December 2022 dossier — "Rolex Daytona 6265 The Unicorn Frankenstein plot" — disputes the Unicorn's authenticity as presented at Phillips. The dossier's core evidence:

=== 2010 Newoldschlock Instagram photographs ===

An anonymous Instagram account ("newoldschlock") posted 2010 photographs of case 2877587 — the same white gold 6265 case the Unicorn carries — with a ''different dial, different pushers, and a different bezel'' from what appeared at Phillips in 2018. The 2010 photographs show the case wearing a steel tachymetre bezel, steel screw-down pushers, and a black dial without Sigma markings. The 2018 configuration — white gold bezel, millerighe-knurled white gold pushers, Sigma dial — differs on all three points.

Per Perezcope, this contradicts Phillips's framing of "period-correct service replacements sourced by Goldberger" — the photographs document that the current configuration was assembled after 2010, not retained from the 1971 delivery.

=== Millerighe pusher forensics ===

The 2018 configuration's white gold millerighe-knurled pushers are, per Perezcope's analysis, inconsistent in shape, refinement, and burr pattern with authentic single-source Rolex millerighe pushers of the period. The knurl pattern, the top-face chamfer, and the burr at the base all read as non-Rolex — consistent with a later third-party fabrication rather than original or period-correct service-replacement Rolex parts.

=== Sigma dial chronology ===

The Sigma dial convention is dated, per Perezcope's own forensic database, to around case number 3.0 million — roughly 1972. The Unicorn case 2877587 predates that by about one million serials. A Sigma dial on a 2877587 case reads as an anachronism — the dial type did not exist when this case was manufactured.

=== Cal 727 movement stamp ===

Perezcope flags that the Unicorn's cal 727 movement carries an older "7-2-7" hyphenated stamp on a serial range where neighbouring movements already use the newer cleaner "727" stamp. A cal 727 with the wrong stamp style for its case-number neighbourhood reads as a movement that has been swapped or assembled from older parts.

== Phillips's position and Goldberger's framing ==

Phillips's 2018 lot essay disclosed that the dial, pushers, and bezel were not the original 1971 delivery components — Phillips presented them as period-correct service replacements sourced by Goldberger during his ownership. The essay positioned the Unicorn as authentic-Rolex with service-period-appropriate parts, not as a fully original-delivery watch.

Goldberger has publicly treated the Unicorn as the last known white gold 6265, and the replacement components as period-correct parts fitted for display and preservation. Phillips and Goldberger's combined framing is that the core case (2877587 in 18k white gold) is unquestionably authentic Rolex and the sole documented white gold 6265, regardless of the post-1971 dial/bezel/pusher replacement history.

Perezcope's counter is that even accepting the case as authentic, the assembled Unicorn as it sold at Phillips in 2018 is not a single coherent Rolex watch — it is a Frankenstein. The millerighe pushers are not period-correct service replacements; the Sigma dial is an anachronism; the movement stamp reads as period-mismatched.

== Why the dispute matters ==

Both positions stay on the record. The market will continue to catalogue the Unicorn's Phillips result as the canonical price for the variant; collectors will form their own authentication positions on the Frankenstein question. Similar forensic disputes sit on three other high-value Daytona variants — [[Reference:albino-daytona|Albino 6263]], [[Reference:6240|Neanderthal 6240]], and the [[Reference:116520|116520 bracelet 78490/78690]] reading — with Perezcope as the consistent second voice raising post-sale forensic questions.

== Relation to other 6265 variants ==

The Unicorn is one of several rare precious-metal 6265 configurations:

- '''18k white gold (Unicorn)''' — 1, documented
- '''18k yellow gold''' — several, common enough to command a premium over steel but not a one-off
- '''14k yellow gold''' — smaller number, North American market specification
- '''950 platinum''' — handful documented, each catalogued on specific provenance
- '''Lemon dial in gold or platinum''' — separate sub-branch; see [[Reference:6265|6265]] article

== Where to go next ==

- [[Reference:6265|Reference 6265]] — full treatment of the host reference, all Paul Newman variants, Sultan of Oman Khanjar, Lemon dial, and retailer-signed examples
- [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman Daytona]] — the exotic-dial category the Unicorn sits adjacent to
- [[Reference:albino-daytona|Albino Daytona]] — the parallel disputed variant in the manual-wind category
- [[Reference:daytona-glossary|Daytona glossary]] — definitions for every named variant

== Source list ==

* [https://www.phillips.com/article/42015509/made-for-racing-rolex-and-the-daytona Made for Racing: Rolex and the Daytona] — Phillips, 2018
* [https://perezcope.com/2022/12/31/rolex-daytona-6265-the-unicorn-frankenstein-plot/ Rolex Daytona 6265 The Unicorn Frankenstein Plot] — Jose Pereztroika, Perezcope, December 2022
* Phillips Geneva, Daytona Ultimatum, Lot 8 catalogue essay, 12 May 2018
* [https://watchesbysjx.com Preview: Phillips Daytona Ultimatum picks] — SJX, 2018
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/vintage-rolex-daytona-the-gold-standard Vintage Rolex Daytona: The Gold Standard] — Karyn Orrico, Sotheby's, 2024

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:daytona|Daytona family index]]
* [[Reference:6265|Daytona 6265]] — the Unicorn is a unique white-gold 6265

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Daytona Manual-Wind]]
[[Category:Disputed variant]]

Reference:oyster-sotto-daytona

2026-07-18T14:18:43Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex oyster-sotto-daytona}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex oyster-sotto-daytona — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The Oyster Sotto (RCO — Rolex Cosmograph Oyster) Paul Newman Daytona is the rarest standard-production Paul Newman dial. The 12 o'clock text stack reads ROLEX COSMOGRAPH OYSTER, with OYSTER printed below Cosmograph rather than above. Documented only on 6263 and 6265. The Oyster Sotto 6263 hammered at CHF 1,662,500 at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018; an earlier Oyster Sotto sold at Christie's Lesson One, Geneva, in November 2013.
|keywords=Oyster Sotto, RCO, Rolex Cosmograph Oyster, Paul Newman 6263, Oyster Sotto 6263, RCO 6263, RCO 6265, Christie's Lesson One, Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018
|image=Ref 6263 rco-hero.webp
|image_alt=Paul Newman RCO Daytona 6263 — "ROLEX COSMOGRAPH OYSTER" text layout with OYSTER below Cosmograph
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-19T15:01:32Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:23:08Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman Daytona]] → '''Oyster Sotto / RCO'''

= Oyster Sotto / RCO (Rolex Cosmograph Oyster) =

The Oyster Sotto, also known as the RCO (Rolex Cosmograph Oyster), is the rarest standard-production Paul Newman dial. The defining tell is the 12 o'clock text stack: "ROLEX COSMOGRAPH OYSTER" instead of the standard order, with OYSTER printed below Cosmograph. Documented examples sit only on the screw-pusher [[Reference:6263|6263]] and [[Reference:6265|6265]].

The two canonical sales are Christie's Lesson One in 2013, the first Paul Newman to clear seven figures, and Phillips Daytona Ultimatum in 2018, where an Oyster Sotto 6263 sold for CHF 1,662,500 including premium.

[[File:Ref 6263 rco-hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Paul Newman RCO Daytona 6263 — "ROLEX COSMOGRAPH OYSTER" text layout with OYSTER below Cosmograph|Paul Newman RCO Daytona 6263 — "ROLEX COSMOGRAPH OYSTER" text layout with OYSTER below Cosmograph]]

== What the Oyster Sotto is ==

The Oyster Sotto has three fast tells.

* The 12 o'clock text order is reversed.
* The rest of the dial is standard Paul Newman territory.
* Documented examples sit only on [[Reference:6263|6263]] and [[Reference:6265|6265]].

== Why the text layout exists ==

Rolex never explained the Oyster Sotto text layout. The standard collector reading is simple: Singer printed a small batch with the OYSTER line in the wrong place, Rolex let them through, and the dials ended up on a small number of 6263 and 6265 watches. The rarity fits that kind of one-batch mistake.

An alternative reading is that the Oyster Sotto represents an early production experiment in text layout that Rolex standardised away from. The scarcity is the same either way; the sub-branch occupies a narrow production window within the broader Paul Newman Mk2-Mk4 era.

== Mk1 Oyster Sotto — earliest sub-variant ==

There is also a rarer early subgroup. The so-called RCO Mk1 has tighter text spacing and proportions closer to early Paul Newman production. It carries another premium inside an already rare category.

The Mk1 RCO is the rarest standard-production Paul Newman configuration documented. Surviving examples at auction are the driver of the category's top-tier pricing; a standard Oyster Sotto Mk2 or Mk3 trades below the Mk1 RCO rate by a meaningful margin.

=== A documented Mk1 RCO example ===

A well-documented Mk1 RCO 6263 surfaced at Kaplan's in Sweden in 2014 from the original owner's family. It kept its Mk1 acrylic bezel, rare Mk0 screw-down pushers, and 7835 Swiss-made Oyster bracelet on 271 end links. The watch later passed through Wind Vintage, giving it one of the cleanest published provenance chains in the branch.

== Christie's Lesson One (Geneva, 10 November 2013) ==

Christie's "Lesson One: The Legendary Rolex Daytona" in Geneva on 10 November 2013 was the first thematic auction dedicated to the Daytona line. The sale established the Oyster Sotto as a canonical factory variant for auction-market purposes and marked the first Paul Newman to cross the seven-figure USD threshold at public auction.

The Oyster Sotto 6263 sold for about USD 1.089M including premium. That was the signal. The market was no longer pricing it as just another Paul Newman 6263, but as a scarcer tier inside the category.

== Phillips Daytona Ultimatum (Geneva, 12 May 2018) ==

Phillips Daytona Ultimatum, the 32-watch thematic sale curated by Pucci Papaleo with Aurel Bacs at the rostrum, catalogued an Oyster Sotto 6263 as Lot 14. The lot hammered at CHF 1,400,000 with buyer's premium bringing the all-in price to CHF 1,662,500 — about USD 1.66M at prevailing exchange.

The 2018 result confirmed the category's market position five years after Christie's Lesson One established the initial pricing tier. The Oyster Sotto 6263 sat in the seven-figure range across both sales, with the Phillips 2018 result landing between the Unicorn 6265 (CHF 5.94M) and the Neanderthal 6240 (CHF 3.01M) as the third-highest-priced lot of the sale.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sale !! Date !! Watch !! Price (all-in)
|-
| Christie's Lesson One, Geneva || 10 November 2013 || Oyster Sotto 6263 || ~USD 1.089M
|-
| Phillips Daytona Ultimatum, Geneva || 12 May 2018 || Oyster Sotto 6263 (Lot 14) || CHF 1,662,500 (~USD 1.66M)
|}

== RCO on 6265 ==

Oyster Sotto dials are documented on [[Reference:6265|6265]] as well as 6263, but 6265 examples are rarer. In casual collector use, "Oyster Sotto" usually means the 6263 unless someone says otherwise.

== Relation to Paul Newman Mk progression ==

The Oyster Sotto sits inside the normal Paul Newman Mk progression rather than outside it. Most examples fall into the Mk2 and Mk3 years. The rarest subgroup is the early Mk1 Oyster Sotto with the tighter text layout.

== Distinguishing from the Albino and other rare dials ==

The Oyster Sotto is adjacent to but distinct from several other rare 6263/6265 dial categories:

- '''[[Reference:albino-daytona|Albino]]''' — white-on-white, not a Paul Newman.
- '''JPS''' — gold-case Paul Newman, defined by material and color.
- '''Lemon''' — yellow-lacquer gold-case dial.
- '''Big Red''' — standard red-DAYTONA 6263, not a Paul Newman.

The Oyster Sotto is the only one of these sub-categories defined purely by text-stack layout rather than by color or host material.

== Host references ==

Documented Oyster Sotto dials sit only on [[Reference:6263|6263]] and [[Reference:6265|6265]]. They do not appear on the earlier pump-pusher references, and they do not exist in the automatic Daytona era because Paul Newman dials stop before that generation.

== Where to go next ==

- [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman Daytona]] — the parent exotic-dial category
- [[Reference:6263|Reference 6263]] — main host reference
- [[Reference:6265|Reference 6265]] — secondary host reference
- [[Reference:albino-daytona|Albino Daytona]] — parallel disputed variant
- [[Reference:daytona-glossary|Daytona glossary]] — quick definitions

== Source list ==

* [https://www.phillips.com/article/42015509/made-for-racing-rolex-and-the-daytona Made for Racing: Rolex and the Daytona] — Phillips, 2018
* Phillips Geneva, Daytona Ultimatum, Lot 14 catalogue essay, 12 May 2018
* Christie's Geneva, "Lesson One: The Legendary Rolex Daytona" sale, 10 November 2013
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-first-rolex-daytona-by-benjamin-clymer Historical Perspectives: The Very First Rolex Daytona] — Benjamin Clymer, Hodinkee, 2013
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona] — Erik Slaven, Monochrome, 2024
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-paul-newman-daytona-rco-6263 Rolex "Paul Newman" "RCO" Daytona reference 6263] — Wind Vintage listing with provenance for the 2.085M Mk1 RCO
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/whats-selling-where-the-best-rolex-available-this-month-and-other-highlights-from-kaplans-of-sweden What's Selling Where: Kaplan's of Sweden] — Eric Wind, Hodinkee, 2014
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/bring-a-loupe-vintage-watches-august-28-2020 Bring A Loupe: Vintage Watches] — Hodinkee, 28 August 2020
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/rare-rolex-paul-newman-daytona-oyster-sotto-for-sale-at-wind-vintage-2945914/ Rare Rolex Paul Newman Daytona Oyster Sotto for sale at Wind Vintage] — Robb Report, 2020

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:daytona|Daytona family index]]
* [[Reference:6263|Daytona 6263]] — the RCO "Oyster Sotto" is a 6263 dial variant
* [[Reference:6241|Daytona 6241]] — exotic-dial cousin
* [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman dials]]

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Daytona Manual-Wind]]
[[Category:Paul Newman]]

Reference:neanderthal-daytona

2026-07-18T14:18:39Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex neanderthal-daytona}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex neanderthal-daytona — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The Neanderthal Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6240 — the Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018 lot presented as the earliest Paul Newman prototype, sold for CHF 3,012,500. Perezcope's 2022 forensic dossier disputes the prototype framing using contemporaneous evidence from the April 1998 Orologi & Market magazine, arguing the dial is a late-1990s construction on a 6238 donor. Both positions remain on record.
|keywords=Neanderthal Daytona, Neanderthal 6240, Rolex Neanderthal, Phillips Daytona Ultimatum, Perezcope Neanderthal, Paul Newman prototype, 6240 disputed, Orologi Market 1998
|image=Ref 6240 hero.webp
|image_alt=The Neanderthal 6240 at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum, Geneva, 12 May 2018
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-19T15:01:32Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:23:05Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> [[Reference:6240|6240]] → '''Neanderthal'''

= The Neanderthal (Daytona 6240) =

The Neanderthal is a Paul Newman-configuration [[Reference:6240|6240]] that Phillips sold in 2018 for CHF 3,012,500 including premium as the earliest known Paul Newman prototype. The nickname points to the dial's crude, proto-Paul-Newman look. Perezcope's 2022 dossier disputes the prototype story and argues for a later construction using a [[Reference:6238|6238]] donor dial. Both readings remain on the public record.

[[File:Ref 6240 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=The Neanderthal 6240 at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum, Geneva, 12 May 2018|The Neanderthal 6240 at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum, Geneva, 12 May 2018]]

== What the Neanderthal is ==

The Neanderthal, as it appeared at Phillips, had five identifying features that distinguished it from the documented Paul Newman Mk1-Mk4 progression:

The Neanderthal has five practical tells.

* Mk1.75 typeface sitting between the known Mk1 and Mk2 Paul Newman forms.
* A 6240 host case with screw-down pushers.
* Block markers without the outline seen on Mk2 dials.
* Sub-dial geometry that Perezcope reads as closer to 6238 than 6239 production.
* A pre-1970 case serial.

== The Phillips sale (12 May 2018) ==

Phillips sold the Neanderthal as Lot 32 at Daytona Ultimatum and framed it as the earliest known Paul Newman prototype: a dial from before the documented Mk1 run, with typography and proportions Rolex later abandoned.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Detail !! Value
|-
| Reference || 6240, stainless steel
|-
| Sale || Phillips Daytona Ultimatum, Geneva
|-
| Date || 12 May 2018
|-
| Lot number || 32
|-
| Price (all-in) || CHF 3,012,500
|-
| Position on Rolex auction list at sale date || 4th all-time
|-
| Framing || Earliest known Paul Newman prototype
|}

The sale placed the Neanderthal at the fourth position on the all-time Rolex auction list at the time, behind Newman's own 6239 (USD 17.52M at Phillips Winning Icons, 2017), the Unicorn 6265 (CHF 5.94M at the same Ultimatum sale), and the Bao Dai 6062 (USD 5.06M).

== The Perezcope dispute (November 2022) ==

Jose Pereztroika's November 2022 dossier — "Rolex Daytona 6240 Paul Newman Neanderthal: A myth goes extinct" — disputes the prototype framing. The dossier's central evidence falls into four categories:

=== ''Orologi & Market'' April 1998 ===

The April 1998 issue of ''Orologi & Market'' is the core of Perezcope's case. It appears to show the same dial in a construction context decades before Phillips presented it as a 1960s prototype. If that reading is right, the prototype story collapses.

=== Mk1.75 typeface analysis ===

Perezcope's typeface argument is simple: the printing does not look like a missing pre-Mk1 step, it looks like a later attempt to imagine one. Font weight, spacing, and stroke endings all read wrong against period Singer dials.

=== Sub-dial geometry from 6238 donor ===

Perezcope's geometry argument is that the dial reads more like a [[Reference:6238|6238]] donor than a true 6239-era Paul Newman dial. On that reading, the Neanderthal is a reworked 6238 dial, not a lost prototype.

=== Singer stamp comparison ===

The Singer dial-maker stamp on the Neanderthal's dial back, compared against authenticated Singer stamps across the Mk1–Mk4 progression, reads as mismatched to any production window. The stamp style does not fit the 1965–1969 6240 production range or any adjacent Singer production batch.

== Phillips's position and the Neanderthal's case ==

Phillips did not claim an archive-backed Rolex prototype. The house argued from the dial itself: if it did not fit Mk1 production, it might belong to a pre-Mk1 phase. That is the exact reading Perezcope rejects.

The case itself — the 6240 stainless-steel case with screw-down pushers, acrylic crystal, and acrylic bezel insert — is not disputed. The 6240 production years (1965–1969) are period-correct for a pre-Mk1 Paul Newman framing, and the case authentication passes through the standard 6240 verification checkpoints. The dispute is dial-specific, not case-specific or movement-specific.

== Why the dispute matters ==

The disagreement matters because the two readings imply completely different objects. If Phillips was right, the watch rewrites early Paul Newman chronology. If Perezcope was right, the market paid prototype money for a later construction.

Both positions stay on the record per BezelBase's never-pick-one-truth rule. The market's read on the Perezcope dossier will emerge at the next public sale of the Neanderthal, should it surface — the lot has not been re-catalogued publicly since the 2018 sale.

== Relation to other disputed Daytona variants ==

The Neanderthal sits in a cluster of high-value disputed-authenticity Daytona variants, each with Perezcope as the second voice raising forensic questions against an auction-house lot:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Variant !! Phillips framing !! Perezcope counter !! Status
|-
| [[Reference:albino-daytona|Albino 6263]] || Factory Rolex variant (Hodinkee 2013 consensus) || 1990s Tom Bolt construction (Perezcope 2025) || 3 examples sold; dispute unresolved
|-
| [[Reference:unicorn-daytona|Unicorn 6265]] || Only known white gold manual-wind Daytona with period-correct service replacements (Phillips 2018) || Frankenstein — components assembled post-2010 per 2010 Newoldschlock IG photos (Perezcope 2022) || Sold CHF 5.94M 2018; dispute unresolved
|-
| Neanderthal 6240 || Earliest Paul Newman prototype (Phillips 2018) || Late-1990s construction on 6238 donor per Orologi & Market April 1998 (Perezcope 2022) || Sold CHF 3.01M 2018; dispute unresolved
|}

The pattern is familiar. An auction house presents a watch with a rarity story, a forensic counter-dossier appears later, and no final authority closes the argument. The market then keeps trading the watch with that uncertainty attached.

== Host reference ==

The Neanderthal is documented as a single example on a single [[Reference:6240|6240]] case. No other 6240 Paul Newman examples are documented in the published literature — per Rolex's standard production record, Paul Newman dials on 6240 are extremely rare, and the Neanderthal is the sole cited example at auction.

== Where to go next ==

- [[Reference:6240|Reference 6240]] — host reference
- [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman Daytona]] — the disputed dial family context
- [[Reference:albino-daytona|Albino Daytona]] — parallel disputed variant
- [[Reference:unicorn-daytona|Unicorn Daytona]] — parallel disputed variant
- [[Reference:daytona-glossary|Daytona glossary]] — quick definitions

== Source list ==

* [https://www.phillips.com/article/42015509/made-for-racing-rolex-and-the-daytona Made for Racing: Rolex and the Daytona] — Phillips, 2018
* Phillips Geneva, Daytona Ultimatum, Lot 32 catalogue essay, 12 May 2018
* [https://perezcope.com/2022/11/03/rolex-daytona-6240-paul-newman-neanderthal-a-myth-goes-extinct/ Rolex Daytona 6240 Paul Newman Neanderthal: A myth goes extinct] — Jose Pereztroika, Perezcope, November 2022
* ''Orologi & Market'', Italian collector magazine, April 1998, page 44
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-first-rolex-daytona-by-benjamin-clymer Historical Perspectives: The Very First Rolex Daytona] — Benjamin Clymer, Hodinkee, 2013
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona] — Erik Slaven, Monochrome, 2024

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:daytona|Daytona family index]]
* [[Reference:6239|Daytona 6239]] — the first Cosmograph
* [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman dials]]

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Daytona Manual-Wind]]
[[Category:Paul Newman]]
[[Category:Disputed variant]]

Reference:big-red-daytona

2026-07-18T14:18:36Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex big-red-daytona}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 'Big Red' Daytona — 6263 & 6265 Guide | BezelBase
|description=The Big Red Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6263 — the standard 6263 dial with DAYTONA printed in red block letters above the 6 o'clock sub-register. Introduced around 1976, default 6263 dial by the early 1980s. Paul Newman's own Big Red 6263 — engraved "Drive slowly Dad" from his daughter Nell — sold at Phillips New York on 12 December 2020 for USD 5,475,000 including premium. Third-most-expensive Rolex at auction on that date.
|keywords=Big Red Daytona, Big Red 6263, Newman Big Red, Rolex Big Red, Paul Newman Drive Slowly Dad, Phillips 2020, Floating Big Red, Small Red
|image=Ref 6263 big-red-hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6263 Big Red — Newman's 'Drive slowly Dad' example, hammered USD 5.48M Phillips NY 2020
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-19T14:53:16Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:29Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> [[Reference:6263|6263]] -> '''Big Red'''

= Big Red Daytona (6263) =

The Big Red is the standard [[Reference:6263|6263]] dial with "DAYTONA" in red block letters above the 6 o'clock sub-register. It appears around 1976 and becomes the default late 6263 dial. Most surviving 6263s carry one of three closely related forms: standard Big Red, Floating Big Red, or Small Red.

Paul Newman's own Big Red 6263 anchors the category. His daughter Nell gave him the watch; the caseback carries the engraving "Drive slowly Dad." It sold at Phillips New York on 12 December 2020 for USD 5,475,000 including premium, third on the all-time Rolex auction list as of that date, behind Newman's own 6239 ([[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|USD 17.52M at Phillips Winning Icons, 2017]]) and the Bao Dai 6062 (USD 5.06M).

[[File:Ref 6263 big-red-hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6263 Big Red — Newman's 'Drive slowly Dad' example, hammered USD 5.48M Phillips NY 2020|Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6263 Big Red — Newman's 'Drive slowly Dad' example, hammered USD 5.48M Phillips NY 2020]]

== The three Red variants ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Variant !! Period !! Distinguishing features !! Notes
|-
| Standard Big Red || c.1976–1988 || DAYTONA in red block letters, standard font size, printed immediately above the 6 o'clock sub-register || The default 6263 dial across the bulk of the run. Most populous of the three red variants
|-
| Floating Big Red || c.1976–early 1980s || DAYTONA text sits visibly further from the sub-dial than on standard Big Red — a few millimetres of extra space || Transitional variant. Small-spacing detail, large rarity premium. Surfaces periodically at Phillips and Sotheby's
|-
| Small Red || late 1980s || Same red DAYTONA but rendered in a noticeably smaller font || Late-production sub-variant. Less collected than the other two but documented
|}

Floating Big Red examples sit well above standard Big Red on the rarity ladder, and the Floating Big Red Sigma sits higher again. The Sigma variant pairs the Floating text placement with gold hour markers carrying the discreet sigma symbols at the foot of the dial, the convention used by certain Swiss case-makers to denote solid-gold appliques. Sigma examples appear at the major auction houses intermittently rather than annually, and a clean one commands multiples of a standard Big Red result.

== Newman's Big Red (Phillips New York, December 2020) ==

Two of Newman's personal Daytonas have come to auction. His 6239 MK1, the watch that gave the Paul Newman dial its name, sold at Phillips Winning Icons on 26 October 2017 for USD 17,752,500 and still holds the Rolex auction record. His 6263 Big Red followed three years later.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Detail !! Value
|-
| Reference || 6263, stainless steel, Big Red dial
|-
| Sale || Phillips, Game Changers sale, New York
|-
| Date || 12 December 2020
|-
| Price (all-in) || USD 5,475,000
|-
| Caseback engraving || "Drive slowly Dad"
|-
| Provenance || Gifted to Newman by his daughter Nell Newman; part of the Newman family collection
|-
| Position on Rolex auction list (at sale date) || 3rd all-time, behind Newman's 6239 and the Bao Dai Patek/Rolex 6062
|}

The "Drive slowly Dad" engraving is what separates this 6263 from any other standard Big Red. It echoes the "Drive carefully me" engraving Joanne Woodward had put on Newman's 6239 decades earlier, and Phillips's lot essay drew the parallel directly.

As of December 2020, two watches from Newman's personal collection occupied first and third place on the all-time Rolex auction list. Both were gifts. Both carried family engravings. Neither was sold by Newman in his lifetime.

== The market for standard Big Red ==

Setting the Newman example aside, standard Big Red 6263s have appreciated steadily through the 2010s and into the 2020s. The top of the market wants original dials, unpolished or lightly polished cases, period-correct bracelets with matching clasp date codes, and full-set boxes and papers. Refinished cases, service-replacement dials, and mismatched components hammer prices down noticeably.

The Big Red market moves with the broader 6263 market, and the Phillips Daytona Ultimatum sale in May 2018 was the most consequential single reset. Headline lots from that auction (the Unicorn 6265 at CHF 5.9M, the Neanderthal 6240 at CHF 3.0M, the Oyster Sotto 6263 at CHF 1.66M) lifted the auction ceiling for generic clean Big Reds along with everything else 6263-shaped. Before 2018 a clean Big Red traded in the upper five figures into the low six figures. After 2018 the clean end of the market clustered firmly in the six figures.

== Relation to Paul Newman on 6263 ==

The Big Red dial and the Paul Newman dial are distinct categories. A 6263 carries one or the other in standard production, almost never both. The Paul Newman layout (square block hour markers, cross-hairs across the sub-registers, 15/30/45 sub-dial numerals) does not appear with Big Red's block-letter red DAYTONA on factory dials.

The rare exception is a Paul Newman dial sub-variant with red Daytona text, found more often on the 6265 than the 6263, where categorisation has to be settled lot-by-lot. See [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman Daytona]] for the full Mk1-4 typology.

Newman's own Big Red 6263 sat in the standard category. The dial is a stock 6263 Cosmograph with red DAYTONA, not a Paul Newman / Big Red hybrid.

== Host reference ==

The Big Red dial is documented only on the [[Reference:6263|6263]] case. The metal-bezel [[Reference:6265|6265]] did not receive Big Red dials in standard production. A handful of 6265s with red DAYTONA text have appeared at auction, but they are categorised separately and generally read as later service-replacement dials rather than period Big Red variants.

== Where to go next ==

- [[Reference:6263|Reference 6263]] — full treatment of the host reference including the [[Reference:albino-daytona|Albino 6263]] and [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman 6263 variants]]
- [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman Daytona]] — the other Newman-owned dial category, hosted on the 6239
- [[Reference:daytona-glossary|Daytona glossary]] — definitions for Floating Big Red, Small Red, Sigma dial, and every other named variant

== Source list ==

* [https://www.phillips.com/article/42015509/made-for-racing-rolex-and-the-daytona Made for Racing: Rolex and the Daytona] — Phillips, 2018
* Phillips New York, "Game Changers" sale, Lot catalogue for Paul Newman's 6263 Big Red, 12 December 2020
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2020/12/paul-newman-rolex-daytona-6263-big-red-auction.html Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona 6263 "Big Red" Sells for US$5.48m] — JX Su, SJX, 2020
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona] — Erik Slaven, Monochrome, 2024
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-first-rolex-daytona-by-benjamin-clymer Historical Perspectives: The Very First Rolex Daytona] — Benjamin Clymer, Hodinkee, 2013

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:daytona|Daytona family index]]
* [[Reference:6263|Daytona 6263]] — the Big Red name comes from its red COSMOGRAPH text
* [[Reference:6265|Daytona 6265]] — the steel-bezel sibling
* [[Reference:6264|Daytona 6264]] — the pump-pusher predecessor

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Daytona Manual-Wind]]
[[Category:Paul Newman]]

Reference:albino-daytona

2026-07-18T14:18:33Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex albino-daytona}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 'Albino' Daytona — Eric Clapton's 6263 | BezelBase
|description=The Albino Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6263 — a white-on-white monochromatic dial documented on three examples. Eric Clapton's example traded from USD 50,190 at Christie's in 2003 to USD 952,500 at Sotheby's in 2025. The factory-versus-Tom-Bolt-construction dispute between Hodinkee (2013) and Perezcope (2025) remains unresolved in editorial.
|keywords=Albino Daytona, Albino 6263, Rolex Albino, Eric Clapton Daytona, Tom Bolt, Perezcope Albino, Phillips Clapton, white dial 6263, Rolex Cosmograph Albino
|image=Ref 6263 albino-hero.webp
|image_alt=Albino Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6263, case 2648447, Sotheby's Abu Dhabi Lot 340, sold USD 952,500 on 5 December 2025
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|published_time=2026-04-19T14:50:57Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:26Z
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[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> [[Reference:6263|6263]] -> Albino

= Albino Daytona (6263) =

The Albino is a white-on-white dial fitted to the [[Reference:6263|6263]]: silver sub-dials on a white base, with "Rolex Oyster Cosmograph" at 12 and no Daytona line above 6. Three examples are documented. The best-known is Eric Clapton's, which moved from Christie's in 2003 at USD 50,190 to Sotheby's Abu Dhabi in 2025 at USD 952,500. The watch sits at the center of the sharpest authenticity fight in manual-wind Daytona collecting, and that fight is still unresolved.

[[File:Ref 6263 albino-hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Albino Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6263, case 2648447, Sotheby's Abu Dhabi Lot 340, sold USD 952,500 on 5 December 2025|Albino Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6263, case 2648447, Sotheby's Abu Dhabi Lot 340, sold USD 952,500 on 5 December 2025]]

== What the Albino is ==

A white main dial carries silver sub-dials, with no Daytona line above 6 o'clock and printed hour markers in place of the applied block markers used on standard 6263 production. The known watches all pair the pale dial with a similarly pale bezel.

== The three documented examples ==

Three Albino 6263 examples appear in the English-language auction record.

=== Eric Clapton's Albino ===

The most-traded and best-documented example. Clapton's watch has surfaced at four public sales over twenty-two years:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sale !! Date !! Price (USD) !! Notes
|-
| Christie's New York || June 2003 || 50,190 || First public sale. Sold out of Clapton's collection into private hands.
|-
| Sotheby's || 2008 || ~505,000 || Second public sale. About ten-fold appreciation over five years.
|-
| Phillips, Geneva || May 2015 || 1,325,000 CHF (~USD 1.42M) || Third public sale. The 2015 result triggered the first editorial dispute coverage in Hodinkee's contemporaneous reporting.
|-
| Sotheby's Abu Dhabi || 5 December 2025 || 952,500 || Fourth public sale. Lot 340. Drop from the 2015 ceiling reflects the forensic questions Perezcope raised in December 2025 — two days before the Sotheby's sale.
|}

=== The second and third examples ===

Two further Albino examples appear in the literature, usually attributed to John Goldberger's collection. Public documentation on both is thinner than on the Clapton watch.

== The three-way authenticity dispute ==

The Albino is the most contested dial in the manual-wind Daytona category. Three positions sit in the published literature, none of them retracted.

=== Hodinkee (Clymer, 2013) — factory Rolex variant ===

Hodinkee's 2013 position was simple: the Albino was a rare factory Rolex dial, probably Singer-made, fitted to a very small number of 6263 cases. That reading held as the default for about twelve years.

=== Perezcope (December 2025) — Tom Bolt 1990s construction ===

Perezcope's December 2025 dossier argues the Albino is not a factory dial at all, but a late-1990s Tom Bolt construction built from a recovered [[Reference:6238|6238]] silver dial transplanted into a 6263 case. In that reading, 6238 hands had to be used because standard 6263 hands did not fit the recessed sub-dials correctly.

Perezcope also states that Bolt disclosed his role directly to Sotheby's before the sale. Sotheby's still chose the softer catalogue line: origins unknown.

The Perezcope dossier carries specific forensic markers on Sotheby's Lot 340 (case 2648447):

- Discontinued thin-tapered sub-dial hands inconsistent with a 1971 production case
- A high-sitting 30-minute sub-dial hand, mismatched to period-correct fitment
- Plating coming off the screw-down pushers in a pattern that reads as aged fake material rather than original Rolex gold-plated
- The 6238 donor-dial typography visible under magnification

=== Sotheby's Abu Dhabi (December 2025) — "origins unknown" ===

Sotheby's Abu Dhabi sold the third Albino example in December 2025 for USD 952,500. The catalogue described the dial as of unknown origin, declining to endorse either the factory-variant reading or the later-construction reading even after Perezcope had published and Bolt had reportedly briefed the house directly.

== Why the dispute matters ==

Factory variant, late construction, and unresolved origins all stay on the record. The literature has not closed the argument and the market keeps trading the watch regardless, with each subsequent result effectively a buyer's verdict on which reading they accept.

== Relation to other dial variants ==

The Albino sits in its own category. It carries neither the contrasting sub-dials of a Paul Newman nor the heat-shifted patina of a tropical, and the printed markers and missing Daytona line keep it well outside standard 6263 production. The host watches themselves are conventional: period-correct 6263 cases and cal. 727 movements, so what is contested is the dial alone.

== Host reference ==

The Albino is documented exclusively on the [[Reference:6263|6263]] case. No Albino-pattern dials have surfaced on the [[Reference:6265|6265]] (metal-bezel sibling) or any other manual-wind Daytona reference. Every documented Albino carries the acrylic black bezel insert that defines the 6263.

== Where to go next ==

- [[Reference:6263|Reference 6263]] — host reference
- [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman Daytona]] — adjacent exotic-dial category
- [[Reference:daytona-glossary|Daytona glossary]] — quick definitions
- [[Reference:6238|Reference 6238]] — the alleged donor-dial reference

== Source list ==

* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-first-rolex-daytona-by-benjamin-clymer Historical Perspectives: The Very First Rolex Daytona, Explained] — Benjamin Clymer, Hodinkee, 2013
* [https://perezcope.com/2025/12/03/not-quite-whiter-than-white-the-reality-of-the-rare-rolex-albino-daytona-ref-6263/ Not Quite Whiter Than White: the reality of the rare Rolex Albino Daytona Ref. 6263] — Jose Pereztroika, Perezcope, 3 December 2025
* Phillips Geneva, Auction lot catalogue essay, Daytona Ultimatum, May 2018
* Sotheby's Abu Dhabi, Important Watches sale, Lot 340, 5 December 2025
* Christie's New York, "Watches by Christie's" sale, June 2003
* Sotheby's, Clapton collection re-sale, 2008

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:daytona|Daytona family index]]
* [[Reference:6263|Daytona 6263]] — the reference the Albino is built on
* [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman dials]]
* [[Reference:big-red-daytona|Big Red Daytona]]

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Daytona Manual-Wind]]
[[Category:Paul Newman]]
[[Category:Disputed variant]]

Reference:paul-newman-daytona

2026-07-18T14:18:30Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references (thematic hub)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex paul-newman-daytona}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 'Paul Newman' Daytona — Exotic Dial Buyer's Guide | BezelBase
|description=Everything about the Rolex Paul Newman Daytona — the exotic dial's Mk1 through Mk4 progression, the five color types, RCO Oyster Sotto, JPS, Lemon, and the six host references (6239, 6241, 6262, 6263, 6264, 6265). Newman's own 6239 sold for USD 17.75M at Phillips in 2017; his Big Red 6263 sold for USD 5.48M at Phillips in 2020.
|keywords=Paul Newman Daytona, Paul Newman Rolex, exotic dial, Singer dial, MK1 Paul Newman, Big Eyes, RCO, Oyster Sotto, JPS Daytona, Lemon dial, 6239, 6241, 6263, 6265, Winning Icons
|image=Paul Newman wearing 6239.webp
|image_alt=Paul Newman wearing his 6239 Cosmograph Daytona
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-19T14:02:30Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:23:10Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] -> '''Paul Newman Daytona'''

= Paul Newman Daytona =

The Paul Newman Daytona is the best-known exotic dial in vintage Rolex. The name describes a dial — a Singer-made Cosmograph layout with block markers, sub-dial cross-hairs, and 15/30/45 numerals instead of the standard 20/40/60 — fitted to six manual-wind Daytona references between 1963 and 1988. The dial was unpopular when new and sat on dealers' shelves for years. A half-century later Paul Newman's own watches fixed the type at the top of the vintage Rolex market.

This page covers the dial across all six host references. The host references each have their own article, linked in the table below.

[[File:Paul Newman wearing 6239.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Paul Newman wearing his 6239 Cosmograph Daytona|Paul Newman wearing his 6239 Cosmograph Daytona]]

== What defines a Paul Newman dial ==

A Paul Newman dial is defined by four things: block markers, cross-hairs in each sub-dial, 15/30/45 numerals on the 30-minute register, and a contrasting outer chapter ring. The 15/30/45 register is the fastest authentication tell.

Paul Newman dials are made by Singer, the Geneva dial supplier behind the majority of period Cosmograph dials. The Singer stamp on the dial back reads "Singer" in period-correct typography, and the stamp style shifts across the Mk1 to Mk4 progression. The stamp alone is not diagnostic — Singer also supplied the standard Cosmograph dial of the same era — but the stamp style is routinely cross-checked against the Mk-mark the dial purports to be.

The printed text matches the standard dial of the period: "ROLEX COSMOGRAPH" at 12 o'clock in the early years, "DAYTONA" added above the 6 o'clock sub-register from 1964 onward, unit-per-hour bezel graduation, "T SWISS T" or "T SWISS T<25" at the dial base for tritium lume, and the reference number printed between the lugs on the 6263 / 6265 era.

== Mark 1 through Mark 4 progression ==

Rolex never documented a Paul Newman Mk progression. The typology is collector consensus, first formalised by Italian dealer Stefano Mazzariol in the 1990s and later carried into English-language editorial by Ross Povey at Revolution, Benjamin Clymer and Paul Boutros at Hodinkee, and the Phillips catalogue text across Daytona Ultimatum (2018) and James Marks's Made for Racing essay. The four-mark scaffold below is the commonly-cited progression; transition dates between marks are approximate and overlap heavily across host references.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Mark !! Period !! Distinguishing features !! Notes
|-
| MK1 || 1963–1967 || Gilt-printed text on early 6239 versions; square block markers with no outline; "Daytona" not yet added to dial; 300 unit-per-hour bezel; "T SWISS T" at dial base || The foundation Paul Newman. The earliest 6239 examples are the "Double Swiss Underline" variants documented by Benjamin Clymer at Hodinkee in 2013: a line under "SWISS" at the dial base with a second "SWISS" printed just above, from the brief period when radium-era markings were transitioning out
|-
| MK2 || 1966–1969 || "Daytona" script added in red above the 6 o'clock sub-register; block markers with subtle outline; 200 or 300 unit-per-hour bezel depending on late transition; cross-hairs retained || Dominates the 6241 / 6262 / 6264 era production. Tri-colour variants in panda and reverse-panda formats are most populous here
|-
| MK3 (Big Eyes) || 1969–1972 || Sub-dial outer rings proportionally larger than MK1/MK2; "Daytona" red script retained; block markers squared-off with clear outline; T<25 markings || Named for the visually larger sub-dials. "Big Eyes" is not a separate variant but a sub-mark of the MK3 generation
|-
| MK4 || 1972–1988 || Block markers narrower than MK3; sub-dial rings recalibrated; Sigma dials (gold indices flanked by σσ either side of SWISS) fall inside this mark; tritium lume with "T<25" || Runs through the 6263 / 6265 final production. Sigma-dial Paul Newman examples are the late-production sub-branch
|}

Sub-mark labels (MK1.5, MK1.75 and finer) surface in the deeper collector literature; Jose Pereztroika of Perezcope works at MK1.75 granularity in his forensic analysis of the Phillips "Neanderthal" 6240. The four-mark scaffold above remains the consensus framing in most auction catalogues and editorial treatments.

== The five colour types ==

Beyond the Mk progression, Paul Newman dials classify into five colour types based on dial and sub-dial colour combinations. Each colour type appears across multiple Mk generations.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Colour type !! Dial base !! Sub-dials !! Common host refs !! Notes
|-
| Tri-colour standard || Silver || Black with white rings || 6239, 6241 || The most common Paul Newman layout; white outer chapter ring
|-
| Tri-colour reverse || Black || Silver with black rings || 6239, 6241 || Black outer chapter ring; sometimes called "reverse panda PN"
|-
| Panda || White || Black with white rings || 6239, 6263 || Similar to tri-colour standard without the outer chapter-ring contrast
|-
| Reverse panda || Black || White with black rings || 6239, 6263 || Black dial with three stark white sub-dials
|-
| Lemon || Yellow lacquer || Black or dark || Gold-case 6263, 6265 || Yellow-lacquer full-dial finish fitted to rare gold 6263 and 6265 cases. Bob Ridley's 2017 bench dissection in Revolution records that the gold-case Paul Newman is always the Lemon variant; the rare RCO exception is documented on a small number of late-era gold 6263 / 6265 examples
|}

The colour-type label is cross-referenced against the Mk-mark label in most auction catalogues. "MK2 panda Paul Newman on 6241" uniquely identifies a dial by generation, colour scheme, and host case.

== RCO — Rolex Cosmograph Oyster / Oyster Sotto ==

RCO (Rolex Cosmograph Oyster), also called Oyster Sotto, is the rarest standard-production Paul Newman layout. The tell is simple: "ROLEX COSMOGRAPH OYSTER" instead of the standard text order. Documented examples sit only on 6263 and 6265 host watches.

The Oyster Sotto Paul Newman 6263 took the headline at Christie's "Lesson One: The Legendary Rolex Daytona" (Geneva, 10 November 2013) and again at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum (Geneva, 12 May 2018), and has consistently traded as the second-most-expensive Paul Newman variant behind Newman's own examples. The RCO Mk1 is the earliest sub-generation, with a tighter text layout than later RCOs, and commands a further premium within the RCO category. RCO 6265s surface less frequently than RCO 6263s and are rarer still.

== JPS — John Player Special ==

JPS denotes a Paul Newman dial on a yellow gold case where the dial is black and the sub-dial surrounds and hour markers are gold-toned, echoing the black-and-gold livery of the John Player Special-sponsored Lotus Formula 1 team of the 1970s. Mario Andretti won the 1978 Drivers' Championship in the Lotus 79 wearing that livery. The JPS nickname is a collector invention applied retroactively; Rolex never used it.

The 6241 in 14k yellow gold is the main JPS host and the watch most collectors mean when they say JPS Daytona. Fewer than 400 were produced for the North American market. The same look also appears on some gold 6263s, though those are more often described under the Lemon branch.

== Six host references ==

Paul Newman dials appear on six manual-wind Cosmograph Daytona references. Each is documented in its own reference article.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Paul Newman Mks !! Notes
|-
| [[Reference:6239|6239]] || 1963–1969 || MK1, MK2, MK3 || The first Cosmograph Daytona and the most populous Paul Newman host overall. Newman's own watch, with "Drive carefully me" engraved on the caseback (gifted by Joanne Woodward circa 1968), is a 6239 MK1 and holds the Rolex auction record
|-
| [[Reference:6241|6241]] || 1966–1969 || MK1, MK2 || Black acrylic bezel pump-pusher sibling of the 6239. The 14k yellow gold JPS 6241 is the most populous Paul Newman gold variant
|-
| [[Reference:6262|6262]] || 1970–1972 || MK2, MK3 || Brief transitional metal-bezel pump-pusher reference. Paul Newman dials on the 6262 are less populous than on 6239 / 6263
|-
| [[Reference:6263|6263]] || 1969–1988 || MK2, MK3, MK4 || The longest-running Paul Newman host and the reference that carries the rare RCO / Oyster Sotto variant. Newman's own "Big Red" 6263, engraved "Drive slowly Dad", sold at Phillips New York for USD 5,475,000 in December 2020
|-
| [[Reference:6264|6264]] || 1970–1972 || MK2, MK3 || Acrylic black bezel sibling of the 6262. Paul Newman dials on the 6264 are among the rarest Newman host combinations
|-
| [[Reference:6265|6265]] || 1971–1988 || MK2, MK3, MK4 || Engraved metal tachymetre bezel sibling of the 6263. Paul Newman 6265s are less populous than Paul Newman 6263s across every Mk generation
|}

== Landmark sales ==

Paul Newman dials have redrawn the vintage Rolex market three times in the 2010s and 2020s. The sales below are the records that shifted the category.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date !! Watch !! Sale !! Price (USD incl. premium) !! Significance
|-
| 26 October 2017 || Paul Newman's own 6239 MK1 || Phillips "Winning Icons", New York || 17,752,500 || The highest price paid for any Rolex at public auction at that time. Caseback engraved "Drive carefully me", gifted by Joanne Woodward to Paul Newman circa 1968
|-
| 10 November 2013 || Oyster Sotto 6263 || Christie's "Lesson One: The Legendary Rolex Daytona", Geneva || ~1,089,000 || First Paul Newman to breach the seven-figure USD mark at auction. The RCO / Oyster Sotto layout documented as a confirmed factory variant
|-
| 12 May 2018 || Various Paul Newman lots including Oyster Sotto 6263, Neanderthal 6240, RCO 6265 || Phillips "Daytona Ultimatum", Geneva || Multiple seven-figure results || A 32-watch thematic sale curated by Pucci Papaleo with Aurel Bacs at the rostrum. Reset the market ceiling across the Paul Newman category. The Oyster Sotto 6263 hammered at CHF 1,662,500 (USD ~1.66M)
|-
| 12 December 2020 || Paul Newman's own "Big Red" 6263 || Phillips, New York || 5,475,000 || The second Newman-owned Paul Newman to surface at auction. Caseback engraved "Drive slowly Dad" from Newman's daughter Nell; that engraving is the authentication pivot
|-
| 2017–present || Reference auction lots || Phillips, Sotheby's, Christie's || Standard panda PN 6239: USD 150K–500K range; RCO 6263: USD 500K–1M+ range || The standard Paul Newman has appreciated from pre-2013 five-figure prices into six-figure territory across the 2017–2020 reset. The RCO sub-branch trades at roughly 3–5x the standard Paul Newman of the same mark
|}

== Authentication ==

Paul Newman authentication is the densest forensic category in vintage Rolex. The canonical English-language treatments are the Phillips Made for Racing essay by James Marks (2018) and the Hodinkee Reference Points piece by Benjamin Clymer (2013). Jose Pereztroika's Perezcope dossiers on the Neanderthal 6240, the Albino 6263, and the Unicorn 6265 cover disputed authenticity cases in adjacent categories, and the failure modes they document apply to Paul Newman authentication as well.

Authentication starts at the dial back and the print. The Singer stamp style has to match the mark period it claims, the sub-dial crosshairs and 15/30/45 numerals have to be original printing rather than later additions, and the case serial range has to line up with the dial generation. The catch is that service-replacement Paul Newman dials exist as factory product, so a correct service dial reads identically to an original-delivery dial under the loupe; provenance documentation does the rest of the work.

== Disputed examples ==

The Paul Newman category carries several examples whose authenticity or provenance is disputed in the published literature. The full treatment of each sits in the host reference article.

The "Neanderthal" 6240 was the headline lot at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum (2018), presented by the auction house as the earliest documented Paul Newman prototype. Jose Pereztroika's 2022 forensic dossier at Perezcope argues the dial is a late-1990s construction from a 6238 donor dial, using period evidence from the April 1998 issue of ''Orologi & Market''. Both positions stay on record. See [[Reference:6240]].

The "Albino" 6263 has three known examples. Hodinkee's 2013 coverage treated the variant as factory Rolex; Perezcope's December 2025 dossier argues it is a Tom Bolt construction of 1990s origin. Sotheby's Abu Dhabi sold a third Albino in December 2025 with "origins unknown" catalogue language. See [[Reference:6263]].

Lemon dial attribution on gold Paul Newmans is the third open question. Bob Ridley's 2017 Revolution bench dissection records that gold-case Paul Newman Daytonas (6263 / 6265) are always the Lemon variant, while some auction catalogues continue to list gold-case PNs under other colour-type labels. Whether "Lemon" is Rolex's own factory designation or a collector-settled retroactive label has not been resolved in the published literature.

== Gallery ==

<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:Ref 6239 Newman watch.webp|Newman's own 6239 — the exotic dial that named the type. (Phillips)
File:Paul Newman dial steel panda 6263.webp|Archetypal steel exotic dial: silver base, black registers, 15/30/45 sub-dial. (Phillips)
File:Paul Newman dial Oyster Sotto 6263.webp|RCO "Oyster Sotto" — the rarest steel Paul Newman. (Phillips)
File:Paul Newman dial JPS gold 6241.webp|"John Player Special" — black-and-gold exotic dial in gold. (Phillips)
File:Paul Newman dial Lemon gold 6263.webp|Gold-case exotic dial, "The Legend". (Phillips)
</gallery>

== Source list ==

* [https://www.phillips.com/article/42015509/made-for-racing-rolex-and-the-daytona Made For Racing: Rolex and the Daytona] — James Marks, Phillips
* [https://www.phillips.com/auctions/auction/CH080318 Phillips — Daytona Ultimatum (Geneva, 12 May 2018)] — Pucci Papaleo (curator); Aurel Bacs (auctioneer), Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo
* [https://www.phillips.com/article/163220169/rolex-daytona-golden-pagoda-paul-newman-6239-phillips-decade-one The Golden Pagoda: An Incredible Rolex Daytona Paul Newman Ref. 6239] — Logan Baker, Phillips
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-first-rolex-daytona-by-benjamin-clymer Historical Perspectives: The Very First Rolex Daytona, Explained (Or, What Is A Double-Swiss Underline Daytona?)] — Benjamin Clymer, Hodinkee
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-part-1-3 In-Depth: A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Past to Present (Part 1/3)] — Paul Boutros, Hodinkee
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-vintage-watch-nerds-critical-dissection-of-the-rolex-daytona-past-to-present-pt-23 In-Depth: A Vintage Watch Nerd's Critical Dissection of the Rolex Daytona, Past to Present (Part 2/3)] — Paul Boutros, Hodinkee
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/rolex-john-player-special-paul-newman-daytona-ref-6241/ The Rolex "John Player Special" Paul Newman Daytona Ref. 6241] — Bob Ridley (Watchmakers International), Revolution Watch
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/a-movement-in-history-the-zenith-driven-rolex-daytona/ A Movement in History: The Zenith-driven Rolex Daytona] — Ross Povey, Revolution Watch
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-daytona-chronograph-1963-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Daytona, The Emblematic Racing Chronograph] — Erik Slaven, Monochrome
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2020/12/paul-newman-rolex-daytona-6263-big-red-auction.html Breaking News: Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona 6263 "Big Red" Sells for US$5.48m] — JX Su, SJX Watches
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2013/11/spectacular-results-at-christies-rolex-daytona-lesson-one-auction-in-geneva-including-a-million-dollar-paul-newman.html Spectacular Results at Christie's Rolex Daytona "Lesson One" Auction in Geneva] — JX Su, SJX Watches
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2018/05/penultimate-picks-from-daytona-ultimatum-at-phillips.html Penultimate Picks from Daytona Ultimatum at Phillips] — JX Su, SJX Watches
* [https://perezcope.com/2022/11/03/rolex-daytona-6240-paul-newman-neanderthal-a-myth-goes-extinct/ Rolex Daytona 6240 Paul Newman "Neanderthal" — A Myth Goes Extinct] — Jose Pereztroika, Perezcope
* [https://perezcope.com/2025/12/03/not-quite-whiter-than-white-the-reality-of-the-rare-rolex-albino-daytona-ref-6263/ Not Quite Whiter Than White: The Reality of the Rare Rolex 'Albino' Daytona Ref. 6263] — Jose Pereztroika, Perezcope
* [https://www.acollectedman.com/blogs/journal/rolex-pre-daytona-forgotten-classic Is the Rolex Pre-Daytona a Forgotten Classic?] — Russell Sheldrake, A Collected Man
* [https://www.acollectedman.com/blogs/journal/interview-aurel-bacs Interview: Aurel Bacs] — A Collected Man
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/vintage-rolex-daytona-the-gold-standard Vintage Rolex Daytona: The Gold Standard] — Karyn Orrico, Sotheby's
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:daytona|Daytona family index]]
* [[Reference:6239|Daytona 6239]] — the first Cosmograph, and the original Paul Newman dial
* [[Reference:6241|Daytona 6241]] — 'John Player Special', the black-and-gold exotic
* [[Reference:6262|Daytona 6262]] — pump-pusher, exotic dials
* [[Reference:6264|Daytona 6264]] — pump-pusher with screw-down bezel
* [[Reference:6263|Daytona 6263]] — screw-pusher Oyster — RCO and Paul Newman dials
* [[Reference:6265|Daytona 6265]] — steel-bezel screw-pusher

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Paul Newman]]
[[Category:Family]]

Reference:prince

2026-07-18T13:00:10Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: shared-reference component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Prince}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Prince — Art-Deco Reference Guide to Every Model | BezelBase
|description=The Rolex Prince family, 1928 to mid-1940s. Rectangular Art-Deco "Brancard" stretcher cases, duo-dial architecture with sub-seconds at six, Aegler shaped chronometer movements (Cal. 300 / 350 / T.S. 300) in Prima, Extra Prima, and Ultra Prima grades. References 971, 1490, 1491, 1527, 1862, 3361, and 3937, with retailer signatures spanning Bucherer, Beyer, Beguin, Cooke & Kelvey, and the Eaton 1/4 Century Club.
|keywords=Rolex Prince, Brancard, Chronometer, Doctor's Watch, 971, 1490, 1491, 1527, 1862, 3361, 3937, Aegler, Cal. 300, T.S. 300, Ultra Prima, Extra Prima, Beyer, Bucherer, Eaton 1/4 Century Club, Art Deco, vintage Rolex, observatory chronometer
|image=Ref 1490 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Prince Brancard Chronometer 1490 — Beyer-double-signed steel
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-28T04:25:49Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:23:16Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Prince ==

The Rolex Prince is the rectangular Art-Deco family that ran from the 1928 launch into the mid-1940s. It was Rolex's bid for the men's chronometer market, built around an Aegler-patented (1927) shaped movement that placed the winding barrel at one end of the case and the balance at the other. The dial layout that defined the line is the duo-dial: hours and minutes in the upper register, sub-seconds at six, two visually separated tracks on the same plate. Marketing positioned the Prince as "the watch for men of distinction" — a 1930 advertisement reproduced by Rolex Magazine puts it in those exact words — and the chronometer-grade movement made the claim defensible.

The family runs across seven catalog references in the active scope of this wiki: 971 (the original Brancard), 1490 (the canonical larger Brancard), 1491 (Brancard sibling), 1527, 1862, 3361, and 3937. Production tapered through WWII as Rolex consolidated around the Oyster Perpetual platform; the latest documented Prince case carries a 1947 caseback dedication. The Prince does not return to the Rolex catalog until the 2005 Cellini Prince revival, which sits on a different platform and is not part of the vintage Prince story this page covers.

[[File:Ref 1490 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Prince Brancard Chronometer 1490 — Beyer-double-signed steel|The 1490 in steel, Beyer-double-signed, found 1998 in the Beyer Zurich shop after sitting unsold from approximately 1928]]

== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying a Brancard?'' '''[[Reference:1490|1490]]''' — the canonical Brancard. Larger flared stretcher case, Cal 300 / 350 / T.S. 300 across the run, documented examples in steel, 9K through 18K gold, pink gold, two-tone, Tiger Stripe, and a single platinum.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching the earliest Prince?'' '''[[Reference:971|971]]''' — the original Brancard. Friedberg's 2001 Timezone article assigns the nickname here — the earliest version of the flared stretcher case, c.1928, the reference the 1490 evolves from.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking a non-Brancard Prince?'' '''[[Reference:1343|1343]]''' — the Prince Classic. The unflared sister to the Brancards, suffix system A and B for metal and dial branches, and one of the two candidates (with 971 or 1490) for the 1928 launch pair.
|}

== References ==

The active-scope Prince references covered on this wiki:

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Case shape !! Movement family !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1343|1343]] || c.1928/1929–c.1935 || Unflared rectangular Classic || Aegler 7½ ligne shaped, 15j Observatory Quality || The Prince Classic; the unflared sister to the 971/1490 Brancards. Suffix system: 1343 (silver), 1343A (standard, multiple metals), 1343B (Tiger Stripe two-colour gold). Friedberg/Beckertime read 1343 + 971 as the 1928 launch pair; Everest Bands and Rolex Magazine 2017 read 1343 + 1490
|-
| [[Reference:971|971]] || c.1928–early 1930s || Early Brancard "stretcher" || Aegler shaped (early variants) || The original Brancard; Friedberg's 2001 Timezone article assigns the Brancard nickname here, while modern auction-house convention has shifted the nickname to the 1490
|-
| [[Reference:1490|1490]] || c.1928–c.1945 || Larger flared Brancard, ~36–37×22–23mm body || Cal. 300 / Cal. 350 / Cal. 7¾′′′ T.S. 300 || The canonical Brancard; the most heavily catalogued Prince reference, with documented examples in steel, 9K/10K/14K/18K gold, pink gold, two-tone, Tiger Stripe bi-color, and a single platinum example (Bonhams 2017, GBP 32,500)
|-
| [[Reference:1491|1491]] || c.1930s || Brancard sibling || Aegler shaped || Brancard variant, smaller production
|-
| [[Reference:1527|1527]] || c.1930s || Rectangular || Aegler shaped || Prince variant
|-
| [[Reference:1862|1862]] || c.1930s–1940s || Rectangular || Aegler shaped || Prince variant; surfaces alongside the 1490 in Christie's group lot 1395-307 (18K, case 16,663, c.1938)
|-
| [[Reference:3361|3361]] || c.1930s–1940s || Rectangular || Aegler shaped || Late Prince variant
|-
| [[Reference:3937|3937]] || c.1930s–1940s || Rectangular || Aegler shaped || Late Prince variant
|}

Articles are added incrementally; references without a linked article are researched but not yet published.

== The Brancard nickname ==

A naming dispute runs through the literature. Auction houses uniformly call the 1490 a Brancard — Phillips, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Antiquorum, and Christie's all use the word in their catalog titles for the reference. Editorial sources are split. Michael Friedberg's [http://people.timezone.com/mfriedberg/articles/RolexPrince.html 2001 Timezone article] assigns the Brancard name specifically to the earlier reference 971, treating the 1490 as a separate larger Prince. Coronet Magazine's 2021 doctor's-watch piece follows Friedberg.

The reconciliation most consistent with published evidence is that 971 was the first Brancard — the earliest version of the flared stretcher case — and the 1490 is the larger evolution of the same case shape. Both qualify as Brancard cases by their flared profile. Modern auction-catalog convention treats the 1490 as the headline Brancard reference, and that convention dominates collector search. The reference number is unambiguous; the nickname is contested.

== Movement family ==

The Prince runs on Aegler shaped movements, manufactured in Bienne under H. Wilsdorf's exclusive supplier arrangement (a relationship that remained a supplier-only contract until Rolex purchased Aegler outright from the Borer family in April 2004, per Tim Mosso's Quill & Pad reporting). The shaped-movement family includes:

* '''Cal. 300''' — 15 jewels, 18,000 vph, approximately 50 hours of power reserve, produced 1928–1937. The base Prince caliber. Architecturally identical to the Gruen Cal. 877 used in the Gruen Techni-Quadron — the two are sibling movements in the same Aegler family, sold under different brands. Some early Prince literature lists "Cal. 877" for the Rolex Prince; this is a misattribution traceable to the Gruen-Rolex sibling relationship and should be excluded from canonical Prince caliber listings, per Oren Hartov's [https://www.analogshift.com/blogs/transmissions/a-brief-history-of-the-doctor-s-watch Analog/Shift Doctor's Watch piece].
* '''Cal. 350''' — 15 jewels (some examples 18 jewels). Documented on multiple 1490 examples at Phillips and Monaco Legend.
* '''Cal. 7¾′′′ T.S. 300''' — Très Soigné, 18 jewels, lateral lever escapement, monometallic balance with micrometer regulator, Breguet overcoil hairspring, rhodium-plated, adjusted in 6 positions, produced 1932–1938. The Ultra Prima movement variant.

Movement grading is a separate axis from caliber number. Aegler / Rolex used a tiered finishing hierarchy on the Prince calibers — '''Prima''', '''Extra Prima''', '''Ultra Prima''' — corresponding broadly to ascending levels of regulation, hand-finishing, and chronometer testing. The "Chronometer" or "Observatory" dial designation corresponds to Extra Prima or Ultra Prima grading; a Prima-grade movement does not earn the dial mark.

The Kew-Teddington observatory testing tradition runs through the Prince era. Rolex submitted Prince movements to the National Physical Laboratory at Kew for independent rate certificates against the Swiss Bureaux Officiels Suisse de Contrôle. The Kew protocol was a 45-day test against the Swiss bureau's 15 days; James Dowling has cited Rolex pass rates of 136 out of 145 Class A submissions in the 1940s and 1950s. The 1914 Class A Kew certificate that Rolex commonly cites as their first official chronometer rating was issued for an earlier ladies' wristwatch movement; the Prince calibers extend the observatory-testing lineage from 1928 forward, but the 1914 milestone predates the Prince family.

== Reference guides ==

Cross-family material that applies across multiple Prince references:

* [[Reference:Movements|Movements]] — the Aegler shaped-movement family (Cal. 300, Cal. 350, Cal. 7¾′′′ T.S. 300) and the Prima / Extra Prima / Ultra Prima grading tiers.
* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]] — Rolex serial conventions across the Prince era, including Glasgow and London assay date letters that often pin a 9K example to a single year.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parallel Oyster line. The same 1928–1948 window, same Aegler-supplier relationship, same Wilsdorf catalogue. Different case shape, different brief.
* [[Reference:air-king|Air-King]] — the post-war successor. The 1945 4925 / 4365 / 4499 originating Air-Kings open the line that effectively replaces the Prince in the catalogue.

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]] — date any Prince from its serial
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] — the calibers used across the Prince line
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]] — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes

[[Category:Prince]]
[[Category:Family]]

Reference:milgauss

2026-07-18T13:00:07Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: shared-reference component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Milgauss}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Milgauss — Reference Guide to Every Model & Year | BezelBase
|description=Every Rolex Milgauss reference, from the 1956 6541 honeycomb-gilt original through the 2007–2023 116400 / 116400GV "Glace Verte" revival. Production histories, dial variants, CERN provenance, Faraday cage architecture, movement specs, and collector context.
|keywords=Rolex Milgauss, 6541, 1019, 116400, 116400GV, Glace Verte, Z-Blue, Z-Black, CERN dial, honeycomb dial, Faraday cage, anti-magnetic 1000 gauss, lightning bolt seconds, Bull-Gauss, Pisani-class authentication
|image=Milgauss vintage poster.webp
|image_alt=Milgauss family — 6541, 1019, 116400 lineage
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-05-17T05:53:59Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:59Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

= Rolex Milgauss =

The Milgauss is the Rolex reference built for scientists. Engineered for engineers, physicists, and lab technicians working near magnetic-field equipment, the line opens in 1956 with the 6541 — the first wristwatch with a soft-iron Faraday cage rated to 1,000 gauss. The Geneva-based partnership with CERN supplied the original validation case: CERN's labs were among the first to confirm Rolex's antimagnetic claim against the broader scientific measurement standards. The line runs through three canonical references over sixty-seven years before closing at Watches & Wonders Geneva in 2023.

The operational distinction is the cage. A soft-iron inner ring around the movement plus a soft-iron bell cover or caseback shield form a Faraday cage that diverts magnetic flux around the movement. Stray fields up to 1,000 gauss — equivalent to a strong electromagnet at close range — leave the regulating organ unaffected. The Milgauss is the only Rolex sport-line reference built specifically around this requirement.

This index covers every Milgauss reference. Pre-2020 production-end is the standard scope rule for the wiki; the 116400 / 116400GV final discontinuation in 2023 is the family-specific exception admitted because closing the Milgauss line cleanly requires it.

[[File:Milgauss vintage poster.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Milgauss family — 6541, 1019, 116400 lineage|The Milgauss line across its three references — 6541 (1956–1960), 1019 (1960–1988), 116400 / 116400GV (2007–2023).]]

== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying a 6541 honeycomb dial?'' '''[[Reference:6541|6541]]''' — original Milgauss. Honeycomb gilt dial, lightning-bolt seconds, soft-iron Faraday cage rated to 1,000 gauss, fewer than two hundred examples produced.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking a 1019?'' '''[[Reference:1019|1019]]''' — the twenty-eight-year long run on caliber 1580 — roughly thirty antimagnetic modifications off the 1530 base — with the CERN-issued non-lume dial sub-variant.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching the green-crystal modern?'' '''[[Reference:116400GV|116400GV]]''' — modern revival with the green-tinted Glace Verte sapphire crystal, the only colored crystal Rolex has ever produced. Discontinued at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023.
|}

== Vintage tool-watch era — 6541 (1956–1960) ==

The cataloged Milgauss. Honeycomb gilt dial in webbed laminated copper. Lightning-bolt seconds hand. Rotating engraved bezel. Twinlock crown. Fewer than 200 examples produced across the 6541 and its proto-reference 6543 combined. Every documented surviving 6541 case sits in the 412xxx serial batch — the most concentrated serial-band production in vintage Rolex sport-line history.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Crystal !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6541|6541]] || 1956–1960 || 1066M (early) → 1080 (late) || acrylic || rotating engraved (standard) + smooth fixed (US-market) || First cataloged Milgauss. Lightning-bolt seconds (added 1957). Faraday cage rated 1,000 gauss. Five dial variants: honeycomb gilt, tropical, CERN non-luminous, no-MILGAUSS-text (sub-five known), and white dial (open question). Auction record CHF 2,238,000 at Phillips Geneva XVII May 2023 lot 25 (case 412'399). PerezCope "Bull-Gauss" authentication forensics canon.
|}

== Long-run dress-coded era — 1019 (1960–1988) ==

The longest Milgauss production run. Smooth bezel replaces the 6541's rotating engraved bezel. Plain straight seconds hand with red arrow tip replaces the lightning bolt — used on no other Rolex reference. The brief is deliberate de-tooling: the 6541's flamboyant signatures are stripped and the dial moves through three documented families across twenty-eight years. Commercial failure in its own time; collector grail from approximately 2000 onward.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Crystal !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1019|1019]] || 1960–1988 || 1580 || acrylic || smooth fixed steel || 28-year run, longest of any Milgauss reference. Soft-iron Faraday cage carried over from 6541. Caliber 1580 with ~30 antimagnetic modifications off the 1530 base — 26 jewels, 19,800 vph, hacking seconds. Dial families: matte black (Mk1 square lume + later round lume), brushed silver, CERN-spec silver non-lume, gloss-black "Black Swan" (3 known, Phillips Geneva Six 2017 lot 196 hammered CHF 150,000). Tiffany-double-signed CERN dial documented (Bain 1964 case 1065XXX). Red arrow seconds hand the constant signature.
|}

== Modern revival — 116400 / 116400GV (2007–2023) ==

Rolex revives the Milgauss at Baselworld 2007, nineteen years after the 1019 production end and at the fiftieth anniversary of the 1956 6541 catalog launch. Four sub-references run across sixteen years. The signature change: the green-tinted Glace Verte sapphire crystal on the GV variants — the only colored crystal Rolex has ever produced. The line ends at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023 with no announced successor.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Crystal !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:116400|116400 / 116400GV]] || 2007–2023 || 3131 + Parachrom Blu || clear sapphire (116400) or green Glace Verte sapphire (116400GV) || smooth fixed steel || 40mm 904L Oystersteel, soft-iron Faraday cage with "B-arrow" engraving, 1,000 gauss antimagnetic, 100m WR. Caliber 3131 — time-only sister of cal 3135 with paramagnetic Parachrom Blu hairspring. Orange lightning-bolt seconds revives 6541 signature. Four sub-references: 116400-0001 (black/clear, 2007–c.2013/2014), 116400-0002 (white/clear, 2007–2016), 116400GV-0001 "Z-Black" (2007–2023), 116400GV-0002 "Z-Blue" (March 2014–2023, electric-blue sunburst with zirconium pigment).
|}

== Faraday cage — the line's defining feature ==

The Faraday cage architecture is constant across all three references. A soft-iron inner ring around the movement (mechanical shielding) plus a soft-iron bell cover or caseback assembly (the second half of the shield) diverts magnetic flux around the watch's regulating organ. The 6541's webbed laminated copper plate adds a third shielding layer functioning as supplementary dial-side flux diversion.

The cage was Rolex's response to a measurement problem at CERN and at industrial research facilities of the 1950s. Standard wristwatch escapements ran inside the magnetic field of nearby experimental equipment and the regulating organ — a balance with steel components — was magnetised by stray flux. Tritium-equipped Geiger-counter testing of contemporary watches showed measurable timing drift in the 100–500 gauss range. Rolex's 1,000-gauss spec built a margin into a wristwatch.

By the 116400 generation, paramagnetic Parachrom Blu hairspring chemistry and amagnetic-alloy escapement components had reduced the cage's role to backup protection. The cage stays because the Milgauss without it is just an Oyster Perpetual.

== CERN provenance ==

The Rolex–CERN relationship begins with the 6541. CERN scientists validated the 1,000-gauss rating in-house against measurement standards CERN itself published. The "CERN dial" non-luminous variant (no tritium plots at the indices) appears on both the 6541 and the 1019 — the practical reason is that tritium beta-decays at 18.6 keV and a normal Rolex dial contributes scintillation background that distorts low-statistics measurements in CERN's particle-physics regime. Removing the tritium plots removes the failure mode.

No public CERN-side roster of issued Milgauss serial numbers exists. CERN's historical archive does not host watch documentation online. Specimens surface only via estate sales decades after issue. The non-lume dial spec is most likely a Rolex catalogue option that CERN-affiliated buyers and Geneva-area retailers fulfilled — there is no Rolex-side roster of named CERN-issued owners. The link is collector lore reinforced by Rolex's modern sponsorship of CERN's "Universe of Particles" exhibition at the Globe of Science and Innovation in Meyrin.

== Authentication — the "Bull-Gauss" canon ==

PerezCope's July 2023 forensic exposé of an Antiquorum-offered 6541 (case 412'320) coined "Bull-Gauss" as collector shorthand for fake or heavily-restored 6541s entering the auction market. The five-test forensic framework (movement M-engraving, soft-iron cage, caseback stamps, bezel-insert numerals, balance-cock geometry) is detailed on the [[Reference:6541|6541]] article where authentication stakes are sharpest. The 1019 and 116400 have parallel authentication checklists in the specialist literature but lower-stakes fakes are less frequent.

== Historical anchors ==

* 1956 — 6541 catalog introduction at Baselworld. CERN operationally commissioned the same year. Lightning-bolt seconds added 1957; case batch finalised 1958 (IV.1958 most common inner caseback stamp).
* 1960 — 6541 production end, 1019 introduction. Brief overlaps; 1019 takes over.
* 1963 to 1965 — Daytona Continental race-prize tradition. Per Jake Ehrlich's Rolex Magazine archive, Rolex distributed 6541s to Daytona Continental race winners (Pedro Rodriguez 1963 / 1964, Ken Miles + Lloyd Ruby 1965 Ford GT40). Race results are independently confirmed; the watch-prize tradition is single-source attribution.
* 1988 — 1019 production end. Catalogue presence continues briefly into the early 1990s as remaining inventory clears; NOS examples manufactured 1979 surfaced sold-new as late as 1990. The Milgauss line goes empty for nineteen years.
* 2007 — 116400 launch at Baselworld March. Coincides with CERN completing the Large Hadron Collider; Rolex sends pre-production 116400s to CERN for testing.
* November 2017 — Phillips Geneva Six lot 196 1019 Black Swan hammers CHF 150,000, re-anchoring the modern vintage 1019 market.
* March 2014 — Z-Blue 116400GV-0002 launch at Baselworld. Replaces the discontinued non-GV black sub-reference.
* May 2023 — Phillips Geneva XVII lot 25 6541 record. CHF 2,238,000 including premium. Case 412'399, movement N782694, full papers with secondary June 1960 chronometer certificate. Reportedly acquired by Rolex for the brand's archive (per Robb Report and Philipp Stahl at Rolex Passion Report).
* April 2023 — Watches & Wonders Geneva. Full Milgauss line discontinued. No successor announced.

== Special branches ==

The line hosts several institutional and provenance branches whose authentication and value warrant treatment in the per-reference articles:

* CERN-spec non-luminous dial (6541, 1019) — black-infilled hands and indices, no tritium plots. Rolex catalogue option ordered by CERN and other radiation-sensitive scientific environments. Premium over standard dial at auction.
* No-MILGAUSS-text 6541 — sub-five known. Standard Oyster Perpetual upper line, no "MILGAUSS" designation. Sotheby's London 2020 lot 365 essay confirms "less than a handful of pieces known to exist." Rarest factory 6541 configuration.
* Smooth-bezel US-market 6541 — fixed polished steel bezel, "ROW" (Rest of the World) movement stamp. Documented at Antiquorum lot 576 (case 412'108, sold January 30 1959, CHF 105,750) and Monaco Legend Auctions lot 32 (case 412'375, EUR 143,000 tropical).
* Black Swan 1019 — gloss-black dial with silvered gilt print. Three known examples. Phillips Geneva Six November 2017 lot 196 (case 1'985'480, caseback III.68) hammered CHF 150,000 against a CHF 70,000–100,000 estimate.
* Tiffany & Co. double-signed 1019 — Bain 1964 example, case 1065XXX, four-line CERN-spec dial with Tiffany & Co. retailer signature. Earliest known co-signed CERN Milgauss and the only documented Tiffany 1019 of any dial colour.
* Glace Verte 116400GV — green-tinted sapphire crystal, only colored crystal Rolex has ever produced. Through-thickness tint via kiln process Rolex describes as "one of the most difficult aesthetic operations" the manufacture has attempted; deliberately not patented because the process is so difficult to reverse-engineer.
* Z-Blue 116400GV-0002 — electric blue sunburst lacquer pigmented with zirconium, reads aqua/turquoise through the green crystal. March 2014 launch replaces the discontinued non-GV black sub-reference.

== Reference guides ==

Cross-family material that applies across the Milgauss line:

* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelets]] — the 6636 riveted (6541), 7206 / 7836 / 78350 / 78360 family (1019), and 78690 (116400) fitments with clasp date-code key.
* [[Reference:Movements|Movements]] — caliber 1066M / 1080 (6541), 1580 (1019), 3131 (116400 with Parachrom Blu).
* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]] — numeric pre-1987 (1019 covers 1.0M–7M range), letter prefix 1987–2010 (116400 M / V / G), random alphanumeric 2010 onward (116400 GV late run).

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:sea-dweller|Sea-Dweller]] — the other specialist tool line. Different threat (helium, not magnetism), same brief: a Rolex built for one specific working environment.
* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the parent sport-tool architecture. Same Oyster case lineage, same 1500-family movement base under the antimagnetic modifications.
* [[Reference:air-king|Air-King]] — the parallel non-flagship. Both lines spend the 1960s–80s as quiet, undersold, technically distinctive Rolexes — Air-King at the entry tier, Milgauss at the scientific-tool tier.

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]] — date any Milgauss from its serial
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] — the calibers used across the Milgauss line
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]] — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes

[[Category:Milgauss]]
[[Category:Family]]

Reference:sea-dweller

2026-07-18T13:00:04Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: shared-reference component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Sea-Dweller}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Sea-Dweller — Complete Reference Guide — BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Sea-Dweller reference, from the 1967 Single Red prototypes through the 2014–2017 116600 reissue. Production histories, dial mark generations, COMEX deliveries, movement specs, and collector context.
|keywords=Rolex Sea-Dweller, 1665, 16660, 16600, 116600, Single Red Sea-Dweller, Double Red Sea-Dweller, Great White, Triple Six, Sea-Dweller 4000, COMEX, helium escape valve, Patent Pending, Pisani dial, Khanjar
|image=Sea-dweller vintage poster.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 1979 magazine advertisement
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-05-16T03:28:48Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:23:19Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

= Rolex Sea-Dweller =

The Sea-Dweller is the Rolex reference built for saturation diving — the Submariner with a helium escape valve. The line opens in 1967 with a small batch of Single Red prototypes hand-made in Geneva for the US Navy's SEALAB 3 programme and the Tektite I saturation experiment. Civilian retail begins in 1971 with the 1665 Double Red. The line runs through four canonical references over fifty years, with the 116600 closing the pre-2020 small-case era in 2017.

The operational distinction sits at 9 o'clock on the case. A one-way helium release valve, Swiss patent CH492246 (filed November 1967, granted June 1970), lets helium dissolved in the watch during long mixed-gas chamber dives escape during decompression without popping the crystal off the case. The Submariner has no valve. Saturation divers need one. The Sea-Dweller is what Rolex built to give it to them.

This index covers every pre-2020 Sea-Dweller reference. The current-production 126600 (2017 onward) and 126603 (2019 onward) sit outside scope.

[[File:Sea-dweller vintage poster.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Sea-Dweller 1979 magazine advertisement|Rolex Sea-Dweller 1979 magazine campaign: "Why the Rolex Sea-Dweller never gets the bends"]]

== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying a vintage acrylic-crystal SD?'' '''[[Reference:1665|1665]]''' — caliber 1575 without quickset, three dial generations — Single Red prototypes, Double Red Mk I–IV, Great White Mk 0–IV — and the 1976–1981 COMEX 300-unit run.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a Triple Six?'' '''[[Reference:16660|16660]]''' — first sapphire-crystal Sea-Dweller, depth doubled to 1,220m, Andrea Piccinini's eight-tier dial taxonomy.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking a long-run modern SD?'' '''[[Reference:16600|16600]]''' — the twenty-year long run on caliber 3135, three lume eras (tritium, Luminova, Super-LumiNova), and the last Sea-Dweller with an aluminum bezel insert.
|}

== Vintage acrylic-crystal era ==

The 1665 is the only Sea-Dweller with an acrylic crystal. Caliber 1575 with date but no quickset. Helium escape valve introduced. The reference runs through three dial generations across sixteen years — Single Red, Double Red Mk I–IV, and Great White Mk 0–IV.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Crystal !! Depth !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1665|1665]] || 1967 prototypes; 1971 civilian; 1983 end || 1575 || Acrylic || 610m / 2000ft || First Sea-Dweller. Three dial generations: Single Red (12 surfaced), Double Red Mk I–IV (Patent Pending caseback Mk I in 1.7M and 2.1M batches), Great White Mk 0–IV. COMEX 300 units 1976–81 with issue numbers 2000–2300. Asprey Khanjar branch with Sultan Qaboos crest.
|}

== Triple Six — sapphire crystal, cal 3035 (1978–1988) ==

The 16660 is the first sapphire-crystal Sea-Dweller, the first with a unidirectional bezel, and the first with quickset date. Depth rating doubled to 1220m / 4000ft. Caliber 3035 replaces the cal 1575. Production overlaps the 1665 for five years (1978 to 1983).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Crystal !! Depth !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:16660|16660]] || 1978–1988 || 3035 || Sapphire || 1220m / 4000ft || "Triple Six". Andrea Piccinini's 8-tier dial taxonomy (MK0 / MK1 / MK1 bis / MK2 Beyeler matte "Pallettoni" → MK3 Stern glossy spider dial → MK4 / MK4 bis Lemrich → MK5 Beyeler "Bicchierini"). Caseback typology external Mk1–4 + internal Mk1–3. COMEX ~200 units 1980–84 issue 3000–3199 in two batches. Tiffany-signed branch the rarest retailer-signed Sea-Dweller.
|}

== Long-run cal 3135 (1989–2008) ==

The 16600 carries the 16660 case forward and replaces the movement. Caliber 3135 with full balance bridge. White-gold-surround applied indices throughout. Production spans three lume eras — tritium MK1, Luminova MK2 (short window late 1998 to early 2000), Super-LumiNova MK3. The 16600 is the last Sea-Dweller with an aluminum bezel insert and the last to wear tritium.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Crystal !! Depth !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:16600|16600]] || 1989–2008 || 3135 || Sapphire || 1220m / 4000ft || The long-run Sea-Dweller. 20 years of continuous production — longest of any SD reference. MK1 tritium → MK2 Luminova "SWISS" → MK3 Super-LumiNova "SWISS MADE" → MK4 short-FT. 93160 bracelet throughout (not 93150 — strip-on-sight). COMEX 16600 ~200 units in 1992 first batch (issue 32XX, straight caseback engraving) + 1997 second batch (issue 33XX, curved engraving — final Rolex–COMEX delivery). Theo Mavrostomos #3379 case U139'751 the most-documented SD example. Polipetto Polizia di Stato 78-unit 2008 commission.
|}

== Modern reissue — 116600 (2014–2017) ==

After the 116660 Deepsea moved the Sea-Dweller line to 44mm in 2008, the 116600 returns the reference to its canonical 40mm Oyster case. Three-year production. Caliber 3135 with Parachrom Blu hairspring (first Parachrom on a Sea-Dweller). Cerachrom ceramic bezel insert with platinum-coated graduations. Maxi dial with applied white-gold-surround indices and Chromalight lume. The "4000" depth designation drops from the dial despite the watch being marketed as "Sea-Dweller 4000".

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Crystal !! Depth !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:116600|116600]] || 2014–2017 || 3135 + Parachrom Blu || Sapphire || 1220m / 4000ft || Three-year reissue. First Cerachrom-bezel Sea-Dweller. Maxi dial, Chromalight lume, 97200 bracelet with Glidelock + Fliplock. Last 40mm Sea-Dweller before the 126600 took the line to 43mm. No mark generations — single dial, single bracelet, cleanest variant set in the SD line. Random scrambled serials throughout.
|}

== Helium escape valve ==

The HEV sits at 9 o'clock on every Sea-Dweller. Swiss patent CH492246, filed 6 November 1967, granted June 1970. The concept emerged from SEALAB diver Bob Barth's feedback on lost crystals during chamber decompression. Helium dissolves through case gaskets at saturation pressure; on ascent, the trapped gas expands and pops crystals off the case if it cannot escape. The valve is a one-way spring-loaded relief mechanism: internal pressure above the spring threshold opens it, the spring re-seats against water and dirt ingress on the way back down.

The 1665 carries the valve in its first generation. The 16660 enlarges it for the 1220-metre depth rating. The 16600 and 116600 inherit the larger valve.

== Historical anchors ==

* 1967 — first Single Red prototypes delivered. Hand-made in Geneva for SEALAB 3 and Tektite I aquanauts. ~10 prototypes per T. Walker Lloyd (Rolex USA).
* 15 February 1969 — Berry Cannon SEALAB 3 death. Wore a valved Single Red during the fatal DDC decompression.
* Late 1971 — first co-branded Rolex–COMEX delivery. Batch of ten in the 2.6M serial range, double-signed and numbered 1 through 10.
* 17 February 1972 — formal Rolex–COMEX exclusivity letter. From Rolex Geneva to John M. Kelly, Singapore.
* 24 May 1972 — Physalie 6 record. Robert Gauret and Patrice Chemin reach 2000 feet / 610 metres wearing DRSDs. 233-hour, 17-day decompression schedule.
* 1992 — Theo Mavrostomos Hydra X dive. Reaches 701 metres over 43 days breathing Hydeliox. His 16600 caseback carries the inscription "Theo Mavrostomos – Hydrax – 701 M".

== Special branches ==

The four main Sea-Dweller references host institutional and retailer-signed branches whose provenance and authentication warrant separate treatment in the per-ref articles:

* Patent Pending caseback DRSD (1665 Mk I) — ~100 examples, hand-engraved caseback, 1.7M and 2.1M serial bands. Marcello Pisani's batch tables identify the canonical anti-fake checks (inside-back last-three-digits stamp present from 2.117M onward).
* COMEX 1665 — 300 numbered units 1976–81, issue 2000–2300, serial 5.14M–6.76M, "600m" depth on the dial. Three dial sub-generations track the Great White Mk system.
* COMEX 16660 — ~200 units 1980–84, issue 3000–3199, two batches matching the matte→glossy transition.
* COMEX 16600 — ~200 units in two batches, 1992 (issue 32XX, straight caseback engraving) and 1997 (issue 33XX, curved engraving). Final Rolex–COMEX delivery.
* Asprey Khanjar 1665 (Oman, Sultan Qaboos) — Red Khanjar with Qaboos signature in 3,566,9xx batch (~80–90 examples), gold Khanjar in 5.0M batch (4–5 known). Battle of Mirbat (July 1972) context.
* Single Red Sea-Dweller — ~10 hand-made prototypes 1967–69. ~12 surfaced. SEALAB 3 (Cousteau #1602920), Tektite I (Koblick #1602915, Waller), Deepstar (Bradley #1602913), COMEX Physalie (Brauer #1820177).
* US Navy Experimental Diving Unit — Patent Pending batch 2 (2.128M) loaned to USN EDU. Charles E. Gross #2128225 in a 28-day saturation simulation to 1000ft, June-July 1970.
* Polipetto 16600 (Polizia di Stato Sommozzatori, 2008) — 78 units for the 50th anniversary of the Italian State Police Diving Corps. 28 personalised with diver patent number on the caseback. Octopus emblem on the dial.
* Tiffany & Co retailer-signed 16660 — handful of surviving examples, barely surfaces on the public market.

== Reference guides ==

Cross-family material that applies across the Sea-Dweller line:

* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelets]] — the 9315, 93150, 93160, 78360, 97200 fitments and clasp date-code key
* [[Reference:Movements|Movements]] — caliber 1575 (1665), 3035 (16660), 3135 (16600 + 116600 with Parachrom Blu)
* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]] — numeric 1967–1987, letter prefix 1987–2010, random alphanumeric 2010 onward

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the parent line. Same case, same bezel template — the Sea-Dweller is the Submariner with a helium escape valve.
* [[Reference:milgauss|Milgauss]] — the other specialist tool. Different threat (magnetism, not pressure), same purpose: a Rolex built for one specific working environment.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the parallel sports line. Same Cerachrom transition arrives on both lines in the late 2000s.

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]] — date any Sea-Dweller from its serial
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] — the calibers used across the Sea-Dweller line
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]] — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes

[[Category:Sea-Dweller]]
[[Category:Family]]

Reference:explorer-ii

2026-07-18T13:00:01Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: shared-reference component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Explorer II}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Explorer II — Complete Reference Guide — BezelBase
|description=Every Rolex Explorer II reference from the 1971 Freccione 1655 through the 16550, 16570, 216570, and current 226570. Production histories, dial variants, Mark taxonomies, movement specs, and collector context.
|keywords=Rolex Explorer II, 1655, Freccione, 16550, cream dial, 16570, Polar, 216570, 226570, vintage Rolex, 24-hour GMT
|type=Article
}}

== Rolex Explorer II ==

The Explorer II is the fixed-bezel 24-hour sibling to the Explorer I. Rolex launched it in 1971 for cave and polar use, and every Explorer II since has kept the 24-hour hand and bezel.

Five references make up the line: the 1655 with linked-hand day-night logic, the 16550 with the first true GMT function, the 16570 across the long middle run, the 42mm 216570 from 2011, and the 226570 in current production.

== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying a vintage orange-hand Explorer II?'' '''[[Reference:1655|1655]]''' — the Freccione. Five Mark dials plus two service dials, caliber 1575 GMT shared with the GMT-Master 1675.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Working from a Polar or cream dial?'' '''[[Reference:16550|16550]]''' — first sapphire-crystal Explorer II, first true independent-hour GMT function, the cream / rail dial paint-defect sub-branch.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking a long-run modern?'' '''[[Reference:16570|16570]]''' — twenty-one-year production run across four internal versions (V1 tritium through V4 caliber 3186), plus the 2007 SRR military limited edition.
|}

== The first Explorer II (1971–1984) ==

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1655|1655]] || 1971–1984 || Cal. 1575 GMT || 40mm SS, acrylic || Freccione orange straight/lollipop hand; 5 Mark dials + 2 service dials; linked-hand 24-hour; fixed engraved steel bezel
|}

== The transitional reference (1985–1989) ==

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:16550|16550]] || 1985–1989 || Cal. 3085 || 40mm SS, sapphire || First sapphire; first independent-hour GMT; black or Polar white dial; cream/rail dial paint-defect variant
|}

== The long-run modern reference (1989–2010) ==

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:16570|16570]] || 1989–2010 || Cal. 3185, then 3186 late || 40mm SS, sapphire || Four internal versions: V1 tritium, V2 Swiss-only, V3 Super-LumiNova, V4 no-holes case plus cal 3186; black or Polar white; SRR military limited edition 2007
|}

== Current-production successors ==

The 42mm ceramic-era successors continue the line beyond the vintage and neo-vintage generations.

* [[Reference:216570|216570]] (2011–2021) — 42mm case, cal. 3187, reintroduced orange 24-hour hand
* '''226570''' (2021–present) — cal. 3285, current production

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Frequency !! Power reserve !! 24-hour function !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1575 GMT || 19,800 vph || ~48 hr || linked to hour hand || 1655 || Shared with GMT-Master 1675; 24-hour hand advances with hour hand, works as day-night indicator
|-
| 3085 || 28,800 vph || 48 hr (disputed: some sources say 42 hr) || independent-hour || 16550 || First Explorer II with true GMT; shared with GMT-Master II 16760 "Fat Lady"; 6.3mm thick
|-
| 3185 || 28,800 vph || ~50 hr || independent-hour || 16570 || Successor to 3085 with minor revisions; ran through most of the 16570
|-
| 3186 || 28,800 vph || ~50 hr || independent-hour || 16570 (late 2006+) || Added blue Parachrom hairspring; fixed the 3185 GMT-hand wobble
|}

== Dial variant highlights ==

Variant taxonomy across the line, in brief:

* '''1655 Mark dials''' — Mk1 (large crown), Mk2 (Frog Foot), Mk3 (Rail Dial), Mk4 (taller crown, T SWISS <25 T serif), Mk5 (sans-serif). Two Beyeler service dials also exist.
* '''16550 cream / rail dial''' — a subset of Polar white dials aged to cream through a factory paint defect Rolex later corrected. Rail-dial sub-variant has the C of CHRONOMETER aligned vertically over the C of CERTIFIED.
* '''16570 Swiss-only''' — about 5 percent of production, covering the 1998–1999 window when the dial carried Luminova lume but kept the older SWISS (not SWISS MADE) printing.

== Cross-references ==

The Explorer II is the sibling of the [[Reference:explorer|Explorer I]] line and shares calibers and case architecture with the [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] line. The caliber 1575 in the 1655 is the same caliber 1575 used in the GMT-Master 1675, configured differently: linked-hand on the Explorer II, independent-hour on the GMT-Master. The caliber 3085 in the 16550 is the same caliber 3085 that powered the GMT-Master II 16760.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] — the original line. Same case lineage, same Mercedes hands, no 24-hour function.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the shared-movement sibling. Caliber 1575 GMT in the 1655 and caliber 3085 in the 16550 carry over from the GMT-Master family.
* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the parallel tool line. Same case-era cadence, same generation-by-generation movement progression.

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]] — date any Explorer II from its serial
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] — the calibers used across the Explorer II line
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]] — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes

== Sources ==

* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-ii-adventure-watch-gmt-1655-16550-16570-216570-226570-in-depth/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Explorer II, The Ultimate Adventure Watch] — Monochrome
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/tooled-rolex-explorer-ii-reference-1655/ Tooled Up: The Rolex Explorer II Reference 1655] — Ross Povey, Revolution
* [https://rolexpassionreport.com/2867/ Mr Rolex Orange Hand, Reinhold Messner and Sir Edmund Hillary's Original Vintage Explorer II ref 1655] — Philipp Stahl, Rolex Passion Report
* [https://www.europeanwatch.com/blog/rolex-explorer-ii-reference-16550-review Spelunking Into the Details: The Rolex Explorer II Reference 16550] — Tony Traina, European Watch Co.
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/buying_guide_different_versions_rolex_explorer_ii_16570/ Buyer's Guide: Explorer II Ref. 16570, All Variations] — Jorg Weppelink, Fratello
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/rolex-ref-1655-a-complete-guide/?lang=en The Rolex Explorer II Ref. 1655: A Complete Guide] — Andrea David, Italian Watch Spotter
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/rolex-explorer-ii-paragone/?lang=en Rolex Explorer II 16550 vs 16570] — Alessandro Metelli, Italian Watch Spotter
* [https://quillandpad.com/2018/06/15/exceptional-movements-in-history-rolex-caliber-1575-the-watchmakers-watch/ Exceptional Movements In History: Rolex Caliber 1575] — Quill & Pad
* [https://millenarywatches.com/rolex-caliber-3085/ Rolex Caliber 3085 Complete Guide] — Millenary Watches
* [https://www.beyondthedial.com/post/collector-guide-the-rolex-explorer-ii-all-references-in-detail/ Collector Guide: The Rolex Explorer II — All References in Detail] — Beyond The Dial
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

[[Category:Explorer II]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:explorer

2026-07-18T12:59:57Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: shared-reference component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Explorer}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Explorer — Reference Guide to Every Model & Year | BezelBase
|description=Every Rolex Explorer I reference from the 1952 pre-Explorer 6150 through the current 124270 and 224270. Production histories, dial variants, movement specs, and collector context.
|keywords=Rolex Explorer, Explorer I, 1016, 6150, 6350, 6610, 14270, 114270, 214270, 124270, 224270, vintage Rolex
|image=Ref Explorer everest 1953.webp
|image_alt=Hillary and Norgay's 1953 Everest expedition — the event that launched the Explorer name
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-16T04:55:10Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:46Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Explorer I ==
The Explorer launched in 1953, the same year as the Submariner, and took its name from Rolex's run of supplied watches on Himalayan expeditions through the early 1950s. The Hillary and Norgay Everest ascent that May supplied the marketing peg, though the dial layout had already been settled on the 6150. The line is defined by three things: a 36mm Oyster case (until the 214270 stretched it to 39mm in 2010), a 3-6-9 Arabic-numeral dial, and Mercedes hands. No date, no rotating bezel, no complications of any kind.

The [[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II]] arrived in 1971 with a 24-hour hand aimed at cavers and polar workers who lose track of day and night. It runs across five references (1655, 16550, 16570, 216570, 226570) on its own movement family and is documented separately. This page covers Explorer I.

[[File:Ref Explorer everest 1953.webp|thumb|center|500px|alt=Hillary and Norgay's 1953 Everest expedition — the event that launched the Explorer name|Hillary and Norgay's 1953 Everest expedition — the event that launched the Explorer name]]

== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying a vintage 36mm Explorer?'' '''[[Reference:1016|1016]]''' — the twenty-nine-year foundation reference, gilt Types 0 through 6, matte Marks 0 through 5.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking a sapphire-era 36mm?'' '''[[Reference:14270|14270]]''' — first sapphire-crystal Explorer, caliber 3000, five dial generations, plus the Blackout variant that re-set the modern Explorer market.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Working from a 39mm dial photo?'' '''[[Reference:214270|214270]]''' — first size change in fifty-seven years. Caliber 3132 with Paraflex shock absorbers, and the Mark 1 (no lume numerals) vs Mark 2 (lume) split.
|}

== Pre-Explorer and early references (1952–1959) ==

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6150|6150]] || 1952–1953 (or 1959) || A296 (non-COSC) || 36mm SS || First 3-6-9 layout; most dials say "Precision," not "Explorer"
|-
| [[Reference:6350|6350]] || 1953–1955 || A296 (COSC) || 36mm SS || First ref where ALL dials say "Explorer"; honeycomb variant
|-
| [[Reference:6610|6610]] || 1955–1959 || Cal. 1030 || 36mm SS || Upgraded movement; red depth rating and Albino variants
|}

== The foundation reference (1960–1989) ==

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1016|1016]] || ~1960–1989 || Cal. 1560, then 1570 || 36mm SS || 29-year run; gilt Types 0–6, matte Marks 0–5; the definitive Explorer
|}

== Modern references (1989–2021) ==

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:14270|14270]] || 1989–2001 || Cal. 3000 || 36mm SS || Sapphire crystal; Blackout variant; 5 dial generations
|-
| [[Reference:114270|114270]] || 2001–2010 || Cal. 3130 || 36mm SS || Parachrom hairspring; solid end links; engraved rehaut late
|-
| [[Reference:214270|214270]] || 2010–2021 || Cal. 3132 || 39mm SS || First size change in 57 years; Mark 1 (no lume) vs Mark 2 (lume)
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Frequency !! Power reserve !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| A296 || — || — || 6150, 6350 || Pre-1560 era; COSC-certified in 6350 only
|-
| 1030 || — || — || 6610 || Upgrade from A296; thinner caseback
|-
| 1560 || 18,000 vph || — || 1016 (early) || Microstella adjustment; first "Superlative Chronometer"
|-
| 1570 || 19,800 vph || — || 1016 (from ~1965) || Hacking added 1971
|-
| 3000 || 28,800 vph || 48 hr || 14270 || Last Rolex with balance cock
|-
| 3130 || 28,800 vph || 48 hr || 114270 || Parachrom hairspring; balance bridge
|-
| 3132 || 28,800 vph || 48 hr || 214270 || Paraflex shock absorbers
|}

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer-II]] — the 24-hour sibling. Same Explorer DNA, fixed bezel, an extra hour hand for cavers and polar workers.
* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the parallel 1953 launch. Same year, same case architecture, different tool job.
* [[Reference:air-king|Air-King]] — the shared-case cousin. The 1500-family movement that powers the 1016 also powers the 5500; the 5504 wears a 1016 case with Air-King dial text.

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]] — date any Explorer from its serial
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] — the calibers used across the Explorer line
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]] — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-from-1953-36mm-1016-14270-114270-214270-124270-in-depth-review/ The History of the Rolex Explorer] — Frank Geelen, Monochrome Watches (2024)
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-explorer-reference-points Collector's Guide To The Rolex Explorer I] — Jon Bues, Hodinkee (2022)
* [https://explorer1016.com/ Explorer1016.com] — Andrew Hantel (definitive 1016 dial variant resource)
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.rolex.com/watches/explorer Rolex.com Explorer Collection] — official current specs

[[Category:Explorer]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:bubbleback

2026-07-18T12:59:54Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: shared-reference component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex bubbleback}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex bubbleback — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=Every Rolex Bubbleback reference from the 1933 original through the mid-1950s transitional era. Production histories, movement progression, dial variants, and collector context.
|keywords=Rolex Bubbleback, Ovetto, Ovettone, Padellone, Oyster Perpetual, Monoblocco, Submarine Hermetique, 1858, 3131, 3372, 4467, 3666, 6098, 8171, 3525, 3003, 6105, Datejust, Precision, Cal. 520, Cal. 620, Cal. 630, Cal. 1030, vintage Rolex, collector guide
|image=Bubbleback_vintage_poster.webp
|image_alt=Vintage Rolex Bubbleback — the Oyster Perpetual with the domed caseback, produced 1933 through the mid-1950s
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-17T21:11:45Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:31Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

= Rolex Oyster & Bubbleback =

The Bubbleback is Rolex's first Oyster Perpetual family. The automatic rotor was too thick for a flat case, so Rolex domed the caseback over the movement and created the profile collectors now call Bubbleback. Production runs from 1933 into the mid-1950s, ending when cal. 1030 makes a flat back possible. Italian collectors call the standard 32mm case Ovetto and the 36mm cases Ovettone.

[[File:Bubbleback_vintage_poster.webp|thumb|center|500px|alt=Vintage Rolex Bubbleback — the Oyster Perpetual with the domed caseback, produced 1933 through the mid-1950s|Vintage Rolex Bubbleback — the Oyster Perpetual with the domed caseback, produced 1933 through the mid-1950s]]

== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying a first-generation Bubbleback?'' '''[[Reference:1858|1858]]''' — the first Bubbleback. Cal 520 with the full 360-degree rotor, the Didactic engravings in French on the movement plate, and the four-piece case form.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking a two-piece case Bubbleback?'' '''[[Reference:3131|3131]]''' — first two-piece case Bubbleback. The 1936 case simplification, precious-metal only (9K, 14K, 18K yellow and pink gold), Cal 620 with sub-seconds.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Working from a Luxury Model dial photo?'' '''[[Reference:3372|3372]]''' — the catalogue flagship. Engine-turned bezel, Cal 630 sweep seconds, and the widest dial variety of any Bubbleback — California, sector, salmon, champagne, silvered-gilt all documented.
|}

== Pre-Oyster / Submarine (1922–1926) ==

Before the Oyster was the "Rolex Submarine." Wilsdorf's trademark was registered 31 March 1922, 31 years before the 1953 dive watch. Based on Jean Finger's 1921 Swiss patent for a double-case hermetic design, the inner watch sealed inside an outer protective case with a screw-down bezel. Winding or setting the watch required unscrewing the outer case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:3666|3666]] || c.1924–1926 || 9¾''' Hunter manual, 15j || 32.35mm hermetic double-case || Finger patent CH 89276; retailed Cargills Ceylon; inner caseback signed W&D; reference later reused in 1940 for Valjoux-22 chronograph (unrelated watch)
|}

== Pre-Perpetual Oyster (1926–1932) ==

Before the Bubbleback, Rolex produced manual-wind Oysters in the 1926 case form. Most carried 10½-ligne or 9¾-ligne Aegler Hunter movements at Prima, Extra Prima, or Ultra Prima grades. Glasgow import hallmarks are common on British-market examples. The movement architecture is traditional manual wind; the case is already recognizably Oyster.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:2136|2136]] || c.1926–1940 || 10½''' Hunter, 15j manual || 32–34mm octagonal / cushion || Early manual-wind gold Oyster; Borgel-lineage three-piece construction; same reference reused c.1960 for a Cal. 1400 Precision
|-
| [[Reference:3003|3003]] · [[Reference:3004|3004]] || 1937+ || 10½''' Hunter / Cal. 700, manual, 15–17j || 33–34mm Oyster || First Rolex "Precision" references; opens the 47-year Oyster Precision line that continues alongside the Perpetual
|}

== Manual-wind Oyster Precision (1939–1948) ==

Manual-wind Oyster Precision references ran in parallel with the automatic Bubbleback through the 1940s. The cases are tonneau or cushion Oysters with the same hermetic screw-back architecture; the difference is the movement, a Hunter-derived manual instead of the Cal. 520 / 620 / 630 rotor automatics that defined the Bubbleback line.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:3139|3139]] || c.1940–1942 || 10½''' Hunter, manual || 32mm cushion Oyster, 3-piece || Only Rolex with "Army" on the dial; cushion case in the Borgel-derived 1920s family; documented British military and civilian examples
|-
| [[Reference:3359|3359]] || c.1939–1947 || 10½''' Hunter, manual || 32mm tonneau Oyster, two-tone SS + pink gold || ''Viceroy''-signed dial; two-tone SS case with pink gold bezel; applied luminous numerals
|-
| [[Reference:4220|4220]] || c.1944–1948 || Cal. 59 manual, 17j || 30mm tonneau Oyster SS || ''Speedking'' line; California dial; the canonical 1940s small-Oyster look on a manual movement
|}

== First Bubbleback (1933–1935) ==

The first production Perpetual. Cal. 520 (Hunter 8¾''') with a full 360-degree rotor. Early examples carry the Didactic engravings: step-by-step service instructions in French cut directly into the movement plate because no watchmaker outside Aegler had ever opened a Rolex automatic.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1858|1858]] || 1933–1935 || Cal. 520, 17j || 32mm tonneau, 3/4-piece || First Bubbleback; Didactic movement; 60% Didactic split across 5 confirmed auction lots
|}

== Two-piece case era (1936–1944) ==

In 1936 Rolex simplified the Bubbleback case from the first-generation four-piece architecture to the two-piece form that carried through the rest of the line. Cal. 620 (subsidiary seconds) and Cal. 630 (sweep seconds) became the dominant automatic calibers, developed by Emile Borer at Aegler.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:3131|3131]] || 1936–1948 || Cal. 620, 17j, sub-seconds || 32mm tonneau, 2-piece || First two-piece case Bubbleback; precious-metal only (9K/14K/18K YG & PG)
|-
| [[Reference:3372|3372]] || 1938–1950 || Cal. 630, 17–19j, sweep seconds || 32mm tonneau || "Luxury Model" catalogue flagship; engine-turned bezel; widest dial variety of any Bubbleback (California, sector, salmon, champagne, silvered-gilt)
|}

== First Oyster chronograph (1939–1945) ==

Rolex's first chronograph in the waterproof Oyster case. Italian collectors call it the ''Monoblocco'' (monobloc) or ''Barilotto'' (little barrel) for the case machined from a single billet. British POWs at Stalag Luft III ordered the reference during WWII; Wilsdorf honored the orders, shipped the watches to the camps, and deferred payment until after the war.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:3525|3525]] || 1939–1945 || Cal. 13 (Valjoux 23 VZ) manual chronograph || ~35mm monobloc Oyster SS/gold || First Oyster chronograph; ''Monoblocco''/''Barilotto''; POW watch (Corporal Nutting's serial 185,983 sold £66,000 at Antiquorum 2007); first Rolex sport watch
|}

== First Datejust / Ovettone (1945–1949) ==

The 4467 launched in 1945 to mark Rolex's 40th anniversary. It is the first automatic wristwatch with a date window, the first watch to carry the Jubilee bracelet, and the origin of the fluted Datejust bezel. 36mm case (the "Big Bubbleback"), 18K gold only, about 1,000 units produced with the first 100 sold by souscription through a Swiss newspaper at CHF 975 each.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:4467|4467]] || 1945–1949 || Cal. A.295 (= 740/745), 18j || 36mm 18K YG/PG tonneau, 2-piece || First Datejust; first Jubilee bracelet; first solid end-links; ''Ovettone''; date wheel evolves all-black → all-red → roulette
|-
| [[Reference:5030|5030]] · [[Reference:5031|5031]] || 1948 || Cal. A.295 / 740 || 36mm 18K YG/PG || Early Ovettone Datejusts; small Brevet crown; some late examples mark transition to "Datejust" dial text
|-
| [[Reference:6031|6031]] || 1949 || Cal. A.295 || 36mm 18K PG || Pink-gold 1949 Ovettone; one of four "true Ovettone" references per Le Monde Edmond
|-
| [[Reference:6075|6075]] || 1950 || Cal. A.295 || 36mm 18K YG/PG || Last pre-"Datejust"-text Big Bubbleback
|-
| [[Reference:6105|6105]] || c.1950–1953 || Cal. A.296 || 36mm 18K YG/PG || First Rolex with "Datejust" text on the dial; rare left-handed (destro) variant with crown at 9
|}

== Triple calendar flagship — Padellone (1949–1953) ==

The Bubbleback era's complication flagship. "Padellone" means "big pan" in Italian, an augmentative of ''padella'' ("pan") that follows the same naming logic as Ovetto/Ovettone. Triple calendar (day, month, date) plus moonphase. The Padellone case is not a waterproof Oyster; the calendar mechanism would not fit a screw-down Oyster architecture, so Rolex used a snap caseback.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:8171|8171]] || c.1949–1953 || Cal. A.295 CPL automatic triple calendar moonphase, in-house Aegler || 38mm non-Oyster snap caseback, 18K YG/PG, SS rare || Triple calendar + moonphase; ''Padellone''; ~1,000–1,200 produced; record Christie's NY Dec 2002 "Sleeping Beauty" USD 1,145,000 in SS
|}

== Post-Bubbleback / Super Oyster (1952–1953) ==

The hinge between the Bubbleback era and the professional-family split. Cal. 1030, the first Rolex-designed-from-scratch caliber and a bi-directional automatic, made the flat caseback possible and ended the Bubbleback profile. The 6098 "Super Oyster" carried 60m water resistance into the Oyster Perpetual line, preceding the Submariner by a year and anticipating the sport-watch emphasis Rolex would formalize with the 1953 Explorer, Submariner, and GMT-Master launches.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6098|6098]] || 1952–1953 || Cal. 1030 (or A.296), 25j, bi-directional || 36mm Oyster, flat caseback || "Super Oyster" per 1953 Vailati letter; 60m water resistance; pre-Explorer / pre-Submariner ancestor; honeycomb and galaxy dials
|}

== Related references ==

The Bubbleback era connects forward to:
* [[Reference:6098|6098]] — Super Oyster, 60m water resistance (1952), the pre-Explorer and pre-Submariner ancestor
* [[Reference:6150|6150]] — first Explorer (1952)
* [[Reference:6204|6204]] — first Submariner (1953)
* 6305 — first Datejust with Cyclops (1954)
* 6604 and 6605 — first Datejust with instantaneous date change, Cal. 1065 (1956–57)

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:air-king|Air-King]] — the descendant line. The 1945 4925 / 4365 / 4499 originating Air-Kings sit in the same Bubbleback case architecture and run on the same Aegler hand-wound calibers.
* [[Reference:prince|Prince]] — the parallel 1930s line. The Aegler-supplier relationship that powers the Prince also powers every Bubbleback caliber.
* [[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] — the chronograph ancestor. The pre-Daytona Antimagnetique, Monoblocco, and 4xxx tonneau Oyster chronographs share the same era and case lineage.

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]] — date any Bubbleback from its serial
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] — the calibers used across the Bubbleback line
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]] — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes

[[Category:Reference family]]
[[Category:Bubbleback]]

Reference:air-king

2026-07-18T12:59:51Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: shared-reference component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Air-King}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Air-King — Reference Guide to Every Model & Year | BezelBase
|description=The Rolex Air-King has been in the catalogue since 1945 — the post-Battle-of-Britain piece that became Rolex's longest-running line. From the 4925 Bubbleback through the 5500 mainstay to the 14000 / 114200 sapphire era. Family hub for every published Air-King reference.
|keywords=Rolex, Air-King, family, history, references
|image=Air-King family hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Air-King family
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

The Air-King is Rolex's longest-running named line. It begins in 1945 with a small batch of hand-wound Bubblebacks bearing four cockpit-derived names — Air-King, Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, Air-Giant — produced as a Battle of Britain commemoration aimed at British pilots. Three of the four names were retired by 1953. The Air-King survived. From the 4925 of the 1940s through the 5500 mainstay of 1957–1989 and into the sapphire-crystal 14000-onward generation, the Air-King carries a single design idea forward: a 34mm steel Oyster, smooth bezel, a non-chronometer movement, and an entry-level Rolex price. Plain text, plain meaning.

The line sits as Rolex's most accessible mid-century piece — never a flagship, never a sport tool, but consistently in the catalogue across eight decades. Its role as a default Rolex made it the choice for corporate-gift programs (Domino's Pizza, Pool Intairdril, Circle Bar Drilling) and for Middle-East government-crest commissions (Saudi Armed Forces, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait). The 5500 in particular carries a wider documented dial map than any other single Air-King reference.

== References in scope ==

The pre-2020 Air-King references in scope on BezelBase, in production order:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Notes
|-
| [[Reference:4925|4925]] / [[Reference:4365|4365]] / [[Reference:4499|4499]] || 1945–1953 || cal 10½ Hunter hand-wound || Originating Air-King generation — the four-name Battle of Britain commemoration. 4925 = centre-seconds Air-King-only. 4365 = sub-seconds with four-name shared-case dial map (Air-King / Air-Lion / Air-Tiger / Air-Giant). 4499 = 1946+ centre-seconds running mate to 4925, 15j→17j running update (Bonhams 2012 documents 1946 15j sub-seconds variant). Battle of Britain commemoration narrative is universally repeated but primary-source unverified
|-
| [[Reference:6552|6552]] || 1953–1957 || cal 1030 automatic || First automatic Air-King; Cal 1030 butterfly rotor stamped ROLEX PERPETUAL PATENTED. Caseback duality (6552 between lugs / 6565 inside) period-correct. "Super Precision" dial despite chronometer-grade movement adjustment
|-
| [[Reference:5501|5501]] || 1959–1986 (late stock to 1987) || cal 1530 / 1520 || The only true Rolesor Air-King — steel case with solid 18k yellow gold fluted bezel and gold crown. Distinct from gold-capped 5502/5506/5520 (40-micron plated). Cotton Bowl Classic 1967-1970 + Tiffany champagne marquee branches. Caseback 5501/1102
|-
| [[Reference:5502|5502]] || 1958–1965 || cal 1530 || Gold-capped 40-micron Super Precision Air-King — US-market distribution channel. Alpha hands. Sister to 5506 (parallel-production Commonwealth-market). Distinct from solid-gold 5501 (5502 = electroplated, 5501 = solid 18k gold) and from later 5520 (5502 = Cal 1530 Super Precision alpha hands; 5520 = Cal 1520 Precision baton hands)
|-
| [[Reference:5504|5504]] || 1957/58–1963/64 || cal 1530 || 36mm Explorer-case Super Precision; the connective tissue between 5500 (34mm Air-King) and 1016 Explorer (36mm EXPLORER text + COSC). Wears 1016 case but AIR-KING dial text and non-COSC Cal 1530. 3-6-9 Explorer-dial-with-AIR-KING-text is the marquee collector branch
|-
| [[Reference:5506|5506]] || 1958–1964 || cal 1530 || Gold-capped 40-micron Super Precision Air-King — UK/Commonwealth-market distribution channel. Alpha hands. Sister to 5502 (parallel-production US-market). Bonhams 2023 lot 51 (USD 2,550) is the strongest standalone hammer record. Same Kessi Frères case + 78351 bracelet as 5502
|-
| [[Reference:5500|5500]] || 1957–1989 || cal 1530 then 1520 || The mainstay. 32-year run. Broadest documented dial map of any Air-King
|-
| [[Reference:5520|5520]] || 1974–1986 || cal 1520 || The longest-running gold-capped Air-King — 40-micron yellow gold electroplate over steel base. "Precision" dial (NOT Super Precision — distinguishes from earlier 5502/5506 pair). Baton/stick hands and markers (vs alpha on 5502/5506). Domino's "Golden Egg" marquee branch from 1980s Domino's Olympic Award. Caseback 5520/1024
|-
| [[Reference:5700|5700]] / [[Reference:5701|5701]] || 1959–1988 (late "N" codes to 1991) || cal 1525 / 1535 || Air-King-Date with date at three. Both Precision tier (non-COSC). Marquee curiosity: cursive "Explorer-Date" dial variant. 5701 sister = two-tone Rolesor steel-and-18k-gold with fluted/reeded bezel + gold crown (same Rolesor convention as 5501)
|-
| [[Reference:14000|14000]] || 1989–2000 || cal 3000 || First sapphire-crystal Air-King; non-COSC ("Precision" dial), wider dial palette than any prior Air-King (salmon, blue, Roman, Arabic, 3-6-9 Explorer), Domino's second-generation tilted-logo + Tiffany retailer-signed branches
|-
| [[Reference:14000M|14000M]] || 2000–2006 || cal 3130 || The bridge Air-King — same Cal 3130 the 114200 carries, but pre-COSC ("Precision" dial) and pre-engraved-rehaut (smooth rehaut throughout). Pre-Parachrom (hairspring adoption 2010, after 14000M production ended). Visually nearly identical to 14000
|-
| [[Reference:114200|114200]] || 2007–2014 || cal 3130 || First COSC-certified Air-King in line history. Engraved rehaut from launch. Concentric "wave" dial palette in silver/black/blue+orange-Arabic/salmon/green/Roman/3-6-9-Explorer/Arabic. Closes the 34mm Air-King chapter before the 2-year hiatus and 116900 40mm redesign
|}

The post-2014 references (116900, 126900) sit outside the BezelBase pre-2020 scope and are not covered.

== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying a 5500 mainstay?'' '''[[Reference:5500|5500]]''' — the thirty-two-year mainstay across calibers 1530 and 1520, with the broadest documented dial map of any Air-King and the canvas for the major corporate-gift and Middle-East commissions.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Working from an Explorer-dial Air-King?'' '''[[Reference:5504|5504]]''' — thirty-six-millimetre Explorer-case Super Precision. Cal 1530, AIR-KING dial text on a 1016 case — the connective tissue between the 5500 mainstay and the 1016 itself.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking a COSC-era Air-King?'' '''[[Reference:114200|114200]]''' — first COSC-certified Air-King. Engraved rehaut from launch and the concentric wave dial palette (silver, black, blue with orange Arabic, salmon, green, Roman, 3-6-9 Explorer, Arabic) that closes the 34mm chapter in 2014.
|}

== History ==

=== Battle of Britain origins (1945) ===

Hans Wilsdorf was in London during the Battle of Britain in the autumn of 1940 and the years that followed. The Air-King and its three sister names — Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, Air-Giant — emerged in 1945 as a commemorative gesture toward RAF pilots, who were already wearing Rolex Oysters as personal purchases (the official-issue military watches went elsewhere). The four names ran on different reference numbers across the late-1940s 4925 / 4365 / 4499 / 4499/2 / 4925 hand-wound Bubbleback series.

The names did not all survive. Air-Lion, Air-Tiger, and Air-Giant were retired by the early 1950s. Air-King continued, settling onto the 6552 (the first automatic Air-King, 1953–1957) and then onto the 5500 mainstay (1957–1989).

=== The 5500 mainstay (1957–1989) ===

The 5500 carries the line forward across 32 years — the longest single Rolex reference run. Cal 1530 (1957–c.1963) gave way to Cal 1520 (c.1963–1989); both are non-chronometer 1500-family movements. The dial text alternates between AIR-KING / SUPER PRECISION (Cal 1530 era) and AIR-KING / PRECISION (Cal 1520 era), and a minority of 5500s left the factory without AIR-KING text — the same case middle was shared with the 1002 Oyster Perpetual, and casebacks across the 1970s+ run carry an inside "1002" stamp that is period-correct rather than service-replacement.

The 5500 became the canvas for Rolex's most-documented corporate-gift programs (Domino's Pizza, Pool Intairdril, Circle Bar Drilling, Winn-Dixie, Levi's) and for Middle-East government-crest commissions (Saudi Armed Forces, UAE, Bahrain Al Khalifa, Kuwait Al-Sabah). The Joyería Riviera retailer-signed gilt Explorer 3-6-9 5500 sits at the top of the auction record (Phillips Geneva FIVE 2017 lot 76 at CHF 32,500; Phillips Double Signed Geneva 2019 lot 49 at CHF 37,500).

=== The sapphire era (1989+) ===

The 14000 (1989) replaced the acrylic crystal with sapphire, dropped the AIR-KING + PRECISION dial text in favor of cleaner OYSTER PERPETUAL AIR-KING typography, and adopted Cal 3000 — Rolex's modern 28,800 vph base movement. The 14000M (2000) updated to Cal 3130. The 114200 (2007) refined the case proportions, added the engraved rehaut around the dial, and introduced concentric "wave" dials and several green / blue / pink configurations across the run.

== Where it sits across Rolex ==

The Air-King line uses the same case architecture and 1500-family movement as the 1002 Oyster Perpetual (no Air-King text on dial), the 1016 Explorer (36mm with Explorer dial), and the 1018 Oyster Perpetual 36mm. The Cal 1530 generation that powers the 5500 also powers the early 1016 Explorer; the 5500 with a 3-6-9 Explorer dial is functionally a 34mm Explorer in everything but case diameter and dial text.

The Air-King-Date 5700 / 5701 carry a date at three under the same case architecture; their 1535 / 1525 calibers add a date module to the 1500 base and shift the dial layout slightly. The Air-King-Date is sometimes treated as a separate sub-line by collectors and sometimes folded back into the Air-King family.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] — the close cousin. Same 1500-family movement powers the 5500 and the 1016; the 5504 wears a 1016 case under an Air-King dial.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the founding line. The 1945 4925 / 4365 / 4499 origination references sit in the same early-Oyster-Perpetual lineage the Bubbleback established.
* [[Reference:milgauss|Milgauss]] — the parallel non-flagship. Both lines run as quiet, non-sport, technically distinctive Rolexes through the 1960s and 1970s — Air-King at the entry tier, Milgauss at the specialist tier.

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]] — date any Air-King from its serial
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] — the calibers used across the Air-King line
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]] — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes

== Sources ==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.rescapement.com/blog/for-your-reference-rolex-air-king-reference-5500 Tony Traina, "For Your Reference: Rolex Air-King Reference 5500", Rescapement]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-of-the-rolex-air-king-the-underrated-pilots-watch/ Erik Slaven, "History of the Rolex Air-King, the underrated pilots watch", Monochrome Watches, 2025]
* [https://goldammer.me/blogs/articles/rolex-airking-origin-history-and-design-evolution Marcus Siems, "Rolex Air-King Origin History and Design Evolution", Goldammer]
* [https://beckertime.com/blog/rolex-caliber-15201530/ "Rolex Caliber 1520 and 1530", Beckertime]

[[Category:Air-King]]
[[Category:Family Hub]]

Reference:day-date

2026-07-18T12:59:48Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: shared-reference component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date President — Every Model & Year | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Day-Date reference, from the 1956 originals era (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6612B) through the modern 6-digit 118238 / 118239 / 118235. Production histories, dial variant taxonomy (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), movement progression, and presidential / Nasser / Sadat / LBJ / Khanjar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex Day-Date, President, 6510, 6611, 1803, 18038, 118238, 218238, Stella, Stern, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson
|image=Ref 118238 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-05-24T20:53:04Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:37Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Day-Date ==

The Day-Date is the Rolex reference that spells the day of the week in full at twelve o'clock and shows the date at three. Marc Huguenin's patent for the day-and-date wristwatch complication was filed 23 July 1955; Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956 as the [[Reference:6510|6510]]. The President bracelet — the bracelet that gives the line its modern shorthand — arrived a year later in 1957 with the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. The line has been in continuous catalogue presence since 1956 and is the only Rolex sport-luxury reference offered in precious metal only (steel and Rolesor have never appeared on a cataloged Day-Date — the marketing-test six-piece steel 6611 from the Geneva Horology School at Antiquorum October 2002 is the only documented exception).

This index covers the pre-2020 Day-Date references in scope on the wiki — the 6510 originals era, the 4-digit 1803 era, the 5-digit 18038 / 18028 / 18048 / 18078 cluster, and the modern 6-digit 118238 generation. The post-2019 Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 successors (128238 / 128239 / 128235 / 128236 / 128288 / 128289 / 228235 / 228238 / 228239 with cal 3255 from 2019) sit outside the wiki's pre-2020 scope.

[[File:Ref 118238 hero.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 118238 18k yellow gold champagne dial President|The modern Day-Date silhouette — fluted bezel, President bracelet, champagne stick-index dial — the configuration the line has carried since the 1957 introduction of the President bracelet on the 6611.]]
== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying the original 1956 Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:6510|6510]]''' — Marc Huguenin's 1955 patent, Basel 1956 launch, single-year cataloged run, Jubilee bracelet (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957).
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking the canonical 4-digit Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:1803|1803]]''' — eighteen-year run 1959 to 1977-78, cal 1555 then cal 1556, the dial-variant explosion (Stella, Stern stone, Buckley, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma), Nasser and LBJ provenance.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a modern 36mm Day-Date?'' '''[[Reference:118238|118238]]''' — nineteen-year run 2000 to 2019, cal 3155 with double quickset, Parachrom Blu mid-run rollout, engraved rehaut from 2006-07, the last 36mm Day-Date before the 128238 took over.
|}

== Originals era (1956–1959) ==

The 6510 opens the line at Basel 1956 with the cal 1055 — Rolex's first day-and-date caliber. The 6611 follows in 1957 with the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055 (Microstella balance, SCOC certification). The cluster runs through 1959 before the 1803 takes over the 4-digit era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Bezel !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6510|6510]] || 1956–57 || smooth / domed || Jubilee || The original Day-Date — cal 1055, single-year run, Italian-delivered case 134,636 is the earliest documented serial.
|-
| 6511 || 1956–57 || fluted || Jubilee || Parallel launch with the 6510. Introduces the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|-
| 6611 || 1957–59 || fluted || President || First reference to wear the President bracelet. Upgraded cal 1055 with Microstella and SCOC dial.
|-
| 6612 || 1957–59 || smooth || President || Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611.
|-
| 6613 || 1957–59 || gem-set || President || Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| 6611B || 1958–59 || fluted || President || Late variant of the 6611.
|-
| 6612B || 1958–59 || smooth || President || Late variant of the 6612.
|}

== 4-digit era (1959–1977/78) ==

The 1803 anchors the era with an eighteen-year run — the longest single-reference Day-Date production. Catalogue siblings split by bezel finish (1804 gem-set, 1807 bark, 1811 Morellis).

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1803|1803]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 → cal 1556 || fluted || The dial-variant-densest reference in the modern Rolex catalogue — Stella, Stern stone, Buckley Roman, Wide-Boy, Underline, Red Quarters, Sigma, Khanjar, Tiffany double-signed, Nasser/Sadat provenance.
|-
| [[Reference:1804|1804]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || gem-set || Factory diamond-set bezel in gold and platinum; the platinum Eastern-Arabic examples (Scheherazade) are among the most valuable 4-digit Day-Dates.
|-
| [[Reference:1806|1806]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Florentine || Florentine finish on case, bezel and lugs; often on the rare brick bracelet.
|-
| [[Reference:1807|1807]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || bark || Full bark coverage on bezel + center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1811|1811]] || 1959 to 1977-78 || cal 1555 / 1556 || Morellis || Morellis (moiré) finish on bezel and bracelet center links.
|-
| [[Reference:1831|1831]] || c.1977 (special order) || cal 1556 / 1566 || diamond (integrated case) || The platinum "Emperor" — special-order integrated-bracelet case (1530 / 1630 / Oysterquartz idiom), about eight numbered examples for the household of the Shah of Iran plus the Omani Khanjar No. 9. Not a round President.
|}

== 5-digit era (1977–1988) ==

Sapphire crystal arrives. Caliber 3055 introduces single quickset date. The 18038 is the volume reference; siblings cover bezel and material variations.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:18038|18038]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || fluted || First sapphire-crystal Day-Date. Stella third-series dials (T SWISS MADE T marking), Stern stone-dial 1980–1990 expansion, wood-burl revival, the uncatalogued Pleiade diamond-pattern sub-variant (~7,000 CHF factory surcharge).
|-
| [[Reference:18028|18028]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || smooth || Rare smooth-bezel President — the dressy outlier; value lives in the dial (stone/Stella).
|-
| [[Reference:18048|18048]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || gem-set || Factory diamond bezel with 44 round brilliants.
|-
| [[Reference:18078|18078]] || 1977–1988 || 18k yellow gold || bark || Bark-finish bezel and bark center links. Limited production.
|-
| 18039 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || fluted || White-gold equivalent of the 18038.
|-
| 18049 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || gem-set || White-gold equivalent of the 18048.
|-
| 18079 || 1977–1988 || 18k white gold || bark || White-gold equivalent of the 18078.
|-
| 18026 || 1977–1988 || platinum || smooth || Extremely rare platinum 5-digit Day-Date.
|}

== Late 5-digit era (1988–2000) ==

Caliber 3155 introduces double quickset (day and date both indexed from the crown). The 18238 takes the 36mm Day-Date through the 1990s.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| 18238 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k yellow gold || Double quickset on the 36mm President. Transition reference before the 118238 takes the case forward into the 6-digit era.
|-
| 18239 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| [[Reference:18248|18248]] / 18249 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || bark || Bark-finish (écorce) bezel and bark center links — the cal-3155 successor to the 18078. The diamond-bezel cal-3155 references are the [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349.
|-
| [[Reference:18348|18348]] / 18349 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || diamond || Factory diamond-set bezel; white gold 18349 (often Tridor), platinum 18346.
|-
| [[Reference:18208|18208]] / 18209 || 1988–2000 || cal 3155 || smooth || Plain polished bezel, the understated outlier; the platinum smooth is the ice-blue 18206.
|-
| 18078 / 18079 carryover || — || — || — || Bark-finish siblings continued from the 5-digit era.
|}

== 6-digit era (2000–2019) ==

The 118 generation refines the case and bracelet — broader lugs, solid centre links, concealed Crownclasp. Parachrom Blu hairspring rolls in from 2005; engraved rehaut from 2006–07. The 118238 closes the 36mm Day-Date era in 2019 before the 128238 takes over with the cal 3255.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:118238|118238]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Volume reference of the 6-digit generation. Cal 3155, fluted bezel, President. The last 36mm yellow-gold Day-Date before the 128238.
|-
| 118239 || 2000–2019 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling on the President.
|-
| [[Reference:118208|118208]] || 2000–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Smooth/domed bezel; offered on President or Oyster bracelet. The understated sleeper; value in the dial (stone dials).
|-
| [[Reference:118138|118138]] || 2013–2019 || 18k yellow gold || Fluted bezel on a leather strap (gold deployant) — the dressiest, lightest and most affordable gold Day-Date; cognac/green dials.
|-
| [[Reference:118235|118235]] || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Everose launches 2005; the 118235 carries it on the President, best known for the chocolate dial.
|-
| 118205 || 2005–2019 || 18k Everose || Smooth bezel + Oyster bracelet — the casual-aesthetic outlier in the President family.
|-
| 118206 || 2000–2019 || 950 platinum || Smooth domed bezel, President. Ice-blue dial is the platinum signature.
|-
| 118138 / 118135 / 118139 || 2013–2019 || gold || Basel 2013 leather-strap subset (yellow / Everose / white).
|}

== Day-Date II (2008–2015) ==

The 41mm successor — the only Day-Date to break the 36mm Oyster envelope. Caliber 3156 scales the day-and-date module for the wider case.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 218238 || 2008–2015 || 18k yellow gold || Day-Date II yellow gold, cal 3156, 41mm.
|-
| 218239 || 2008–2015 || 18k white gold || White-gold sibling.
|-
| 218235 || 2008–2015 || 18k Everose || Everose Day-Date II.
|-
| [[Reference:218206|218206]] || 2008–2015 || 950 platinum || Platinum Day-Date II — the ice-blue "President's President"; smooth bezel only.
|}

== Oysterquartz Day-Date (1977–2001) ==

The quartz outlier. Cal 5055 quartz movement in the integrated-bracelet OQ case — Rolex's only quartz Day-Date.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Material !! Notes
|-
| 19018 || 1977–2001 || 18k yellow gold || Oysterquartz Day-Date, cal 5055, integrated Oyster bracelet.
|-
| 19019 || 1977–2001 || 18k white gold || White-gold Oysterquartz Day-Date.
|}

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Era !! Frequency !! Quickset !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1055 (original) || 1956–57 || 18,000 vph || none || 6510, 6511 || First day-and-date caliber. Gradual changeover at midnight. No Microstella balance; no SCOC.
|-
| 1055 (upgraded) || 1957–59 || 18,000 vph || none || 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B || Free-sprung Microstella balance and SCOC certification added. Same caliber number.
|-
| 1555 || 1959 to c. 1965 || 18,000 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (early) || Cal 1055-derived. Day-and-date complication carried forward.
|-
| 1556 || c. 1965 to 1977-78 || 19,800 vph || none || 1803, 1804, 1806, 1807, 1811 (mid-and-late) || Higher frequency. Hacking seconds added 1972 (mid-production, not at caliber change).
|-
| 3055 || 1977–1988 || 28,800 vph || single (date only) || 18038 and siblings || First Day-Date with quickset. Sapphire crystal era. Day still requires running hands through midnight.
|-
| 3155 || 1988–2019 || 28,800 vph || double (day + date) || 18238, 118238 and siblings || Double quickset — both day and date indexed independently from the crown. The longest-running Day-Date caliber.
|-
| 3156 || 2008–2015 || 28,800 vph || double || 218238 Day-Date II || 41mm scaled version of the 3155.
|-
| 5055 || 1977–2001 || quartz 32,768 Hz || double || 19018, 19019 Oysterquartz || Quartz caliber, integrated-case Oysterquartz.
|}

== Special branches ==

Three institutional and retailer-signed branches drive the headline auction record across the Day-Date line.

* '''Khanjar Oman / Sultan Qaboos''' — crossed sheathed khanjar daggers, sometimes under a kuma hat, in red, white, green, or gold (the Omani flag colours). Commissioned through Sultan Qaboos bin Said (reigned 1970–2020). Surfaces on 1803 and later references, frequently with Asprey crossed-swords retailer marks and Khimji Ramdas (KR) Muscat distribution.
* '''Tiffany & Co. double-signed''' — production through the late 1970s on the 1803 and into the 1980s and 1990s on subsequent references. Trade premium 2 to 3 times standard equivalents.
* '''Nasser–Sadat / presidential provenance''' — the headline lot in the modern Day-Date market. Sotheby's New York Important Watches December 2024 sold Gamal Abdel Nasser's 1803 (yellow gold, champagne "claw" dial with Arabic day-and-date discs, caseback engraved "Mr Anwar El Sadat 26-9-1963" — a gift from Sadat to Nasser) for USD 840,000 against a USD 30,000–60,000 estimate. Other documented presidential / public-figure wearers per Sotheby's collector guide: Lyndon B. Johnson (the president who gave the line its "President" advertising nickname from 1966 onward), Tom Landry, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Andy Warhol.

== Notable misattributions ==

The Marlon Brando "Apocalypse Now" Rolex is a [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] 1675, not a Day-Date. Phillips New York "Game Changers" December 10 2019 sold it for USD 1.95 million with the bezel removed by Brando on set and "M. Brando" hand-engraved on the caseback. Any source attributing Brando to the Day-Date has the reference wrong.

The Eisenhower-and-Day-Date claim in casual press is similarly misattributed. Eisenhower's documented Rolex is a yellow-gold Datejust ref 6305, gifted to him in 1951 — five years before the Day-Date even existed.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the dive line. Shares 1500-family movement architecture with the early Day-Date through the cal 1556 era; diverges at the cal 30xx generation.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the pilot line. The 1675 carries the same cal 1575 base movement as the early Sea-Dweller and shares 1500-family lineage with the early Day-Date.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] — the parent Oyster Perpetual line that the Day-Date inherits the rotor automatic from.

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]] — date any Day-Date from its serial
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] — the calibers used across the Day-Date line
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]] — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:gmt-master

2026-07-18T12:59:44Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: shared-reference component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex GMT-Master}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master — Reference Guide to Every Model & Year | BezelBase
|description=The first watch Rolex ever built for airline pilots, and one of its most copied designs since. Launched in 1955 for Pan Am flight crews, the GMT-Master…
|keywords=Rolex, gmt-master, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref gmt-master vintage-poster.webp
|image_alt=Vintage Rolex GMT-Master advertising — the watch designed for Pan Am crews
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T03:22:46Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:51Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

The GMT-Master is Rolex's original airline watch: a fourth hand, a 24-hour bezel, and two time zones on the wrist. Rolex launched it in 1955 for Pan Am crews, then split the line in 1982 when the GMT-Master II gave the local hour hand independent adjustment.

The line runs in five eras. Bakelite 6542 came first, then the long 1675 vintage core, then quick-set five-digit GMT-Masters, then the independent-hour GMT-Master II from 1982, then the ceramic GMT-Master II from 2005. Pepsi, Root Beer, Coke, and black became the family's own collector language.


[[File:Ref gmt-master vintage-poster.webp|thumb|center|420px|alt=Vintage Rolex GMT-Master advertising — the watch designed for Pan Am crews|Vintage Rolex GMT-Master advertising — the watch designed for Pan Am crews]]

== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying a long-vintage GMT?'' '''[[Reference:1675|1675]]''' — the twenty-year vintage core, pointed crown guards giving way to rounded, gilt giving way to matte, with steel, gold, and Root Beer branches in parallel.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking a five-digit GMT-Master II?'' '''[[Reference:16710|16710]]''' — three bezel inserts (Pepsi, Coke, black) on the same case, late stick-dial 3186 sub-branch, the GMT collectors land on first when they cross from vintage to modern.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Working from a modern Cerachrom-bezel piece?'' '''[[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]]''' — first ceramic-bezel GMT-Master II. In-house caliber 3186, Cerachrom black insert, 904L steel — the reference that set the template the Pepsi and Batman variants now extend.
|}

== Early GMT-Master (1955–1959) ==

The experimental years. The case had no crown guards, the 24-hour bezel was moulded from bakelite and cracked easily, and a gold branch with alpha hands ran alongside the red-and-blue (Pepsi) steel watch. Most surviving examples carry later service inserts; the original bakelite rarely survived daily wear.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6542|6542]] || 1955–1959 || 1036 / 1065 / 1066 || 38mm SS or 18k YG || Bakelite Pepsi (steel), bakelite brown (gold) || First GMT-Master; no crown guards; fragile bakelite insert
|}


== Long vintage core (1959–1980) ==

The reference that turned the GMT-Master from an experiment into an institution. Crown guards arrived with the [[Reference:1675|1675]], along with an aluminum bezel insert (replacing the fragile bakelite) and a twenty-year production run long enough to hold several distinct watches under one number. Early pointed crown guards, known as PCG, gave way to rounded guards; gilt dials gave way to matte; and the steel watch was joined by a gold branch and a two-tone Root Beer branch.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Branches !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:1675|1675]] || 1959–1979 || 1565 early, 1575 later || 40mm SS, 18k YG, or two-tone || Steel, 1675/8 gold, 1675/3 Root Beer || Core vintage GMT-Master; PCG to rounded guards, gilt to matte
|}


== Transitional GMT-Master (1979–1988) ==

The five-digit quick-set era on the GMT-Master side of the family split. Caliber 3075 added a quick-set date and a higher beat rate but kept the older linked-hand GMT logic, in which the 24-hour hand tracks the local hour hand rather than moving on its own. Acrylic crystals held through most of the run. The branch map also gets busier here, with steel, two-tone, and solid-gold references all in production at once.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Branches !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:16750|16750]] || 1979–1988 || 3075 || 40mm SS || Matte to glossy Pepsi, black, spider || Last steel GMT-Master with acrylic crystal; quick-set date
|-
| [[Reference:16753|16753]] || 1979–1988 || 3075 || 40mm SS + 18k YG || Brown Root Beer, black || Two-tone continuation of the Root Beer line
|-
| [[Reference:16758|16758]] || 1979–1988 || 3075 || 40mm 18k YG || Brown Root Beer, black || Last gold GMT-Master with older linked-hand logic
|}


== GMT-Master II (1982–2007) ==

The functional break in the family. Caliber 3085 in the [[Reference:16760|16760]] introduced an independently adjustable local hour hand, which turned the 24-hour bezel into a third-time-zone tool rather than a second-time-zone aid. The thick transitional [[Reference:16760|16760]] gave way to the slimmer [[Reference:16710|16710]] in 1989, and the line spent nearly two decades on that reference before the ceramic era rewrote the watch.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Branches !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:16760|16760]] || 1983–1987 || 3085 || 40mm SS (thick) || Coke, black || First GMT-Master II; "Fat Lady" / "Sophia Loren"
|-
| [[Reference:16710|16710]] || 1989–2007 || 3185, late 3186 || 40mm SS || Pepsi, Coke, black || Long neo-vintage steel run; late stick-dial 3186 sub-branch
|-
| [[Reference:16713|16713]] || 1989–2007 || 3185, late 3186 || 40mm SS + 18k YG || Brown, black || Two-tone GMT-Master II branch
|-
| [[Reference:16718|16718]] || 1989–2007 || 3185, late 3186 || 40mm 18k YG || Black well-documented, brown thinner || Solid-gold GMT-Master II branch
|}


== Late GMT-Master (1988–1999) ==

The last reference on the original side of the family split. Sapphire crystal, caliber 3175, and a choice of Pepsi or black bezel. The 16700 kept the older linked-hand GMT logic rather than adopting the independent hour hand of the GMT-Master II references running alongside it. That mechanical distinction kept the two lines separate right to the end.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Branches !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:16700|16700]] || 1988–1998/1999 || 3175 || 40mm SS || Pepsi, black || Last GMT-Master; tritium to Luminova transition
|}


== Ceramic GMT-Master II 5-digit (2005–2019) ==

The Cerachrom era opened in 2005 with the yellow-gold [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] and caliber 3186, which runs across the entire 5-digit ceramic family. Rolesor followed in 2006, steel in 2007, the blue-black Batman in 2013, and the white-gold ceramic Pepsi in 2014. These are the thick Super Case GMTs before the slimmer 126710 generation.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Branches !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] || 2005–2019 || 3186 || 40mm 18k YG || Black dial, green anniversary dial || First Cerachrom GMT-Master II; caliber 3186 debut
|-
| [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]] || 2006–2019 || 3186 || 40mm Rolesor YG || Single gloss-black configuration || First Cerachrom GMT-Master II to reach steel-in-case form
|-
| [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] || 2007–2019 || 3186 || 40mm SS || Black dial with green signature line || First steel GMT-Master II with ceramic bezel
|-
| [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]] || 2013–2019 || 3186 || 40mm SS || Blue-and-black Batman || First two-colour Cerachrom; patented process
|-
| [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]] || 2014–2019 || 3186 || 40mm 18k WG || Black dial -0001, blue dial -0002 (2018) || First ceramic Pepsi; white gold only
|}


== Ceramic GMT-Master II 6-digit (2018–present) ==

The current ceramic generation starts in 2018 with the steel Pepsi [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] and caliber 3285. Jubilee returned, the case slimmed down from the Super Case, and the line then expanded into Root Beer, Batman, Destro, and GRNR branches. This is the modern 70-hour GMT-Master II platform, and both the steel Pepsi and the white-gold Pepsi left the catalogue in 2026.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Case !! Branches !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] || 2018–2026 || 3285 || 40mm SS || Jubilee -0001, Oyster -0002 (2021) || First steel ceramic Pepsi; Jubilee return
|-
| [[Reference:126711CHNR|126711CHNR]] || 2018–present || 3285 || 40mm Rolesor Everose || Single CHNR configuration || First two-colour Cerachrom after BLNR/BLRO; "Cough Syrup"
|-
| [[Reference:126715CHNR|126715CHNR]] || 2018–present || 3285 || 40mm solid Everose || Black dial -0001, Tiger Iron -0002 (2025) || Solid-Everose Rootbeer halo
|-
| [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] || 2019–present || 3285 || 40mm SS || Jubilee Batgirl, Oyster Batman (2021) || Batman on cal. 3285; first Jubilee Batman
|-
| [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]] || 2022–present || 3285 || 40mm SS || Oyster -0001, Jubilee -0002 || First modern left-crown Rolex sports watch; Sprite/Destro
|-
| [[Reference:126713GRNR|126713GRNR]] || 2023–present || 3285 || 40mm Rolesor YG || Single GRNR configuration on Jubilee || Return of yellow Rolesor; first precious-metal Jubilee GMT
|-
| [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]] || 2023–present || 3285 || 40mm solid YG || Black dial, Tiger Iron dial (2025) || Return of solid yellow gold to the line
|-
| [[Reference:126710GRNR|126710GRNR]] || 2024–present || 3285 || 40mm SS || Oyster -0001, Jubilee -0002 || Bruce Wayne/Ghost; steel conclusion of the GRNR family
|}


== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Frequency !! Hacking / quick-set !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| 1036 / 1065 / 1066 || 18,000 vph || no / no || [[Reference:6542|6542]] || Earliest GMT-specific movements; picture still unresolved
|-
| 1565 || 18,000 vph || no / no || [[Reference:1675|1675]] (early) || First stable 1675 caliber
|-
| 1575 || 19,800 vph || hacking from ~1971 || [[Reference:1675|1675]] (late) || Long-run 1675 caliber; sometimes signed 1570
|-
| 3075 || 28,800 vph || yes / yes || [[Reference:16750|16750]], [[Reference:16753|16753]], [[Reference:16758|16758]] || Five-digit quick-set upgrade; still linked-hand GMT
|-
| 3085 || 28,800 vph || yes / yes || [[Reference:16760|16760]] || First independently adjustable local hour hand
|-
| 3175 || 28,800 vph || yes / yes || [[Reference:16700|16700]] || Last linked-hand GMT-Master caliber
|-
| 3185 || 28,800 vph || yes / yes || [[Reference:16710|16710]], [[Reference:16713|16713]], [[Reference:16718|16718]] || Long neo-vintage GMT-Master II movement
|-
| 3186 || 28,800 vph || yes / yes || late [[Reference:16710|16710]], [[Reference:16713|16713]], [[Reference:16718|16718]]; all 5-digit ceramic ([[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]], [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]], [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]], [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]], [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]]) || Parachrom hairspring, revised GMT wheel; standard across the ceramic era
|-
| 3285 || 28,800 vph || yes / yes || All 6-digit ceramic references ([[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]], [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]], [[Reference:126710GRNR|126710GRNR]], [[Reference:126711CHNR|126711CHNR]], [[Reference:126713GRNR|126713GRNR]], [[Reference:126715CHNR|126715CHNR]], [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]], [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]]) || Chronergy escapement, 70-hour reserve, Superlative -2/+2 sec/day
|}


== Color and metal logic ==

Color branches matter almost as much as reference numbers here. Pepsi starts with the steel [[Reference:6542|6542]] and stays the default GMT look. Root Beer starts with the two-tone 1675/3 and gold 1675/8, then carries forward through later gold and two-tone references. Coke belongs mainly to the GMT-Master II era from the [[Reference:16760|16760]] onward. Gold and two-tone watches are part of the main line from early on, not side branches.


== Collecting context ==

The GMT-Master market rewards different habits than the Submariner market. Submariner collecting tracks case shape, military use, and dial text. GMT collecting tracks bezel color, travel mythology, and branch identity in equal measure.

A few cautions carry across the whole family. Original delivery is not the same thing as period-correct fitment, and a clasp code dates the bracelet rather than the watch head. Service inserts are common on the earliest watches, where the original bakelite rarely survived. The nickname language is useful but loose: Pepsi, Coke, Root Beer, and black each cover more variation than the shorthand suggests.

The modern ceramic era splits cleanly into two family hubs. [[Reference:gmt-master-ii-5digit-ceramic-family|The 5-digit ceramic family]] covers the 2005–2019 Super Case watches. [[Reference:gmt-master-ii-6digit-family|The 6-digit family]] covers the 2018-onward caliber 3285 generation.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the parallel dive line. Same case-era cadence, same crown-guard transition, the other half of the 1955–1959 Rolex tool-watch launch wave.
* [[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer-II]] — the 24-hour cousin. The 1655 shares caliber 1575 with the 1675; the 16550 shares caliber 3085 with the 16760.
* [[Reference:daytona|Daytona]] — the chronograph counterpart. The same Zenith-to-in-house movement transition runs across both lines in the 1988–2000 window.

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]] — date any GMT-Master from its serial
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] — the calibers used across the GMT-Master line
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]] — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II] — Monochrome
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-master-the-complete-collectors-guide The Rolex GMT-Master: A Complete Collector's Guide] — Stephen Pulvirent, Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/a-concise-guide-to-the-rolex-gmt-root-beer A Closer Look at the Rolex Root Beer] — Christina Bohn, Sotheby's
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/an-early-retrospective-rolex-gmt-master-ii-lunette-noire-ceramic/ An Early Retrospective – Rolex GMT-Master II Lunette Noire Ceramic] — Evan Yeung, Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/baselworld-2019-updated-rolex-gmt-master-ii-batman-126710blnr-jubilee-bracelet-price/ Baselworld 2019 – Updated Rolex GMT-Master II Batman 126710BLNR on Jubilee] — Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/yellow-gold-and-rolesor-rolex-gmt-master-ii-grey-and-black-ceramic-bezel-2023-editions-126713grnr-126718grnr-specs-price/ Yellow Gold and Rolesor Back On The Rolex GMT-Master II With Grey & Black Ceramic Bezel] — Monochrome
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/fasten-your-seatbelts-rolex-gmt-master-history/ Fasten Your Seatbelts: Rolex GMT-Master History and Overview of All Major References] — Fratello Watches
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-pepsi-the-key-references The Rolex Pepsi: The Key References] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/rolex-caliber-3186-vs-rolex-caliber-3285.html Rolex Caliber 3186 vs. Caliber 3285] — Bob's Watches
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/rolex-pepsi-gmt-master-ii-discontinued-market-1237890139/ With the Rolex Pepsi Now Gone, the Market Is Smelling Blood] — Robb Report, 2026
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

[[Category:GMT-Master]]

Reference:daytona

2026-07-18T12:59:41Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: shared-reference component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Cosmograph Daytona}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Daytona — Reference Guide to Every Model & Year | BezelBase
|description=Every pre-2020 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference, from the 1962 Pre-Daytona 6238 through the 2000-2016 in-house cal 4130 generation. Production histories, dial variants, movement specs, and collector context.
|keywords=Rolex Daytona, Cosmograph Daytona, Paul Newman Daytona, Zenith Daytona, vintage Daytona, 6239, 6263, 6265, 16520, 116520, manual-wind chronograph, Valjoux 72, cal 4030, cal 4130
|image=Daytona vintage poster.webp
|image_alt=Vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona advertising — the chronograph that defined the line
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-19T03:23:49Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:40Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ==
The Cosmograph Daytona is Rolex's chronograph line and the family that now anchors the brand's collector market. Rolex introduced it in 1963, ran the manual-wind generation through 1988, moved to Zenith-based automatic watches in 1988, and introduced the in-house cal 4130 in 2000.

The map runs in four blocks: the 6238 Pre-Daytona, then the manual-wind Daytona from 1963 to 1988, the Zenith automatic from 1988 to 2000, and the in-house 4130 era from 2000 to 2016. Current ceramic-era production sits outside this page.

Origins (1937–1963) sit on a dedicated page. The Antimagnetique, Monoblocco, and 4xxx tonneau Oyster chronographs that hand the layout to the [[Reference:6239|6239]] are tracked under [[Reference:pre-daytona-chronographs|pre-Daytona chronographs]].

[[File:Daytona vintage poster.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona advertising — the chronograph that defined the line|Vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona advertising — the chronograph that defined the line]]

== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying a manual-wind acrylic Daytona?'' '''[[Reference:6263|6263]]''' — longest-running manual-wind Daytona, caliber 727, screw-down pushers. Hosts the Albino, Big Red, RCO, and the retailer-signed branches.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Working from a Zenith-era dial photo?'' '''[[Reference:16520|16520]]''' — twelve years on caliber 4030 with the seven-mark dial progression — MK1 floating Cosmograph porcelain through MK7 Luminova, plus the Patrizzi sub-branch.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking an in-house automatic Daytona?'' '''[[Reference:116520|116520]]''' — first in-house Daytona, caliber 4130 with vertical clutch and column wheel, sixteen-year run from 2000 to 2016.
|}

== Manual-wind chronograph (1962–1988) ==

This is the Valjoux 72 era. Rolex first sold the 6238 as the Pre-Daytona, then moved the tachymeter to the bezel on the 6239. The 6240 introduced screw-down pushers and the Oyster case. The 6241 kept pump pushers with an acrylic bezel insert. The 6262 and 6264 were brief transitional references, then the 6263 and 6265 ran the manual-wind line out to 1988 on caliber 727.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Bezel !! Pushers !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6238|6238]] || 1962–1968 || 722 || Smooth || Pump || "Pre-Daytona"; chronograph without the Daytona name; tachymetre printed on the dial
|-
| [[Reference:6239|6239]] || 1963–1969 || 722 || Engraved metal tachymetre || Pump || First true Cosmograph Daytona; Paul Newman's reference
|-
| [[Reference:6240|6240]] || 1965–1969 || 722-1 || Acrylic black insert || Screw-down || First Oyster Daytona; introduced screw-down pushers and 100m water resistance
|-
| [[Reference:6241|6241]] || 1966–1969 || 722-1 || Acrylic black insert || Pump || Pump-pusher sibling of the 6240; hosts the 14k yellow gold John Player Special
|-
| [[Reference:6262|6262]] || 1970–1972 || 727 || Engraved metal tachymetre || Pump || Brief transitional pair — pump pushers with the new 21,600 vph caliber
|-
| [[Reference:6263|6263]] || 1969–1988 || 727 || Acrylic black insert || Screw-down || Longest-running manual-wind Daytona; Albino, Big Red, RCO, every retailer-signed branch
|-
| [[Reference:6264|6264]] || 1970–1972 || 727 || Engraved metal tachymetre || Pump || Metal-bezel pump-pusher sibling of the 6262; same brief window
|-
| [[Reference:6265|6265]] || 1971–1988 || 727 || Engraved metal tachymetre || Screw-down || Metal-bezel sibling of the 6263; the Unicorn 18k white gold lives here
|}

== Zenith automatic (1988–2000) ==

Rolex reworked the Zenith El Primero into caliber 4030 by cutting the beat rate, removing the date, and fitting a Rolex balance and escapement. The 16520 is the steel reference; 16518, 16519, 16523, and 16528 are the gold and Rolesor parallels. The 16520 dial map is the main collector battleground of the era.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Bracelet !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:16520|16520]] || 1988–2000 || 4030 || Stainless steel || Oyster (78360 → 78390) || First automatic Daytona; MK1 floating Cosmograph porcelain through MK7 Luminova; Patrizzi
|-
| [[Reference:16518|16518]] || 1988–2000 || 4030 || 18k yellow gold || Leather strap || Yellow gold leather-strap sibling
|-
| [[Reference:16519|16519]] || 1989–2000 || 4030 || 18k white gold || Leather strap || White gold leather-strap sibling
|-
| [[Reference:16523|16523]] || 1988–2000 || 4030 || Steel + 18k yellow gold (Rolesor) || Oyster || Two-tone Rolesor variant
|-
| [[Reference:16528|16528]] || 1988–2000 || 4030 || 18k yellow gold || Oyster || Yellow gold bracelet sibling
|}

== In-house cal 4130 (2000–2016) ==

Caliber 4130 brought vertical clutch, column wheel, and a 72-hour reserve. The 116520 is the steel reference; 116523 and 116528 are the Rolesor and yellow-gold siblings. The line closes in 2016 with the ceramic-bezel [[Reference:116500LN|116500LN]].

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Material !! Bezel !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:116520|116520]] || 2000–2016 || 4130 || Stainless steel || Steel tachymetre || First in-house Daytona; APH error dial; Fratello-measured 38.5mm true case
|-
| [[Reference:116523|116523]] || 2000–2016 || 4130 || Steel + 18k yellow gold (Rolesor) || Gold tachymetre || Two-tone Rolesor variant; Rolex 24 At Daytona GT Champion presentation watches
|-
| [[Reference:116528|116528]] || 2000–2016 || 4130 || 18k yellow gold || Gold tachymetre || Full yellow gold bracelet variant; Eric Clapton's example sold 2017
|-
| [[Reference:116518|116518]] || 2000–c.2015 || 4130 || 18k yellow gold || Gold tachymetre || Yellow gold leather-strap counterpart to the 116528; alligator on yellow gold deployant; broad cal 4130 dial catalogue
|-
| [[Reference:116505|116505]] || 2008–2023 || 4130 || 18k Everose gold || Engraved Everose tachymetre || First Everose Daytona; Baselworld 2008 launch; chocolate, black, ivory, sundust, and 2021 meteorite dial branches
|-
| [[Reference:116508|116508]] || 2016–2023 || 4130 || 18k yellow gold || Gold tachymetre || Bracelet-mounted yellow gold successor to the 116528; introduced the green sundust dial
|-
| [[Reference:116506|116506]] || 2013–2023 || 4130 || 950 platinum || Chestnut Cerachrom monobloc || First platinum Daytona; Baselworld 2013 for the 50th anniversary; ice-blue dial; standard / baguette-diamond / Arabic-Indic sub-references
|}

== Variant spotlights ==

Headline and disputed variants get their own pages, where provenance, authentication, and auction history can be tracked in full:

* [[Reference:paul-newman-daytona|Paul Newman Daytona]]: the exotic dial family across six manual-wind host references (6239 / 6241 / 6262 / 6263 / 6264 / 6265). Mk1–Mk4 progression, five color types, RCO / Oyster Sotto, JPS, Lemon. Newman's own 6239 at USD 17.52M (Phillips Winning Icons, 2017) and Big Red 6263 at USD 5.48M (Phillips NY, December 2020).
* [[Reference:albino-daytona|Albino 6263]]: the white-on-white monochromatic dial; three documented examples; three-way Hodinkee / Perezcope / Sotheby's authenticity dispute; Clapton provenance arc from USD 50,190 (Christie's 2003) to USD 952,500 (Sotheby's Abu Dhabi 2025).
* [[Reference:unicorn-daytona|Unicorn 6265]]: the only known 18k white gold manual-wind Daytona; Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018 headline at CHF 5,937,500; Perezcope 2022 Frankenstein dossier disputing authenticity with 2010 Newoldschlock Instagram photographs and millerighe pusher forensics.
* [[Reference:big-red-daytona|Big Red 6263]]: standard / Floating Big Red / Small Red variants; Paul Newman's own Big Red engraved "Drive slowly Dad," sold Phillips NY December 2020 for USD 5,475,000.
* [[Reference:neanderthal-daytona|Neanderthal 6240]]: Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018 presented this as the earliest Paul Newman prototype, sold CHF 3,012,500. Perezcope's November 2022 dossier disputes the prototype framing using the April 1998 ''Orologi & Market'' page 44 as contemporaneous evidence of a post-production construction.
* [[Reference:oyster-sotto-daytona|Oyster Sotto / RCO 6263]]: the rarest standard-production Paul Newman layout, with ROLEX COSMOGRAPH OYSTER text stack (OYSTER below Cosmograph rather than above). First Paul Newman to breach seven figures at Christie's Lesson One in 2013; hammered CHF 1,662,500 at Phillips Daytona Ultimatum 2018.

== Reference guides ==

Cross-family material that applies across every Daytona reference:

* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelets]]: the 7205, 7836, 78350, 78360, 78390, 78490, 8385, 93150 fitments and clasp date-code key (A=1976 to CP=2011, with the 1995–98 overlap).
* [[Reference:Movements|Movements]]: the Valjoux 72 manual-wind family (722 / 722-1 / 727), the Zenith-derived cal 4030, and the in-house cal 4130.
* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]]: the three Rolex serial systems (numeric pre-1987, letter 1987–2010, random alphanumeric 2010+) with year-decoder tables.
* [[Reference:daytona-glossary|Glossary]]: every named dial variant, movement caliber, bracelet reference, and auction landmark consolidated with per-term definitions and links to the owning reference article.

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:submariner|Submariner]] — the parallel dive-watch line. Same case-era splits and the other half of the steel-sports-Rolex collector market.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the parallel pilot line. Acrylic, sapphire, and ceramic crystal eras run on the same calendar.
* [[Reference:sea-dweller|Sea-Dweller]] — the deeper-rated Submariner sibling. COMEX provenance overlaps the manual-wind Daytona auction record.

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]] — date any Daytona from its serial
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] — the calibers used across the Daytona line
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]] — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes

[[Category:Daytona]]
[[Category:Family]]

Reference:submariner

2026-07-18T12:59:38Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: shared-reference component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Submariner}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Submariner — Reference Guide to Every Model & Year | BezelBase
|description=Every Rolex Submariner reference from the 1953 original through the current 41mm generation. Production histories, dial variants, movement specs, and collector context.
|keywords=Rolex Submariner, vintage Submariner, 5512, 5513, 1680, 16610, 116610, 126610, dive watch, collector guide
|image=Submariner vintage poster.webp
|image_alt=Vintage Rolex Submariner advertising — the watch that defined the dive watch category
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-14T19:18:33Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:23:22Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

== Rolex Submariner ==
The Submariner is Rolex's core dive watch and the model that fixed the basic template every other dive watch later borrowed from. Rolex introduced the first Submariner, the 6204, in 1953, and the line has run continuously since. Four broad eras follow: pre-crown-guard watches through the late 1950s, the long acrylic crown-guard run led by the 5512 and 5513, sapphire-crystal five-digit references from 1979, and ceramic six-digit references from 2010.

[[File:Submariner vintage poster.webp|thumb|center|400px|alt=Vintage Rolex Submariner advertising — the watch that defined the dive watch category|Vintage Rolex Submariner advertising — the watch that defined the dive watch category]]

== Common entry points ==

{| style="width:100%; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:8px 0; margin:1em 0 1.5em 0;"
|-
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Identifying a long-run vintage Sub with crown guards?'' '''[[Reference:5513|5513]]''' — twenty-seven years of production, four dial generations (gilt, matte, Bart Simpson, white-gold-surround). The mid-vintage benchmark.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Researching a Red Sub or the first date Submariner?'' '''[[Reference:1680|1680]]''' — first date Sub, first depth rating on the dial, the platform that hosts the Red Sub and White Sub eras.
| style="width:33%; padding:14px; background:#f8f8f6; border-left:3px solid #555; vertical-align:top;" | ''Cross-checking a five-digit modern Sub?'' '''[[Reference:16610|16610]]''' — the twenty-three-year five-digit benchmark on caliber 3135, sapphire crystal, the canonical 1987–2010 Submariner.
|}

== Early Submariner (1953–1959) ==

Six years of unsettled design before the line found its shape. Crown sizes changed, depth ratings jumped from 100m to 200m, hands shifted from pencil to Mercedes, and the dial alternated between a clean three-line layout and an Explorer-style 3-6-9. The grouped sub-family page ([[Reference:submariner-early-family|early family]]) carries the cross-reference map across the 6204, 6205, 6200, 6536, 6536/1, and 6538.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Depth !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| [[Reference:6204|6204]] || 1953–1954 || A260 || 100m || 36mm SS || First Submariner
|-
| [[Reference:6205|6205]] || 1953–1954 || A296 || 100m || 36mm SS || Parallel early production; minor case/dial variations
|-
| [[Reference:6200|6200]] || 1953–1954 || A296 || 200m || 36mm SS || "King Sub" — oversized 8mm crown, Explorer dial option
|-
| [[Reference:6536|6536]] || 1954–1958 || A296/1030 || 100m || 36mm SS || Transitional; smaller crown, Mercedes hands
|-
| [[Reference:6538|6538]] || 1957–1960 || 1030 || 200m || 38mm SS || James Bond Sub (Connery); large crown, no crown guards
|}

== Crown-guard era (1958–1990) ==

The Submariner takes the form it would carry for three decades. Crown guards arrived on the 5512 in 1959, the chronometer / non-chronometer split hardened into the 5512 / 5513 pairing, and the 1680 added the date complication in 1969. The 5512, 5513, 5514, and 5517 are tracked together on the [[Reference:submariner-5xxx-family|5xxx-family]] page.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Type !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#f5f5f5; font-weight:bold;" | No-date
|-
| [[Reference:5508|5508]] || 1958–1962 || 1530 || No-date || 38mm SS || Last pre-crown-guard no-date
|-
| [[Reference:5510|5510]] || 1958–1960 || 1530 || No-date || 38mm SS || Rare transitional; crown guard + no crown guard variants
|-
| [[Reference:5512|5512]] || 1959–1980 || 1530/1560/1570 || No-date || 40mm SS || Chronometer; crown guards; gilt and matte eras; 17,338 units
|-
| [[Reference:5513|5513]] || ~1962–1989 || 1520/1530 || No-date || 40mm SS || 27-year run; non-chronometer; gilt, matte, Bart Simpson variants
|-
| [[Reference:5514|5514]] || 1960–1978 || 1520 || No-date || 40mm SS || COMEX; helium escape valve
|-
| [[Reference:5517|5517]] || 1972–1979 || 1520 || No-date || 40mm SS || British Military; MOD markings, fixed spring bars
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#f5f5f5; font-weight:bold;" | Date
|-
| [[Reference:1680|1680]] || 1969–1979 || 1575 || Date || 40mm SS || First date Sub; Red Sub (6 marks) and White Sub eras
|}

== Five-digit era (1979–2010) ==

Sapphire crystal replaced acrylic, the movement line advanced from caliber 3035 to 3135, and Rolex broadened the catalog with two-tone and full-gold variants running alongside the steel benchmark.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Type !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#f5f5f5; font-weight:bold;" | No-date (steel)
|-
| [[Reference:14060|14060]] || 1990–2000 || 3000 || No-date || 40mm SS || Sapphire crystal, caliber 3000
|-
| [[Reference:14060M|14060M]] || 2000–2012 || 3130 || No-date || 40mm SS || Superlative Chronometer certification
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#f5f5f5; font-weight:bold;" | Date (steel)
|-
| [[Reference:16800|16800]] || 1979–1986 || 3035 || Date || 40mm SS || Transitional; first sapphire crystal Sub Date
|-
| [[Reference:16610|16610]] || 1987–2010 || 3135 || Date || 40mm SS || 23-year benchmark; solid end links, Parachrom late
|-
| [[Reference:16610LV|16610LV]] || 2003–2010 || 3135 || Date || 40mm SS || "Kermit" — first green bezel, 50th anniversary
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#f5f5f5; font-weight:bold;" | Date (precious metal)
|-
| [[Reference:16803|16803]] || 1984–1988 || 3035 || Date || 40mm SS/YG || Two-tone; blue or black dial
|-
| [[Reference:16808|16808]] || 1984–1988 || 3035 || Date || 40mm YG || Full 18k yellow gold
|-
| [[Reference:16613|16613]] || 1988–2010 || 3135 || Date || 40mm SS/YG || Two-tone successor to 16803
|-
| [[Reference:16618|16618]] || 1988–2010 || 3135 || Date || 40mm YG || Full gold successor to 16808
|}

== Six-digit era (2010–2020) ==

Cerachrom ceramic bezels, Glidelock micro-adjust bracelets, and, for the 126 series that replaced these in 2020, the move from 40mm to 41mm. The six-digit Subs are the most technically refined the line has been, though many collectors still prefer how the five-digit era wears.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! Reference !! Production !! Movement !! Type !! Case !! Key distinction
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#f5f5f5; font-weight:bold;" | No-date
|-
| [[Reference:114060|114060]] || 2012–2020 || 3130 || No-date || 40mm SS || "Last small Sub" — ceramic bezel, maxi dial
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#f5f5f5; font-weight:bold;" | Date (steel)
|-
| [[Reference:116610LN|116610LN]] || 2010–2020 || 3135 || Date || 40mm SS || Cerachrom bezel, Glidelock bracelet
|-
| [[Reference:116610LV|116610LV]] || 2010–2020 || 3135 || Date || 40mm SS || "Hulk" — green dial + green ceramic bezel
|-
| colspan="6" style="background:#f5f5f5; font-weight:bold;" | Date (precious metal)
|-
| [[Reference:116613|116613]] || 2010–2020 || 3135 || Date || 40mm SS/YG || Two-tone, Cerachrom
|-
| [[Reference:116618|116618]] || 2010–2020 || 3135 || Date || 40mm YG || Full gold, Cerachrom
|-
| [[Reference:116619LB|116619LB]] || 2010–2020 || 3135 || Date || 40mm WG || "Smurf" — white gold, blue bezel
|}

== Special branches ==

Two institutional branches sit alongside the retail line. The [[Reference:comex|COMEX]] program issued seven references (5513, 5514, 1665, 16660, 16800, 16600, 16610) to Compagnie Maritime d'Expertises in Marseille between 1971 and 1997 for saturation diving; the 5514 was built as a dedicated COMEX product, the rest are retail references modified or marked at supply. The [[Reference:milsub|MilSub]] is the British military configuration of the 5513 and 5517 issued to Royal Navy and Army units between roughly 1971 and 1979, with fixed bars, a fully graduated 60-minute bezel, sword hands, T SWISS T tritium dial, and broad-arrow caseback engraving.

== Movement progression ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Caliber !! Frequency !! Power reserve !! Used in !! Notes
|-
| A260/A296 || — || — || 6204, 6205, 6200, 6536 || Pre-1530 era
|-
| 1030 || — || — || 6536 (late), 6538 || Crown-guard transition
|-
| 1520 || 19,800 vph || — || 5513, 5514, 5517 || Non-chronometer path
|-
| 1530 || 18,000 vph || — || 5508, 5510, 5512 (early) || First crown-guard movements
|-
| 1560/1570 || 18,000/19,800 vph || — || 5512 || Chronometer path; hacking 1972
|-
| 1575 || 19,800 vph || — || 1680 || Date complication
|-
| 3000 || 28,800 vph || 48 hr || 14060 || First modern no-date movement
|-
| 3035 || 28,800 vph || 48 hr || 16800, 16803, 16808 || First sapphire-crystal era date
|-
| 3130 || 28,800 vph || 48 hr || 14060M, 114060 || Parachrom; Superlative Chronometer
|-
| 3135 || 28,800 vph || 48 hr || 16610–116619LB || The 3135 era; 23+ years
|}

== Related families ==

* [[Reference:sea-dweller|Sea-Dweller]] — the deeper-rated sibling, helium escape valve, depth rating to 1,220m. Covers 1665, 16660, 16600, 116600.
* [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] — the parallel sports line. Same case-era splits (acrylic, sapphire, ceramic), GMT hand instead of the Submariner's elapsed-time bezel.
* [[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] — same 1953 launch year as the 6204, similar case construction, tool-watch restraint.

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]] — date any Submariner from its serial
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] — the calibers used across the Submariner line
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]] — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes

== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-1-the-early-references/ History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 1] — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-2-the-55xx-1680references/ History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 2] — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-submariner-history-part-4-modern-references/ History of the Rolex Submariner - Part 4] — Tom Mulraney, Monochrome
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/how-to-start-collecting-the-rolex-submariner Submariner Collector's Guide] — Stephen Pulvirent, Sotheby's
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-submariner-reference-points Reference Points: The Rolex Submariner] — Stephen Pulvirent, Hodinkee

[[Category:Submariner]]
[[Category:Family Index]]

Reference:971

2026-07-18T12:57:24Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 971}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Prince 971 — Brancard Art-Deco, 1928–1938 | BezelBase
|description=The Rolex Prince Brancard 971 is the original Brancard — the 1928 launch reference of the rectangular Art-Deco "stretcher" Prince family. Aegler shaped chronometer movements (Cal. 300 / 350 / 360 HW) in Prima, Extra Prima, and Ultra Prima grades. Sub-references 971, 971A (18K Tiger Stripe), 971U (Ultra Prima), 971S, with Zebra (9K bicolor) and Pink Zebra (18K pink+white) variants. Documented in sterling silver, 9K/14K/18K gold, two-tone, stainless steel, and platinum.
|keywords=Rolex, Prince, 971, 971A, 971U, 971S, Brancard, Tiger Stripe, Zebra, Pink Zebra, Aegler, Cal. 300, Cal. 350, Cal. 360, Ultra Prima, Extra Prima, Eaton 1/4 Century Club, vintage, Art Deco, doctor watch, reference guide
|image=Ref 971 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Prince Brancard 971 — Pink Zebra 18K pink and white gold
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-28T05:04:07Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:13Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:prince|Prince]] -> '''971'''

The 971 is the original Brancard. Rolex launched the Prince family in 1928 around an Aegler-patented shaped movement, and the 971 is the reference that opened the line: a flared "stretcher" rectangular case (the French word ''brancard'' means stretcher), a duo-dial with an oversized sub-seconds register at six, and a chronometer-grade movement built to compete with the best of Swiss observatory-tested calibers. The watch acquired the "doctor's watch" nickname because the large sub-seconds register made it usable for counting a patient's pulse off the dial. Production runs from a documented 1928 English hallmark through at least 1938, with the larger 1490 Brancard taking over as the headline reference of the line through the mid-1940s. The 971 is rarer than the 1490 and comes in more documented sub-references (971A, 971U, 971S, plus the Zebra and Tiger Stripe bicolor variants).

[[File:Ref 971 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Prince Brancard 971 — Pink Zebra 18K pink and white gold|Pink Zebra: 18K pink + white gold bicolor, Antiquorum 2023 lot 138, hammer CHF 16,250]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 971
|-
| family
| Prince (rectangular Art-Deco doctor's watch)
|-
| production
| 1928–1938 (core 1928–1935; 971A bicolor variants documented to 1938)
|-
| case shape
| rectangular flared "Brancard" stretcher; Friedberg's "outer frame" Rolex-period term
|-
| case dimensions
| approximately 23–24 mm × 36–38 mm body; 33.5 × 42.5 mm with horns (Phillips platinum Geneva V)
|-
| case construction
| two-piece, snap or screw caseback by variant
|-
| crystal
| acrylic; period mineral glass on earliest examples
|-
| crown
| onion / pull-out, non-screw (the Prince was not a water-resistant case)
|-
| lug style
| integrated flared, continuous with the case flanks
|-
| bezel
| smooth; stepped on some variants
|-
| movement family
| Aegler shaped: Cal. 300 / Cal. 350 (rectangular plates, 1928–1935); Cal. 360 HW (tonneau plates, 1936 onward)
|-
| movement grades
| Prima (15 jewels) / Extra Prima (18 jewels, 6-position) / Ultra Prima (top tier, 6-position chronometer)
|-
| beat rate
| 18,000 vph
|-
| power reserve
| approximately 50 hours (Watch-Wiki, Watch I Love); Friedberg's 58-hour figure is an outlier
|-
| balance
| bimetallic (early), with Breguet overcoil hairspring
|-
| escapement
| lever
|-
| chronometer dial designation
| "Chronometer" or "Observatory" — corresponds to Extra Prima or Ultra Prima grade
|-
| dial layout
| duo-dial with oversized sub-seconds register at six (the "doctor's watch" feature)
|-
| sub-references documented
| 971 (base), 971A (18K bicolor "Tiger Stripe"), 971U (Ultra Prima grade — examples in 9K and stainless), 971S (silver — community-asserted, not yet primary-confirmed)
|-
| price band (hammer)
| sterling GBP 3,750–USD 12,134 · 9K Zebra CHF 9,775–11,500 · 18K Tiger Stripe (971A) CHF 15,000–29,500 / USD 14,400 / HKD 70,125 · 18K Pink Zebra CHF 16,250 · stainless USD 12,134 (with box+papers) · platinum CHF 35,000–75,000
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

Rolex launched the Prince family in 1928 as Hans Wilsdorf's premium dress-watch counterpart to the Oyster. The 971 is the opening reference. The earliest documented 971 carries an English hallmark dated 1928 (the Arman Collection sterling example, Antiquorum NY March 2010 lot 401, case 70,064). Glasgow-imported silver 971s cluster at case numbers 70,668 and 71,883 with 1929 hallmarks; the matching movement-number range of 70k–75k pins this group to 1929–1930.

The 971 is the original Brancard, but the Prince story moves quickly. By the early 1930s the 1490 emerges as the larger flared evolution of the same case shape, and by the mid-1930s the 1490 is doing most of the catalog work. The 971 keeps producing in parallel — the latest documented base 971 carries a Glasgow 1929 hallmark on a Tiger Stripe variant (Antiquorum 2005 lot 97), and Bonhams Hong Kong April 2023 sold a 971A Tiger Stripe dated c.1938 (case 68,591), pushing the bicolor line into the late 1930s. Production tapers through WWII alongside the rest of the Prince family.

The Prince does not return to the Rolex catalog until the 2005 Cellini Prince revival, which sits on a different platform and is not part of the vintage Prince story this page covers. The Princess and Queen smaller spin-offs are separate ladies-line references (3361, 3362), not 971 variants.

==The Brancard nickname — 971 versus 1490==

Auction houses today apply "Brancard" to both the 971 and the 1490. Friedberg's 2001 TimeZone article assigns the nickname specifically to the 971: ''"the especially famous Prince Brancard (ref. 971)."'' Coronet Magazine's 2021 doctor's-watch piece follows Friedberg. Rolex Magazine and Beckertime treat the 971 as the canonical Brancard. Everest Bands (2023) reverses the assignment, applying "Brancard" to the 1490 and omitting the 971 entirely.

The reconciliation most consistent with published evidence: 971 is the original Brancard — the 1928 launch reference of the flared stretcher case shape — and the 1490 is the larger evolution of the same case form from the early 1930s onward. Both qualify as Brancard cases. The nickname attaches most strongly to the 971 in early-2000s collector writing — Friedberg's TimeZone piece is the load-bearing source — and to the 1490 in modern auction-catalog convention, because the 1490 has more surfaced examples and dominates current market activity.

==Sub-references — 971, 971A, 971U, 971S, Zebra, Tiger Stripe, Pink Zebra==

[[File:Ref 971 zebra-9k.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 971 9K Zebra bicolor|9K Zebra — Antiquorum 2020 lot 235, yellow + white gold (Antiquorum convention: 9K = Zebra, 18K = Tiger Stripe)]]
[[File:Ref 971 tiger-stripe.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 971A 18K bicolor Tiger Stripe canonical|971A 18K Tiger Stripe — Antiquorum NY 2008 lot 266, canonical reference example, hammer USD 14,400]]
The 971 has the deepest sub-reference taxonomy of any Prince. The convention is not entirely settled, but the documented usage breaks down as follows.

971 (base). All non-bicolor configurations: sterling silver, 9K yellow gold, 14K, 18K, stainless steel, platinum.

971A. 18K bicolor yellow + white gold. The classic "Tiger Stripe" configuration. The canonical reference example is Antiquorum NY June 2008 lot 266 (USD 14,400 hammer), an 18K bicolor with applied white-gold Arabic numerals dated c.1930. Production runs from a Glasgow 1929 hallmark (Antiquorum 2005 lot 97) through 1938 (Bonhams HK April 2023 lot 644, case 68,591). Tiger Stripe 971As are ''often faked''; the genuine factory configuration uses alternating-metal ridges between yellow and white gold sections, while modern fakes typically engrave a single gold case and rhodium-plate the recessed bands.

971U. Ultra Prima movement grade. Older Antiquorum cataloging (1994 lot 100, 1998 lot 4) used the U suffix on 9K bicolor examples, and modern Antiquorum continues the convention. Critically, Antiquorum November 2024 lot 462 sold a stainless-steel 971U with original box and rate certificate at USD 12,134 — establishing that the U suffix is movement-grade, not material-specific. The watchmaker Cary Hurt confirms (NAWCC) that lettered suffixes in Aegler convention denoted "some special feature" rather than a fixed material category.

971S. Silver. Community-asserted, with the suffix appearing in a RolexForums thread title (978611, currently behind Cloudflare gating). Silver examples in the auction record are typically catalogued as plain "971" without the S suffix; whether 971S is a Rolex-canon designation or a forum convention is not yet primary-confirmed.

Zebra. 9K bicolor yellow + white gold. Antiquorum convention separates this from Tiger Stripe by purity: 9K = Zebra, 18K = Tiger Stripe. Antiquorum March 2020 lot 235 sold a 9K Zebra with caseback monogram "B D J" at CHF 10,625. Bonhams December 2017 lot 133 (USD 7,500 hammer) is a 9K white+yellow bicolor at the lower price band the Zebra-versus-Tiger-Stripe purity split predicts.

Pink Zebra. 18K pink + white gold bicolor. Antiquorum May 2023 lot 138 sold one at CHF 16,250 with German collector provenance, case 45,950. The pink-gold variant is rarer than the yellow-gold Tiger Stripe and reads visibly different on the wrist.

==The case — Brancard stretcher==

The 971 case is a two-piece rectangular structure in the flared "Brancard" form. The body measures approximately 23–24 mm wide by 36–38 mm long; with the horns the measurement runs to roughly 33.5 × 42.5 mm (Phillips Geneva V platinum, case 6,013) or 41 mm long on the larger 971A bicolor variants. The discrepancy across catalog sources is consistent with the convention each house uses — some measure the bezel only, others the case-to-horn-tip span, and the flared profile makes any single dimension misleading. Forum collector reports cluster at 41 mm long for 971A on the wrist.

The flared profile is unmistakably Art-Deco. The case curves outward at the lug ends and back toward the centre — a stretcher-on-its-end silhouette, hence the French ''brancard''. The lugs are integrated into the case rather than soldered or spring-bar drilled, a one-piece flared structure that takes a strap on through-pins. The crystal is acrylic by the standard production period; the earliest examples sometimes carry period mineral glass.

The crown is onion-form push-pull, non-screw. The Prince was a dress watch, not a water-resistant case, and the crown configuration reflects the priority — easier winding access, no Oyster waterproof seal. Gold cases carry gold crowns; steel cases carry steel Rolex crowns. The crown signature is a useful authentication check.

The caseback is two-piece — snap on most variants, screw on some. Bonhams HK April 2023 lot 644 explicitly notes a snap caseback on the 1938 Tiger Stripe.

==Case materials==

[[File:Ref 971 eaton.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 971 Eaton 1/4 Century Club Switzer 1907-1932|Eaton 1/4 Century Club presentation: T.D. Switzer 1907–1932 service dedication]]
The 971 has documented examples in more material configurations than any other Prince reference:

* Sterling silver, hallmarked: the most-surfaced configuration in the auction record, particularly with Glasgow and Edinburgh import marks dating 1928–1930. Sotheby's Important Watches Hong Kong 2019 lot 1075 (case 02,508, c.1935, Extra Prima 15j) and Bonhams London September 2018 lot 37 (Glasgow 1929, GBP 3,750 hammer) are typical examples.
* 9K yellow gold, Glasgow-assayed.
* 9K bicolor yellow + white gold ("Zebra"): Antiquorum March 2020 lot 235 (CHF 10,625), Bonhams NY December 2017 lot 133 (USD 7,500). The 9K bicolor reads markedly different from the 18K Tiger Stripe, both visibly and at hammer.
* 9K + steel two-tone: documented on the Eaton 1/4 Century Club presentation (Monaco Legend July 2019 lot 156).
* 14K + steel two-tone: same Eaton presentation, case 1,472, dial signed "Eaton / 1/4 Century Club," caseback engraved ''"Presented to T.D. Switzer to mark a quarter-century of continuous service with T. Eaton C., Ltd., 1907–1932."'' The Eaton Toronto retailer program issued Princes as 25-year service awards, and the 1907–1932 service window on this watch establishes that the 971 was the earliest Prince used in the Eaton program — predating the 1490s that took over the program later.
* 18K yellow gold: Antiquorum 2008 Geneva lot 690 (Observatory 15j).
* 18K yellow + white gold ("Tiger Stripe" / 971A): the canonical bicolor variant, with multiple auction examples spanning Glasgow 1929 through case 68,591 in 1938.
* 18K pink + white gold ("Pink Zebra"): Antiquorum May 2023 lot 138.
* Stainless steel: rarer than gold or silver in the auction record. Antiquorum November 2024 lot 462 (case 74,768 with original box and rate certificate, USD 12,134) is the documented anchor; RolexMagazine references a 1934 all-steel Brancard without specifically tagging it 971S.
* Platinum: at least four documented examples — Phillips case 6,047 (CHF 75,000 hammer, 2015), Phillips case 6,013 (sold three times: CHF 48,750 in 2017, relisted 2019, CHF 55,440 in 2021), Antiquorum case 6,077 (CHF 35,000 in 2013, catalog noted as only the fourth platinum 971 sold through Antiquorum). Platinum 971s sit at the absolute top of the reference's price hierarchy.

==The movement==

[[File:Ref 971 platinum.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 971 platinum Phillips case 6013 black dial 1935|Platinum 971, case 6,013, Cal. 300 7½′′′ 18-jewel, black dial, c.1935, Phillips Geneva V hammer CHF 48,750]]
The 971 runs on Aegler shaped movements. The 1927 Wilsdorf-Aegler patent for "shaped watch movement with a seconds dial" placed the winding barrel at one end of the rectangular movement and the balance at the other — an architectural choice that allowed both a larger balance wheel (for improved precision) and a larger mainspring barrel (for a longer power reserve) than competing shaped calibers of the period. The Aegler-Rolex relationship was a supplier arrangement (Aegler as an independent manufacturer in Bienne until Rolex purchased the firm from the Borer family in April 2004; Aegler and Rebberg refer to the same factory — Aegler is the company name, Rebberg the Bienne street).

Two distinct caliber generations appear in 971 cases, and they are visually identifiable from the movement plate shape:

* Cal. 300 / Cal. 350 — rectangular plates, 1928–1935. 7½ by 14½ lignes. 18,000 vph. Approximately 50-hour power reserve. 15 jewels at the Prima base; 18 jewels at Extra Prima and Ultra Prima with 6-position adjustment. Phillips Geneva V lot 212 documents a platinum 971 with Cal. 300 7½′′′ 18-jewel movement in case 6,013 dated 1935.
* Cal. 360 HW — tonneau plates, 1936–late 1930s. The successor caliber for the late-period 971s and the 1936-onward Prince family broadly. Auction houses routinely lump both calibers as "Prince movement" without distinguishing the plate shape; the NAWCC discussion (Doug Sinclair, gmorse, Cary Hurt, March 2013) is the load-bearing source for the cal. 300 versus cal. 360 split. A 971 with rectangular movement plates is a 1928–1935 example; a 971 with tonneau plates is 1936-onward.

Movement grading runs Prima → Extra Prima → Ultra Prima, corresponding to ascending jewel counts (15 → 18), adjustment positions, and chronometer testing rigour. The "Chronometer" or "Observatory" designation on the dial indicates Extra Prima or Ultra Prima grade. The Kew-Teddington observatory tradition runs through this period — Rolex submitted Prince movements to the National Physical Laboratory at Kew for independent rate certificates against the Swiss Bureaux Officiels Suisse de Contrôle. Antiquorum's May 2013 platinum 971 (case 6,077) noted only the fourth platinum 971 sold through that house at the time, suggesting that platinum-cased Princes were specifically reserved for the highest movement grades.

A specific service-tell deserves naming: the cal. 300 winding-stem bridge is a known fail point. A 971 that sets time but disengages immediately is symptomatic of a broken stem bridge. Aftermarket CNC-machined brass replacement bridges circulate among watchmakers, and aftermarket "cal. Prince TS" winding stems are commercially available. Owners of cal. 300 971s should treat the stem bridge as a known maintenance item rather than a hidden fault.

==Dial — the duo-dial and the doctor's watch==

The 971 dial is a duo-dial: hours and minutes in the upper register, an oversized sub-seconds dial at six o'clock occupying nearly half the dial face. The architecture earned the Prince its "doctor's watch" nickname — the large sub-seconds register let physicians count a patient's pulse cleanly off the dial, with the seconds hand running clearly enough to support the "feel pulse, count seconds, multiply" workflow that was the standard medical timing technique of the period.

Dial signatures and configurations documented on surfaced 971 examples:

* Silvered duo-dial with Arabic numerals — most common.
* Silvered duo-dial with Roman numerals — period dress variant.
* Two-tone sector duo-dial — typical 1930s Art-Deco geometric dial.
* Matte silver with painted Breguet numerals — late-period dress variant.
* Gold duo-dial on gold-cased examples.
* Black duo-dial (rare) — Phillips Geneva V platinum case 6,013 carries a black dial.
* "Eaton 1/4 Century Club" retailer-replacement signature — almost uniquely among Rolex production, the Eaton dial replaces the "Rolex" name with the retailer's text. The Switzer 1907–1932 example is the documented anchor; the Eaton program later moved to 1490 examples for subsequent recipients.

Hand styles documented: blued steel leaf hands (most common), blued steel dauphine, blued steel pencil/baton, blued Breguet-style on dress variants. Sub-seconds hands are blued steel; refinished sub-seconds hands are the most common service intervention on 971s, like the broader Prince family.

Period-original 971 dials show light foxing in the small-seconds well — a glassy-perfect dial on a watch this age is a refinish. Refinishers active through the mid-twentieth century in the UK, Switzerland, and North America produced work hard to distinguish from original without a side-by-side comparison. Original dials with even patina, matched hand aging, and period-correct printing carry a meaningful premium within the reference's price range.

==Authentication==

The 971 has enough documented configurations and enough surfaced examples that authentication is tractable. The strongest signals:

# Caliber-to-plate-shape match. A 971 should carry an Aegler shaped movement. Rectangular plates indicate Cal. 300 or Cal. 350 (1928–1935 production); tonneau plates indicate Cal. 360 HW (1936-onward). A non-Aegler base movement (Schild, Peseux, ETA) under a 971 dial is a transplant. A Gruen-stamped Aegler movement under a 971 case is a known transplant pattern from the Aegler-Gruen marketing split — Rolex sold to the British Empire markets, Gruen to the United States, and parts crossing markets in service later produced franken-1490s and franken-971s with brand-mismatched movements.

# 971A Tiger Stripe alternating-metal ridges. Genuine Tiger Stripe is two physical pieces of gold (yellow + white) separated by raised ridges. Modern fakes engrave a single gold case and rhodium-plate the recessed bands. A Tiger Stripe whose stripes are visibly ''recessed'' rather than separated by ridges is suspicious; a side-light examination reveals the difference quickly. The watch-guy.com and VRF documentation of 971A fakes is consistent on this point.

# English hallmarks date the case import precisely. Glasgow and Edinburgh assay offices stamped imported watches with year-letter codes; a Glasgow 1929 hallmark dates the case import to 1929, regardless of when the movement was assembled. Cross-check the movement number against the 70k–75k range that corresponds to 1929–1930 silver imports.

# 18-jewel capped-endstone bridge. An unusual high-grade configuration on Extra Prima and Ultra Prima movements; its survival on a service-untouched watch indicates originality.

# Crown material match. A gold case should carry a gold Rolex crown. A steel crown on a gold 971 is a service replacement.

# Caseback engraving style. Period-correct 971 casebacks are factory-stamped. Hand-engraved markings indicate post-factory work — except for legitimate retailer-presentation engravings on Eaton 1/4 Century Club and similar retailer-program watches, which sit alongside the factory stamping rather than replacing it.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! year
! venue
! configuration
! hammer
|-
| 1994
| Antiquorum Geneva
| 971U 9ct gold Observatory
| CHF 11,500
|-
| 1998
| Antiquorum Geneva
| 971U 9K bicolor Extra Prima 15j
| CHF 9,775
|-
| 2005
| Antiquorum Geneva
| Tiger Stripe 18K Glasgow 1929
| CHF 18,400
|-
| 2006
| Antiquorum Geneva
| Tiger Stripe 18K case 65,377
| CHF 29,500
|-
| 2008
| Antiquorum NY
| Canonical Tiger Stripe 971A 18K c.1930
| USD 14,400
|-
| 2010
| Antiquorum NY
| Sterling, English hallmark 1928 (Arman)
| (Arman Collection)
|-
| 2013
| Antiquorum Geneva
| Platinum, case 6,077
| CHF 35,000
|-
| 2015
| Phillips Geneva
| Platinum, case 6,047, c.1935
| CHF 75,000
|-
| 2015
| Antiquorum Geneva
| Tiger Stripe 971A case 65,196
| CHF 15,000
|-
| 2017
| Phillips Geneva V
| Platinum, case 6,013, c.1935
| CHF 48,750
|-
| 2017
| Bonhams NY
| 971A 9K white+yellow gold
| USD 7,500
|-
| 2018
| Bonhams London
| Sterling silver, Glasgow 1929
| GBP 3,750
|-
| 2019
| Sotheby's HK
| Sterling, case 02,508, Extra Prima 15j
| (passed est. USD 8–12k)
|-
| 2020
| Antiquorum Geneva
| Zebra 9K bicolor case 60,206
| CHF 10,625
|-
| 2021
| Phillips Geneva XIV
| Platinum, case 6,013 (third sale)
| CHF 55,440
|-
| 2023
| Antiquorum Geneva
| Pink Zebra 18K case 45,950
| CHF 16,250
|-
| 2023
| Bonhams HK
| 971A 18K Tiger Stripe c.1938
| HKD 70,125
|-
| 2024
| Antiquorum
| 971U stainless steel + box + papers
| USD 12,134
|}

The same platinum case 6,013 sold through Phillips three times — 2017, 2019 (relisted), and 2021 (CHF 55,440 hammer, +13.7% over 2017). Cases 6,047 and 6,077 are separate platinum examples; at least three distinct platinum 971s are documented in the auction record. Antiquorum's 2013 catalog noted only the fourth platinum 971 sold through their house at the time, framing platinum 971 production as low single-digit examples.

The 1990s Antiquorum prices (CHF 9,775–11,500 for 971U 9K bicolor) versus the 2006 record CHF 29,500 for an 18K Tiger Stripe show that the bicolor 971A premium grew markedly across the decade as collector interest in shaped Rolex matured. The platinum band tracked the same trajectory: CHF 35,000 in 2013, CHF 48,750 in 2017, CHF 55,440 in 2021. Sterling silver 971s have been more stable, sitting in the GBP 3,500–4,500 band consistently from 2018 through 2024, with the 2024 Antiquorum stainless example at USD 12,134 (with original box and rate certificate) as the upper anchor for non-precious-metal configurations.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:1343|Prince 1343]] — Classic Rectangular (1928–1935)
* [[Reference:1862|Prince 1862]] — 1928–1942
* [[Reference:1490|Prince 1490]] — 1928–1945
* [[Reference:1491|Prince 1491]] — 1930–1945
* [[Reference:1527|Prince 1527]] — 1930–1945
* [[Reference:3361|Prince 3361]]

See also the [[Reference:prince|Prince family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080215/210 "Rolex Prince Reference 971 Platinum", Phillips, 2015-05-09]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080117/212 "Rolex Prince Reference 971 Platinum, Geneva V", Phillips, 2017-05-12]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080219/201 "Rolex Prince 971 Platinum, Geneva X", Phillips, 2019-11-09]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080221/187 "Rolex Prince 971 Platinum, Geneva XIV", Phillips, 2021]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/watches-online-7/rolex-prince-reference-971-a-silver-wristwatch "Rolex Prince Reference 971 Silver", Sotheby's, 2019]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/important-watches/rolex-ref-971-prince-brancard-a-silver-rectangular "Rolex Prince Brancard Reference 971 Silver", Sotheby's, 2019]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/24629/lot/37/ "Rolex Prince Reference 971 Silver Glasgow 1929", Bonhams, 2018-09-11]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/24500/lot/133/ "Rolex Prince Reference 971A 9K White and Yellow Gold", Bonhams, 2017-12-04]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28684/lot/644/ "Rolex Prince Reference 971A 18K Two-Tone Tiger Stripe", Bonhams, 2023-04]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-126-100 "Rolex Prince 971U 9ct Gold Observatory", Antiquorum, 1994-10-15]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-90-4 "Rolex Prince 971U 9K Bicolor Extra Prima", Antiquorum, 1998-04-18]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-103-97 "Rolex Prince Tiger Stripe 971A 18K Glasgow 1929", Antiquorum, 2005-11-13]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-144-316 "Rolex Prince Tiger Stripe 971 Case 65377", Antiquorum, 2006-11-12]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-207-266 "Rolex Prince Tiger Stripe 971A — Canonical NY 2008", Antiquorum, 2008-06-18]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-226-401 "Rolex Prince 971 Sterling Silver — Arman Collection, English Hallmark 1928", Antiquorum, 2010-03-10]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-971-lot-272-100 "Rolex Prince 971 Platinum", Antiquorum, 2013-05-12]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-971-a-lot-295-275 "Rolex Prince 971A Tiger Stripe", Antiquorum, 2015-11-08]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-971-prince-chronometer-lot-327-235 "Rolex Prince 971 Zebra Brancard 9K", Antiquorum, 2020-03-21]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-971-prince-brancard-lot-360-138 "Rolex Prince 971 Pink Zebra 18K", Antiquorum, 2023-05-14]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-2024-lot-462 "Rolex Prince 971U Stainless Steel — Box and Papers", Antiquorum, 2024-11]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-jewels-14/lot-156 "Rolex Prince 971 Eaton 1/4 Century Club", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2019-07]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/05/the-complete-history-of-rolex-prince.html Jake Ehrlich, "The Complete History of the Rolex Prince", Rolex Magazine, 2017-05]
* [https://quillandpad.com/2019/04/09/the-golden-age-of-rolex-movements-part-i-sowing-the-seeds-of-greatness/ Tim Mosso, "The Golden Age of Rolex Movements Part I", Quill & Pad, 2019-04-09]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/the-current-prince-a-different-side-of-rolex/ Martin Green, "The Current Prince: A Different Side Of Rolex", Revolution Watch, 2014-02-28]
* [https://www.watchonista.com/articles/depth/uncommon-objects-rediscovering-rolexs-discontinued-collections Rhonda Riche, "Uncommon Objects: Rediscovering Rolex's Discontinued Collections", Watchonista, 2025-11-06]
* [https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=rolex_prince "Rolex Prince", Watch-Wiki (DE)]
* [http://people.timezone.com/mfriedberg/articles/RolexPrince.html Michael Friedberg, "Rolex's Charming Prince", TimeZone, 2001-01-23]
* [https://www.everestbands.com/blogs/bezel-barrel/the-rolex-prince-from-the-1930s Vincent Deschamps, "The 1930s Rolex Prince", Everest Bands, 2023-12-12]
* [https://www.coronet.org/new-1minute-reads/the-doctors-rolex Andres Ibarguen, "The Doctor's Rolex", Coronet Magazine, 2021-08-22]
* [https://www.analogshift.com/blogs/transmissions/a-brief-history-of-the-doctor-s-watch Oren Hartov, "A Brief History of the Doctor's Watch", Analog/Shift, 2024-07-08]
* [https://www.vintagerolexforum.com/showthread.php?t=23475 Christian Wass, "The Rolex Prince — my journey so far", VintageRolexForum (via Tapatalk t23475), 2011-04-17]
* [https://www.watchprosite.com/rolex/very-rare-971/8.1145894/ "Very rare 971 platinum", Watchprosite, 2018-11-19]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/2020/https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/rolex-tonneau-movement.100077/ "Rolex Tonneau Movement?", NAWCC, 2013-03-11]
* [https://www.watch-guy.com/rolex-prince-cal-300-stem-bridge-cnc/ "Rolex Prince Cal. 300 — CNC-machined stem bridge", Watch Guy (watch-guy.com)]
* Pucci Papaleo, "I Cronografi Rolex – La Leggenda"
* Ehrhardt + Demesy, "Vintage American & European Wrist Watch Price Guide, Book 2"
* Colin A. White, "The Vintage Rolex Field Manual", Morning Tundra

[[Category:Prince]]

Reference:6612B

2026-07-18T12:57:21Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Day-Date 6612B}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date 6612B — The Platinum Arabic "Lone Star"
|description=The Rolex 6612B is the thicker-plate smooth-bezel originals-era Day-Date and home of the platinum Eastern-Arabic "Lone Star" (named by Pucci Papaleo) — among the first entirely Arabic-script Day-Dates and the apex of the 1950s President.
|keywords=Rolex 6612B, Day-Date 6612B, Lone Star, platinum Arabic Day-Date, Eastern Arabic dial, Pucci Papaleo, caliber 1055B, originals Day-Date
|image=Ref 6612B hero.webp
|image_alt=Platinum Rolex 6612B Lone Star Arabic dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-06-21T23:51:15Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:07Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|titlemode=replace
}}
[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''6612B'''

The 6612B is the late, thicker-plate version of the smooth-bezel originals-era Day-Date, and the reference behind the most storied of all the early Presidents: the platinum, fully Eastern-Arabic "Lone Star." Where the gold [[Reference:6612|6612]] is the smooth-bezel brother of the fluted [[Reference:6611|6611]], the 6612B carries the second-generation caliber 1055B, and in its rarest form a platinum case and bracelet, diamond hour markers and a dial with the day and date both spelled out in Arabic. That watch, named the "Lone Star" by Pucci Papaleo, is among the first entirely Arabic-script Day-Dates Rolex made, and it sits at the very top of the originals-era market with the platinum 6612 and 6613.

[[File:Ref 6612B hero.webp|thumb|right|260px|alt=Platinum Rolex 6612B Lone Star Arabic dial|The Rolex 6612B "Lone Star" — platinum, smooth bezel, diamond markers and a fully Eastern-Arabic dial, the most storied of the originals-era Day-Dates.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6612B
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| circa 1957 to 1959 (originals era)
|-
| movement
| caliber 1055B, the second-generation thicker-plate 1055 — chronometer, free-sprung Microstella
|-
| case
| 36mm — 18k gold (yellow / pink / white) and platinum
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| smooth (the smooth-bezel member of the 66xx cluster)
|-
| bracelet
| President in gold; a platinum brick-link bracelet on the Lone Star
|-
| dial
| "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified"; the Lone Star is platinum with diamond markers and Eastern-Arabic day and date
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| nickname
| "Lone Star" — the platinum Arabic example, named by Pucci Papaleo
|-
| sibling references
| 6611 (fluted), 6613 (diamond bezel); the gold smooth 6612
|-
| predecessor
| 6510 / 6511 (1956)
|-
| successor
| 1803 and the 4-digit era
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6612B is the "B" sub-variant of the smooth-bezel [[Reference:6612|6612]], the same thicker-plate caliber 1055B that the [[Reference:6611|6611]] carries as the 6611B, a late-run movement change rather than a new model. The shared smooth-bezel story, the case, the bracelet and the dial range, sits on the [[Reference:6612|6612]] entry. What earns the 6612B its own entry is the platinum Arabic "Lone Star."

The platinum originals-era Day-Dates are the apex of the early line. They were made for Gulf clients in the metal that Islamic custom, which discourages gold on men, allowed, and they carry diamond markers and, on the rarest, Eastern-Arabic calendars. Three watches define the group: the platinum 6612 "Big Kahuna" with a grey dial, the platinum Arabic 6613, and this smooth-bezel platinum Arabic 6612B, the Lone Star. The 6612B is the smooth-bezel, fully-Arabic one, and the ancestor of the 4-digit platinum Arabic Presidents that follow it, the 1804 "Scheherazade" and the platinum [[Reference:1831|1831]].

==Production outline==

The 6612B belongs to the 1957–1959 originals run, the smooth-bezel reference in its late, caliber-1055B form. Like the 6611B, the "B" marks the second-generation movement plate rather than a metal or dial change, and gold examples are the bulk of what survives. The platinum examples are a tiny special-order population built for Middle-Eastern clients; the fully-Arabic Lone Star appears to be a single watch, documented in Pucci Papaleo's book rather than in any production record. No Rolex figure has surfaced. The whole 66xx cluster gives way to the 4-digit [[Reference:1803|1803]] around 1959.

==Movement notes==

The 6612B runs the caliber 1055B, the second-generation version of the first Day-Date movement: an automatic, chronometer-certified caliber with the free-sprung Microstella balance and the instant midnight changeover that the early 1055 lacked. It is the same movement the 6611B carries; the smooth bezel and, on the Lone Star, the platinum case are what set the 6612B apart, not the calibre. The [[Reference:Movements]] page holds the caliber lineage, and the [[Reference:6612|6612]] entry covers the smooth-bezel reference's mechanics in full.

==Dial map==
[[File:Ref 6612B dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Lone Star dial close-up with Arabic day and date|The Lone Star dial — diamond markers, the day spelled out in Arabic at twelve and the date in Arabic numerals, one of the earliest entirely Arabic-script Day-Date dials.]]

The standard 6612B dials are the smooth-bezel "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dials of the period, covered on the [[Reference:6612|6612]] entry. The dial that defines this reference is the Lone Star's: a gilt-champagne ground with round-brilliant diamond hour markers in prong settings, and the day and date both rendered in Eastern-Arabic script, the day spelled out in the window at twelve and the date in Arabic numerals at three. It is one of the earliest entirely Arabic-script Day-Date dials, which the watchesbysjx.com history of the Arabic Day-Date calls likely the first such dial made by the Swiss industry. The deep dial taxonomy that spans the President line sits on the [[Reference:1803|1803]] entry.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The case is the 36mm smooth-bezel Oyster shared with the [[Reference:6612|6612]], with an acrylic crystal and a Twinlock screw-down crown. On the Lone Star the case and bracelet are platinum rather than gold, the choice that marks the Gulf special orders, and the smooth bezel reads cleaner in white metal than the fluted 6611 does. The smooth bezel is the cluster signature that separates the 6612 and 6612B from the fluted 6611 and the diamond-set 6613.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

Gold 6612Bs wear the President bracelet, as the [[Reference:6612|6612]] does. The Lone Star wears a platinum brick-link bracelet in place of the President, the woven flat-link style seen on the platinum originals-era Day-Dates. As with any watch of the era, a clasp date code dates the bracelet, which may be older or newer than the head, and the cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

==Special branches==

===The "Lone Star"===

The Lone Star is the heart of the reference: a platinum, smooth-bezel 6612B with diamond hour markers and a fully Eastern-Arabic dial, the day spelled out in Arabic at twelve and the date in Arabic numerals. Pucci Papaleo named it in his book ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' (Pucci Papaleo Editore, 2015), and it is documented there alone; it has never surfaced at public sale. It is among the first entirely Arabic-script Day-Dates Rolex built, and the originals-era ancestor of the 4-digit platinum Arabic Presidents, the 1804 "Scheherazade" and the platinum [[Reference:1831|1831]] "Emperor." If it ever came to market it would price as a unique trophy above the platinum lots below.

===The platinum-originals apex===

The platinum originals-era Day-Dates are the top of the 66xx market, an order of magnitude above the gold examples. Phillips sold a platinum 6612 with a grey dial and Spanish day disc, the "Big Kahuna," for CHF 473,000 in 2015, then a Day-Date world-record price. A platinum diamond-bezel 6613 with an Eastern-Arabic calendar made CHF 425,450 at Phillips in 2025, and a platinum English-calendar 6613 HK$275,000 in 2016. The Lone Star is the smooth-bezel, fully-Arabic member of that platinum apex, and the only one of the group never offered publicly.

==Auction record==

The 6612B Lone Star itself has not appeared at public auction; it is book-documented. The platinum-Arabic originals-era Day-Dates that have sold are its diamond-bezel 6613 sibling and the platinum non-Arabic 6612, which set the price context below. Gold 6612B examples trade in the dealer market, seldom at the catalogued sales, in the same low-five-figure band as the gold 6611 and 6612.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! date
! house
! configuration
! result
|-
| 2015
| Phillips Geneva, Glamorous Day-Date, lot 43
| platinum 6612 "Big Kahuna", grey dial, Spanish day disc
| CHF 473,000
|-
| 2025
| Phillips Geneva XXI, lot 198
| platinum 6613, Eastern-Arabic calendar, diamond markers
| CHF 425,450
|-
| 2016
| Phillips Hong Kong, lot 201
| platinum 6613, English calendar, diamond markers
| HK$275,000
|}

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:6611|Day-Date 6611]] — 1957–1959
* [[Reference:6612|Day-Date 6612]] — Early President (1957–1959)
* [[Reference:6510|Day-Date 6510]] — 1956–1957
* [[Reference:6511|Day-Date 6511]] — 1956–1957
* [[Reference:1803|Day-Date 1803]] — Fluted President (1960–1977)
* [[Reference:18028|Day-Date 18028]] — 1977–1988

See also the [[Reference:day-date|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2016/09/hands-on-with-the-rolex-day-date-40-eastern-arabic-middle-east-edition-plus-a-brief-history-of-the-arabic-day-date.html Adel Al-Rahmani with Eric Ku, "A Brief History of the Arabic Day-Date (with the Day-Date 40 Arabic special edition hands-on)", SJX Watches, 2016-09]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo, Pucci Papaleo Editore, 2015]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/214914 Phillips, "Rolex Ref. 6613 Day-Date, platinum with Eastern-Arabic calendar and diamond markers — Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XXI, lot 198", Phillips, 2025]
* [https://www.phillips.com/ Phillips Watches Department, "Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva May 2015 lot 43 — platinum 6612", Phillips, 2015-05-09]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080116/201 Phillips, "Rolex Ref. 6613 Day-Date, platinum with English calendar and diamond markers — Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction TWO, lot 201", Phillips, 2016]
* [https://rolexpassionmarket.com/watches/rolex-the-gold-black-day-date-ref-6612b/ Rolex Passion Market editorial, "Rolex Day-Date 6612B Gold Black Dial", Rolex Passion Market]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/1055b WatchBase, "Rolex caliber 1055B (registry page)", WatchBase]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history ''Rolex Day-Date'' — Giorgia Mondani and Guido Mondani, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

Reference:6612

2026-07-18T12:57:18Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6612 Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Day-Date 6612 — Early President, 1957–1959 | BezelBase
|description=The 6612 (1957–1959) is the smooth-bezel Day-Date of the second-generation 66xx cluster, sibling to the fluted 6611 and diamond-bezel 6613. 36mm 18k gold (rare platinum), caliber 1055B with free-sprung Microstella balance, President bracelet, and the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial.
|keywords=Rolex 6612, Day-Date, President, smooth bezel, 66xx cluster, 6611, 6613, caliber 1055B, [[Reference:6612B|6612B]], platinum Day-Date
|image=Ref 6612 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 6612 in platinum with smooth bezel and grey diamond dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-06-07T05:24:12Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:04Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''6612'''

The 6612 is the smooth-bezel member of the Day-Date's second-generation cluster. It arrived in 1957 alongside the fluted [[Reference:6611|6611]] and the diamond-bezel 6613, about a year after the [[Reference:6510|6510]] and [[Reference:6511|6511]] originals, and it carries the same three upgrades that turned the Day-Date into the President: the President bracelet, the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial line, and the rebuilt caliber 1055 with a free-sprung Microstella balance. Where the 6611 wears the fluted "Millerighe" bezel, the 6612 wears a plain polished one. That is the whole difference between them.

The shared origin story — the day-disc patents, the Presidential nickname, the full cluster roster — belongs to the [[Reference:6510|6510]] entry, and the bracelet-and-caliber bundle that defines the cluster is set out on the [[Reference:6611|6611]]. What follows is specific to the 6612: the smooth bezel, the metals it came in including a platinum pair that sits among the rarest early Day-Dates, and the 6612B sub-variant.

[[File:Ref 6612 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 6612 in platinum with smooth bezel and grey diamond dial|The 6612 in platinum — smooth bezel, grey dial with diamond markers, Spanish day disc, on the President bracelet. One of the documented platinum examples. Photo: Phillips / EveryWatch]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6612
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1957–1959
|-
| movement
| caliber 1055 second generation (1055B) — free-sprung Microstella balance, Breguet overcoil, COSC-certified, instant midnight changeover
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold Oyster — yellow, pink, white gold; platinum (rare)
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| smooth (polished)
|-
| bracelet
| President
|-
| dial designation
| "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified"
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| predecessor
| 6510 (smooth) / 6511 (fluted), 1956 originals
|-
| cluster siblings
| 6611 (fluted bezel), 6613 (diamond bezel)
|-
| successor
| 1803 and the 4-digit era, from c.1959
|-
| sub-variant
| 6612B (movement plate about 0.1mm thicker)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6612 belongs to the 66xx cluster that succeeds the 1956 originals around 1957. Within the cluster the bezel is the divider: the 6611 takes the fluted bezel, the 6612 the smooth, and the 6613 a factory diamond-set bezel. The smooth bezel links the 6612 back to the first-generation [[Reference:6510|6510]], the only other early Day-Date to wear one; everything inside the watch is second-generation. By about 1959 the [[Reference:1803|1803]] and its siblings replace the whole cluster and the Day-Date settles into its long 4-digit era.

Dating the cluster is not quite unanimous. Sotheby's groups the 66xx references with the 1956 launch, while Monochrome and WatchBase place them at 1957. The 1957 reading is the common one and matches the President bracelet's own introduction.

==Production outline==

The 6612 shares the cluster's defining move: in 1957 the President bracelet, the rebuilt chronometer-certified caliber, and the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial arrived together, and the smooth-bezel reference in that group was the 6612. It kept the 36mm Oyster case and the gold-and-platinum catalogue of the period and ran for about three years.

No Rolex archival production figure has surfaced, and the smooth-bezel 6612 is scarcer in the record than the fluted 6611 — most early Day-Dates that reach the market wear the fluted bezel that became the line's signature. Case numbers fall in the same late-1950s band as the rest of the cluster; the platinum pair below carries numbers around 403,680, consistent with 1958.

==Movement notes==

The 6612 carries the second-generation caliber 1055, the version registries label 1055B, the same movement as the fluted 6611. It keeps the first-generation running gear (automatic, 25 jewels, 18,000 vph, 28.50mm across) and adds the two upgrades that define the cluster: a free-sprung balance with Rolex's Microstella regulating screws paired with a Breguet overcoil, and COSC chronometer certification. The midnight changeover becomes instant, fixing the slow day-and-date roll-over that hobbled the first-generation 1055 and is usually blamed for the one-year run of the 6510 and 6511. The full caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].

==Dial map==

The 6612 carries the four-line "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" text at six o'clock that the cluster introduced, with the spelled-out day at twelve, the date at three, applied faceted gold indices, and the period's shift toward alpha hands. Day discs follow the retail market — English, French, German, Italian and Spanish discs are all documented across the cluster.

Two dial directions are worth separating on the 6612. The standard configuration is a champagne or silvered dial with applied gold batons. The platinum examples instead carry a grey dial set with round- and baguette-cut diamond markers, the configuration Phillips documented in 2015. Diamond hour markers otherwise belong to the precious-metal and diamond-bezel configurations rather than a standard gold 6612.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The 6612 uses the 36mm three-piece Oyster case shared across the cluster: screw-down Twinlock crown, screw-down caseback, acrylic crystal. The bezel is the plain polished one, the single feature that separates the 6612 from the fluted 6611 and the reason the two share everything else but a reference number.

The metals are yellow, pink and white gold, with yellow the common case material. Platinum is the outlier: a pair of 1958 platinum examples with consecutive case numbers is documented, one of which Phillips catalogued as one of only two known. Platinum with a diamond-set dial places these among the scarcest early Day-Dates.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 6612 wears the President, the three-piece semi-circular-link bracelet designed for the Day-Date and introduced with this cluster in 1957. The bracelet's name predates the Johnson-era association: a 1957 Italian advertisement reproduced by Rolex Magazine already calls it the President. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]]. As ever, a clasp date code dates the bracelet, not the watch head, and service swaps over seventy years are common.

==Special branches==

===Platinum===

The platinum 6612 is the reference's headline rarity. Phillips sold a 1958 example, case 403,680, with a grey dial set with round- and baguette-cut diamond markers at the Glamorous Day-Date sale in Geneva in May 2015, cataloguing it as one of only two platinum 6612s known and noting that the two carry consecutive case numbers. A platinum early Day-Date is unusual in any reference; documented in the smooth-bezel 6612, it is among the rarest configurations of the whole 66xx group.

===The 6612B===

A late sub-variant, the 6612B, carries a movement plate about 0.1mm thicker than the standard 6612, the same plate change tracked by the 1055B caliber designation and mirrored on the fluted 6611B. The external case is stamped 6612; the "B" appears in service paperwork and registries. It turns up across metals, including a yellow-gold example with a black dial.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! sale
! date
! metal
! notes
|-
| Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 43
| 9 May 2015
| platinum
| case 403,680 (1958), grey dial with round- and baguette-cut diamond markers; catalogued as one of two platinum 6612s known, with consecutive case numbers
|}

Plain gold 6612s trade in the same modest band as the gold 6611, with the smooth bezel making them marginally harder to find; the platinum pair is the clear exception on rarity. Documentation specific to the 6612 is thinner than for its fluted sibling — most cluster lots that reach the major houses are 6611s — so the smooth-bezel reference is best understood through the cluster rather than through a deep run of its own results.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:6611|Day-Date 6611]] — 1957–1959
* [[Reference:6612B|Day-Date 6612B]] — 1957–1959
* [[Reference:6510|Day-Date 6510]] — 1956–1957
* [[Reference:6511|Day-Date 6511]] — 1956–1957
* [[Reference:1803|Day-Date 1803]] — Fluted President (1960–1977)
* [[Reference:18028|Day-Date 18028]] — 1977–1988

See also the [[Reference:day-date|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2010/09/1956-very-first-rolex-day-date.html Jake Ehrlich, "1956 — The Very First Rolex Day-Date", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2010-09]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2021/10/rolex-president-ad-from-1957-uncovered.html Jake Ehrlich, "Rolex President Ad From 1957 Uncovered", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2021-10]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/1055b WatchBase, "Rolex caliber 1055B (registry page)", WatchBase]
* [https://www.phillips.com/ Phillips Watches Department, "Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Geneva May 2015 lot 43 — platinum 6612", Phillips, 2015-05-09]
* [https://rolexpassionmarket.com/watches/rolex-the-gold-black-day-date-ref-6612b/ Rolex Passion Market editorial, "Rolex Day-Date 6612B Gold Black Dial", Rolex Passion Market]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:6611

2026-07-18T12:57:16Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 6611 Day-Date — First President Bracelet, First "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" Dial | BezelBase
|description=The 6611 (1957–1959) is the fluted-bezel Day-Date that introduced the President bracelet and the first "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial, on the upgraded Microstella caliber 1055/1055B. 36mm 18k gold; the fluted reference of the 66xx cluster alongside the 6612 and 6613.
|keywords=Rolex 6611, Day-Date, President bracelet, Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified, caliber 1055B, Microstella, 6611B, 6510, 6511
|image=Ref 6611 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 6611 in yellow gold on the President bracelet
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-06-02T21:30:23Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:22:01Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''6611'''

The 6611 is the reference that turned the Day-Date into the President. It arrived in 1957, about a year after the [[Reference:6510|6510]] and [[Reference:6511|6511]] originals, and it brought three firsts at once: the President bracelet, the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial line, and a rebuilt caliber with a free-sprung Microstella balance and chronometer certification. The 6510 and 6511 invented the complication; the 6611 fixed its weak points and gave the line the bracelet and the dial text that define it today.

Within the second-generation cluster the 6611 is the fluted-bezel reference, sitting alongside the smooth-bezel 6612 and the diamond-bezel 6613. It kept the 36mm Oyster case and the 18k gold-only catalogue of the originals, and ran for three years before the 1803 and its siblings replaced the whole group around 1959. The shared origin story (Marc Huguenin's patents, the Presidential nickname, the full cluster roster) belongs to the [[Reference:6510|6510]] entry. What follows is specific to the 6611: the bracelet and dial it introduced, the upgraded caliber, its metals and sub-variants, and the steel examples that complicate its history.

[[File:Ref 6611 hero.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 6611 in yellow gold on the President bracelet|Rolex Day-Date 6611 in 18k yellow gold on the President bracelet — the fluted bezel that the 6611 carried into the second generation. Image via Phillips.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6611
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| production
| 1957–1959
|-
| movement
| caliber 1055 second generation (1055B) — free-sprung Microstella balance, Breguet overcoil, COSC-certified, instant midnight changeover
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold Oyster — yellow gold, pink gold, white gold
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| fluted ("Millerighe")
|-
| bracelet
| President (the first Day-Date to carry it)
|-
| dial designation
| "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" — the first Rolex dial to carry it
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| predecessor
| 6511 (fluted) / 6510 (smooth), 1956 originals on Jubilee and the first-generation caliber
|-
| cluster siblings
| 6612 (smooth bezel), 6613 (diamond bezel)
|-
| successor
| 1803 and the 4-digit era, from c.1959
|-
| sub-variant
| 6611B (movement plate about 0.1mm thicker)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6611 succeeds the 6510 and 6511 roughly a year after their 1956 Basel launch. The dating is not quite unanimous: Sotheby's groups the 6611 with the 1956 originals, while Monochrome and Rolex Magazine place it at 1957. The 1957 reading is the common one and matches the President bracelet's own introduction date.

The reference anchors the second-generation 66xx cluster. The 6611 takes the fluted bezel, the 6612 the smooth bezel, and the 6613 a factory diamond-set bezel; the late 6611B carries a slightly thicker movement plate. This three-bezel lineup is something the 6510/6511 pair never had — the originals were a two-watch, bezel-finish pair, while the 66xx cluster is a proper range. By about 1959 the 1803 and its siblings take over and the Day-Date moves into its long 4-digit era.

==Production outline==

Everything that separates the 6611 from the originals arrived in one step in 1957: the President bracelet, the rebuilt caliber, and the new chronometer-certified dial. That bundling is why the 6611 reads as the start of the modern Day-Date rather than a minor update. The reference kept the 36mm Oyster case and the gold-only catalogue, and ran for three years.

Case numbers from the auction record sit a little above the originals' range (214,124 on a 1956/57 yellow-gold example, 401,546 on a 1958 white-gold 6611B), consistent with the 1957–1959 window. No Rolex archival production figure has surfaced. The cluster as a whole gives way to the 1803 around 1959, and from that point the President bracelet and the SCOC dial that the 6611 introduced become Day-Date standards.

==Movement notes==

The 6611 carries the second-generation caliber 1055, the version watch registries label 1055B. It keeps the running gear of the first-generation movement (automatic, 25 jewels, 18,000 vph, 28.50mm across) but stands about 0.1mm taller at roughly 7.1mm and adds the two upgrades that matter. The balance becomes free-sprung with Rolex's Microstella regulating screws, paired with a Breguet overcoil, and the movement is COSC chronometer-certified. The midnight changeover becomes instant, fixing the gradual day-and-date transition that hobbled the first-generation 1055 and is usually blamed for the 6510/6511's single-year run. The full caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].

Auction catalogues mislabel these early movements. Antiquorum's 2002 steel lot lists the caliber as a 1556, a movement that did not exist until the 1803 era; the watch in fact carries the second-generation 1055. The label to trust is the dial and the construction, the Microstella balance and the chronometer certification, not the caliber number a cataloguer reached for decades later.

==Dial map==

[[File:Ref 6611 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=6611 Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified dial|The four-line "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial the 6611 introduced. Image via Antiquorum.]]

The 6611 introduces the four-line "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" text at six o'clock, the first Rolex of any line to carry it. The wording is a direct consequence of the COSC certification the upgraded caliber earned, and it replaces the pre-SCOC lines of the 6510/6511 ("Superlative Chronometer by Official Test" or "Officially Certified Chronometer"). Beyond the text, the dials follow the period layout: the full-word day aperture at twelve, the date at three, applied faceted gold indices, and a shift toward alpha hands where the originals ran dauphine.

Hands and lume vary across surviving examples. The yellow-gold Serpico y Laino 6611B was catalogued with luminous alpha hands and applied faceted baton indexes, while the white-gold Phillips 6611B carried non-luminous leaf-shaped hands, black enamel hand centres, and no luminous dots at the hour markers. On these early Day-Dates, dial language, market disc, metal, and lume package move independently.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! dial
! indices / detail
! text
! documented on
|-
| champagne / gold
| applied faceted gold batons, pie-pan profile
| English SCOC
| yellow gold (Antiquorum 2017 lot 136, Serpico y Laino)
|-
| pale champagne / silvered
| applied baton markers, pie-pan, no diamonds
| English SCOC
| white gold 6611B (Phillips 2015 lot 154)
|-
| German-script
| German day disc, oversized "DAY-DATE", red date
| "Superlativer Chronometer Amtlich Geprüft"
| yellow gold (Phillips 2015 lot 50, probably unique)
|-
| satiné silver
| tritium baton indices
| English SCOC
| steel École prize watch (Antiquorum 2002 lot 37)
|}

The day disc follows the retail market — English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese discs are all documented, and the German-script Phillips lot, catalogued as probably unique, was likely built to win orders in German-speaking markets. The 6611 era is also where Arabic day discs first appear: SJX dates the spelled-out-Arabic dials to the late 1950s, with the date wheel kept in the Western "roulette" style, odd numbers in red and even in black. Diamond hour markers belong to the diamond-bezel 6613 and the precious-metal configurations rather than the standard 6611.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

[[File:Ref 6611 pink-gold.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=pink-gold 6611|An 18k pink-gold 6611 with a fluted pink-gold bezel and warm radium dial patina.]]

The 6611 uses the 36mm three-piece Oyster case carried over from the originals: screw-down Twinlock crown, screw-down caseback, acrylic crystal. The bezel is the fluted "Millerighe" in 18k gold matching the case, the finish that became the Day-Date signature and the one that separates the 6611 from its smooth-bezel sibling, the 6612.

The metals are yellow, pink and white gold. Yellow gold is the common case material; pink and white gold are scarcer, and the white-gold examples are usually diamond-set, which is what made the plain white-gold 6611B at Phillips notable enough to call out. Platinum and factory diamond-set dials are sometimes listed among the cluster's options, but no platinum or factory-diamond 6611 has surfaced at auction — Sotheby's treats the early references as gold only, and the diamond-bezel reference of the cluster is the 6613. The safe reading is that platinum and diamond-set examples belong to the 6613, not the 6611.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

The 6611 is the first Day-Date to wear the President, the three-piece semi-circular-link bracelet designed for this watch and now inseparable from it. The 6510 and 6511 launched on the Jubilee; the President arrives here in 1957. One of the earliest examples in the record is the President on the German-script Phillips lot, its folding clasp stamped 2.57. The bracelet is widely attributed to Gay Frères on contract to Rolex, though that maker attribution rests on dealer and blog sources rather than primary documentation. The bracelet's name is older than the watch's: a 1957 Italian newspaper advertisement reproduced by Rolex Magazine already calls it the "President," years before Lyndon Johnson's presidency attached the name to the watch itself in the mid-1960s. The cross-family detail sits on [[Reference:Bracelets]].

That advertisement is useful because it names the bracelet, not just the watch. The Italian copy describes the Day-Date as solid 18k gold with bracelet "PRESIDENT" 7286/16; the same Rolex Magazine piece also reproduces a 1958 Canary Islands catalogue and a 1959 German advertisement using the President/Präsident bracelet language. For the 6611, that makes the bracelet name a launch-period sales term rather than a later American political nickname applied backwards.

As with the originals, the bracelet on a surviving 6611 does not always match the head: clasp date codes date the bracelet, not the watch, and service swaps are common across seventy years.

==Special branches==

===Steel examples===

A small number of 6611s exist in stainless steel, and they are among the most argued-over watches in the Day-Date story. Two overlapping populations sit behind them. One is a set of École d'Horlogerie de Genève prize watches, their casebacks engraved "Ecole d'Horlogerie de Genève – 1963" and given to top graduates of the Geneva watchmaking school; Antiquorum sold one in 2002 and catalogued the reference as 6611 while noting, in the same lot, that the model "was first created under the reference No. 6511." The other is a run of factory prototype or scholar pieces made before the launch, cased without reference numbers.

The sources do not agree on how many exist or what to call them. Antiquorum counts six, Monochrome five, and Phillips four; the prize-watch and prototype framings are treated as one population by some and two by others. The most expensive of them, an ex-John Goldberger steel example with case number 99,272, was sold by Monaco Legend in 2024 as a reference 6511, not a 6611, on the strength of its first-generation caliber 1055 and riveted Oyster bracelet. The steel Day-Date is best treated as a disputed branch shared between the two reference numbers rather than a settled 6611 variant.

Antiquorum's 2002 lot essay gives one more version of the steel story: it says the six steel watches followed a marketing test in which demand proved stronger for gold, after which Rolex stopped steel production and kept the Day-Date in precious metals. That explanation should be treated as an auction-house account, not Rolex archive, but it explains why steel 6611s sit awkwardly between prototype, school-prize watch, and aborted-commercial-reference categories.

===The 6611B===

[[File:Ref 6611 white-gold.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=white-gold 6611B|A white-gold 6611B with a pale-champagne pie-pan dial and no diamonds — the rare plain configuration. Image via Phillips.]]

A late sub-variant, the 6611B, carries a movement plate about 0.1mm thicker than the standard 6611 — the same plate change that the 1055B caliber designation tracks. It is rare and turns up across metals: a plain white-gold example at Phillips, a Serpico y Laino-retailed yellow-gold example at Antiquorum. The external case is stamped 6611; the "B" appears in service paperwork and registries.

The Serpico y Laino example is more than a retailer signature. Antiquorum's 2017 lot records case no. 386,339, a matching Spanish day disc, and a "big logo" Rolex bracelet dated 1958, describing the package as made for Spanish markets. That gives the 6611B a documented export-market branch, not just a late movement-code branch.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! sale
! date
! metal
! result
! notes
|-
| Phillips, The Geneva Watch Auction TWO, lot 154
| 7 Nov 2015
| white gold (6611B)
| CHF 93,750
| case 401,546 (1958), pale-champagne pie-pan dial, no diamonds — prized for being plain
|-
| Antiquorum, Exceptional Horological Works of Art, lot 37
| 19 Oct 2002
| stainless steel
| CHF 50,600
| École d'Horlogerie de Genève prize watch, caseback engraved 1963, one of about six steel examples
|-
| Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 50
| 9 May 2015
| yellow gold
| CHF 45,000
| case 214,124, German-script SCOC dial, probably unique; President clasp stamped 2.57
|}

A plain gold 6611 is a comparatively modest buy, with examples clearing in roughly the CHF 12,000–20,000 range; the white-gold 6611B and the steel prize watch are the clear exceptions on rarity. Pink-gold and yellow-gold 6611B examples appear in the record at Sotheby's, and a Serpico y Laino yellow-gold 6611B at Antiquorum documents the English-SCOC dial, but several of those lot pages are now delisted and their results are not confirmed. The ex-Goldberger steel example sold for EUR 1,196,000 in 2024, but it was catalogued as a 6511, and as a one-off prototype it sits outside any 6611 price band.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:6612|Day-Date 6612]] — Early President (1957–1959)
* [[Reference:6612B|Day-Date 6612B]] — 1957–1959
* [[Reference:6510|Day-Date 6510]] — 1956–1957
* [[Reference:6511|Day-Date 6511]] — 1956–1957
* [[Reference:1803|Day-Date 1803]] — Fluted President (1960–1977)
* [[Reference:18028|Day-Date 18028]] — 1977–1988

See also the [[Reference:day-date|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history/ ''Rolex Day-Date Volume (Mondani Editore)'' — Mondani Family, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date/ ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo Editore, Spin Edizioni, 2015-05]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/more-precious-than-gold-the-rolex-day-date-ref-6611-in-steel/ Monochrome editorial, "More Precious Than Gold! — The Rolex Day-Date ref. 6611 in STEEL", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/1055b WatchBase, "Rolex caliber 1055B (registry page)", WatchBase]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2010/09/1956-very-first-rolex-day-date.html Jake Ehrlich, "1956 — The Very First Rolex Day-Date", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2010-09]
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2016/09/hands-on-with-the-rolex-day-date-40-eastern-arabic-middle-east-edition-plus-a-brief-history-of-the-arabic-day-date.html Adel Al-Rahmani with Eric Ku, "A Brief History of the Arabic Day-Date (with the Day-Date 40 Arabic special edition hands-on)", SJX Watches, 2016-09]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2021/10/rolex-president-ad-from-1957-uncovered.html Jake Ehrlich, "Rolex President Ad From 1957 Uncovered", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2021-10]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-31-37 Antiquorum, "Rolex Day-Date Ref. 6611 steel, École d'Horlogerie de Genève prize watch, Antiquorum lot 37", Antiquorum, 2002-10-19]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080115/50 Phillips (in association with Bacs & Russo), "Rolex Ref. 6611 yellow gold, German-script SCOC dial, Phillips Glamorous Day-Date lot 50", Phillips, 2015-05-09]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080515/154 Phillips (in association with Bacs & Russo), "Rolex Ref. 6611B white gold (no diamonds), Phillips The Geneva Watch Auction TWO lot 154", Phillips, 2015-11-07]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6611b-lot-307-136 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 6611B yellow gold, Serpico y Laino, English SCOC dial, Antiquorum lot 136", Antiquorum, 2017-05-14]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-35/lot-110 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Rolex steel Day-Date prototype sold as Ref. 6511 (ex-Goldberger), Monaco Legend lot 110", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2024-10-19]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:6552

2026-07-18T12:57:13Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6552 Air-King}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 6552 Air-King — The First Automatic Air-King, Cal 1030 | BezelBase
|description=The 6552 is the first automatic Air-King — 1953 to 1957, 34mm steel Oyster, Cal 1030 (Rolex's first bidirectional self-winding caliber). The bridge between the hand-wound 4925 and the long-running 5500. "Super Precision" dial text despite chronometer-grade movement adjustment.
|keywords=Rolex, 6552, Air-King, Cal 1030, butterfly rotor, Super Precision
|image=Ref 6552 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 6552 Air-King silvered dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-05-02T00:07:44Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:21:55Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:air-king|Air-King]] -> '''6552'''

The 6552 is the first automatic Air-King — a four-year reference (1953–1957) that sits between the hand-wound 4925 and the long-running 5500. Inside the case is Cal 1030, Rolex's first bidirectional self-winding caliber, with the butterfly rotor stamped ROLEX PERPETUAL PATENTED. The dial reads AIR-KING / SUPER PRECISION rather than the chronometer-rated OYSTER PERPETUAL text the contemporary Submariner and Explorer carried, even though the movement underneath was being adjusted to chronometer grade. The 6552 is where the Air-King first becomes the entry-tier Rolex with a flagship-tier movement underneath.

The reference is rare at major-house auction. Antiquorum's Mondani Collection lot 108-89 (Geneva, 14 May 2006) is the strongest single anchor; Dorotheum, Monaco Legend Group, and a handful of European weekly sales round out a documented record of four named-house lots in total. Phillips, Sotheby's, and Christie's have no standalone 6552 catalogue lot in the auction record through 2025 — the 5500 absorbs the major-house attention, and the four-year production window left fewer 6552s in circulation to anchor headline essay material.



[[File:Ref 6552 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 6552 Air-King silvered dial|Rolex 6552 Air-King, silvered dial with applied baton indices, alpha hands, c.1958]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6552 (caseback inside often stamped 6565 — period-correct, see Production outline)
|-
| family
| Air-King
|-
| common name
| "the Cal 1030 Air-King," "the first automatic Air-King"
|-
| production
| 1953–1957 active production; case-stock completion documented through 1959
|-
| case
| 34mm × 12.5mm stainless steel Oyster, smooth bezel, drilled lugs (19mm)
|-
| crystal
| acrylic plexiglass, domed
|-
| crown
| screw-down (Twinlock-era; Twinlock patent dates to 1953 but lot text on 6552s reads simply "screw-down")
|-
| movement
| Cal 1030, 25 jewels, 18,000 vph, ~42 hour reserve, bidirectional butterfly rotor, Breguet balance spring, monometallic balance adjusted to five positions and temperature
|-
| dial text
| "AIR-KING" + "SUPER PRECISION" — dial sub-chronometer-grade despite movement adjustment
|-
| chronometer
| no — dial text is "Super Precision" (entry-tier), not "Officially Certified Chronometer"
|-
| bracelet
| 19mm Oyster — period-correct rivet 7205 + 57 end-link (Craft + Tailored 1958 example)
|-
| water resistance
| 50m (Marcus Siems and Robb Report consensus); Time-Wire reads 100m — the 50m figure is better-sourced
|-
| caseback
| screw-down threaded Oyster; inside stamped 6565 (case-only ref shared with the chronometer-grade Oyster Perpetual sibling), 6552 stamped between the lugs
|-
| predecessor
| 4925 (1945–53, hand-wound Cal 10½ Hunter)
|-
| successor
| 5500 (1957–89, Cal 1530 then 1520)
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 6552 closes the founding vintage Air-King trilogy. The 4925 (1945) introduced the Air-King name on a hand-wound 34mm Oyster. The 6552 (1953) carried the same case envelope forward but replaced the Cal 10½ Hunter with the bidirectional Cal 1030 — Rolex's first in-house designed chronometer-grade automatic caliber. The 5500 (1957) inherits the case again and runs Cal 1530 then 1520 across 32 years. The architecture handoff at each step is the same: keep the 34mm Oyster, swap the movement.

The 6552's Cal 1030 sits at the centre of an architecturally important moment. The same caliber powers the contemporary 6534 / 6536 small-crown Submariner (1955–58), the 6610 Explorer (1955–59), and the 6202 Turn-O-Graph at the end of its production. These four references — 6552 Air-King, 6536 Submariner, 6610 Explorer, 6202 Turn-O-Graph — share the Cal 1030's architecture and run roughly in parallel through the mid-1950s. The 6552 is the Air-King's only true Cal 1030 reference; by the 5500's introduction in 1957 the line is already moving onto the Cal 1530 / 1520 era.

The 1002 Oyster Perpetual that some sources identify as a 6552 sibling actually arrives later (1959 onward) and overlaps with the 5500 rather than the 6552. The 5504 (36mm oversized Air-King with an Explorer-case profile) sits parallel to the 5500 from 1958, post-dating the 6552.


== Production outline ==

The 1953 introduction year is consensus across Goldammer (Marcus Siems byline), Monochrome (Erik Slaven, January 2025), Robb Report's Air-King guide, ''Rolex Magazine'' (Jake Ehrlich), and Watch-Wiki. The 1957 retirement year — when the 5500 takes over — is similarly consensus. The four-year window is shorter than any other Air-King reference; the line moved fast through this caliber generation before settling on the 1530 family for the 5500.

One general-family editorial source conflates the 6552 with a non-existent 6652 throughout, dating "6652" to roughly 1954 and describing it as "12 months before the GMT." The reference number is wrong — there is no 6652 Air-King.

Surviving 6552s often carry case numbers that date to 1958 or 1959 — past the 1957 active-production end. Antiquorum lot 108-89 (case 437,255) is dated 1959; Monaco Legend Group July 2024 lot 72 (case 376,058) is 1958; Dorotheum lot 145-051401/0001 (case 376,310) is c.1958. The pattern is the same as the 6610 Explorer (active production ends 1959, retail through 1963) — leftover cases continued to be assembled and dispatched to dealers after the catalogue end-date, often with later parts and movement service swaps already in place.

Total production output is not published by Rolex. The four-year production window plus the 6552's modest profile in its day suggests substantially smaller output than the 5500. The reference is rare at major-house auction not because it was inherently scarce in production but because most surviving examples sit in the dealer market or in private collections rather than circulating through Phillips / Sotheby's / Christie's headline sales.

The caseback stamping deserves explicit attention. Inside the caseback the 6552 typically reads 6565 — the case-only reference shared with the chronometer-grade Oyster Perpetual sibling that ran in parallel and used the same case middle. The 6552 designation appears stamped between the lugs as the model reference. This duality is correct and original, confirmed across Antiquorum lot 108-89 ("the back is stamped 6552, the case is stamped 6565") and the Relojes Vintage Mexico Patrizzi-documented 1958 example. A 6552 caseback stamped only "6552" inside is unusual; "6565" inside with "6552" between the lugs is the period-correct configuration.


== Movement notes ==

The 6552 runs Cal 1030 — Rolex's first bidirectional self-winding caliber, introduced in 1950 with the butterfly rotor that succeeded the uni-directional thicker-rotor A-series Perpetuals (A260 / A290 / A295 / A296). The 1030 is the architectural fork in the Rolex movement timeline: every Rolex automatic before it was uni-directional and required the bubbleback caseback dome for rotor clearance; the 1030's slimmer butterfly rotor eliminated the need for the dome and powered the post-1950 generation of slim-cased Oysters.

Specifications across documented examples: 25 jewels, 18,000 vph, approximately 42-hour power reserve, Breguet balance spring, monometallic balance adjusted to five positions and temperature. The Antiquorum lot 108-89 catalogue text quotes the canonical spec: "Cal.1030, rhodium-plated with decoration. 25 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to five positions and temperature, with Breguet balance spring." Dorotheum's lot describes movement N809,993 with the same spec.

The chronometer status is the interesting question. The 6552's Cal 1030 movement was being adjusted to chronometer grade in many examples — the Antiquorum lot's "five positions and temperature" adjustment is itself the COSC adjustment standard. But the dial reads "AIR-KING / SUPER PRECISION" rather than "OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER," which keeps the watch in the entry tier despite the underlying movement quality. Marcus Siems makes the distinction explicit: "in contrast to other Oyster Perpetuals these Air-Kings weren't Chronometer certified and marked Super Precision." The 6552 walks the line — chronometer-grade movement, sub-chronometer dial designation. Both can be true simultaneously and frequently are on the same watch.

Eric Wind, writing at Wind Vintage in his Perpetual Movement Part 2 piece, describes the 1030's red-anodized aluminium wheels in the self-winding module as the first time Rolex's own self-winding architecture appeared, and frames the 1030 as the first in-house designed chronometer-grade calibre. The 1030 begins the line that runs forward through the 1530 / 1520 (5500 era), the 1560 (early 1016 Explorer), and the 1565 / 1570 (Submariner / Sea-Dweller). Reading the 6552 as the Air-King's only Cal 1030 reference puts it in the same architectural moment as the small-crown Submariners and the early Explorer.


== Dial map ==

Five documented dial variants surface in the major-house auction record. The 6552 dial map is narrower than the 5500 — fewer surfaced examples, less variation — but the variation that exists is real and well-anchored.


=== Silvered with applied baton indices ===

The production-volume dial. Silvered or matte-grey ground, applied dart or baton hour markers, alpha hands, central seconds, "AIR-KING" at twelve and "SUPER PRECISION" above six. The dial sits as the standard configuration across the four-year production window. Antiquorum Mondani lot 108-89 (1959, case 437,255), Dorotheum lot 145-051401/0001 (c.1958, case 376,310), Monaco Legend Group lot 72 (1958, case 376,058) all wear this dial.


=== Explorer 3-6-9 with applied coronet ===

A documented early-run dial layout — silvered ground with 3-6-9 Arabic numerals at three, six, and nine, spear-faceted indices at the other hours, applied coronet at twelve. The same Explorer-style 3-6-9 layout that runs across the 5500's later production already appears on the 6552 in its first years. The Goldammer Air-King family history names "spear indices and Explorer(ish) Arabics" as the early-run configuration, and a RolexForums archive thread (936946) catalogues an early 6552 with a 3-6-9 dial as "fairly rare." Time-Wire confirms the same layout for the early run. No major-house lot anchors the 3-6-9 6552 in the auction record, leaving the variant well-supported by editorial but light on auction-house provenance.


=== Black gloss / black gilt step-dial ===

A third documented variant surfaces in marketplace listings catalogued as "EXTREMELY RARE ROLEX AIRKING 6552 SUPER PRECISION w/ BLACK GILT STEP-DIAL". Glossy black lacquer or gilt-on-glossy ground, stepped dial profile with the indices and AIR-KING / SUPER PRECISION text on a raised inner section. A documented 1958 example (signed "Oyster Perpetual" only at six rather than carrying AIR-KING text) wears the same dial type aged to a tropical chocolate-brown — the original and the tropicalised version of the same configuration. The black gloss step-dial 6552 is dealer-grade evidence; corroboration from a major-house lot would lift the variant from "documented at marketplace" to "auction-anchored."


=== Tropical chocolate ===

A documented 1958 6552 surfaces with a "glossy deep brown tropical dial" — the gloss black step-dial above aged through decades of UV exposure to a uniform chocolate-brown. The dial is signed "OYSTER PERPETUAL" only at six rather than carrying AIR-KING text, suggesting either a sister 1002-class dial or a service-replacement dial swap. The configuration is the only documented tropical 6552 in documented examples — the rate of tropical conversion appears low compared to later Cal 1530 / 1520 5500s.


=== Patrizzi two-tone (creamy outer + sunburst silver inner) ===

The most book-grade rarity in the 6552 dial map. A 1958 example documented in Osvaldo Patrizzi's ''Rolex, Collecting Wristwatches'' (2001 edition, page 184) carries a two-tone dial — creamy outer ring with a sunburst silver inner section — and is unsigned (no "OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER" text). The same watch's documented record notes the caseback duality (6552 between the lugs, 6565 inside) explicitly. The Patrizzi-book documentation is the strongest provenance anchor in the 6552 dial map; the configuration itself is rare.

The honeycomb / clous-de-Paris, all-Arabic UK-market, and retailer-signed (Tiffany / Cartier / Beyer / Asprey / Joyería Riviera) 6552 configurations have not surfaced in the auction record. Honeycomb dials of this era live on the 6305 Datejust, 6202 Turn-O-Graph, 6350 / 6298 Explorer / Bubbleback rather than on the 6552. Tiffany-signed Air-Kings are a 5500-era story (Wind Vintage's Tiffany 5500 is the documented anchor); no 5500-era retailer signature has been documented on a 6552. Their absence is not proof — additional variants may surface as auction catalogues digitise older sales — but the documented record does not currently carry them.


== Case and construction ==

34mm × 12.5mm stainless steel three-piece Oyster — case middle, threaded caseback, threaded crown. The case profile reads slimmer than the pre-1950 Bubbleback architecture that the 4925 inherited; the Cal 1030's butterfly rotor is the architectural reason the case middle could come down to ~12.5mm without rotor clearance issues. Lugs are 19mm with drilled spring-bar holes. The bezel is fixed and steel and smooth.

The crown is a screw-down. Twinlock — Rolex's two-gasket sealed-crown patent — was filed in 1953, the same year the 6552 launched, but no surfaced 6552 lot text specifically marks the watch as "Twinlock-equipped." The convention reads simply "screw-down crown." Twinlock branding becomes formally consistent on Rolex sport references later in the 1950s; 6552-era crowns may or may not carry the patent markings depending on production date within the four-year window.

The 6552 is steel-only across documented examples. No two-tone, no gold-capped, no precious-metal 6552 has surfaced. The two-tone gold-capped Air-Kings live on adjacent reference numbers — 5501 (Rolesor with gold fluted bezel), 5502 / 5506 (gold-capped 40-micron) — that post-date the 6552 and run alongside the 5500 rather than alongside the 6552.

Water resistance reads at 50m on the Marcus Siems and Robb Report sources (and on most period dial markings reading "50m = 165ft"); Time-Wire reads 100m, which is the 5500-era specification. The 50m figure is better-sourced and consistent with the period rating Rolex used on the entry-tier Oyster line.


== Bracelets, end-links, and clasps ==

19mm lug width across the production. The period-correct delivery configuration on a 6552 is a riveted Oyster bracelet 7205 with end-link 57 — A documented 1958 6552 (white dial, serial 37x,xxx, original radium hands) carries this fitment. The 7205 / 57 combination is also the early-run configuration on the 5500 that succeeds the 6552, so the bracelet-end-link pairing carried straight across the reference transition without a generation change.

Most surviving 6552s wear later bracelets — service-era refits with the 7835 folded-link (1969+) or 78350 solid-link (1976+) Oysters succeeding the original 7205. Bracelet originality on a 6552 needs case-and-clasp-date verification rather than relying on the bracelet reference number alone. A 6552 on a 7835 or 78350 is service refit, not original delivery.


== Special branches ==

The 6552 era pre-dates the documented Air-King special-branch programs. Domino's Pizza, Pool Intairdril, Circle Bar Drilling, Winn-Dixie, Levi's, the Royal Saudi Armed Forces / UAE / Bahrain / Kuwait government-crest commissions are all 5500-era — they begin no earlier than 1977 (Domino's) and concentrate in the 1980s. No documented military-issue 6552, no retailer-signed Joyería Riviera or Tiffany 6552, no commissioned-engraved 6552 has surfaced in the auction record through 2025.

What does qualify as a special branch on the 6552 is the dial-variant rarity captured above: the Patrizzi-documented two-tone, the Explorer 3-6-9 early-run, the black gilt step-dial, and the tropical chocolate. These are the 6552's distinguishing variants, not commemorative commissions.


== Historical market and auction record ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sale !! Lot !! Year !! Reference details !! Result
|-
| Antiquorum Mondani Collection (Geneva) || 108-89 || 2006 || 6552 / 6565 case 437,255, 1959, silvered two-tone with alpha hands, Cal 1030 || Hammer CHF 7,080 (est. CHF 2,000–3,000)
|-
| Dorotheum (Vienna) || 145-051401/0001 || c.2024 || 6552 c.1958, case 376,310, movement N809,993, silvered with applied indices || EUR 4,096
|-
| Monaco Legend Group July Online Sale || 72 || 2024 || 6552 1958, case 376,058, silvered || USD 1,478 (est. USD 1,083–2,167)
|-
| (Subscriber-gated European weekly sale, attribution via EveryWatch) || 25 || — || 6552 1959, case 437,256, two-tone silvered || USD 1,306–1,958 sold band
|-
| (Subscriber-gated, attribution via EveryWatch) || 181 || — || 6552 1956, silvered || est. USD 1,200–1,500, sold
|}

The 6552 trades in roughly the USD 1,500–8,000 band for clean original examples. The Antiquorum Mondani Collection example at CHF 7,080 sits at the top of the range — its Mondani Collection provenance and clean originality drove the result. Rare dial branches (Explorer 3-6-9, black gilt step-dial, Patrizzi two-tone, tropical) carry premiums into the USD 6,000+ range based on dealer-side asks. Phillips, Sotheby's, and Christie's have no documented standalone 6552 lots through 2025 — the 5500 absorbs the major-house attention.


== Authentication ==

The 6552 is 70 years old. The first question on any 6552 is originality across the case, dial, movement, and crown, and most surviving examples have been serviced multiple times in that span. The dial restoration window of the 1980s–2000s caught many 6552s; a perfectly clean original-looking dial reads as suspect; dials with even minor period patina are the originality positive.

The caseback stamping is the cleanest single authentication anchor: 6552 between the lugs, 6565 inside the caseback, both correct on a period-original 6552. A caseback stamped only with the model reference inside (no 6565) is unusual and worth examining; conversely a caseback stamped only with 6565 (no 6552 between the lugs) suggests a service replacement caseback or case-middle swap. The Antiquorum lot 108-89 catalogue text describes the configuration explicitly — period-original 6552s carry both stampings.

The case-number band runs roughly 350,000–440,000 across documented examples, with the latest dated examples from 1959 carrying numbers in the 437,000–438,000 range. A 6552 with a case number well outside this band — particularly anything above 600,000 — should be examined as a potential service-replacement case middle. The Roman-quarter date code inside the caseback (II.55, III.57, IV.58, etc.) should be period-consistent with the case-number band.

The movement number versus the case number is the standard authentication anchor. Both should be period-consistent and both should match the catalogue's recorded ranges. A 6552 with a Cal 1530 or Cal 1520 (5500-era) movement is service-replacement and not original — the 6552 should always carry a Cal 1030 with its butterfly rotor stamped ROLEX PERPETUAL PATENTED. A non-1030 movement on a 6552 case is a service event, not a rare configuration.

The bracelet usually doesn't help. Most surviving 6552s wear bracelets that post-date the 6552's own production window — 7835 folded-links from the 1970s or 78350 solid-links from the 1980s. Authenticate the head and movement first, read the bracelet as supplementary evidence rather than as an originality anchor.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:4365|Air-King 4365]]
* [[Reference:4499|Air-King 4499]]
* [[Reference:4925|Air-King 4925]]
* [[Reference:5500|Air-King 5500]] — 34mm Oyster (1957–1989)
* [[Reference:5501|Air-King 5501]]
* [[Reference:5502|Air-King 5502]]

See also the [[Reference:air-king|Air-King family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.rescapement.com/blog/rolex-air-king-history Tony Traina, "Rolex Air-King History: The Forgotten King", Rescapement]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-of-the-rolex-air-king-the-underrated-pilots-watch/ Erik Slaven, "History of the Rolex Air-King, the underrated pilots watch", Monochrome Watches, 2025]
* [https://goldammer.me/blogs/articles/rolex-airking-origin-history-and-design-evolution Marcus Siems, "Rolex Air-King Origin History and Design Evolution", Goldammer]
* [https://beckertime.com/blog/rolex-decades-the-40s-air-king-versus-the-50s-air-king/ "Rolex Decades The 40s Air-King Versus The 50s Air-King", Beckertime]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-89 "Rolex Oyster Perpetual Ref 6552/6565 Case 437255 1959 Mondani Collection", Antiquorum, 2006]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/6552/watch-11375345 "Rolex Air-King Ref 6552 1958 Monaco Legend Group July Online Sale Lot 72", Monaco Legend Group, 2024]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/6552/watch-2093482 Günter Eichberger, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual Super Precision Air King Ref 6552 c.1958", Dorotheum]
* [https://relojesvintagemexico.com/products/oyster-perpetual-two-tone-dial "Rolex Oyster Perpetual Ref 6552 Two-Tone Dial 1958 Patrizzi-documented", Relojes Vintage Mexico]
* [https://www.visionvintagewatches.com/product-page/rolex-1600-tropical "Rolex 6552 Oyster Perpetual Tropical Dial 1958", Vision Vintage Watches]
* [https://www.craftandtailored.com/products/1958-rolex-air-king-ref-6552-white-dial "1958 Rolex Air-King Ref 6552 White Dial", Craft and Tailored]
* [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/how-rolex-became-rolex-the-automatic-perpetual-movement-part-2 Eric Wind, "How Rolex Became Rolex - The Automatic Perpetual Movement Part 2", Wind Vintage]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2013/07/the-complete-history-of-rolex-air-king.html Jake Ehrlich, "The Complete History Of The Rolex Air-King", Rolex Magazine, 2013]
* [https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=rolex_air-king "Rolex Air-King", Watch-Wiki]

[[Category:Air-King]]

Reference:6542

2026-07-18T12:57:10Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6542 GMT-Master}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master 6542 — First GMT, Bakelite Pepsi, 1955–1959 | BezelBase
|description=The 6542 is the first GMT-Master and still the strangest one to collect. Launched in the Pan Am era with an unguarded Oyster case and a bakelite 24-hour…
|keywords=Rolex, 6542, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|image=6542 Dial.png
|image_alt=6542 Dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T03:21:17Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:21:52Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''6542'''

The 6542 is the first GMT-Master and still the strangest in the line to collect. The steel watch carries the Pepsi bezel that became the family signature, the gold watch shows that the GMT-Master was a two-metal proposition from the catalogue's first page, and the bakelite insert that defined both makes originality unusually hard to read on any surviving example.

Crown guards and aluminum inserts came later. Much of the surviving market has to be read through service replacement rather than factory-original purity.



[[File:6542 Dial.png|thumb|340x340px]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| [[Reference:6542|6542]]
|-
| family
| GMT-Master
|-
| production
| broadly 1955-1959, though the Field Manual table uses 1954-1959
|-
| movement
| early movement picture unresolved; direct lots show 1030, the Field Manual lists 1036, 1065, and 1066
|-
| case
| about 38-39mm Oyster, no crown guards
|-
| crystal
| acrylic with Cyclops
|-
| water resistance
| 50m / 165ft in the Field Manual
|-
| steel branch
| black gilt dial, red-and-blue bakelite bezel
|-
| gold branch
| brown bakelite bezel, alpha hands, lighter gold or champagne-tone dial family
|-
| main survival issue
| original bakelite often replaced by later service aluminum inserts
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 6542 opens the line and hands almost every later GMT-Master theme down by inheritance. The Pan Am association and the airline-travel framing start here. So does the red-and-blue bezel that became the steel branch's signature. The steel-and-gold split was in place from the first catalogue, and the bakelite insert nobody could keep intact set up the service-replacement reading that still defines the market for surviving examples.

On the wrist the 6542 sits smaller and less settled than what comes next. The [[Reference:1675|1675]] is where the GMT-Master arrives at its mature vintage form. The 6542 still reads as the experiment.


== Production outline ==

[[File:Ref 6542 gold-brown.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Gold 6542 with brown bakelite|Gold 6542 with brown bakelite]]
[[File:Ref 6542 service-example.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Service-path 6542 with metal insert|Service-path 6542 with metal insert]]
The 6542 reads in three paths rather than as a single chronology: the steel bakelite watch, the gold bakelite watch, and the service-path survivor. The run was short enough that a year-by-year generation map would invent precision the production record does not support.


=== Steel bakelite watch ===

The classic early GMT-Master: black gilt dial, no crown guards, red-and-blue bakelite insert, Mercedes hands, and a red GMT hand tipped with a small lume triangle. A brief lume-plot shift around 1958 turns up in the family histories, but the steel watch still reads as one compact early branch rather than a long sequence of formal generations.


=== Gold bakelite watch ===

The gold branch runs in parallel from the start. Brown bakelite bezel, alpha hands, lighter dial palette: under the same reference number the gold watch reads as a separate model.


=== Service-path watch ===

Bakelite cracks. Later service cycles replaced inserts wholesale, and often took the dial and hands along with them. A 6542 carrying a metal insert is not automatically a lesser watch, but it is a different watch from an untouched bakelite example and has to be priced and read on those terms.

Launch year is contested. Broad family histories use 1955, and Sotheby's collector guide treats the 6542 as the first GMT-Master without pinning a month. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual sets the range at 1954-1959, especially in the gold-GMT context. Two dates sit behind the split. Some early casebacks carry an internal 1954 date stamp, while the GMT-Master name was not registered as a trademark until 21 April 1955, which is the date Rolex reaches for when asked. The watch belongs to the 1954-1955 launch window; forcing it cleaner than that goes beyond what the sources support.


== Movement notes ==

Caliber attribution on the 6542 is layered. Sotheby's steel lots from 1956 and 1958 show the 1030. ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' lists 1036, 1065, and 1066. Monochrome treats 1065 and 1066 as the GMT-specific path.

The practical reading is that early watches used 1030-family architecture, with 1036 as the GMT-adapted bridge and 1065/1066 as the mature production caliber. The handover points have not been mapped to year with confidence.

On a specific watch, the movement has to be checked directly.


== Dial map ==

The steel and gold dials sit in separate lanes from the start.


=== Steel dial ===

The core steel dial is glossy black gilt with Mercedes hands and a red GMT hand tipped with a small lume triangle. Monochrome notes a brief 1958 shift toward larger lume plots before the smaller plots return.


=== Gold dial ===

The gold dial family is lighter in tone and paired with alpha hands rather than Mercedes. The gold GMT was given its own visual language from the launch catalogue rather than being treated as a steel watch executed in another metal.


=== White-dial Albino ===

The Albino 6542 is a steel GMT-Master with a white dial in place of the normal black gilt. Two photographed examples anchor the branch, but Rolex never listed it as a standard option. The watches are real. Whether they left the factory that way has not been settled.


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes ==

The case is the defining physical clue. No crown guards, an acrylic crystal with Cyclops, and a 24-hour bezel that originally carried a bakelite insert rather than aluminum.

Recorded case size floats by a millimetre depending on the source. Monochrome frames the steel watch at 38mm. One direct Sotheby's steel lot measures 39mm. The difference does not change how the watch wears, but it is wide enough that any decimal-point claim about the case is overreach.

The bezel is the bigger story. Original bakelite inserts are scarce because the material cracked and most went back to Rolex during service for metal replacements. A service-insert watch is not automatically a lesser watch, but insert originality sits at the centre of how the 6542 gets read and priced. An untouched bakelite insert on a matching radium dial is the defining shape of a first-tier 6542, and surviving examples of that standard reach the mid-five-figure GBP range at retail. Most surviving 6542s do not look like that, which is exactly why the ones that do form a separate collector tier.

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual gives 50m / 165ft water resistance and ties the 6542 back to the Turn-O-Graph 6202 in the early family table. The first GMT-Master still belongs to Rolex's mid-1950s tool-watch experimentation rather than the fully resolved professional-line language of the 1960s.


== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==

Bracelet documentation on the 6542 is genuinely thin. Sotheby's collector guide pairs the steel watch with a matching stainless Oyster but does not split end-link or clasp variation by year. Surviving examples point at a riveted Oyster (reference 6636) with a folding steel clasp as the default steel fitment, but the surviving population is not deep enough to fix a universal end-link or clasp rule across the full run.

Documented steel lots show more than one survival pattern. The Captain Warren lot carries provenance weight but is too thin on bracelet detail to set a fitment rule. The Serpico y Laino lot shows an Oyster USA bracelet, useful as observed evidence on a single watch rather than universal delivery logic.

The gold branch is thinner still. One serious listing shows a gold-bracelet example, another shows the same gold branch on leather, and having both blocks any single surviving configuration from being read as the rule. Sotheby's collector guide treats the solid-gold 6542 as a separate 1958 proposition with its own dial, bezel, and hand vocabulary, but does not publish a gold-bracelet fitment standard either.


== Special branches ==

[[File:Ref 6542 gold-bonanno.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Gold 6542/8 on gold bracelet|Gold 6542/8 on gold bracelet]]
[[File:Ref 6542 albino-white.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=White-dial Albino outlier|White-dial Albino outlier]]

=== Gold 6542/8 ===

Brown bakelite bezel, alpha hands, lighter dial palette: the gold watch is separated from the steel one from launch.

Sotheby's collector guide dates the solid-gold 6542 to 1958 and reads it as a deliberate second proposition rather than a late coda. The package: brown bakelite bezel, alpha hands in place of Mercedes, and a nipple dial with raised conical metal markers. The narrower collector reading places the full gold run across 1958 and 1959 with caliber 1065, though no primary source publishes a firm production figure or a year-by-year caliber mapping for the branch. What is not disputed is that the gold watch shipped with a brown or champagne dial and that the gold GMT vocabulary (alpha hands, nipple markers, warm dial) was in place from the catalogue's first appearance rather than emerging into the reference later.

Originality is the place to slow down on the gold branch. Surviving gold 6542 dials turn up in champagne, brown-gilt, and more rarely white configurations, with gold-on-gold and even black-bakelite-on-gold pairings circulating in the market. A Hindman auction lot of a gold 6542 with a white dial shows that these exotic pairings reach serious salerooms, though none has been certified as factory original by a top-tier house. A direct gold lot from Phillips, Sotheby's, or Christie's that would settle gold-branch fitment logic has not yet appeared in the auction record.


=== Captain Warren provenance watch ===

The strongest steel 6542 anchor is the Captain Clarence Warren lot sold by Sotheby's. Warren was a Pan Am captain, and the lot carried period accessories alongside the watch, which ties the 6542 directly back to the Pan Am commission rather than leaving the airline association as generic brand myth. Provenance of this quality is rare on the reference.


=== Serpico y Laino retailer-signed watch ===

Retailer-signed 6542s matter because the dial signature and the caseback marks can survive together on a single watch and give later examples a documented comparison point.

Serpico y Laino-signed 6542s are best read as individual data points rather than a separate production class. At least one documented example left Rolex for the Caracas market with the co-signature intact; that single anchor is what lets the rest of the candidates be argued at all.


=== Service-path watch ===

A documented service-path 6542 shows how the reference often survives in practice: a later gloss service dial, a metal insert, matching service hands, and a watch that remains compelling on the wrist even though it no longer represents the original radium-and-bakelite configuration.


=== White-dial Albino ===

The Albino 6542 is a steel GMT-Master with a white dial where the reference is otherwise known for glossy black gilt. Rolex has never catalogued it, and the configuration appears in neither ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' reference table nor Sotheby's collector guide dial list. It exists because a small handful of watches keep turning up with factory-style printed white dials, on cases, bezels, and movements that specialists read as period-correct.

Modern acceptance of the Albino runs through Stefano Mazzariol's 2010 study of a white-dial 6542 and Ben Clymer's 2015 Hodinkee write-up of a second example from East Crown. Those two studies moved the watch from rumour to documented oddity without settling the originality question. The Mazzariol watch is dated 1958 by the caseback stamp.

Albino 6542s are not resolved. Theories range from a Pan Am-linked special request to service-era dial swaps to tiny pre-production output. The often-repeated "maybe 100 pieces" line does not square with what is known about period allocation numbers. The honest reading: a small handful of white-dial 6542s exist, and their factory-original status has not been settled.

The Albino stays contested because the authentication ladder is steep. Bakelite inserts, dials, and hands routinely moved on the 6542 in service, so the default read on any anomaly starts at service-swap or redial. A white dial with factory-grade printing on a period-correct case does not separate from that default until the watch is opened, and the number of specialists comfortable adjudicating the specific prints is small. The examined population today is a handful of watches, and any new candidate has to clear the same ladder before joining them.


== Historical market and auction record ==

The steel side of the 6542 now has a documented market layer. The 1958 Sotheby's Captain Warren lot gives the strongest provenance anchor among surviving examples. A 1956 Sotheby's steel lot sits alongside it as a cleaner non-provenance control. The Serpico y Laino lot adds retailer-signed depth rather than another generic steel example.

The service side is documented too. A service-path example illustrates why originality on the 6542 is read as a spectrum rather than a yes-or-no category.

The gold side is better evidenced than it was, but it remains the weak point in the auction layer. Two serious gold listings (one on bracelet, one on leather) carry enough weight to write the branch with confidence; neither replaces a direct gold auction lot from a top-tier house, which is what the documented record still needs.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:1675|GMT-Master 1675]] — Pepsi & Root Beer (1959–1979)
* [[Reference:16750|GMT-Master 16750]] — 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16753|GMT-Master 16753]] — 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16758|GMT-Master 16758]] — 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16760|GMT-Master 16760]] — "Fat Lady", Coke Bezel (1983–1988)
* [[Reference:16700|GMT-Master 16700]] — 1988–1998

See also the [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II] — Monochrome
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-master-the-complete-collectors-guide The Rolex GMT-Master: A Complete Collector's Guide] — Stephen Pulvirent, Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/important-watches-part-i/gmt-master-captain-warren-reference-6542-an-advert?locale=en GMT-Master 'Captain Warren', Reference 6542, circa 1958] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/745d2d21-14d8-464a-a867-6b8517decd36/lots/f0420f6d-a407-49ea-bb06-95d1e6cd13ea GMT-Master, Reference 6542, circa 1956] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2008/important-watches-including-property-from-the-time-museum-n08474/lot.135.html Rolex 6542 retailed by Serpico y Laino] — Sotheby's
* [https://greyandpatina.com/product/1957-rolex-6542-tropical-service-gilt-chapter-ring-gmt-2/ 1957 Rolex 6542 Tropical Service Gilt Chapter-Ring GMT] — Grey and Patina
* [https://www.gioielleriabonanno.it/prodotto/rolex-gmt-master-6542-18k-gold-bakelite-bonvintage/ Rolex GMT-Master 6542 18k Gold Bakelite] — Gioielleria Bonanno
* [https://www.maurideangelis.com/prodotto/rolex-gmt-master-6542-brown-dial-with-bakelite-bezel-excellent-condition/ Rolex GMT-Master 6542 – Brown Dial with Bakelite Bezel – Excellent Condition] — Deangelis

[[Category:GMT-Master]]

Reference:6541

2026-07-18T12:57:07Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6541 Milgauss}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Milgauss 6541 — Lightning-Bolt Hand, 1956–1960 | BezelBase
|description=The 6541 is the cataloged Milgauss: 1956 catalog debut, lightning-bolt seconds added 1957, run ends 1960. Caliber 1066M to 1080, soft-iron Faraday cage, honeycomb gilt dial, 1,000 gauss CERN-verified rating. Phillips Geneva XVII May 2023 record CHF 2,238,000, Bonhams 2009 no-MILGAUSS-text Wolverhampton lot, PerezCope Bull-Gauss authentication canon.
|keywords=Rolex 6541, Milgauss, cal 1066M, cal 1080, honeycomb gilt, lightning-bolt seconds, CERN, Faraday cage, Phillips Geneva XVII 2023, Bonhams 2009 no-MILGAUSS-text, PerezCope Bull-Gauss, Mondani Milgauss
|image=Ref 6541 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Milgauss 6541 — honeycomb black dial, lightning-bolt seconds, smooth fixed polished-steel bezel of the US-market "ROW" variant. Image via Monochrome.
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-05-17T05:54:08Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:21:49Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:milgauss|Milgauss]] -> '''6541'''

[[File:Ref 6541 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Milgauss 6541 — honeycomb black dial, lightning-bolt seconds, smooth fixed polished-steel bezel of the US-market "ROW" variant. Image via Monochrome.|Rolex Milgauss 6541 — honeycomb black dial, lightning-bolt seconds, smooth fixed polished-steel bezel of the US-market "ROW" variant. Image via Monochrome.]]
[[File:Ref 6541 smooth bezel american.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Milgauss 6541 smooth-bezel American-market variant. Smooth polished bezel was the alternative factory bezel option to the heavier engine-turned bezel; documented across late-production examples.|6541 smooth-bezel American-market variant — alternative factory bezel to the engine-turned signature.]]
[[File:Ref 6541 phillips-record.webp|thumb|right|320px|alt=Honeycomb gilt 6541 — the Phillips Geneva XVII May 2023 record example (case 412'399, CHF 2,238,000). Image via Monochrome / Phillips.|Honeycomb gilt 6541 — the Phillips Geneva XVII May 2023 record example (case 412'399, CHF 2,238,000). Image via Monochrome / Phillips.]]

The 6541 is the cataloged Milgauss. It enters the Rolex catalog at Baselworld 1956 with a straight seconds hand inherited from the proto-reference 6543, the lightning-bolt seconds is added in 1957, and the configuration that defines the reference stabilises from that point. Production ends in 1960. Fewer than 200 examples were produced across the 6543 and 6541 combined, with the 6541's own count constrained to roughly 75–150 once the 6543's share is subtracted. Every documented surviving case sits in a single 412xxx batch, the most concentrated serial-band production in vintage Rolex sport-line history. The reference was engineered for laboratory environments. CERN became operationally commissioned in 1956 and independently verified Rolex's 1,000-gauss anti-magnetic rating against the soft-iron Faraday cage that defines the 6541's case architecture. Rolex's contemporary marketing tagged the reference "Guaranteed Radium Safe" alongside the magnetic-resistance copy. The watch sells slowly through its production years, drifts for decades, then becomes the most-traded vintage Milgauss in the modern auction era, culminating in the Phillips Geneva XVII May 2023 lot 25 result of CHF 2,238,000 against a CHF 500,000–1,000,000 estimate, with the bid widely understood to have been placed by Rolex itself for the brand's museum archive.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6541
|-
| family
| Milgauss
|-
| production
| catalog intro 1956; lightning-bolt seconds added 1957; run ends 1960
|-
| documented serial range
| case 412'075 (lowest documented, Bonhams 2009 lot 133) to 412'479 (highest documented, Sotheby's NY 2018 lot 256) — every surfaced case sits in the 412xxx batch
|-
| movement
| caliber 1066M (early run, "M" engraved on bridge) transitioning to caliber 1080 (purpose-built Milgauss caliber, later run) — 25 jewels, ~18,000 vph, soft-iron movement cover integrated
|-
| case
| 38mm three-body steel Oyster; 20mm lug width (vs the 6543's 19.5–19.7mm)
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down, reference 21
|-
| Faraday cage
| inner soft-iron ring around movement + soft-iron bell cover — moves the magnetic shielding inward, enabling a refined sport-line caseback (the 6543 used a thick caseback to handle the shielding)
|-
| antimagnetic rating
| 1,000 gauss (independently verified at CERN)
|-
| bezel variants
| rotating engraved bidirectional aluminium insert with red triangle at 12 + single-unit 1-5 markings across six 10-minute sectors (standard, Euro/ROW market) + smooth fixed polished steel (US-market, movements stamped "ROW")
|-
| dial variants
| honeycomb gilt with applied steel triangular indices at 3-6-9 + lume plots elsewhere + red MILGAUSS at 12 (standard); honeycomb tropical (aged black to brown, red MILGAUSS frequently faded to pink); non-luminous "CERN" honeycomb; no-MILGAUSS-text honeycomb (sub-five known, English Midlands provenance cluster)
|-
| hands
| lightning-bolt centre seconds from 1957; dauphine hour and minute (Mercedes hands on the no-MILGAUSS-text trial cluster only)
|-
| bracelet
| reference 6636 riveted Oyster, 80 end-links, "Big Logo" clasp
|-
| period marketing copy
| "Guaranteed Radium Safe" + anti-magnetic 1,000-gauss certification
|-
| auction record
| Phillips Geneva XVII, 13 May 2023, lot 25 — case 412'399, mvt N782694, full papers + 14 June 1960 secondary chronometer cert + hang tag + box, CHF 2,238,000 incl. premium (asterisked: Rolex-buyer market spike, not a clean collector-market comp)
|-
| cleanest market clearing comp
| Antiquorum Monaco, 18 January 2022, lot 111 — case 412'278, EUR 221,000 against EUR 130k–230k estimate
|-
| predecessor
| 6543 (proto-reference, 1954–1956) — same Milgauss family, the 6543 is the 6541's predecessor not a different reference
|-
| successor
| 1019 (1960–1988, cal 1580 — not cal 1066 as occasionally misattributed)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6541 is the first cataloged Milgauss. The 6543 came earlier as a proto-reference: straight seconds, no lightning bolt, non-standard 19.5–19.7mm lug width that prevented bracelet compatibility (the 6543 shipped exclusively on leather straps), thick one-piece caseback that handled the magnetic shielding directly, and a smaller production run (Watchguys cites 75–200 examples across 1954–1956). The 6541 supersedes the 6543 architecturally. The lug width moves to the 20mm sport-line standard that allows the 6636 Oyster bracelet, the internal soft-iron Faraday cage and soft-iron bell cover push the shielding inward and free up the caseback, and the lightning-bolt seconds hand added in 1957 becomes the reference's external signature.

The 6541's contribution to the Milgauss line is the lightning bolt, the honeycomb dial, and the rotating engraved bezel. The 1019 strips those signatures back for its 1960–1988 dress-coded successor silhouette. The 2007 116400 revival quotes them back, with the 116400's orange lightning-bolt seconds a deliberate visual lift, though the original 6541's hand is luminous-tipped rather than orange.

The 6541 is the rarest sport-line Milgauss by a wide margin. The 1019 has its 28-year run and survivor count in the low thousands. The 116400 has its 16-year revival and survivor count in the tens of thousands. The 6541 has 412xxx-batch production capped at roughly 75–150 examples once the 6543's share of the combined <200 figure is subtracted. The rarest sub-variant, the no-MILGAUSS-text dial, surfaces in fewer than five known cases. Two of the documented examples share English Midlands provenance: Bonhams Dec 2009 lot 133 case 412'075 from Wolverhampton, and a Sotheby's London 2007 lot from Coventry approximately 35 miles distant. The geographic cluster suggests a small trial run hitting a single UK retail point.

Goldberger's ''100 Superlative Rolex Watches'' (Damiani Editore, 2008, ISBN 9788862080392) does include the 6541. Goldberger's Le Monde Edmond interview about the Phillips Hong Kong Milestone sale describes how hard a nice 6541 is to source, but the watch is in the book, not omitted as occasionally restated in tertiary collector chatter.

==Production outline==

===Catalog introduction (1956)===

The 6541 enters the Rolex catalogue at Baselworld 1956. CERN became operationally commissioned the same year, and the timing aligns with the reference's commercial brief. Rolex built a watch specifically for the laboratory environment that CERN was about to open, and CERN independently verified the 1,000-gauss anti-magnetic rating against the soft-iron Faraday cage architecture. Rolex's own statement on the relationship: "CERN was the first institution to confirm that the Milgauss would indeed resist magnetic fields of 1,000 gauss." Early 1956 production carries the straight seconds hand inherited from the proto-reference 6543, visually a 6543 with the new 20mm lug width and revised caseback.

===Lightning-bolt seconds (1957)===

The lightning-bolt seconds hand is added in 1957. The exact intra-year cutoff is not documented. Specialist secondary sources read the 1956 catalog year as the formal launch and the 1957 lightning-bolt addition as the configuration that defined the reference. WatchProZine puts it as "according to Rolex, the first Milgauss was launched in 1956. This almost certainly refers to the second series of Milgauss, the 6541." Some dealer-tier sources push the effective production start to 1957 on this reading. The cleanest framing in the canonical record is the 1956–1960 production window with the lightning bolt arriving in 1957.

===Production batch finalised (1958)===

The IV.1958 + "Patented" caseback stamp is the dating anchor for the majority of surfaced cases. The fourth-quarter-1958 caseback stamp appears on documented examples including Sotheby's Nov 2024 lot 137 (case 412'283), Phillips Geneva XIX Mondani Collection lot 142 (case 412'424), and Sotheby's Nov 2025 lot 182 (an IV.1958 caseback with cataloger-database-error "circa 1976" dating that should be corrected on sight to 1958). PerezCope's authentication canon, the "Bull-Gauss" five-test set, includes the IV.1958 + Patented stamps as one of five forensic markers; their absence on a claimed 6541 caseback is a franken-watch flag.

===Run ends (1960)===

Production ends in 1960. The 1019 succeeds the 6541 the same year with a different caliber generation: cal 1580 at 19,800 vph against the 6541's ~18,000 vph, a 25-jewel-to-26-jewel architecture change, fixed engine-turned bezel, and silver or black dial options without honeycomb texture. The smooth-bezel US-market 6541 sub-variant clears late in the run. Eric Ku's reading restated in Rolexmagazine: "the best scholarship suggests Rolex replaced the spinning bezels with plain steel bezels to make the Milgauss look different as they didn't originally sell well. That is why you never see Rolex collateral material showing the smooth bezel. It was like a blowout at the end."

==Dial variants==

The honeycomb dial is a 6541 signature but is not 6541-exclusive; the 6543 prototype already carried the honeycomb texture. The dial itself functions as the inboard half of the magnetic shielding architecture. Two crossed laminated copper layers under the gilt surface create the honeycomb geometry, and the geometry is functional first, decorative second (Phillips, PerezCope, Sotheby's catalog text). Italian Watch Spotter occasionally describes the construction as "two-layer laminated aluminum"; the specialist consensus settles on copper.

===Honeycomb gilt with luminous indices — production default===

Black honeycomb gilt, applied steel faceted triangular indices at 3, 6, and 9, lume plots at the other positions, dauphine hour and minute hands, lightning-bolt seconds, "MILGAUSS" printed in red at 12. The launch configuration. The dial-side anchor for the standard production-volume configuration is Phillips Geneva XVII May 2023 lot 25 (case 412'399, mvt N782694), full papers plus the 14 June 1960 secondary chronometer cert plus hang tag plus box, CHF 2,238,000 incl. premium against estimate CHF 500k–1M.

===Honeycomb tropical===

Aged from black to brown, red MILGAUSS frequently faded to pink. Documented across multiple anchor lots: Sotheby's London 2020 lot 365 (case 412'351, mvt DN903318), Antiquorum HK Jun 2023 lot 150 (case 412'149, mvt DN903495), Sotheby's Nov 2024 lot 137 (case 412'283), Sotheby's Dec 2023 lot 102 (case 412'159, mvt N872810, smooth-bezel US-market combined with tropical honeycomb dial), Monaco Legend Auctions Exclusive Timepieces 31 lot 32 (case 412'375, "charm brown" tropical smooth-bezel US-market, EUR 143,000), and Antiquorum Geneva Nov 2022 "PINK" lot 481 (case 412'254, rotating bezel, US collector consignment, est CHF 100k–200k).

===Non-luminous "CERN" dial===

Honeycomb pattern with the lume plots omitted on the indices. The attribution to CERN is editorial inference rather than documented procurement. The practical rationale is solid: tritium beta-decay would create scintillation background in radiation detectors, and removing the lume plots eliminates that interference. The historical relationship to CERN is real. But no CERN-issuance roster, no caseback engraving, and no provenance chain links a specific non-luminous 6541 to CERN procurement. The unpolished CERN-spec example most recently in the editorial record traced through a Canadian collector's family inheritance, not a CERN chain. Defensible phrasing: "non-luminous sub-variant reportedly developed for the CERN environment", not "issued to CERN scientists."

===No-MILGAUSS-text dial===

Standard "Oyster Perpetual" upper line, no "MILGAUSS" below the centre. Sotheby's London 2020 lot 365 essay frame: "with less than a handful of pieces known to exist." Bonhams Dec 2 2009 lot 133 (case 412'075, mvt DN911451, cal 1066M) is the canonical sub-five example, and carries Mercedes hands rather than the standard dauphines, suggesting a small no-MILGAUSS-text trial run with Submariner-style hands. A second comparable sold at Sotheby's London 2007. Both originated from the English Midlands: Bonhams from Wolverhampton, Sotheby's 2007 from Coventry, approximately 35 miles apart, suggesting a small no-MILGAUSS-text production trial that hit a single UK retail point. The Sotheby's London 2020 lot 365 example confirms the configuration repeats; sub-five total examples publicly documented.

===White dial===

Repeated in dealer-summary tertiary pages; no auction-house lot or specialist essay surfaces a documented white-dial 6541. The white dial belongs to the 1019, not the 6541. Treat the white-dial 6541 attribution as apocryphal pending a Mondani 2011 or Goldberger 2008 page-level cross-check.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes==

===Case===

38mm three-body Oyster, polished and brushed finishes, screw-down Twinlock crown (Rolex ref 21), screw-down caseback with IV.1958 + "Patented" stamps on documented production examples. Lug width is 20mm. The move from the 6543's non-standard 19.5–19.7mm to the sport-line standard 20mm is the architectural change that enables bracelet compatibility with the reference 6636 riveted Oyster. The 6541's lugs are visibly thicker than the 6543's. Sotheby's New York 2018 lot 256 measured the case at 37mm; Sotheby's Nov 2024 lot 137 and Nov 2025 lot 182 both cataloged at 39mm; Artcurial M1015 lot 214 cataloged at 38mm. The discrepancy is measurement-method (across bezel vs across midcase), not a production variation. Best practice in published prose: 38mm with a measurement-method note.

===Faraday cage===

An inner soft-iron ring around the movement combined with a soft-iron bell cover sitting between the movement and the caseback. The architecture moves the magnetic shielding inward from the caseback (the 6543's approach) and frees up the caseback geometry. The Faraday cage rates the watch to 1,000 gauss, independently verified at CERN, and is the engineering reason the reference exists. PerezCope's "Bull-Gauss" forensic canon includes the soft-iron cage components as test 4: a brass cage in place of soft-iron is a franken-watch flag.

===Bezel — two factory variants===

The standard configuration is a rotating engraved bidirectional bezel, predominantly Euro/ROW market: black aluminium insert, red triangle at 12, bidirectional rotation, single-unit 1-5 markings inside six 10-minute sectors. The 1-2-3-4-5 reading omits the trailing zero on each ten-minute mark; the bezel reads as 60 minutes divided into six sectors with single-unit refinement. The 1-5 layout has no published Rolex rationale and remains one of the open questions of the early Milgauss design language. PerezCope's authentication test 5: serifed numerals are factory original; non-serif numerals indicate service or aftermarket bezel insert.

The US-market variant is a smooth fixed polished steel bezel with no graduation. Movements are stamped "ROW" (Rolex's export marking for non-Swiss-domestic destination). Eric Ku quoted in Rolexmagazine: "Rolex replaced the spinning bezels with plain steel bezels to make the Milgauss look different as they didn't originally sell well... it was like a blowout at the end." Documented smooth-bezel cases include 412'108 (Antiquorum lot 576), 412'159 (Sotheby's Dec 2023 lot 102), and 412'375 (Monaco Legend lot 32, "charm brown" tropical).

===Crown and crystal===

Screw-down Twinlock crown, Rolex reference 21, the standard sport-line crown of the period shared with Submariner and GMT-Master siblings. Acrylic crystal. No sapphire variant exists; the 6541's crystal is acrylic throughout the run.

==Movement — caliber 1066M to caliber 1080==

The cleanest reading of the caliber sequence is cal 1066M (early run, lower 412 serials, M-engraved bridge) transitioning to cal 1080 (later run, higher 412 serials, purpose-built Milgauss caliber). The "M" engraving on the movement bridge is the Milgauss-specific anti-magnetic spec marker.

Cal 1066M documentation runs through Antiquorum Monaco Jan 18 2022 lot 111 (case 412'278, mvt 872818) cataloged "Rolex 1066"; Sotheby's Nov 2024 lot 137 (case 412'283) cataloged as "M-engraved bridge"; Phillips Geneva XVII May 2023 lot 25 (case 412'399, mvt N782694, the record-setter) cataloged "automatic, caliber 1066, 25 jewels"; and Bonhams Dec 2 2009 lot 133 (case 412'075) cataloged "Cal:1066M nickel-finished lever movement with anti-magnetic cap." Cal 1080 documentation runs through Sotheby's NY 2018 lot 256 (case 412'479, mvt N726507) and Sotheby's June 2023 lot 75 (case 412'370, mvt 866560, full Rolex USA 2008 authentication letter plus complete box and certificate). Watchguys: "the 6543 was equipped with a unique caliber reference 1080, which was modified from the base caliber 1030. Calibre 1080 was based on the first in-house Rolex calibre 1030 from 1950, and both beat at 18,000 vph."

PerezCope's reading: "Cal. 1066M was later replaced with Cal. 1080 which was specifically produced for the Milgauss." The exact case-serial cutoff between the two calibers is not documented.

Common spec across the caliber generations: 25 jewels, ~18,000 vph (2.5 Hz), automatic with Borer 1931-architecture perpetual rotor, soft-iron movement cover integrated into the caliber, ~42–45 hour power reserve, no hacking seconds and no quickset.

Against the 1019's caliber, a correction: the 1019 (1960–1988 successor) carries cal 1580, a different caliber generation, running at 19,800 vph against the 6541's 18,000 vph, with 26 jewels against 25. The "cal 1066" attribution to the 1019 that circulates in some tertiary sources is a misattribution. The 1019 ran cal 1580 throughout production.

==Bracelet, clasp, packaging==

Reference 6636 riveted Oyster bracelet. 80 end-links. "Big Logo" clasp. The 6636 is the period sport-line standard, shared with Submariner 6538, GMT-Master 6542, and other 1956–1960 sport siblings. Documented date codes on surfaced clasps cluster around the production-period quarters (II.57, IV.58, III.59); clasps far ahead or behind the case serial typically indicate later service-replacement bracelets.

The 6543, the proto-reference, shipped exclusively on leather straps due to its 19.5–19.7mm non-standard lug width that prevented bracelet compatibility. The 6541's move to the 20mm sport-line standard lug width is the change that enables the 6636 fitment.

==Auction record==

The 6541's modern auction record runs from a first six-figure benchmark in 2013 to the 2023 Phillips Geneva XVII record-setter, with multiple anchor lots in between.

===Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XVII, 13 May 2023, Lot 25 — the record===

Case 412'399, movement N782694, caliber 1066, 25 jewels. Honeycomb gilt dial. Full papers plus Rolex secondary chronometer certificate dated 14 June 1960 plus original hang tag plus original box. Estimate CHF 500,000–1,000,000. Hammer CHF 2,205,000; total with premium CHF 2,238,000. The buyer was publicly described as a representative bidding for "the Crown". Philipp Stahl (Rolex Passion Report) interpreted this as a Rolex representative acquiring for the brand's future-museum archive, noting the result is "almost 50 percent higher than we see in regular auction" and reasoning Rolex spent CHF 10 million-plus across multiple lots that day. Robb Report and Italian Watch Spotter both framed the day as "Rolex Just Bought 3 Rolex Watches For 8.3 Million Euros."

The CHF 2.2M result therefore carries an asterisk: it is a Rolex-driven market spike, not a clean collector-market comp.

===Antiquorum Monaco, 18 January 2022, Lot 111 — the cleanest market comp===

Case 412'278, movement 872818, caliber 1066. Honeycomb black dial, dauphine hands, rotating engraved bezel. Estimate EUR 130,000–230,000. Hammer EUR 221,000. The cleanest modern regular-market clearing comp for a standard-configuration 6541, free of the museum-spike asterisk.

===Christie's Geneva Important Watches, 11 November 2013 — first six-figure benchmark===

Honeycomb gilt. Hammer USD 345,034 (approximately USD 354,000 with premium). The lot that established the 6541 as a six-figure collector category and inflected the modern market cycle.

===Bonhams Fine Watches & Wristwatches, London (New Bond Street), 2 December 2009, Lot 133===

Case 412'075 (lowest documented surfaced serial), movement DN911451, cal 1066M nickel-finished lever movement with anti-magnetic cap. The no-MILGAUSS-text plus Mercedes hands rarity. Wolverhampton (English Midlands) provenance. Estimate £25,000–30,000. The sister Coventry example sold Sotheby's London 2007. The two documented English Midlands no-MILGAUSS-text examples sit ~35 miles apart and suggest a small UK trial production hitting one retail point.

===Sotheby's Important Watches Part I, 10 November 2024, Lot 137===

Case 412'283, M-engraved bridge cal 1066. Tropical honeycomb dial. Rolex Atelier of Restauration restored. Provenance: Important Asian Private Collector. Estimate CHF 150,000–250,000.

===Sotheby's Important Watches, 7 December 2023, Lot 102===

Case 412'159, movement N872810, cal 1066. Smooth-bezel US-market combined with tropical honeycomb dial, the canonical US-market tropical 6541. Estimate USD 180,000–360,000.

===Sotheby's Important Watches, 9 June 2023, Lot 75===

Case 412'370, movement 866560, cal 1080. Honeycomb black. Full Rolex USA 2008 authentication letter plus complete box and certificate. Estimate USD 80,000–120,000.

===Antiquorum HK, 13 June 2023, Lot 150===

Case 412'149, movement DN903495, cal 1066. Tropical honeycomb. Estimate HKD 700,000–1,000,000.

===Phillips Geneva XIX (Mondani Collection), 11–12 May 2024, Lot 142===

Case 412'424, cal 1066. Honeycomb. IV.1958 caseback stamp. Estimate CHF 100,000–200,000.

===Antiquorum Geneva, November 2022, Lot 481 — the "PINK"===

Case 412'254, cal 1066. Tropical honeycomb with the red MILGAUSS faded to pink, rotating engraved bezel, US collector consignment. Estimate CHF 100,000–200,000.

===Sotheby's London Important Watches, 2020, Lot 365===

Case 412'351, movement DN903318. Tropical plus no-MILGAUSS-text sub-five rarity. Estimate £35,000–65,000.

===Artcurial Horlogerie de Collection M1015, Lot 214===

Case 412'179, cal 1066. Honeycomb black, single-owner provenance since 1965. Hammer EUR 109,200 against estimate EUR 90,000–120,000. A clean single-owner-since-period clearing comp.

===Antiquorum (US-market variant), Lot 576===

Case 412'108 (one of the lowest documented surfaced serials), cal 1065 cataloging (likely a looser cataloging of cal 1066M or an earlier-still designation). Brown tropical honeycomb, smooth-bezel US-market, "ROW" movement stamp, sold 30 January 1959. Hammer CHF 105,750 against estimate CHF 70,000–90,000.

===Sotheby's New York Important Watches (N09952), 2018, Lot 256===

Case 412'479 (highest documented surfaced serial), movement N726507, cal 1080. Honeycomb black, Rolex guarantee dated 1966 (later papers, not original to the production year). Estimate USD 100,000–150,000.

===Sotheby's Important Watches Part I, 9 November 2025, Lot 182===

Cataloger transcription "4'121'168", almost certainly a transcription error for 412'168, with cataloger-database-error "Circa 1976" dating that conflicts with the lot's own IV.1958 caseback reference. Movement N872244, cal 1066. Tropical honeycomb. Estimate CHF 60,000–100,000. Treat the 1976 date as a cataloging error to be corrected on sight.

==Authentication — the PerezCope "Bull-Gauss" canon==

Jose Pereztroika's July 2023 PerezCope exposé "Incorrigible Antiquorum — A Rolex 'Bull-Gauss' And Other Shenanigans" establishes the canonical forensic test set for 6541 authentication. Five markers, in order:

# An M suffix engraved on the movement bridge under the "1066" caliber designation. The "M" is the Milgauss-specific anti-magnetic spec marker. Its absence on a claimed 6541 movement is a franken flag.
# Milgauss-spec balance cock geometry. The shape and finishing of the balance cock differ from standard cal 1066 (non-Milgauss) production. Substitution with a standard cal 1066 balance cock is a franken flag.
# IV.1958 plus "Patented" caseback stamps. The fourth-quarter-1958 production stamp and the "Patented" marking sit together on documented production casebacks. Their absence is a franken flag.
# Soft-iron Faraday cage components. The inner cage ring and bell cover are soft-iron magnetic. Brass substitution, sometimes seen on franken builds where a standard cal 1066 movement has been dropped into a 6541 case without the period-correct cage components, is a franken flag.
# Serifed bezel-insert numerals. Factory bezel inserts carry serifed numerals. Non-serif numerals indicate service or aftermarket replacement.

Case 412'320 (Antiquorum Geneva November 2017 lot 230, CHF 81,250 hammer; re-offered Luxembourg 2019 and Antiquorum again 2023) failed all five tests in the PerezCope exposé and is the canonical "Bull-Gauss", a constructed franken with a standard cal 1066 movement, non-period bezel insert, and brass cage components. The wider argument PerezCope makes: a meaningful fraction of high-priced 6541 lots in the modern auction record are franken builds, and the Bull-Gauss canon is the forensic toolkit a serious collector needs before bidding.

==Race-prize tradition — Daytona Continental and NASCAR==

Jake Ehrlich's 2014 Rolexmagazine archive (restated by aBlogtoWatch and Hodinkee community editorial) documents a 6541 race-prize tradition through the late 1950s and early-to-mid 1960s. The narrative is single-source from Ehrlich; the named recipients carry varying levels of physical corroboration.

Pedro Rodriguez took the 1963 3-Hour Daytona Continental and the 1964 2000 km Continental in Ferrari 250 GTO N.A.R.T. entries. Ehrlich's archive carries photographs of Rodriguez receiving the watch and wearing it while posing for the camera.

Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby won the 1965 Daytona Continental 2000 km in Ford GT40 #73, the GT40's first victory anywhere and the architectural ancestor of the 1966 Le Mans triumph that ''Ford v Ferrari'' was built around. Both received smooth-bezel US-market 6541s as race prizes. Ruby was photographed in 2002 still wearing his (by then tropical brown) Milgauss, the best-documented continuous-wear photograph in the tradition.

Edward "Fireball" Roberts, NASCAR driver, was photographed in a 1962 or 1963 Rolex print advertisement wearing his 6541. The strongest period documentation of NASCAR-driver Milgauss ownership.

Bobby Allison, NASCAR driver, owned a smooth-bezel US-market 6541 with the caseback engraved "Bobby Allison / 1st", strongly suggesting a race-prize commemorating a first-place victory. Surfaced via aBlogtoWatch's "Race Car Driver Bobby Allison's Flat Bezel Tropical Dial Rolex Milgauss Ref. 6541 Watch." The caseback engraving is the strongest physical evidence in the tradition.

Richard Petty is the softest attribution. A reader-tier community claim circulates in Rolexmagazine comment threads that Petty "purchased a 6541 brand new in 1958". Apocryphal-feeling and third-hand.

The Daytona Continental race results themselves are independently confirmed by NBC Sports, The Henry Ford archive, supercars.net, and Motor Sport Magazine. The 6541-as-race-prize claim itself is Jake Ehrlich single-source; no motorsport archive corroborates the race-prize tradition independently of Ehrlich's chain.

==CERN provenance==

The Rolex-CERN relationship is well-attested. CERN became operationally commissioned in 1956. CERN scientists approached Rolex in the early 1950s requesting a wristwatch capable of maintaining precision in strong magnetic fields. CERN independently verified Rolex's 1,000-gauss rating against the 6541's soft-iron Faraday cage architecture. Rolex's own contemporary statement: "CERN was the first institution to confirm that the Milgauss would indeed resist magnetic fields of 1,000 gauss." Phillips's editorial "What's the Legacy Of The Rolex Milgauss?" frames the relationship as foundational testing partnership rather than procurement contract.

No public roster of CERN-issued 6541 serials exists, since CERN's Scientific Information Service does not host watch-issuance records online; no named CERN scientist linked by provenance to a specific 6541 case (Wolfgang Pauli was at CERN and died in 1958, chronologically open, but no Pauli/Milgauss link surfaces in any record; Pierre Auger, founding figure at CERN, has no documented 6541 attribution); and no caseback-engraved CERN-presented example has surfaced in any major-house catalog. Engraved casebacks that have surfaced are commemorative (Bobby Allison's "1st") rather than CERN-issued.

The closest the public record comes to a documented CERN-adjacent scientist provenance is Martin Skeet's 2016 prototype thesis. Skeet's "The Rolex Milgauss 6541 prototype - the rarest production Rolex ever?" documents a putative 6541 prototype belonging to a Swiss scientist working on hydroelectric dam projects in the early 1950s, later moving to Egypt's Aswan Dam project. The watch carries gold Submariner hands rather than the lightning-bolt plus dauphine combination, with "Milguass" (misspelled) printed in red at the bottom of the dial. Skeet attributes authentication to Rolex Geneva, who described the example as a field-test prototype "issued to people to test in the field." Sold Christie's 2001 for just over £28,000. Treat as Skeet single-source with Rolex Geneva authentication.

The best-documented operator-provenance 6541 in the public auction record is Roberto Pichardo's CIA Bay of Pigs example. Pichardo was a CIA operator at the Bay of Pigs invasion (1961), Brigade 2506 member, radio technician for B-26 aircraft. His 6541, case 412'206, circa 1958, tropical dial, surfaced with attestation from the Pichardo family documenting his Bay of Pigs involvement.

The strongest "scientist" association for the 6541 remains institutional (CERN tested the rating) rather than individual (no documented CERN-issued example exists). Defensible prose framing: "tested at CERN, marketed for the laboratory environment, with a non-luminous dial sub-variant reportedly developed for the CERN environment", not "issued to CERN scientists in documented batches."

==Print bibliography==

The principal print authorities on the Milgauss line:

* Mondani, Guido + Mondani, Franca + Spinello, Paolo + Vittozzi, Gabriele. ''Rolex: Milgauss, Yacht-Master, Turn-O-Graph, Explorer.'' Guido Mondani Editore, 2011. ISBN 9788890372384. 276 pages, format 31×41 cm (described as "the world's biggest book on Rolex watches"). Bilingual English/Italian hardback. Cover price EUR 620. Limited edition 2,000 copies. Photographs of dials, hands, bezels, casebacks, crowns, bracelets, and calibers across every Milgauss reference including the 6541. The most-cited print authority on the Milgauss in dealer and auction-catalog citations. A 2022 successor edition exists (ISBN 9788894972122) and a 2025 bilingual hardback successor (216 pages), both updated to include 116400 modern coverage and post-2011 production data.
* Papaleo, Pucci. ''I Cronografi Rolex – La Leggenda.'' Pucci Papaleo Editore, December 2004. ISBN 9788880000518. 416 pages, ~1,000 original images. Italian with bilingual content in places. Covers Rolex chronographs from 1930s–1990s; the 6541 is illustrated in the volume. The Milgauss is not Papaleo's primary subject; his canon leans Daytona and Day-Date. The 6541 entry is a corroborating cross-reference.
* Goldberger, John. ''100 Superlative Rolex Watches.'' Damiani Editore, 2008. ISBN 9788862080392. 287 pages. The 6541 is illustrated.
* Skeet, Martin + Urul, Nick. ''Vintage Rolex Sports Models.'' Schiffer Publishing. First edition ISBN 9780764314964; expanded edition ISBN 9780764322488; revised 3rd edition ISBN 9780764329814; 4th edition (2019/2020) ISBN 9780764358449. Covers Submariner, Sea-Dweller, GMT-Master, Explorer, Turn-O-Graph, Milgauss, Cosmograph from 1952–1990. ~140 vintage models.
* White, Colin A. ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual: An Essential Collectors Reference Guide.'' Morningtundra, 2020. ISBN 9780578630823. Covers 1,483 references including the 6541.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:1019|Milgauss 1019]] — Anti-Magnetic, CERN (1960–1988)
* [[Reference:116400|Milgauss 116400]] — Green Sapphire 'GV' (2007–2023)

See also the [[Reference:milgauss|Milgauss family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

===Primary and specialist===

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* ''Rolex: Milgauss, Yacht-Master, Turn-O-Graph, Explorer'' — Guido Mondani, Franca Mondani, Paolo Spinello, Gabriele Vittozzi, Guido Mondani Editore, 2011
* ''I Cronografi Rolex - La Leggenda'' — Paolo Gobbi, Pucci Papaleo Editore, 2004
* ''100 Superlative Rolex Watches'' — John Goldberger, Damiani Editore, 2008
* ''Vintage Rolex Sports Models: A Complete Visual Reference & Unauthorized History'' — Martin Skeet and Nick Urul, Schiffer Publishing, 2019
* [https://perezcope.com/2023/07/25/incorrigible-antiquorum-a-rolex-bull-gauss-and-other-shenanigans/ Jose Pereztroika, "Incorrigible Antiquorum - A Rolex "Bull-Gauss" And Other Shenanigans", Perezcope, 2023]
* [https://www.martinskeet.com/rolex-valuation-authentication-news/2016/rarest-prototype-rolex Martin Skeet, "The Rolex Milgauss 6541 prototype - the rarest production Rolex ever?", martinskeet.com, 2016]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/rolex-milgauss-one-in-a-thousand/ Ross Povey, "Rolex Milgauss: One in a Thousand", Revolution Watch, 2019]

===Editorial and market===

* [https://www.phillips.com/article/122097700/rolex-milgauss-vintage-1019-6541-discontinued Phillips Watches, "What's the Legacy of the Rolex Milgauss?", Phillips]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080123/25 Phillips, "The Geneva Watch Auction XVII, Lot 25 - Rolex Milgauss Ref. 6541 (record example)", Phillips, 2023]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-milgauss-collection-in-depth-review/ Monochrome Watches, "In-Depth: The Complete History of the Rolex Milgauss", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-rolex-milgauss/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of Rolex Milgauss", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2014/04/the-complete-history-of-rolex-milgauss_8.html Jake Ehrlich, "The Complete History Of The Rolex Milgauss", Rolex Magazine, 2014]
* [https://www.rolexencyclopedie.nl/english/models/the-milgauss-a-missed-opportunity/ Jaap Bakker, "The Milgauss: a missed opportunity", Rolexencyclopedie]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/important-watches-n09952/lot.256.html Sotheby's, "Rolex Milgauss Ref. 6541 - Sotheby's Important Watches (2018-2025 lots)", Sotheby's]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6541-milgauss-lot-347-111 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 6541 Milgauss - Antiquorum lots (2017-2025)", Antiquorum]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/16896/lot/133/ Bonhams, "Rolex Milgauss Ref. 6541, honeycomb dial with no MILGAUSS designation - Bonhams London, lot 133", Bonhams, 2009]
* [https://www.artcurial.com/en/sales/M1015/lots/214-a Artcurial, "Rolex Milgauss ref. 6541 (n.412179) - Artcurial M1015, lot 214", Artcurial, 2017]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-31/lot-32 Monaco Legend Group, "Rolex Milgauss Ref. 6541, brown tropical honeycomb dial - Monaco Legend Exclusive Timepieces 31, lot 32", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2023]
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-milgauss-reference-6541-unpolished Eric Wind, "Rolex Milgauss Reference 6541 Unpolished (non-luminous "CERN" dial)", Wind Vintage]
* [https://www.ablogtowatch.com/race-car-driver-bobby-allisons-flat-bezel-tropical-dial-rolex-milgauss-ref-6541-watch/ aBlogtoWatch, "Race Car Driver Bobby Allison's Flat Bezel Tropical Dial Rolex Milgauss Ref. 6541 Watch", aBlogtoWatch]
* [https://le-monde-edmond.com/john-goldberger-explaining-the-hk-milestone-sale-in-more-detail/ Edmond Saran, "John Goldberger: Explaining the Phillips HK Rolex Milestone sale in more detail", Le Monde Edmond, 2016]

[[Category:Milgauss]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:6511

2026-07-18T12:57:03Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 6511 Day-Date — The Fluted-Bezel 1956 Original, Caliber 1055, Jubilee Bracelet | BezelBase
|description=The 6511 is the fluted-bezel half of the original 1956 Day-Date, sibling to the smooth-bezel 6510. First-generation caliber 1055, 36mm 18k gold Oyster on a Jubilee bracelet, pre-SCOC dial. The fluted bezel became the Day-Date signature; the President bracelet arrives a year later with the 6611.
|keywords=Rolex 6511, Day-Date, fluted bezel, caliber 1055, Jubilee bracelet, 6510, 6611, Basel 1956
|image=Ref 6511 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 6511 in yellow gold on a Jubilee bracelet
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-06-02T21:30:08Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:21:35Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] → '''6511'''

The 6511 is the fluted-bezel half of the original Day-Date. Rolex showed it at the Basel Fair in 1956 next to the smooth-bezel [[Reference:6510|6510]]; the two references are mechanically identical and parted only by the finish of their bezels. The fluted bezel the 6511 carried became the visual signature of the Day-Date and has stayed on the model for seventy years. The 6510's smooth bezel did not survive the originals era. Both wear the first-generation caliber 1055, and both launched on a Jubilee bracelet rather than the President — the bracelet that gives the line its nickname arrives a year later with the 6611.

The cataloged run lasts a single year before the 6611 takes over. Surviving cases push the production window earlier than the launch itself: the two earliest documented examples were made in 1955, ahead of the Basel debut. The patent history, the origin of the Presidential nickname, and the full originals-era roster belong to the [[Reference:6510|6510]] entry. What follows is specific to the 6511 — its bezel, its dials, its metals, and a well-populated auction record.

[[File:Ref 6511 hero.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 6511 in yellow gold on a Jubilee bracelet|Rolex Day-Date 6511 in 18k yellow gold on a Jubilee bracelet — the fluted Millerighe bezel that became the Day-Date signature.]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6511
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| catalogue debut
| Basel Fair 1956
|-
| production
| 1956–1957 cataloged; earliest documented cases made 1955
|-
| movement
| caliber 1055, first generation (no Microstella, no COSC, gradual midnight changeover, pre-SCOC dial line)
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k gold Oyster — yellow gold (production-volume), pink gold (uncommon), white gold (rare, disputed at launch)
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| fluted ("Millerighe")
|-
| bracelet
| Jubilee (the President bracelet arrives with the 6611 in 1957)
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down
|-
| sibling
| 6510 (smooth/domed bezel, parallel 1956 launch)
|-
| successor
| 6611 (1957 — Microstella cal 1055B, COSC, President bracelet)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6510 and 6511 launched together as a bezel-finish pair. Everything else about them matches: the 36mm Oyster case, the Twinlock crown, the acrylic crystal, the first-generation caliber 1055, the Jubilee bracelet, the single cataloged year. The bezel is the one intended difference. The 6510 took the smooth, gently domed bezel; the 6511 took the fluted "Millerighe" bezel, the corrugated edge Rolex had used on the Datejust through the early 1950s. Of the two finishes, the fluted one became the Day-Date's identity, which is why the 6511 reads today as the more familiar of the originals even though the 6510 carries the lower number.

The pair sit apart from the rest of the originals-era cluster on two counts. They are the only Day-Date references to use the first-generation cal 1055, and the only two to ship on the Jubilee. From the 6611 onward the line moves to the Microstella-regulated, COSC-certified second-generation caliber and to the President bracelet, and the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial designation appears for the first time. The 6511 is the last fluted-bezel Day-Date before the President bracelet that the design is now inseparable from.

==Production outline==

Rolex debuted the 6510 and 6511 together at the Basel Fair in 1956, but production had already started: the earliest documented 6511 cases, 111,654 and 134,692, were both made in 1955, before the public launch. Case numbers on surfaced examples run from that 1955 cluster up to 166,725 in 1956, a narrow band consistent with a short run. No Rolex archival production figure has surfaced for the reference.

By 1957 the 6611 replaces the 6511. The change is mechanical and aesthetic at once: the upgraded caliber, the President bracelet, and the new chronometer-certified dial all arrive together, so the 6511 marks the end of the first Jubilee-and-1055 phase of the Day-Date rather than a model that ran alongside its successor. The whole originals-era cluster gives way to the 1803 and its siblings around 1959.

==Movement notes==

The 6511 carries the first-generation caliber 1055, the founding day-date complication movement and a caliber it shares only with the 6510. It runs at 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz) on 25 jewels, measures 28.50mm across and about 7.0mm tall, and holds roughly 42 hours. It has no Microstella balance, no COSC certification, and a gradual rather than instant changeover at midnight: the early caliber lacks the stored torque to flip both the day disc and the date through in a single impulse, so the two calendars settle into place over a window either side of twelve. That changeover is the deficiency usually blamed for the reference's single-year life. The 6611's second-generation caliber, internally a 1055B, fixed it in 1957 alongside the free-sprung Microstella balance and COSC certification. The full caliber lineage sits on [[Reference:Movements]].

Auction movement descriptions add useful texture to the plain specification sheet. A 1956 example was catalogued with a rhodium-plated cal. 1055, oeil-de-perdrix decoration, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to temperatures and five positions, shock protection, and a self-compensating Breguet balance spring. Those details fit the 6511's odd place in the line: technically ambitious and chronometer-minded, but still before the Microstella-regulated generation that made the Day-Date formula stable.

The dial designation on the 6511 is pre-SCOC, reading either "Superlative Chronometer by Official Test" or "Officially Certified Chronometer" depending on the example; the four-line "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" block is the 6611's introduction. Auction catalogues occasionally mis-state the caliber. Phillips listed the movement of its 1955 yellow-gold lot as a 1555, a caliber that did not exist until the 1803 era; a watch of this date carries the 1055.

==Dial map==

[[File:Ref 6511 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=6511 pre-SCOC dial|The pre-SCOC dial reading "Officially Certified Chronometer", with the full-word day aperture at twelve. Image via Antiquorum.]]

Surfaced 6511 examples spread across several factory dial colours, all sharing the period layout: the full-word day aperture at twelve, the date at three under a Cyclops, applied faceted gold indices, dauphine or alpha hands, and radium lume.

The red printing carries information beyond colour. The 1955 yellow-gold example with case 111,654 places the red "Day-Date" signature at six o'clock and pairs it with a red date wheel, while other early examples move toward the more familiar chronometer text hierarchy. The 6511 dial map is therefore less settled than later Day-Dates: Rolex was still deciding where the model name, chronometer line, and calendar colour should sit on a flagship calendar dial.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! dial
! indices / detail
! chronometer line
! documented on
|-
| champagne / gold
| applied faceted gold batons, red printed "Day-Date", red date wheel
| pre-SCOC
| yellow gold (Phillips 2015 lot 40)
|-
| silvered / white
| applied faceted gold batons, red "Day-Date"
| "Officially Certified Chronometer"
| yellow gold (Antiquorum 2008 lot 81; Monaco Legend 2024 lot 220)
|-
| black gloss / lacquer
| applied gold indices, radium plots
| pre-SCOC
| less common; yellow and pink gold
|-
| pink
| red-and-black date
| none printed
| pink gold (Phillips 2015 lot 41)
|}

The pink-gold Phillips lot is the clearest evidence that some early dials carry no chronometer line at all, a pre-certification quirk rather than a refinish. A small number of examples add a depth rating to the dial. One Monaco Legend yellow-gold lot reads "50 m = 165 ft" beneath the centre, a holdover from period Oyster dial practice. Day discs follow the retail market: English is the rule, and a Portuguese-calendar disc is documented on at least one yellow-gold example. Grey and tropical-brown dials surface on aged examples, the result of radium oxidation and lacquer breakdown over seventy years rather than a separate factory finish; black-dial pink-gold examples that have gone tropical command their own following.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The 6511 uses the 36mm three-piece Oyster case that becomes the Day-Date standard for the next five decades: screw-down Twinlock crown, screw-down caseback, acrylic crystal. The case is the same one the 6510 wears; the bezel is what sets the reference apart.

That bezel is the fluted "Millerighe," the finely corrugated ring Rolex carried over from the early Datejust. Sources differ on what to call it: some describe the early pattern as fluted, others as a tighter "coin-edge" cut, but the labels point at the same physical bezel rather than a factual split. The flutes are cut into solid 18k gold matching the case. This is the bezel that defines the Day-Date silhouette, and the 6511 is where it enters the line.

The metals are where the sources genuinely disagree. Yellow gold is the production-volume case material and pink gold is confirmed but uncommon, the pink-gold Phillips lot settling that variant directly. White gold and platinum are contested: Fratello lists both among the originals' metals, while Rolex Magazine limits the 1956 launch to 18k pink and yellow gold, and no white-gold or platinum 6511 has surfaced in the auction record. The documented platinum piece of the originals era is the diamond-set 6612, not a 6511.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

[[File:Ref 6511 bracelet.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=6511 yellow-gold Jubilee bracelet|The 18k yellow-gold Jubilee bracelet — the period-correct fitment before the President bracelet arrived with the 6611.]]

The period-correct 6511 fitment is the Jubilee, the five-link bracelet Rolex had used as its house luxury band since the late 1940s. A Monaco Legend yellow-gold lot still wearing its original yellow-gold Jubilee is the cleanest confirmation. The President bracelet, the three-link semi-circular band designed for this watch, does not arrive until the 6611 in 1957, and here the sources split: Fratello describes the originals as delivered on the President under an earlier name, while Monochrome and the surfaced examples place them on the Jubilee.

The period advertising case is stronger than the later summary articles. The Basel-era material reproduced by Rolex Magazine shows the first Day-Date on a Jubilee bracelet and states the 1956 launch in 18k pink or yellow gold on Jubilee, with the President bracelet added the following year. Treat later President bracelets on 6511s as plausible period-correct wear, not proof of original delivery.

In practice the bracelet on a surviving 6511 proves little. Confirmed lots turn up on Presidents, on "Big Logo" bracelets, and on later brick-link bands — a Bonhams example wears an 18ct bracelet hallmarked 1959, three years after the case. These are period swaps and service replacements; the clasp code dates the bracelet, not the watch head.

==Auction record==

The 6511 is the better-documented of the two originals at auction, helped by Phillips's inaugural watch sale. Confirmed lots:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! sale
! date
! metal
! result
! notes
|-
| Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 40
| 9 May 2015
| yellow gold
| CHF 191,000
| case 111,654 (Q4 1955), full set with guarantee dated 7 May 1957, wallet and box; highest standard-gold result and earliest documented case
|-
| Phillips, Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, lot 41
| 9 May 2015
| pink gold
| CHF 56,250
| case 134,692 (1955), pink dial with no chronometer line; confirms the pink-gold variant
|-
| Monaco Legend, Exclusive Timepieces 35, lot 220
| 19 Oct 2024
| yellow gold
| EUR 50,700
| case 166,725 (1956), original yellow-gold Jubilee, "50 m = 165 ft" dial
|-
| Monaco Legend, Exclusive Timepieces 31, lot 22
| 22 Apr 2023
| yellow gold
| EUR 35,100
| case 111,695 (1956), grey patinated dial, Portuguese day disc
|-
| Antiquorum, Revolution, New York, lot 81
| 17 Apr 2008
| yellow gold
| USD 24,000
| "Officially Certified Chronometer" dial; billed as the first yellow-gold 6511 at the house
|-
| Bonhams, London, lot 156
| 23 Nov 2004
| yellow gold
| unsold
| Glasgow import mark 1956; later 1959-hallmarked bracelet
|}

A clean standard-gold 6511 has settled into roughly the EUR 35,000–55,000 band in recent sales, with the Phillips full-set yellow-gold lot a clear outlier on the strength of its papers and pre-launch date. Further pink-gold and tropical-dial lots appear in the aggregated record at Christie's and Antiquorum but have not been confirmed against the houses' own lot pages.

One result sits outside the band entirely. Monaco Legend sold a steel 1955 prototype with a tropical dial and a gold bezel for EUR 1,196,000 in October 2024, an example from John Goldberger's collection published in Pucci Papaleo Editore's ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' (Spin Edizioni, 2015). Its reference is disputed: Monaco Legend catalogued it as a 6511, while Sotheby's and Monochrome attribute the five known steel pre-launch prototypes to the 6611. Either way it is a record-tier one-off, not a guide to the standard-production market.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:6510|Day-Date 6510]] — 1956–1957
* [[Reference:6611|Day-Date 6611]] — 1957–1959
* [[Reference:6612|Day-Date 6612]] — Early President (1957–1959)
* [[Reference:6612B|Day-Date 6612B]] — 1957–1959
* [[Reference:1803|Day-Date 1803]] — Fluted President (1960–1977)
* [[Reference:18028|Day-Date 18028]] — 1977–1988

See also the [[Reference:day-date|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history/ ''Rolex Day-Date Volume (Mondani Editore)'' — Mondani Family, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date/ ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo Editore, Spin Edizioni, 2015-05]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-day-date-1956-present-president-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome editorial, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Day-Date, The Presidential Watch", Monochrome Watches]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-day-date-historical-overview-of-rolexs-flagship/ Fratello editorial, "Rolex Day-Date — Historical Overview Of Rolex's Flagship", Fratello Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/blog/2015/02/21/rolex-day-date-history WatchBase editorial, "Rolex Day-Date History", WatchBase, 2015-02-21]
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-day-date-guide-1237586374/ Robb Report editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: a Guide to Everything You Need to Know", Robb Report]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2010/09/1956-very-first-rolex-day-date.html Jake Ehrlich, "1956 — The Very First Rolex Day-Date", Rolex Magazine (Jake's Rolex World), 2010-09]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/day-date/ref-rolex-6511/lpi Collectors Square editorial, "Rolex Day-Date Ref. 6511 — auction price index and lot listings", Collectors Square]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080115/40 Phillips (in association with Bacs & Russo), "Rolex Ref. 6511, yellow gold, Phillips Glamorous Day-Date lot 40", Phillips, 2015-05-09]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080115/41 Phillips (in association with Bacs & Russo), "Rolex Ref. 6511, pink gold, Phillips Glamorous Day-Date lot 41", Phillips, 2015-05-09]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-204-81 Antiquorum, "Rolex Ref. 6511, yellow gold, Antiquorum Revolution: The Evolution of the Rolex Sport Watch lot 81", Antiquorum, 2008-04-17]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/10769/lot/156/ Bonhams, "Rolex Ref. 6511, 18ct gold, Glasgow import mark 1956, Bonhams lot 156", Bonhams, 2004-11-23]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-35/lot-220 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Rolex Ref. 6511, yellow gold on Jubilee, Monaco Legend Exclusive Timepieces 35 lot 220", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2024-10-19]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-31/lot-22 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Rolex Ref. 6511, yellow gold, Monaco Legend Exclusive Timepieces 31 lot 22", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2023-04-22]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-35/lot-110 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Rolex steel Day-Date prototype sold as Ref. 6511 (ex-Goldberger), Monaco Legend lot 110", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2024-10-19]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/day-date/ref-rolex-6511/lpi Christie's, "Rolex Ref. 6511, pink gold black tropical dial, Christie's Watches Online Geneva", Christie's, 2021-11-16]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:6510

2026-07-18T12:57:00Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6510 Day-Date}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 6510 Day-Date — The Original 1956 Day-Date, Huguenin Patent, Jubilee Bracelet | BezelBase
|description=The 6510 is the first cataloged Day-Date — Basel 1956 launch, caliber 1055, 36mm 18k gold Oyster on Jubilee bracelet, smooth/domed bezel. Marc Huguenin's CH 322341A + CH 323982A patents for the day-of-week complication. Single-year run before the 6611 introduces the President bracelet in 1957.
|keywords=Rolex 6510, Day-Date, Huguenin patent, cal 1055, cal 1055B, Jubilee bracelet, Basel 1956, originals era, 6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B, Microstella, SCOC
|image=Ref 6510 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Day-Date 6510 / 6511 — the 1956 originals-era pair. The 6510 carries the smooth/domed bezel; the 6511 carries the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-05-24T20:27:17Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:21:32Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]] -> '''6510'''

[[File:Ref 6510 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 6510 / 6511 — the 1956 originals-era pair. The 6510 carries the smooth/domed bezel; the 6511 carries the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.|Rolex Day-Date 6510 / 6511 — the 1956 originals-era pair. The 6510 carries the smooth/domed bezel; the 6511 carries the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature.]]

The 6510 is the original Day-Date, the first wristwatch with the day of the week spelled out in full at twelve o'clock combined with the date at three. Marc Huguenin filed two related Swiss patents in 1955 covering the mechanism, with a 1950 priority filing as the architectural ancestor, and Rolex debuted the watch at the Basel Fair in 1956. The reference launches on the Jubilee bracelet. The President bracelet, the fitment that gives the line its modern nickname, arrives a year later in 1957 with the 6611. The "Presidential" nickname itself does not enter Rolex advertising until 1965-1966, when President Lyndon B. Johnson is photographed wearing a yellow-gold 1803 and Rolex builds the campaign around the image. Period 6510 retail marketing called the watch the "Day-Date" or the "Oyster Perpetual Day-Date", not the President. The 6510 sits chronologically before the political-watch-gift culture the Day-Date later anchors, and reads as a connoisseur reference rather than a status totem.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6510
|-
| family
| Day-Date
|-
| Swiss patents
| CH 322341A (instant-change date mechanism) + CH 323982A (Day-Date module), both filed by Marc Huguenin in 1955; 1950 priority filing covers the architectural ancestor
|-
| catalogue debut
| Basel Fair 1956
|-
| production
| 1956 to 1957 (single-year cataloged run; crosses into early 6611 production mid-1957)
|-
| movement
| caliber 1055 first-generation (7.0mm height, no Microstella, gradual midnight changeover, dial reads "Superlative Chronometer by Official Test" or "Officially Certified Chronometer")
|-
| case
| 36mm 18k yellow gold / 18k pink gold / 18k white gold Oyster (platinum is 6611+ territory; no documented platinum 6510)
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| bezel
| smooth / domed (the 6511 carries the fluted bezel)
|-
| bracelet
| Jubilee — the only Day-Date reference to launch on Jubilee
|-
| earliest documented serial
| 134,636 (Italy 1956 — dauphine hands, pointed baton markers, red date wheel)
|-
| predecessor
| none
|-
| successor
| 6511 (parallel launch, 1956-57) → 6611 (1957-59, with cal 1055B and SCOC dial)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6510 opens the Day-Date line at Basel 1956. The complication is the first of its kind on a wristwatch: day-of-the-week spelled out in full at twelve, date displayed at three. The Huguenin patent portfolio takes the Day-Date module from a 1950 priority filing through to two cataloged filings in 1955. Swiss patent CH 322341A covers the instant-change date jumper-and-cam mechanism that ratchets the date through midnight in a single impulse. Swiss patent CH 323982A covers the Day-Date module proper, with the seven-toothed star wheel sitting atop a 31-tooth calendar wheel ratcheted once every 24 hours at midnight. Both wheels advance from the main calendar pinion via concentric levers. The architecture stays in use across every subsequent Day-Date caliber, including the modern cal 3255 (out of scope) that closes the line's pre-2020 cataloged run.

The originals-era cluster (6510 / 6511 / 6611 / 6612 / 6613 / 6611B / 6612B) runs from 1956 through 1959 before the 1803 era replaces it. Within the cluster, the 6510 is the smooth-bezel original; the 6511 launches alongside with the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature; the 6611 in 1957 introduces the President bracelet and the upgraded cal 1055B; the 6612 is the smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611; the 6613 carries a factory gem-set bezel; the 6611B and 6612B are late-1958/1959 movement-plate-revision variants with a bridge plate approximately 0.1mm thicker than the standard 6611/6612.

The 6510 and 6511 are the only two references in the cluster to launch on the Jubilee bracelet and to wear the first-generation cal 1055 (7.0mm height, no Microstella, no COSC, gradual midnight changeover). The 6611 onward carries the President bracelet, the bracelet Rolex designed specifically for this reference and the canonical Day-Date fitment for seventy years, paired with the upgraded cal 1055B (7.1mm height, free-sprung Microstella balance, Breguet overcoil, COSC certified, the first reference of any Rolex line to carry the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial designation).

==Production outline==

===Patent portfolio (1950-1955)===

A 1950 Swiss patent filing credited to Marc Huguenin (Rolex's day-date complication engineer) covers the architectural ancestor of the mechanism. Two cataloged 1955 filings, both with Huguenin as inventor, split the engineering. CH 322341A is the instant-change date: a cam-and-jumper architecture that snaps the date wheel through midnight in a single impulse, with a small auxiliary spring tensioned through the day and discharged at the trigger so the seconds train is not robbed of timekeeping. CH 323982A is the Day-Date module proper: a seven-toothed star wheel above a 31-tooth calendar wheel, advanced via concentric levers from the main calendar pinion.

The CH 322341A mechanism is the architectural ancestor of every Rolex date complication from 1955 forward and survives functionally into the cal 3255 of the modern Day-Date 40 / Day-Date 36 (out of scope). The CH 323982A module powers the Day-Date specifically. Both architectures are unique to Rolex through the production period and no record of Rolex litigating either patent has surfaced. Later day-date competitors (Mido, Enicar, Seiko 1959) use independently engineered modules, and the Huguenin patents appear to have functioned defensively rather than as litigation tools.

===Basel Fair launch (1956)===

Rolex debuts the 6510 and the parallel-launch 6511 at the Basel Fair in 1956. Both references carry the first-generation cal 1055: 25 jewels, 18,000 vph / 2.5 Hz, 28.50mm diameter, 7.0mm height, bidirectional perpetual rotor with red-anodised reversing wheels. The dial reads either "Superlative Chronometer by Official Test" or "Officially Certified Chronometer" at six o'clock; both lines appear on documented examples and they pre-date the formal SCOC dial designation. The day-disc carries five language options at launch (English, French, Italian, Spanish, German), the five major European retail markets where Rolex had distribution. The 26-language figure widely cited "from launch" is a retrospective conflation; the documented Rolex catalogue trail is 1963 = 11 languages, 1979 = 24, 1985 = 25, peak = 26 by the late 1980s.

The earliest documented case serial is 134,636, traced to an Italian 1956 delivery. The watch carries dauphine hands (replaced by alpha hands on later production), pointed baton markers (replaced by rectangular indices), and a red date wheel (replaced by black-on-white discs through standard production). Serial numbers below 134,636 are theoretically possible for late-1955 / very-early-1956 production but none have surfaced in the published auction record. The Italian retailer's name and subsequent ownership chain are not published in the documented sources.

===Bezel split (1956)===

The 6510 and 6511 launch in parallel as a bezel-finish pair. The 6510 carries a smooth or domed bezel in polished gold; specialist literature distinguishes "domed" from "smooth" by the degree of crown radius on the bezel face, with production-period 6510 bezels reading smooth-and-polished, sometimes with a subtle dome that catches reflected light. The 6511 carries the fluted bezel, the radial-flute pattern that becomes the Day-Date signature for the next seventy years.

===President bracelet introduction (1957, 6611)===
[[File:Ref 6510 6611 president bracelet.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 6611 with the original 1957 President bracelet — three-link semi-circular construction, made by Gay Frères on contract to Rolex.|6611 with the original 1957 President bracelet — three-link semi-circular construction. The first reference to wear the bracelet Rolex designed specifically for the Day-Date.]]

The 6611 launches in 1957 with the first President bracelet: three-link semi-circular construction, made initially by Gay Frères on contract to Rolex (Rolex acquired Gay Frères in 1998). The President is the first bracelet Rolex designed specifically for a single reference and the first three-link semi-circular bracelet in the Rolex catalogue. Early-period President construction uses folded centre links with bark-textured or brushed accent, structurally distinct from the solid-link Presidents that arrive on later 1803 / 18038 production. The early clasp is a folded buckle-style closure with visible Rolex coronet signature. The hidden Crownclasp (concealed under a flip-down decorative cover) is a later 1803-era development and does not appear on production-period 6611s; concealed clasps fitted to documented 6611 / 6612 examples are service refits, not factory-original.

===Caliber upgrade (1957, cal 1055B)===

The 6611 also introduces the upgraded cal 1055B: 7.1mm height (0.1mm taller than the original cal 1055), free-sprung Microstella balance (the four-screw gold-mass adjustment on the balance rim that defines Rolex regulation through to the modern cal 3255), Breguet overcoil hairspring (Antiquorum's October 2002 Lot 37 essay confirms the construction), and COSC chronometer certification (the first Rolex reference of any line to carry it). The 6611's dial introduces the "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" four-line text block at six o'clock, the first SCOC dial designation across Rolex. Earlier 6510 / 6511 examples retain the pre-COSC "Superlative Chronometer by Official Test" or "Officially Certified Chronometer" lines.

A small number of transitional 6510 examples surface with the upgraded cal 1055B and the SCOC dial line. Phillips and Antiquorum essay tradition treats these as transitional builds where the reference case was already stamped 6510 but the movement and dial received the upgraded specification. Fewer than five are documented in the published auction record.

===Originals-era closeout (1958-1959)===

The 6611B and 6612B sub-variants surface in late 1958 and 1959 production. Italian Watch Spotter documents the distinction: "A very limited number of specimens of 6611 have a different bridge plate, 0.1mm thicker. These specimens can be recognized thanks to the specific reference 6611B and, for their extreme rarity, are highly sought after by collectors." The "B" suffix is a Rolex-internal mark for the bridge-plate variation. The external case stamping reads "6611", with "6611B" appearing in service paperwork and on the inner caseback. The 6612B carries the same bridge-plate variation on the smooth-bezel platform.

Production of the entire originals-era cluster ends in 1959 when the 1803 / 1804 / 1806 / 1807 / 1811 cluster, the 4-digit Day-Date era anchored by the 1803, takes over.

==Movement notes==

===Caliber 1055 first generation (6510, 6511)===

* 25 jewels
* 18,000 vph / 2.5 Hz
* 28.50mm diameter, 7.0mm height
* Self-winding bidirectional rotor with red-anodised reversing wheels
* Swiss lever escapement, Kif anti-shock
* Approximately 42-hour power reserve
* Day-and-date complications via Huguenin's CH 322341A + CH 323982A architecture
* Gradual midnight changeover. The early cal 1055 lacks sufficient stored torque to clear both day disc and date wheel through their full transitions instantly; the wheels settle into their new positions over a window stretching from approximately 11:50 PM to 12:10 AM. The mechanical issue is dual-load: storing enough torque in the day-and-date cam to clear two discs in one impulse stresses the mainspring, with the energy focused on triggering the midnight cam rather than on timekeeping.
* No hacking seconds. Hacking arrives across the 1500 family in 1972 on the cal 1556.
* No quickset. Date and day advance only by running hands through midnight.
* No Microstella balance, no COSC certification, no SCOC dial line.

===Caliber 1055B second generation (6611, 6612, 6613, 6611B, 6612B)===

* 25 jewels
* 18,000 vph / 2.5 Hz
* 28.50mm diameter, 7.1mm height (0.1mm taller than first-generation cal 1055)
* Self-winding bidirectional rotor with red-anodised reversing wheels
* Free-sprung Microstella balance: the four-screw gold-mass adjustment on the balance rim, first deployment on a Day-Date and the regulation system that defines modern Rolex through the cal 3255
* Breguet overcoil hairspring (Antiquorum October 2002 Lot 37 essay confirmation)
* COSC chronometer certified, first Day-Date generation and first Rolex reference of any line to carry it
* Dial designation "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" first appears on the 6611 dial
* Improved midnight changeover. The redesigned cal 1055B solves the cam-load issue by distributing the changeover energy throughout the day rather than concentrating it in the minutes immediately before midnight; the day-and-date transition becomes near-instantaneous rather than gradual.
* 6611B / 6612B variants carry a bridge plate approximately 0.1mm thicker than the standard cal 1055B; otherwise identical.

The cal 1055 / 1055B architecture is the founding day-date complication caliber and the architectural ancestor of every subsequent Rolex day-date movement. The lineage runs through cal 1555 (1959-c.1965, 1803 early), cal 1556 (c.1965-1977/78, 1803 late, hacking added 1972 mid-production), cal 3055 (1977-1988, 18038 era, single quickset, 28,800 vph), cal 3155 (1988-2019, 18238 / 118238 era, double quickset), cal 3156 (2008-2015, 218238 Day-Date II, 3155 scaled up), and (out of scope) cal 3255 from 2019.

==Dial map==

===Production-volume dials===

Silver, champagne, and black stick or baton indices on the 18k yellow gold case. Pink-gold and white-gold cases pair with appropriately-toned dials. The dial text reads "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" at the top, day-of-week in the cut-out at twelve in the full-word format Huguenin's patent introduced, the date window at three, and one of three chronometer designation lines near the bottom edge:

* "Superlative Chronometer by Official Test" — pre-SCOC, appears on early 6510 / 6511 examples
* "Officially Certified Chronometer" — pre-SCOC alternative, appears on 6510 / 6511 examples
* "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" — SCOC dial designation, first appears on the 6611 in 1957 and becomes the Rolex standard from that point forward

The chronometer-designation line is the single cleanest dial-side dating anchor for the originals-era cluster. The first two formats sit on 6510 / 6511 (cal 1055 first-generation); the third (SCOC) is the 6611 introduction.

===Earliest 6510 dial configuration (case 134,636)===

The earliest documented example carries pointed baton markers (replaced by rectangular indices on later production), dauphine hands (replaced by alpha hands on later production), and a red date wheel (replaced by black-on-white discs through standard production). Lume is radium; the 1962 tritium transition arrives on the 1803 generation, and no originals-era dial carries factory tritium.

===Black gloss dials===

Surface on 6611 and 6612 examples with applied gold indices. Less common on 6510 production. The black lacquer dial of the period uses radium-painted plots at the hour positions; oxidation produces honey or chocolate tropical patterns on some surviving examples, with genuine factory-tropical distinguished from sun-faded original via same-batch documentation.

===Diamond-set indices===

Documented on platinum 6612 / 6613 examples. The Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Lot 43 (8 May 2015) platinum-diamond 6612 carries 8 round-cut and 2 baguette-cut diamond hour markers, with the baguettes at six and nine o'clock. This is the headline cluster lot; see Auction record.

===Day-disc language variants===

The 1956 launch catalogue offered English, French, Italian, Spanish, and German, the five major European retail markets at launch. Dutch and Swedish surface on 6611 / 6612 production as mid-1950s additions. Arabic day discs surface on 6611 / 6612 production from approximately 1958, not on the 6510 / 6511 cluster directly; the 6612B "Lone Star" in platinum is the canonical Arabic-script originals-era piece, with platinum case, platinum President bracelet, and Arabic day-and-date inscriptions. The Arabic platinum configuration was acceptable in Islamic culture because the platinum case avoided the gold-on-men prohibition. Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Hebrew, and Greek discs are later additions, none documented on originals-era cataloged production.

Roman-alphabet day discs are the rule on the 6510 / 6511. Day-wheel swapping is endemic in the vintage market, and same-batch documentation distinguishes factory-original day discs from later-period service swaps; the language on a surviving 6510 should match the period catalogue retail market.

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes==

36mm three-piece Oyster construction (case, screw-down crown, screw-down caseback). The 36mm Oyster envelope becomes the Day-Date standard for the next fifty-two years; the 1803, 18038, and 118238 all share the dimension. The 218238 Day-Date II breaks it in 2008 for the 41mm case.

===Case materials===

The 6510 ships in three 18k gold variants: yellow gold (production-volume), pink gold (uncommon), and white gold (rare). The pink-gold alloy of the period is the copper-heavy formula Rolex used internally before the modern Everose alloy (introduced 2005), approximately 75% gold, 22% copper, 3% silver. "Pink gold" and "rose gold" are used interchangeably in the period English literature; in Italian retail the alloy appears as "oro rosa."

Platinum 6510 is not documented in the published sources. Rolex Magazine's note that "the very first Day-Date came only in 18kt pink or yellow gold on a Jubilee" excludes both white gold and platinum for the original 1956 launch, though white-gold examples surface in later 6510 production. The platinum slot opens with the 6611 / 6612 / 6613 cluster in 1957. The canonical platinum originals-era reference is the 6612 (Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Lot 43, 8 May 2015, sibling to the example in Goldberger's ''100 Superlative Rolex Watches'').

===Caseback===

Screw-down. Inside the caseback, Rolex stamped the reference number "6510" plus quarter-year Roman-numeral lot codes that date the caseback's manufacturing run. Outer casebacks are plain gold on civilian production; presentation engravings are owner-added.

===Bezel===

Smooth or domed on the 6510, in polished 18k gold matching the case material. The fluted bezel that defines the modern Day-Date silhouette is the 6511's signature in the parallel-launch pair. Specialist literature distinguishes "domed" from "smooth" by the degree of crown radius on the bezel face; production-period 6510 bezels read smooth-and-polished, sometimes with a subtle dome that catches reflected light.

===Crown===

Twinlock screw-down, the standard sport-line crown architecture the 6510 shares with the Submariner, GMT-Master, and Datejust siblings of the period.

===Crystal===

Acrylic. Sapphire-crystal Day-Dates do not arrive until the 18038 in 1977.

==Bracelet==

The 6510 launches on the Jubilee bracelet: five-link semi-circular construction made by Gay Frères on contract to Rolex. The Jubilee was Rolex's house luxury bracelet from 1945, originally introduced for the 4467 Datejust anniversary reference, and by 1956 was the canonical luxury fitment across the Datejust and the new Day-Date. The Day-Date launch on Jubilee is consistent with mid-1950s Rolex's broader bracelet allocation: Datejust on Jubilee, Submariner on Oyster rivet, Day-Date on Jubilee.

The President bracelet, Rolex's first three-link semi-circular bracelet and designed specifically for the Day-Date, arrives a year later in 1957 with the 6611. The 6510 is the only Day-Date reference to predate the President bracelet. From the 6611 forward, every cataloged Day-Date wears the President as the canonical fitment.

Documented 6510 examples occasionally appear on later President bracelets; these are service refits or owner-led modifications. Period-correct 6510 fitment is the Jubilee. Clasp date codes inside the Jubilee clasp leaf are the dating anchor, and clasps far ahead or behind the case serial typically indicate later service-replacement bracelets.

==Auction record==

The originals-era cluster's two headline lots sit on different sub-references but both inform the 6510 collector market.

===Phillips Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, 8 May 2015, Lot 43===

Platinum diamond-set 6612, c.1958. One of two known platinum 6612s with consecutive case numbers; the sibling is documented in John Goldberger's ''100 Superlative Rolex Watches'' (Damiani Editore, 2008, ISBN 9788862080194). Dial carries 8 round-cut and 2 baguette-cut diamond hour markers, with the baguettes at six and nine o'clock. Estimate CHF 100,000-200,000; hammer CHF 473,000. The headline result for the originals-era cluster and the lot that re-anchored the cluster market in the modern auction cycle.

===Phillips Glamorous Day-Date, Geneva, 8 May 2015 (separate lot)===

6511 in 18k yellow gold, c.1955, complete with guarantee, wallet, and box. Estimate USD 20,000-40,000; hammer above USD 205,000. The most-cited 6511 lot result in the cluster market, and it informs the 6510 by adjacent reference.

===Antiquorum Geneva, Exceptional Horological Works of Art, 19 October 2002, Lot 37===
[[File:Ref 6510 ecole horlogerie 6611 steel.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Day-Date 6611 in stainless steel — the École d'Horlogerie de Genève prize-watch run. Caseback engraved "Ecole d'Horlogerie de Genève – 1963" with the Rolex crown. One of only six such steel 6611s produced.|6611 steel — École d'Horlogerie de Genève prize watch, c.1959, caseback engraved 1963. Antiquorum Geneva, 19 October 2002, Lot 37 — CHF 50,600 hammer against CHF 25-30k estimate.]]

6611 stainless steel, École d'Horlogerie de Genève prize watch. Caseback engraved "Ecole d'Horlogerie de Genève – 1963" with the Rolex crown logo. The lot is one of only six stainless-steel Day-Dates Rolex ever produced, a marketing-test run donated as prize watches to top École d'Horlogerie graduates, with the school distribution completed by 1963 (hence the engraving year). The lot card lists "circa 1959" for case production with the 1963 engraving for the school dedication; caliber listed as "1556, 26 jewels, Breguet balance spring" (a known Antiquorum cataloguing imprecision, since the underlying movement is the cal 1055B with Breguet overcoil and free-sprung Microstella). 36mm tonneau case fitted to a stainless-steel Oyster bracelet. Estimate CHF 25,000-30,000; hammer CHF 50,600. Only one of the six École d'Horlogerie steel 6611s has surfaced publicly. The other five sit in private collections or family-inheritance chains; the school's graduate records would identify the six recipients but are not public.

===Auction context for 6510 specifically===

Direct 6510 auction lots are uncommon in the major-house catalogue track because surfaced examples are rare and many transactions sit in private retail. The 6510's market value in the modern collector cycle (2025-2026) is derived from cluster comparables rather than direct lot history. Verified period production runs in low numbers; Goldberger omitted the originals-era cluster from later editions of his ''100 Superlative Rolex Watches'' because clean examples were too rare to source, and the cluster as a whole sits as a connoisseur-tier category rather than a high-volume traded segment.

==Originals-era cluster — complete sub-reference roster==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Reference
! Period
! Bezel
! Bracelet
! Movement
! Notes
|-
| '''6510'''
| 1956–57
| smooth / domed
| Jubilee
| cal 1055 (first generation, 7.0mm, gradual changeover, pre-SCOC dial)
| The original. Subject of this article. Earliest documented case 134,636.
|-
| '''6511'''
| 1956–57
| fluted
| Jubilee
| cal 1055 (first generation)
| Parallel-launch sibling. Carries the fluted bezel that becomes the Day-Date signature. Phillips 2015 yellow gold lot above USD 205,000 anchor.
|-
| '''6611'''
| 1957–59
| fluted
| President (first reference)
| cal 1055B (Microstella + COSC, 7.1mm)
| First Day-Date on the President bracelet. First Rolex reference of any line with "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" dial designation.
|-
| '''6612'''
| 1957–59
| smooth
| President
| cal 1055B
| Smooth-bezel sibling of the 6611. Phillips 2015 Lot 43 platinum diamond CHF 473,000 anchor.
|-
| '''6613'''
| 1957–59
| factory diamond
| President
| cal 1055B
| Factory diamond-set bezel sub-reference.
|-
| '''6611B'''
| 1958–59
| fluted
| President
| cal 1055B with 0.1mm-thicker bridge plate
| Late variant of the 6611. Movement-plate revision; external case stamped "6611".
|-
| '''6612B'''
| 1958–59
| smooth
| President
| cal 1055B with thicker bridge plate
| Late variant of the 6612. The "Lone Star" Arabic-script platinum sub-variant sits in this slot.
|}

No 6614 or 6615 has surfaced in the published auction record or the Rolex reference ledger. The cluster cleanly stops at 6613, with the B-suffix bridge-plate variations as the further differentiation. The numbers may have been reserved by Rolex but never released; the 1803 / 1804 / 1806 / 1807 / 1811 cluster replaces the originals era from 1959 onward.

==The "Presidential" nickname — origin and dating==

At launch the 6510 was simply the Day-Date. Period 1956 Rolex marketing called it the "Day-Date" or the "Oyster Perpetual Day-Date." The bracelet introduced in 1957 with the 6611 was called the President from the start, but the watch's "Presidential" framing emerges only in the mid-1960s.

The canonical transfer event is Lyndon B. Johnson's documented wearing of a yellow-gold 1803 across his presidency (1963-1969). Rolex's first advertising as "the President's watch" or "the President" dates to a 1965-1966 campaign built around the LBJ image, eight years after the 6611 launched the bracelet. From that point the nickname becomes catalogue shorthand; by the 1970s it is the canonical name for the Day-Date 36mm reference.

The 6510 / 6511 / 6611 sit chronologically before the LBJ campaign and before the political-watch-gift culture the Day-Date later anchors. Period retail framing for these references is connoisseur horology: chronometer-certified, full day-of-week-spelled-out wristwatch. The "Presidential" framing is retrospective when applied to the originals-era cluster.

==Documented historical wearers==

Direct primary documentation of originals-era cluster ownership is thin; most "head of state Rolex" claims attach to later 1803 / 18038 production when the President silhouette was already established.

* Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower's canonical Rolex is the Datejust 6305 gifted 19 December 1950 / received 1951 by René-Paul Jeanneret of Rolex Geneva, marking the 150,000th Rolex chronometer. The Day-Date launches in 1956, after Eisenhower already wore the Datejust. A claim circulates in collector community editorial that Rolex gifted Eisenhower a second watch (a Day-Date) to mark his 1956 re-election. The claim is not corroborated by Rolex archive documents or by the Eisenhower Presidential Library catalogue and should be flagged as contested folklore unless primary documentation surfaces.
* King Faisal ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. Linked in the collector tradition to Arabic-script Day-Dates including the 6612B "Lone Star" in platinum. The published King Faisal commissions in the auction record are primarily on Cellini 4112 and Cellini 3833 from the 1970s. A platinum 6612B Arabic dial in the Faisal circle from the late 1950s is plausible, given that the Arabic-script originals-era cluster sits in the Saudi royal family and Gulf state retail orbit through dealers like Asprey London and Geneva intermediaries, but the specific link is not directly documented in the published sources. Open question.
* Sukarno of Indonesia. Documented Rolex collector; Indonesian-language sources confirm Sukarno owned multiple Rolexes including Day-Date references. No published direct link between Sukarno and a 6510 / 6511 / 6611 with serial-number documentation. Sukarno's Day-Date ownership is most often attributed to early 1803 production, not the originals cluster.
* Pope Paul VI. Famously associated with a yellow-gold Day-Date during his pontificate (1963-1978). Reference attribution is most commonly the 1803, not an originals-era piece.

The originals-era cluster sits before the political watch-gift tradition the Day-Date later anchors. The 6510 / 6611 are connoisseur watches in 1956-1959, not yet status totems. The Presidential gift culture is built on the 1803 in the 1960s and 1970s.

==Print bibliography==

The principal print authorities on the Day-Date originals era:

* Mondani, Guido and Giorgia. ''Rolex Day-Date.'' Guido Mondani Editore, 2015. ISBN 9788894066951. 280 pages, 25.5 × 31.5 cm, multilingual (English / German / Italian). Limited edition 1000 copies. The first volume entirely dedicated to the Day-Date line.
* Gobbi, Paolo and Santinelli, Fabio. ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex.'' Spin Edizioni / Pucci Papaleo Editore, May 2015. 448 pages, 22 × 33 cm. 1000 original photographs, 160+ timepieces featured. Italian and English editions. Hardcover in slipcase.
* Goldberger, John. ''100 Superlative Rolex Watches.'' Damiani Editore, 2008. ISBN 9788862080194. Documents the sibling platinum 6612 to the Phillips Glamorous Day-Date Lot 43 example.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:6511|Day-Date 6511]] — 1956–1957
* [[Reference:6611|Day-Date 6611]] — 1957–1959
* [[Reference:6612|Day-Date 6612]] — Early President (1957–1959)
* [[Reference:6612B|Day-Date 6612B]] — 1957–1959
* [[Reference:1803|Day-Date 1803]] — Fluted President (1960–1977)
* [[Reference:18028|Day-Date 18028]] — 1977–1988

See also the [[Reference:day-date|Day-Date family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://mondanibooks.com/rolex-day-date-history/ ''Rolex Day-Date Volume (Mondani Editore)'' — Mondani Family, Guido Mondani Editore]
* [https://www.puccipapaleo.com/bookstore/day-date/ ''Day-Date — The Presidential Rolex'' — Pucci Papaleo Editore, Spin Edizioni, 2015-05]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-the-rolex-day-date/?lang=en Italian Watch Spotter editorial, "The History of the Rolex Day-Date", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/ Sotheby's editorial, "The Rolex Day-Date: A Complete Collector's Guide", Sotheby's]
* [https://acollectedman.com/blogs/journal/the-colourful-world-of-rolex-stella-dials A Collected Man editorial, "The Colourful World of Rolex Stella Dials", A Collected Man]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/the-stella-revolution/ Revolution Watches editorial, "The Stella Revolution", Revolution Watches]
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/caliber/1556 Watchbase editorial, "Rolex Caliber 1556 — Watchbase", Watchbase]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/quickset-vintage-day-date-models.html Bob's Watches editorial, "Quickset Vintage Day-Date Models", Bob's Watches]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/resources/history-rolex-tiffany-dials Bob's Watches editorial, "History of Rolex Tiffany Dials", Bob's Watches]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=11327271 Rolex Forums community, "Rolex Forums — 1803 Owners and Enablers Thread", Rolex Forums]
* [https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vintagerolexforum/ Vintage Rolex Forum community, "Vintage Rolex Forum — 1803 Threads (Tapatalk index)", Vintage Rolex Forum (Tapatalk)]

[[Category:Day-Date]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]

Reference:6350

2026-07-18T12:56:57Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 6350 Explorer}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Explorer 6350 — First 'Explorer' Dial, 1953–1955 | BezelBase
|description=The 6350 is the chronometer-rated Explorer of 1953-1955. Tight 955,xxx serial cluster, A296 fine-tuned for COSC, gilt chapter-ring and rare honeycomb dials. Sir Douglas Prior 1956 IGY polar provenance.
|keywords=Rolex, 6350, Explorer, A296, honeycomb, OCC, Officially Certified Chronometer, Hillary, Everest
|image=Ref 6350 hero.webp
|image_alt=6350 honeycomb dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-16T04:29:24Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:21:29Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] -> '''6350'''

The 6350 is the chronometer-rated Explorer of 1953–1955 and the reference where the Explorer name lands on a consistent production dial. It runs the same caliber A296 used in the 6098 and 6150 but fine-tuned for chronometer rating, earning the "Officially Certified Chronometer" line on the dial. Hillary's Everest watch was a Smiths De Luxe A409, not a 6350; the Rolex on the 1953 expedition was a 6098 (Rescapement; The Watch Collectors' Club; Beyer Watch Museum). The 6350 launched in summer 1953, after the May 29 summit, and inherits the Everest mythology by marketing succession rather than direct provenance. The reference does carry one documented polar example — Sir Douglas Prior's 1956 Royal Society Antarctic Expedition watch (Antiquorum 2018, case 955,761).



[[File:Ref 6350 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=6350 honeycomb dial|6350 honeycomb dial]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6350
|-
| family
| Explorer
|-
| production
| 1953 to 1954/55 (case production concentrated in 1953; assembly continued into 1954, with one Antiquorum lot annotated "purchased 1 November 1955" reading as residual stock rather than late production)
|-
| serial cluster
| 955,190 (low) → 955,948 (high) across documented lots — tight ~760-unit numerical span across a single batch run
|-
| total produced
| no published source gives a hard figure; auction frequency at the four big houses runs to 2–4 documented examples per year over the past decade
|-
| case
| 36mm stainless steel, smooth fixed bezel, slimmer than the 6098/6150 bubbleback profile
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| movement
| caliber A296 chronometer-rated — same architecture as the 6150 / 6098 / 6204 / 6205, fine-tuned and adjusted to chronometer standards
|-
| dial
| black gilt chapter-ring (standard) or pressed honeycomb / waffle (rare); "Explorer" + "Officially Certified Chronometer" text
|-
| crown
| Brevet with "+" Swiss-made sub-mark
|-
| hands
| gilt; Mercedes, pencil, and syringe configurations all documented within the run
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 6350 succeeds the 6150 and precedes the 6610. The 6098 (1952), 6150 (1953), and 6350 (1953–55) form the early Explorer cluster on caliber A296; the 6610 (1955–59) introduces the full-rotor caliber 1030 that closes out the lineage's shaped-rotor era.

The dial-text distinction across the early cluster is the cleanest single anchor for identification. The 6098 reads "Officially Certified Chronometer" in its chronometer-rated configuration; the 6150 reads "Precision" (non-chronometer); the 6350 reads "Explorer" alongside "Officially Certified Chronometer" and is the first reference where every documented production example carries the Explorer wording on the dial. Earlier Explorer-marked dials exist on a small number of 6098 examples (the white-dial Hillary expedition gift watches predate the 6350 by months), so the strict-pedantic "first dial with Explorer" is the 6098 — but the standard editorial framing, which Rolex itself uses, treats the 6350 as the first reference where Explorer was the consistent production name. Both readings deserve mention; the 6098 white-dial Explorers are an outlier batch, the 6350 is the production rule.


== Production outline ==

Case production was concentrated in 1953, with assembly continuing into 1954. Caso Watches and explorer1016.com both date the launch to summer 1953. Monochrome (Geelen) reads the run as 1953–1954; Hodinkee Reference Points gives 1953–1955; the Field Manual confirms the 1953 start without specifying an end. The published spread is narrow, no large contradictions to capture.

Documented case numbers cluster tightly in the 955,xxx range. Phillips Geneva XIII lot 75 (case 955,327), Antiquorum HK May 2022 lot 218 (case 955,343), Phillips Geneva XV lot 157 (case 955,369), Antiquorum HK June 2024 lot 369-111 (case 955,472), Antiquorum Geneva Nov 2018 lot 317-570 (case 955,761), Phillips NY Racing Pulse lot 17 (case 955,837), Phillips Geneva FOUR lot 179 (case 955,855). Collectors Square aggregates the documented low at 955,190 and the high at 955,948 — a ~760-unit numerical span. The numerical span does not equal the production count (Rolex case batches were not contiguous) but is consistent with a small, single-batch run.

Total production volume is unknown. Phillips, Sotheby's, Le Monde Edmond, Hairspring, Caso Watches, and Watchprosite collectively decline to publish a hard figure. Order-of-magnitude qualitative consensus reads "limited production, very few survive", short window 1953–55, surviving documented examples in the low hundreds.


== Movement notes ==

The 6350 runs caliber A296 in chronometer-rated configuration. A296 is the self-winding caliber that powered every early Rolex sport tool of the period: the 6098/6150 pre-Explorers, the 6350 itself, and the 6200 / 6204 / 6205 first-generation Submariners. Specifications converge across editorial and auction-house catalogs at 18 jewels (some sources count 19 for the later 6200 spec including added shock part), rhodium-plated finish, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance with shock absorber, self-compensating Breguet balance spring. The 6350-specific tuning is the chronometer regulation — Rolex fine-tuned movements on this reference for chronometer pass and earned the OCC dial mark.

A296 is a full-rotor uni-directional Perpetual at 29.5mm and 18 jewels — Rolex never produced a bumper caliber. The bumper attribution that briefly attached to A296 in earlier dealer copy traces to the bubble-back caseback geometry (the thicker autowind module) rather than to a different rotor system. The 1030 that succeeds A296 introduces bidirectional winding via the butterfly rotor and a thinner module — the thickness change is what eliminates the bubble-back profile (Phillips Geneva Watch Auction FOUR lot 146 frames the A296→1030 swap explicitly as a thickness change; Wind Vintage / Eric Ku, ''How Rolex Became Rolex: The Automatic Perpetual Movement Part 2''). Some 6350s now wear caliber 775 — Antiquorum 2018 lot 317-570 (Sir Douglas Prior) and Antiquorum 2009 NY lot 223-84 both list 775. This is service-replacement, not original delivery, and matches the standard Rolex period service-cal swap pattern.

Specialist registries claim the 6350 used "special temperature oils with an effective operating range of -20°C to 40°C." The claim is uncited in the editorial coverage and is plausible given the chronometer pass, but no Rolex-archive or period-press confirmation has surfaced.


== Dial map ==

[[File:Ref 6350 dial-closeup.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Gilt dial detail|Gilt dial detail]]

The 6350 carries two dial variants. The honeycomb appears across roughly half of documented examples (6 of 11 documented major-house lots) — not standard but more frequent than the 6610's red-depth gilt. The waffle and honeycomb labels collectors sometimes use describe the same pressed cross-hatch texture under two names. The article does not split them.


=== Standard gilt chapter ring ===

Black lacquered dial with gilt printing, a chapter ring at the perimeter, "Explorer" text, and the OCC line. All text is gilt. Antiquorum HK June 2024 lot 369-111 (case 955,472, HKD 150,000) is the cleanest standard configuration in the recent record. The standard configuration runs throughout the 1953–55 production window; survival rate is higher than for the honeycomb but the dial is still rare in original condition.


=== Honeycomb (waffle) ===

[[File:Ref 6350 dial-honeycomb.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=The rare honeycomb (waffle) textured dial|The rare honeycomb (waffle) textured dial]]

The pressed cross-hatch texture under the gilt printing replaces the smooth lacquer surface. Specialist documentation describes the production process: "galvanic coating process… plates first stamped with a clear coating to define the text and chapter ring… then a black substance applied using a chemical binding process," producing the deep tessellated texture under the gilt printing. Honeycomb dials make up roughly half of the major-house lot record on the reference. Phillips Geneva XIII 2021 lot 75 (case 955,327), Phillips Racing Pulse NY Dec 2020 lot 17 (case 955,837), Phillips Geneva XV May 2022 lot 157 (case 955,369), Phillips Geneva FOUR Nov 2016 lot 179 (case 955,855), Antiquorum HK May 2022 lot 218 (case 955,343, est HKD 380,000–480,000) anchor the variant.


=== Numeral format ===

The 6350 carries Arabic numerals at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock — confirmed across the photographic record on every documented lot. Some older editorial sources describe Roman numerals at the same positions; that reading does not match the visual record and is treated as a transcription error rather than a documented variant.


== Hands ==

[[File:Ref 6350 hands-detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Mercedes hands with gilt finish|Mercedes hands with gilt finish]]
[[File:Ref 6350 caseback-detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Caseback detail|Caseback detail]]
[[File:Ref 6350 crown-brevet.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Brevet-type crown with plus sign|Brevet-type crown with plus sign]]

Hands on the 6350 are gilt across the auction record. Three configurations surface within the run: a long-neck Mercedes hour hand (the most commonly associated style); pencil hands inherited from the earliest Submariner cluster; and syringe-style minute hand examples. The seconds hand is the lollipop tip used on the 6200 / 6205 Submariners of the same era. The variety across an 18-month run reads as ongoing iteration or multiple dial / hand combinations assembled from shared parts bins, rather than a clean serial-ranged sequence.


== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==

The 6350 carries a 36mm stainless steel case with a smooth fixed bezel and an acrylic crystal. The caseback is slimmer than the 6098 / 6150 bubbleback profile — the A296 plus chronometer parts still fit the slimmer caseback geometry that the caliber 1030 would later require for the 6610. The Brevet crown carries the "+" Swiss-made sub-mark. Case construction is standard period Rolex Oyster.


== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==

Bracelet fitment records for the 6350 are thin. The Sotheby's Explorer archive piece and listing describe rivet Oyster bracelets on documented examples, but original-delivery anchor points are weaker than for the contemporary Submariners. Period-correct delivery would have been a Gay Frères stretch riveted Oyster following the same configuration used on the 6204 / 6205 Submariners and the 6098 / 6150 Explorers — specific end-link and clasp documentation on the surviving 6350 record is incomplete.


== Special branches ==

[[File:Ref 6350 papers.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Original chronometer certification papers|Original chronometer certification papers]]


=== Sir Douglas Prior — IGY 1956 polar provenance ===

The Sir Douglas Prior 6350 is the strongest single provenance lot for the reference. Antiquorum Geneva November 2018 lot 317-570 (case 955,761) carries Royal Society Antarctic Expedition / IGY 1956 polar provenance — Prior took the watch to Halley Bay in 1956. The watch was returned to Rolex post-expedition and re-gifted with a letter referencing the serial. The lot now carries caliber 775 as a service-replacement. The Prior 6350 is the documented polar provenance the reference inherits — distinct from the contested Hillary / Tenzing claims that attach to the 6098 instead.


== Historical market and auction record ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Sale !! Lot !! Year !! Serial !! Variant !! Hammer
|-
| Phillips Geneva XIII || 75 || 2021 || 955,327 || honeycomb, pencil hands || CHF 88,200
|-
| Phillips Geneva FOUR || 179 || 2016 || 955,855 || honeycomb || CHF 35,000
|-
| Phillips Geneva XV || 157 || 2022 || 955,369 || honeycomb || CHF 75,600
|-
| Phillips Racing Pulse NY || 17 || 2020 || 955,837 || honeycomb || USD 126,000
|-
| Antiquorum NY || 223-84 || 2009 || — || honeycomb, cal. 775 (service replacement) || USD 12,600
|-
| Antiquorum HK || 351-218 || 2022 || 955,343 || honeycomb || est. HKD 380,000–480,000
|-
| Antiquorum HK || 369-111 || 2024 || 955,472 || black gilt chapter ring || HKD 150,000
|-
| Antiquorum Geneva || 317-570 || 2018 || 955,761 || Sir Douglas Prior IGY 1956, cal. 775 || CHF 62,500
|-
| Sotheby's archive || — || 2023 || — || honeycomb, Mercedes/syringe hands, presentation box || USD 48,260
|-
| Hairspring retail || — || — || — || honeycomb, pencil hands, rivet Oyster || USD 175,000 ask
|}

The 6350 trades as one of the rarer Explorers. Honeycomb examples in original condition cluster CHF 75,000–125,000 at the major houses, with the Phillips Racing Pulse 2020 result of USD 126,000 standing as the modern-era benchmark. Standard chapter-ring gilt examples sit at the lower end. Polar-provenance lots (Sir Douglas Prior) sit in their own tier above the standard market. The Hairspring retail ask of USD 175,000 is the upper bound of the dealer market for a clean honeycomb.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:6098|Explorer 6098]] — 1952–1953
* [[Reference:1016|Explorer 1016]] — Gilt to Matte (1963–1989)
* [[Reference:14270|Explorer 14270]] — First Sapphire (1989–2001)
* [[Reference:114270|Explorer 114270]] — 2001–2010
* [[Reference:214270|Explorer 214270]] — 2010–2021
* [[Reference:6150|Explorer 6150]] — Early Explorer-Dial Oyster

See also the [[Reference:explorer|Explorer family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==

* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-from-1953-36mm-1016-14270-114270-214270-124270-in-depth-review/ The History of the Rolex Explorer] — Frank Geelen (Monochrome Watches, 2024)
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-explorer-reference-points A Comprehensive Collector's Guide To The Rolex Explorer I] — Jon Bues (Hodinkee, 2018)
* [https://le-monde-edmond.com/in-depth-review-rolex-6350-explorer/ Rolex 6350 Explorer In-Depth Review] (Le Monde Edmond)
* [https://www.thewatchcollectorsclub.com/blog/the-rolex-explorer-everest-controversy/ The Rolex Explorer Everest Controversy] (The Watch Collectors' Club)
* [https://thewatchbuyersgroup.com/stories/rolex-pre-explorer-reference-6350-sir-edmund-hillarys-rolex-everest-expedition/ Rolex Pre-Explorer Reference 6350 — Sir Edmund Hillary's Rolex Everest Expedition] (Watch Buyers Group)
* [https://www.rescapement.com/blog/rolex-explorer-history-to-everest-and-beyond Rolex Explorer History — To Everest and Beyond] (Rescapement)
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/honeycomb-dial-6350-rolex-explorer Honeycomb Dial 6350 Rolex Explorer] (Hairspring)
* [https://www.casowatches.com/rolex-explorer-a-journey-through-the-pioneering-refs-6350-6610-1016/ Rolex Explorer — A Journey Through Refs 6350, 6610, 1016] (Caso Watches)
* [https://explorer1016.com/history/ Rolex Explorer History] (explorer1016.com)
* [https://www.watchprozine.com/rolex/the-history-of-the-rolex-explorer-i/3438436/732/ The History of the Rolex Explorer I] (Watchprozine)
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-explorer-standout-sales-from-the-sothebys-archive Standout Sales from the Sotheby's Archive — Rolex Explorer] (Sotheby's)
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080121/75 Rolex Explorer 6350 — Phillips Geneva XIII lot 75] (Phillips, 2021)
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080216/179 Rolex Explorer 6350 — Phillips Geneva FOUR lot 179] (Phillips, 2016)
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080122/157 Rolex Explorer 6350 — Phillips Geneva XV lot 157] (Phillips, 2022)
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/NY080120/17 Rolex Explorer 6350 — Phillips Racing Pulse NY lot 17] (Phillips, 2020)
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6350-explorer-lot-317-570 Rolex Explorer 6350 — Antiquorum lot 317-570 (Sir Douglas Prior)] (Antiquorum, 2018)
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6350-explorer-lot-369-111 Rolex Explorer 6350 — Antiquorum lot 369-111] (Antiquorum, 2024)
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6350-explorer-lot-351-218 Rolex Explorer 6350 — Antiquorum lot 351-218] (Antiquorum, 2022)
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-223-84 Rolex Explorer 6350 — Antiquorum NY 2009 lot 223-84] (Antiquorum, 2009)
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

[[Category:Explorer]]

Reference:3372

2026-07-18T12:56:38Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3372 Bubbleback}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Bubbleback 3372 — Production, Dials & Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The 3372 is the Bubbleback Rolex put at the top of the catalogue. Rolex's own sales material called it the "Luxury Model" — plain text, plain meaning. It…
|keywords=Rolex, 3372, Bubbleback, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 3372 hero.jpg
|image_alt=Rolex 3372 Bubbleback salmon-dial Serpico y Laino
|type=Article
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|published_time=2026-04-17T21:04:15Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:19:21Z
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[[File:Ref 3372 hero.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 3372 Bubbleback salmon-dial Serpico y Laino|Rolex 3372 Bubbleback, salmon dial, Serpico y Laino retailer-signed, circa 1945]]

[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] -> '''3372'''

The 3372 is the Bubbleback Rolex put at the top of the catalogue. Period sales material called it the "Luxury Model," plain text and plain meaning. It sat above every other Bubbleback in the price list, topped out at 865 Swiss francs in 18K gold, and wore a coin-edge engine-turned bezel that set it apart from every smooth-bezel Perpetual in the family. It also generated the widest documented range of dial configurations of any Bubbleback — California, sector, salmon, cream Roman, two-tone champagne, radium-lumed Arabic, and silvered-gilt all surface on the 3372. The reference carries a catalogue of identities rather than one.


== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 3372
|-
| family
| Bubbleback (collector name; never official Rolex usage)
|-
| catalogue positioning
| "Luxury Model" — Rolex's own designation for the flagship Bubbleback
|-
| production
| about 1938 into the late 1940s, with late-serialized examples appearing as late as 1959 (likely inventory/late retail, not active production)
|-
| case diameter
| 32mm (tonneau)
|-
| case thickness
| 14.2mm
|-
| lug-to-lug
| 39.5mm
|-
| case construction
| three-piece
|-
| bezel
| engine-turned (coin-edge / fluted) — the defining visual feature
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| crown
| screw-down brevet
|-
| movement
| Cal. 630 (9¾''') automatic, center sweep seconds
|-
| original retail (18K)
| 865 CHF — most expensive Bubbleback in the catalogue
|-
| italian nickname
| ''ovetto'' ("little egg") per native Italian usage
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

By 1938 the Bubbleback was five years old and Rolex had learned what the format could do. The first-generation 1858 and 3458 had proven the Perpetual rotor, the 1936 transition to the two-piece case (refs 3131 and 3132) had cleaned up the architecture, and Cal. 620 had given way to the sweep-seconds Cal. 630. What the line lacked was a flagship, a Bubbleback positioned unambiguously above the smooth-bezel working references and carrying the visual signal of luxury that a coin-edge bezel and an 18K gold case could provide.

That role fell to the 3372. It mounted a three-piece case (a deliberate return from the two-piece architecture of the working Perpetuals), the contemporary Cal. 630 with its center sweep seconds, and an engine-turned bezel borrowed from the Oyster Viceroy and the gold dress Rolexes. Case diameter was identical to the working Bubblebacks at 32mm, but the bezel, the metal, and the dial variety announced a different kind of watch. This was the Rolex worn with a dinner jacket.

Production ran from about 1938 into the late 1940s, with late-serialized examples appearing as late as 1959 (likely inventory/late retail, not active production). That longevity is part of why the dial variety is so extensive. Across roughly a decade Rolex moved through radium-era dial work, wartime material constraints, the post-war dial-design renaissance, and the emergence of the California dial as a Rolex-patented format. The 3372 carried all of it.


== The "Luxury Model" designation ==

Rolex did not generally use marketing nicknames in the Bubbleback era; most references were identified by number alone. "Luxury Model" is one of the few cases where the catalogue itself gave a reference a descriptive name, a label that would not survive into the modern era when "luxury" migrated from catalogue nomenclature into marketing copy. In 1938 Rolex was still using the word literally.

The 865 CHF 18K price anchors the claim. A 3372 in gold was the single most expensive Bubbleback Rolex offered. Stainless-steel 3372s were cheaper but still sat above the equivalent smooth-bezel Perpetuals, with the engine-turned bezel, the metal allowance it required, and the dial options all driving the pricing up.

Wind Vintage's coverage of the 3372 in 18K gold frames the reference as the first Rolex to combine three attributes in one watch: an engine-turned (coin-edge) bezel, a three-piece Oyster case, and Perpetual designation on the dial. Each element existed in isolation earlier — the engine-turned bezel on manual-wind Oysters like the Viceroy ref 3359, the three-piece case across the first-generation Bubbleback line, and Perpetual designation on every working automatic — but the 3372 is where the three converge.


== Case and construction ==

[[File:Ref3372_ss_rg_1940.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=3372 in stainless steel with rose gold bezel, 1940.|3372 in stainless steel with rose gold bezel, 1940.]]
[[File:Ref3372_ss_rg_dial.jpg|thumb|right|340px|alt=Rolex 3372 dial detail — the 'Luxury Model' Bubbleback (1938–1950).|Rolex 3372 dial detail — the 'Luxury Model' Bubbleback (1938–1950).]]

The case is a 32 mm tonneau, 14.2 mm thick, 39.5 mm lug-to-lug — small by modern standards, substantial for the era. A 32 mm round watch of 1940 was a full-sized gentleman's watch, and the tonneau shape wore larger than the nominal diameter suggests. The caseback carries the Bubbleback dome required to house the Cal. 630 rotor, the bezel sits proud of the mid-case, and the crown is a screw-down brevet type.

Construction is three-piece: bezel, mid-case, caseback. A deliberate departure from the two-piece format that became standard on working Bubblebacks from 1936 (refs 3131 and 3132). The three-piece architecture reflects the "Luxury Model" positioning: more complex, more machined, more expensive.

Case materials cover the full Rolex range of the period. Stainless steel carries the /0 suffix. Stainless steel with an 18K rose gold two-tone is the /3 configuration, a Rolesor-style pairing with a gold bezel and sometimes a gold crown. 14K pink or rose gold shows up on Serpico y Laino Caracas-retailed examples. 18K yellow gold (the /7 or /8 suffix) is the catalogue flagship at 865 CHF, and 18K rose gold is the /2 variant.

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual's suffix system applies. As with other Bubblebacks, the suffix encodes case construction rather than metal color. A /7 could be yellow or rose gold, and the distinction must be read from hallmarks and dial text rather than the reference code alone.

Also documented on the 3372/3 is a hooded-lug variant with rigid lug structures enclosing the spring-bar area, borrowed from the ref 3065 design language. Hooded 3372s are scarce and can be confused with modified 2940s or 3065s. Authentication requires a caseback engraving reading "3372" and a factory-consistent lug-to-case transition.


== The engine-turned bezel ==

[[File:Ref3372_craftandtailored_1947.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=A 1947 3372 showing the engine-turned coin-edge bezel, the reference's defining visual feature.|A 1947 3372 showing the engine-turned coin-edge bezel, the reference's defining visual feature.]]

The engine-turned bezel is the 3372's single most important visual element. On a gold example the fluted or coin-edged rim catches light along a hundred narrow ridges; on steel the effect is more subdued but still distinctive. The bezel is fixed rather than rotating, with decorative milling, and sits slightly raised above the mid-case.

Engine-turned, coin-edge, and fluted all appear in period and modern descriptions, and the terms are not interchangeable. Engine-turned strictly means machined with a rose engine lathe. Coin-edge is narrow vertical milling like a coin rim. Fluted is the wider, angled facet of modern Datejust bezels. What sits on the 3372 is best described as a coin-edge variant of the engine-turned tradition — and whichever term a collector uses, it is the primary reason the watch reads as a luxury variant rather than a working Perpetual.


== The Cal. 630 movement ==

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual is specific: the 3372 uses Cal. 630, not the earlier Cal. 620. That distinction matters because the 630 introduces center sweep seconds, a hand sweeping from the central pinion rather than a sub-seconds register at 6 o'clock. On a Bubbleback, center sweep reads more modern and suits the 3372's dress-watch positioning. Sub-seconds configurations exist across the broader Bubbleback line, but a factory-delivered 3372 typically carries center sweep.

Cal. 630 descends from Cal. 620 (same 9¾-ligne dimension, same 26.4mm movement blank, same Aegler-built origins) but adds the indirect center seconds train. Cal. 630 movements in the 3372 appear in 17-, 18-, and 19-jewel variants, reflecting movement generations across the long production run. The 19-jewel chronometer-grade version appears in the Sotheby's 2020 Serpico y Laino lot. A 1938 3372 and a 1949 3372 likely carry meaningfully different internals under the same caliber designation.

Running characteristics are standard for the Bubbleback family: 18,000 bph, straight-line Swiss lever escapement, monometallic Super Balance, self-compensating Breguet overcoil on higher grades and flat hairspring on standard grades. Rhodium-plated, unidirectional rotor, non-hacking. Power reserve 35–41 hours. Cal. 630 also appeared in the 3132, later 3065s, and occasional late 2940s, but the 3372 carried it longer than most peers.


== The dial variants ==

[[File:Ref3372_18k_windvintage.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex 3372 in 18K gold — the flagship precious-metal configuration.|Rolex 3372 in 18K gold — the flagship precious-metal configuration.]]

This is where the 3372 earns its reputation. Dial variety here is the widest of any Bubbleback, and each configuration produces a watch that reads as a genuinely different Rolex. A 3372 collector discusses dials the way a 1016 collector discusses Types and Marks — except the 3372 has no Andrew Hantel figure to codify the taxonomy, so the variants circulate as observed configurations rather than a formal classification.


=== California dial — salmon and cream ===

The California dial (half Roman numerals on the top hemisphere, half Arabic numerals on the bottom, with a railway minutes track) is a Rolex patented format. Rolex filed the patent on May 30, 1941 and received it on June 15, 1942 under the "High Visibility" or "Error-Proof" marketing language. The name "California dial" came later, applied by Los Angeles dial refinisher Kirk Rich and the California-based vintage dealer community in the 1970s and 1980s.

The 3372 sits in the canonical list of Bubbleback references that wore Rolex-made California dials from the factory, alongside 2910, 2940, 2764, 3065, 3458, 3595, and 4220. Two color variants appear: salmon (a warm pinkish tone, especially characteristic of gold-cased and pink-gold examples) and cream (a lighter ivory ground that reads cooler and more austere). Roman numerals are typically gold-applied on salmon dials and black-printed on cream. Arabic numerals carry radium luminous material.

California-dialed 3372s are among the most sought-after configurations and carry a premium. Original Rolex-made Californias differ from later Kirk Rich refinishes in font weight, printing depth, and lume consistency, but on a watch eighty-plus years old proving original status requires period provenance, matching dial-to-hand lume patina, and no refinishing tells. Most surviving California-dial 3372s have been touched; the ones that have not command meaningful premiums.


=== Sector dial — the rarest configuration ===

Among all Bubbleback dials, the multi-tone silvered sector dial is consistently identified as one of the rarest. On a 3372, the sector combines a silvered outer chapter (minutes track and hour markers) with a distinct inner sector in a contrasting silver tone, sometimes champagne-toned and sometimes matte. Hour markers are typically applied batons; numerals, when present, are small Arabic quarter-hour markers. The visual effect is Art Deco: geometric, quiet, deeply of the 1930s design vocabulary.

Sector dials on the 3372 pair correctly with blued steel hands. Lume is absent or minimal; this is a daylight dial, not a tool-watch dial designed for nighttime legibility. A sector-dialed 3372 is perhaps the most coherent expression of the reference's catalogue positioning: flagship case, flagship dial, flagship intent. Forum and dealer consensus treats the sector as one of the rarest Bubbleback dials Rolex ever made, not just within the 3372 population.


=== Two-tone champagne with luminous baton markers ===

The two-tone champagne configuration combines a champagne-tinted silvered dial with luminous baton hour markers and Arabic numerals at the quarter positions (12, 3, 6, 9). The champagne tone is warm, leaning gold without being gilt; the luminous plots read as accent rather than structure. This dial sits between the fully-lumed military-style configurations and the fully-restrained sector dial, a compromise that suits the reference's dress-tool ambiguity.

Examples cluster on rose-gold and 14K pink-gold cases, with radium lume that has aged to cream or tan over seventy-plus years. A handful of champagne two-tone 3372s surface each year at auction; hand configurations vary across surviving examples, an indication that period service work has touched this variant as heavily as any other.


=== Salmon (pink) dial — the Serpico y Laino association ===

Distinct from the salmon California dial, this is a full salmon ground with either Arabic numerals, applied batons, or a mix, without the California half-and-half configuration. Salmon 3372s are strongly associated with Venezuelan retailer Serpico y Laino, whose Caracas operation imported Rolex and Patek Philippe into South America from 1925 to 1966. Serpico y Laino-retailed Rolexes typically carry a co-signed dial with "Serpico y Laino" printed below the Rolex line, and these co-signed pieces command a premium. Roughly three times the unsigned equivalent is the approximate rule, though the multiplier varies with condition and reference.

The Sotheby's Watches Online 2020 lot 71, a stainless-steel 3372 with a salmon Serpico y Laino dial, dated c.1945, sold with its original Rolex box, is the canonical reference lot for this configuration. Sotheby's estimated it at $8,000–12,000, which anchors the reference's high-end market for Serpico-signed examples in original boxes. A Caracas-delivered 3372 with solid provenance sits at the top of the reference's value hierarchy alongside California and sector dials.


=== Silvered with gilt baton hour markers ===

A less storied but common 3372 configuration: a silvered dial (flat silver, not champagne-toned) with gold-gilt applied baton hour markers. No luminous material, no Arabic numerals, no quarter-hour markers. Minutes track around the outer edge. Of all the 3372 dials this is the cleanest and most restrained, and it pairs naturally with yellow-gold cases.

A silvered-gilt 3372 reads as a pure dress watch. Gold batons catch light against the silvered ground, and the minimal text (just Rolex, Oyster Perpetual, Swiss Made) leaves the surface uncluttered. It carries less aesthetic weight than the sector or California dials, but it ages well. A silvered-gilt dial from 1945 still looks in 2026 largely like a silvered-gilt dial from 1945, and that is a virtue in vintage Rolex.


=== Non-luminous cream with gold Roman numerals ===

A cream-ground dial with gold-printed Roman numerals at every hour position. The cream warmth shifts the watch toward older dress-watch typography: 1920s Rolex dress language more than mid-century modern. Minutes track the outer edge in a thin railway pattern; the Rolex and Oyster Perpetual lines are printed in the same gold tone as the numerals, giving the dial a single-color text treatment that reads unusually clean.

The cream Roman is a daylight dial: non-luminous, classical, entirely uninterested in field legibility. Of all 3372 configurations this sits closest to a traditional Calatrava-style dress watch. Examples appear across yellow-gold, rose-gold, and occasionally steel cases.


=== Radium-lumed Arabic with aged patina ===

At the other end of the dial spectrum sits the fully-lumed configuration: radium-painted Arabic numerals at every hour position, radium-lumed baton indices or lume plots, and matching radium-lumed hands. On a 1940s-production 3372 this was the closest thing to a tool-watch dial the reference offered, with full night legibility, every hour marked, and hands that glow in the dark.

Seventy-plus years later these dials read very differently. Radium has oxidized to a warm cream, tan, or light brown tone depending on exposure history; dial grounds (originally glossy or matte black) may have aged into tropical brown territory. On an unrestored survivor the result is what collectors call aged patina: coherent multi-decade weathering that cannot be replicated. Radium-lumed 3372s with original hands and matching dial patina are scarce and carry premiums that reward uniformly-aged survival.


=== The dial families in aggregate ===

The seven variants sort into roughly three categories. Formal dress dials (silvered-gilt, cream Roman, and sector) are daylight watches, non-luminous or minimally lumed. The two-tone champagne and salmon configurations occupy a middle register, combining decorative grounds with modest luminous accents or retailer co-signing. Fully-lumed radium Arabic and California dials push toward legibility and night use, with the California bringing a Rolex-patented typography.

There is no single canonical 3372 dial. The reference was sold across twelve years and multiple markets, and refinishing and service swaps over eight decades have produced a population where distinguishing original-delivery from period-correct-service from later-refinish is a genuine challenge on any individual example. Dial diversity is factory history; dial uncertainty on any specific example is collecting reality.


== Hands ==

Hand configurations follow the dial. Radium dials need matching radium hands, sector dials usually take blued steel, and California dials call for hands that match the numeral tone. The basic rule is simple: dial and hand patina should agree.

A common intermediate configuration (gold gilt seconds hand with blued steel hour and minute hands) appears on several surviving examples and may reflect period service replacements or a factory-era aesthetic choice; fitment logic is thinly documented. For authentication, hand and dial patina should match. Mismatched patina flags replacement of the dial, the hands, or both.


== Serpico y Laino and the retailer premium ==

Serpico y Laino matters here because it moves the 3372 into a much smaller, much more narrative-driven collecting lane. Real provenance matters more than on the unsigned watch, because forged retailer signatures exist.

Serpico y Laino-signed 3372s sit in their own premium tier. The appeal is not just the name on the dial, but the combination of a scarce reference, a strong Caracas retail story, and the fact that forged Serpico signatures exist. Real provenance matters here.

Beyond Serpico y Laino, the 3372 appears co-signed by other period retailers. A W. Rosch (Berne, Switzerland) signed example with case number in the 348,xxx range is documented on VRF, dated 1946. Other retailer signatures surface occasionally across auction records without establishing a strong value premium comparable to Serpico.


=== Redial red flags ===

Forum consensus on the 3372 authentication checklist runs through a familiar set of refinish tells. "Swiss Made" absent where it should be present on post-1940s dials is the first flag. "Officially Certified Chronometer" text on dial configurations that would not have carried chronometer-grade movements is the second. A cut-down sub-seconds hand is the third: service replacements are routinely trimmed to fit, while original hands sit at full length. Lume aging inconsistent with dial aging is the fourth. A refinished dial relumed with modern tritium or Luminova betrays itself against an untouched set of hands.


== Bracelets ==

Surviving examples appear with substantial frequency on original "Made in England" stretch-rivet Oyster bracelets, a riveted-link Oyster with a stretch mechanism, standard on mid-1940s Rolex Oysters sold through UK and Commonwealth distribution. A 1940s buyer in Venezuela, France, or the US may have received a different bracelet or strap. Other period-correct options include standard non-stretch Oyster rivet in 18mm or 19mm lug widths, Jubilee (introduced in 1945 with the Datejust; late-production 3372 examples occasionally wear Jubilees), gold or two-tone variants on gold-cased examples, and leather straps with Rolex-signed buckles for dress configurations.

As with all Bubblebacks, bracelet fitment reveals as much about service history as original delivery. A 3372 on a solid-link 78350-era Oyster is wearing a service replacement; one on a stretch-rivet Oyster with matching period condition is much more plausibly original.


== Serial ranges and production dating ==

Documented examples span a serial range consistent with 1938 through the late 1940s. Three observed clusters: 319,XXX sits at c.1945, mid-war production corresponding to the wartime peak of Bubbleback output; 443,XXX corresponds to c.1946, immediate post-war production; and 57X,XXX maps to c.1947, late-1940s production.

These align with the Dowling/Hess/Pergola serial-to-date reconstructions. The Rolex serial system has never been published officially, and every serial chart is a third-party effort. Mainline 3372 production maps to serials in the low 200,000s through the high 500,000s; cases in the 600,000+ range correspond to 1949–1950. Examples dated to c.1959 almost certainly reflect dealer stock or service assembly rather than active 1959 factory production.


== Auction and market context ==

Market prices span roughly a factor of six across dealer listings and auction records, from about $3,376 at the low end to $20,763 at the high end, with configuration driving most of the spread.

Sotheby's Watches Online 2020, lot 71, is the canonical auction for the reference: a stainless-steel example retailed by Serpico y Laino, salmon dial, dated c.1945, accompanied by its original Rolex box. Sotheby's estimated the lot at $8,000–12,000; a gold 3372 with comparable provenance would have estimated higher.

The stratification is predictable. At the top, solid-gold configurations with exceptional dials — 18K yellow or rose gold cases with California, sector, or Serpico-signed salmon dials in original condition with matching patina — push toward the $20,000+ end. In the middle, two-tone SSRG and 14K pink gold examples sit at $6,000–12,000 for honest pieces with period-correct components. At the baseline, stainless-steel 3372s with common dials (silvered-gilt, cream Roman, standard Arabic) sit at $3,500–6,000. Gold-cased and retailer-signed examples have appreciated faster than the steel baseline over the past decade.


== Authentication and collecting considerations ==

Twelve years of production combined with extraordinary dial variety makes authentication harder than for most vintage Rolexes. A 3372 collector is not checking a single "correct" configuration because the reference does not have one. Instead, the question is whether the configuration in front of them is period-plausible, internally consistent, and consistent with the case's production window.

Dial originality is the hardest part. Unrestored original dials are exceptionally rare, consistent with the broader Bubbleback baseline of roughly one in fifteen or twenty surviving examples carrying an untouched dial. Refinished dials from the 1970s and 1980s are common; Kirk Rich California dials sit between refinished and reprint (period-method but not factory-original); service dial swaps were routine. Establishing original-dial status requires matching lume patina between dial and hands, printing depth consistent with period Rolex manufacturing, and, where possible, period provenance.

Authentication on the 3372 comes down to four things: movement should be correct for the case, the engine-turned bezel should still show sharp milling, Serpico y Laino signatures need proper typography and provenance, and hooded-lug examples need extra caution because modified cases exist.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:1858|Bubbleback 1858]] — 1933–1935
* [[Reference:2764|Bubbleback 2764]] — 1937–1948
* [[Reference:2940|Bubbleback 2940]] — 1940–1949
* [[Reference:3065|Bubbleback 3065]] — 1937–1950
* [[Reference:3131|Bubbleback 3131]] — 1936–1948
* [[Reference:3132|Bubbleback 3132]]

See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080215/206 "Rolex Oyster Perpetual Bubble Back Ref. 3372, retailed by Mappin & Webb, two-tone bow-tie / Papillon dial", Phillips, 2015]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-online/rolex-ref-3372-bubbleback-retailed-by-serpico-y Sotheby's, "Sotheby's Watches Online Lot 71 — Rolex ref 3372 SS salmon Serpico y Laino c.1945", Sotheby's, 2020]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/fine-watches-8/reference-3372-oyster-perpetual-bubbleback-a "Reference 3372 Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback, SS, silvered dial, c.1946", Sotheby's, 2021]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29889/lot/80/ "Rolex 14K gold automatic Bubble Back Oyster Perpetual Ref. 3372, c.1940", Bonhams, 2024]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/24234/lot/80/ "Rolex stainless steel Bubbleback Ref. 3372, brushed champagne dial, fluted bezel", Bonhams, 2017]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-3372-bubble-back-lot-310-90 "Rolex Bubble Back Ref. 3372, salmon dial, SS, 1938", Antiquorum, 2017]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-3372-bubbleback-lot-377-154 "Rolex Ref. 3372 Bubbleback, black California dial, pink gold bezel, SS", Antiquorum, 2025]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-3372-bubbleback-lot-378-244 "Rolex Ref. 3372 Bubbleback, 18K pink gold + steel, c.1947", Antiquorum, 2025]
* [https://le-monde-edmond.com/three-exceptional-cloi/ Edmond Saran, "Three exceptional Cloisonne Enamel Rolex", Le Monde Edmond, 2021]
* [https://www.unpolishedwatches.com/ Tony Traina, "Rolex and the return of sports elegance", Unpolished Watches]
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-oyster-perpetual-bubbleback-reference-3372-in-18k Wind Vintage, "Wind Vintage — Rolex Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback Reference 3372 in 18K", Wind Vintage, current]
* [https://www.craftandtailored.com/products/1947-rolex-oyster-perpetual-ref-3372-bubble-back Craft and Tailored, "Craft and Tailored — Rolex ref 3372 1947 Bubbleback", Craft and Tailored, current]
* [https://lunaroyster.com/product/1946-rolex-bubbleback-3372-in-steel-engine-turned-bezel-rivet-bracelet-2/ Lunar Oyster, "Lunar Oyster — Rolex ref 3372 SS engine-turned bezel 1946 with rivet bracelet", lunaroyster.com, current]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=813773 Rolex Forums, "Rolex Forums — Advice on Rolex Bubbleback 3372", rolexforums.com, various]

[[Category:Bubbleback]]

Reference:3361

2026-07-18T12:56:36Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3361 Sky Dweller}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Sky-Dweller 3361 — Production, Dials & Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 — Rolex's late-1930s asymmetric rectangular dress watch with wedge case profile, relief escutcheon at six, centre-seconds layout, and Aegler Cal. 310 movement. 1939 Swiss National Exhibition launch through 1952 documented production. 18K yellow and 18K pink gold only. Companion 3362 in 14K pink gold.
|keywords=Rolex, Prince, 3361, 3362, 3937, Aerodynamic, Super Precision Aerodynamic, Scudetto, Aegler, Cal. 310, Ultra Prima, Extra Prima, vintage, Art Deco, doctor watch, 1939, Swiss National Exhibition, reference guide
|image=Ref 3361 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 18K yellow gold 1952 Mondani
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-29T02:44:31Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:19:18Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:prince|Prince]] -> '''3361'''

The 3361 is the Aerodynamic Prince — Rolex's late-1930s rectangular dress watch with an asymmetric case profile that reads thicker at twelve and tapers toward six. The shape is the obvious break from the symmetric Brancards (971, 1490) and the straight-sided Classics (1862, 1527) that the rest of the Prince family carries. Michael Friedberg's 2001 TimeZone essay names the trade designation "Super Precision Aerodynamic" and dates the launch to 1939; Osvaldo Patrizzi's ''Collezionare Orologi da Polso Rolex'' (1998, pages 36–38) and Antiquorum's 2006 Mondani Collection catalog place the introduction at the 1939 Swiss National Exhibition in Zurich (the Landesausstellung) and quote period advertising that called the watch "Aerodynamic." Production runs from 1939 through documented 1952 examples, with case-number anchors at 899,568 and 899,677 from the Mondani 1952 pair. The dial dispenses with the duo-dial sub-seconds register that defines every other Prince — instead, a relief escutcheon (Italian collectors call it the ''scudetto'') sits at six o'clock where the seconds sub-register would normally live, and the seconds run as a centre-sweep hand from the dial's middle. The companion 3362 reference shares the asymmetric case in 14K gold and is documented as far back as c.1935, which contradicts Friedberg's 1940 dating for 3362 and complicates the 3361/3362 chronology beyond easy resolution. The 3361 is documented exclusively in 18K yellow and 18K pink gold; the Mondani catalog flatly states "never in stainless steel."

[[File:Ref 3361 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 18K yellow gold 1952 Mondani|18K yellow gold Aerodynamic Prince, case 899,568, 1952 (Antiquorum Mondani lot 108/210, hammer CHF 18,880). Silvered dial with relief escutcheon at six, centre seconds]]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 3361 (sister 3362 = 14K gold; 3937 = late Brancard variant)
|-
| family
| Prince Aerodynamic — asymmetric rectangular curved case
|-
| trade name
| Super Precision Aerodynamic (Friedberg 2001 from period advertising)
|-
| nicknames
| Aerodynamic (canonical, English-language collector usage); Scudetto (Italian, after the relief escutcheon at six); Presentation Prince (forum usage)
|-
| production
| 1939 (Swiss National Exhibition launch per Patrizzi 1998 and Antiquorum Mondani 2006, single-chain attribution) — documented through 1952 (Mondani case numbers 899,568 + 899,677, both 1952). End-year often given as 1955; cap documented at 1952
|-
| case shape
| rectangular curved, asymmetric — top half thicker than bottom half, an aviation-styling-era profile
|-
| case dimensions
| approximately 19 mm × 46 mm body, 9.3 mm thick
|-
| case construction
| three-piece, polished, asymmetric profile is integral to the case-back machining
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| crown
| onion / pull-out, non-screw
|-
| lug style
| integrated curved lugs
|-
| movement
| Aegler Cal. 310 (NOT Cal. 300 or Cal. 360 family — every documented 3361 catalog entry names Cal. 310). 7½′′′ rectangular, manual wind, 18 jewels, lateral lever escapement, Superbalance adjusted to 6 positions, Breguet hairspring, swan-neck micro-regulator
|-
| caliber production span
| Cal. 310 was produced 1932–1938; movements were stockpiled and cased into 1950s 3361 production (the case-and-movement number divergence reflects this)
|-
| movement grades
| Chronometer / Ultra Prima / Extra Prima — variously badged
|-
| dial layout
| centre seconds (single sweep hand from dial centre), NOT the duo-dial sub-seconds layout that defines the rest of the Prince family. The escutcheon at six replaces the seconds sub-register architecturally
|-
| materials documented
| 18K yellow gold and 18K pink gold only. Mondani catalog: "never in stainless steel." 3362 sister documented in 14K pink (Antiquorum 2015 lot 109, case 62,482, c.1935) — the 14K is a Mondani-noted export-tier configuration
|-
| price band (hammer)
| USD 4,299 (Monaco Legend July 2024 yellow gold, low end) → USD 16,250 (Antiquorum NY 2015 yellow gold c.1940) → HKD 106,200 (Antiquorum HK April 2006 yellow gold 1940s) → CHF 18,880 (Antiquorum Mondani 2006 yellow gold 1952) → CHF 21,240 (Antiquorum Mondani 2006 pink gold 1952, corpus high)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 3361 is the third generation of the Prince story. The first generation runs the flared Brancards (971, 1490, 1491) from 1928 through the mid-1930s. The second generation runs the straight-sided Classics (1862, 1527 with stepped sides) from 1930 through the 1940s. The 3361 launches at the 1939 Swiss National Exhibition in Zurich as a deliberate visual departure from both — the asymmetric profile, the cartouche-replacing-sub-seconds dial, the centre-seconds layout — and runs for thirteen years through 1952. By the time the 3361 winds down, the Oyster Perpetual platform has fully absorbed Rolex's catalog momentum, the post-WWII consumer market has moved toward the Datejust and the Sea-Dweller-prefiguring Submariner ancestors, and the Prince as a category of dress watch is closing.

The 1939 Landesausstellung anchor sits one source deep. Patrizzi cites the launch; Antiquorum cites Patrizzi; downstream copy cites Antiquorum. No period 1939 advertisement, period catalog page, or photograph from the Zurich exhibition has surfaced independently. Take it as the canonical history while noting that the primary documentation has not been independently verified.

Phillips's "Rolex Milestones — 38 Timepieces That Made History" exhibition in Hong Kong included an untouched 3361 with serial T61239. Inclusion in a Rolex-curated milestone exhibition is itself a status signal even without a hammer-price record attached.

The Prince does not return to the Rolex catalog until the 2005 Cellini Prince revival, which sits on a different platform and is not part of the vintage Prince story this page covers.

==The asymmetric case==

[[File:Ref 3361 asymmetric-profile.webp|thumb|right|260px|alt=Rolex Prince 3361 asymmetric wedge case side profile|Two-panel view (Antiquorum NY 2015 lot 73) showing the asymmetric wedge case — front face plus side profile illustrating the top-thicker / bottom-tapered geometry]]
The 3361 case is structurally distinct from every other Prince. The top half of the case (twelve o'clock end) is machined deeper than the bottom half (six o'clock end), creating a wedge profile when viewed from the side. The 9.3 mm thickness measurement applies at the thickest point; the bottom of the case tapers to a thinner section. The aerodynamic styling reference is to 1930s aviation cowling profiles — late-pre-WWII airliner fuselages and aircraft instrument panels carried similar tapered geometries, and the Rolex Prince Aerodynamic was deliberately positioned as a watch that read in dialogue with that aesthetic.

The case dimensions cluster at 19 mm × 46 mm across documented examples. The Antiquorum 1991 sale 149 lot 290 records a 3362 example at 19 × 38 mm — a different proportion that may indicate a smaller variant of the 3362 or a measurement convention difference. The 3361 itself reads consistently 19 × 46 mm.

The lugs are curved and integrated into the asymmetric case profile, sitting at the top and bottom edges of the case rather than projecting outward as on the Brancards. The crown is onion-form push-pull, non-screw, signed Rolex; gold cases carry gold crowns. The crystal is acrylic. The caseback is screw-down on most examples, with factory-stamped reference and serial information.

==The escutcheon ("Scudetto") and centre seconds==

[[File:Ref 3361 pink-1952-mondani.webp|thumb|right|260px|alt=Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 pink gold 1952 black dial Mondani|18K pink gold 3361 with black dial, case 899,677, 1952 (Antiquorum Mondani lot 108/209, hammer CHF 21,240 corpus high). Relief escutcheon at six engraved with monogram "MR"]]
The dial-side mark of the 3361 is the relief escutcheon at six o'clock — a small raised heraldic-shaped cartouche that replaces the sub-seconds register that defines every other Prince's duo-dial. Italian collectors call this feature the ''scudetto'' (Italian for "small shield" or "escutcheon"); the Antonio Nocco Parma collector documentation introduces the term in modern collector usage.

The dial-architecture consequence is structural rather than decorative. The 3361 runs a centre-seconds variant of the Cal. 310 — the seconds hand is a single long sweep hand pivoting from the dial centre, the way it works on a centre-seconds Submariner or Oyster Perpetual rather than a duo-dial Prince. The escutcheon at six occupies the dial real estate where a subsidiary seconds register would otherwise sit, but it carries no functional indication; it is a heraldic decoration applied at the level of dial relief.

This is the architectural break from the 971 / 1490 / 1862 / 1527 / 1491 — every other Prince is a sub-seconds duo-dial. The 3361 is the only catalog Prince with a centre-seconds layout, and the cartouche-replacing-sub-seconds is the dial-side mark of that movement difference. A 3361 dial that shows a sub-seconds register at six rather than a relief escutcheon is either a refinished dial, a service replacement from a different Prince reference, or a misidentified case.

Documented dial configurations on surfaced 3361 examples:

* Silvered with applied gold dart or pyramid hour markers — the most common configuration. Sub-seconds-style outline at six contains the relief escutcheon rather than a register. "ROLEX PRINCE / CHRONOMETER" or "ROLEX PRINCE / Officially Certified Chronometer" centre text.
* Black with pink-gold applied indexes — the Antiquorum Mondani 2006 lot 209 (pink gold case 899,677, 1952). A late-period 1952 configuration that pairs the pink case with a sharply contrasting black dial face.
* Rose dial with black enamel Roman numerals — Cuervo y Sobrinos co-signed example documented at PatekMonger (case 59,330, movement 1,847). The Cuban retail channel example.

Hand styles cluster on blued steel pencil or sword forms with a long centre seconds sweep hand. Refinished dials and replaced centre-seconds hands are the standard service interventions on 3361 examples; the relief escutcheon is the canonical authentication anchor because refinishing a dial cleanly through a raised heraldic feature is difficult and produces detectable artifacts.

==The movement — Cal. 310, not Cal. 300==

The 3361 movement is the canonical correction in this article. Every documented 3361 catalog entry — Antiquorum Mondani 2006 lot 209/210, the lorologiese listings, the PatekMonger Cuervo y Sobrinos example, the 1stDibs documentation — names Cal. 310 rather than the Cal. 300 family designation that some collector references carry. Cal. 310 is a 7½′′′ Aegler shaped movement, manual wind, 18 jewels, lateral lever escapement, Superbalance adjusted to 6 positions, Breguet hairspring, with a swan-neck micro-regulator on the Ultra Prima execution.

Cal. 310 was produced 1932–1938 — a six-year window that ends before the 3361's 1939 launch. The catalog claim that 3361 movements are Cal. 310 is therefore not a contradiction but a stockpile-and-case statement: Aegler produced Cal. 310 movements through 1938, Rolex stockpiled them, and the 3361 cases produced through 1952 received Cal. 310 movements that were already in inventory rather than newly-produced calibers. This is consistent with the broader Aegler-Rolex stockpile pattern of the period — the Mondani lot 209 (pink gold case 899,677, 1952) carries a movement number significantly lower than the case number, reflecting the case-and-movement timing divergence.

The Cal. 310 used in the 3361 is a centre-seconds variant of the standard architecture. Rolex / Aegler produced Cal. 310 in both sub-seconds and centre-seconds configurations; the 3361 / 3362 / 3937 wedge-shaped Princes specifically receive the centre-seconds version. A 3361 with a sub-seconds Cal. 310 movement is anomalous and deserves verification.

Movement grading runs Extra Prima / Ultra Prima / Chronometer. The "Officially Certified Chronometer" or "Chronometer" or "Ultra Prima" dial designations appear across surfaced examples; the grade hierarchy applies as it does across the Prince family. The 1932-1938 production span for Cal. 310 means the 3361 inherited the same Aegler shaped-movement architecture and finishing as the late-1930s 1490 / 1862 / 1527 — what changes for the 3361 is the centre-seconds gear-train variant and the case the movement is fitted into.

The closest mistake-vector is the watch-guy.com / NAWCC documentation of generic "Cal. 300 family" attribution by auction houses on Prince movements. The 3361 is the most common case for that mis-attribution because the 3361 is rarer in modern auction circulation than the 1490, and catalog writers under deadline pressure default to the family-level Cal. 300 designation rather than the specific Cal. 310 number. Catalog readers should treat "Cal. 300" on a 3361 listing as an under-specified description, not a sub-caliber distinction from Cal. 310.

==The 3361 / 3362 / 3937 family==

Friedberg's 2001 TimeZone essay names a three-reference asymmetric Prince family: 3361 (1939), 3362 (1940 per Friedberg), 3937 (later still). The auction-catalog evidence partially supports the chronology: Mondani's 1952 3361s, the 14K pink 3362 dated c.1935 (Antiquorum 2015 lot 109, case 62,482), and the 3937 typically dated to the late 1930s through the 1940s. The c.1935 dating on the 14K 3362 contradicts Friedberg's 1940 framing and suggests one of three readings: (a) Friedberg is wrong about 3362 launch year, (b) the Antiquorum c.1935 dating is a catalog error, or (c) the 3362 reference number was issued for an earlier 14K export sister that predates the 3361 18K production. The single 3362 data point makes resolution difficult; all three readings stay open rather than collapsing to one.

The 3362 is documented in 14K pink gold only across documented examples (Antiquorum 1991 sale 149 lot 290 18K pink gold est. CHF 20,000-22,000; Antiquorum 2002 Thematic Forms lot 71 14K pink CHF 6,900; Antiquorum 2015 sale 291 lot 109 14K pink case 62,482 c.1935 CHF 11,250). The 14K karat designation is a Mondani-noted export-tier configuration — 14K Princes were typically produced for North American markets where the British 9K hallmark conventions did not apply.

The 3937 reference is covered separately on this wiki.

==Authentication==

Authentication of a 3361 follows three reference-specific anchors plus the Prince-family workflow.

# Asymmetric case profile. A 3361 case viewed from the side reads as a wedge — top half thicker than bottom half. A symmetric case under a 3361 dial is either a transplant or a misidentified reference. The asymmetric profile is integral to the caseback machining; modifications to symmetrize the case for fashion preference are forensically detectable.

# Cal. 310 centre-seconds movement. A 3361 should carry a Cal. 310 movement in centre-seconds variant. A Cal. 350 (1490 standard caliber), a Cal. 7½′′′ T.S. 300 (1490 / 1527 Ultra Prima caliber), or a Cal. 360 HW (tonneau-plate Brancard caliber) under a 3361 dial is a transplant. The centre-seconds gear-train variant is the further specifier; a sub-seconds Cal. 310 in a 3361 case warrants careful verification.

# Relief escutcheon at six. The dial cartouche replacing sub-seconds is the canonical 3361 dial-side authentication anchor. A 3361 dial with a sub-seconds register at six is a misidentified reference, a refinished dial that replaced the escutcheon with a register, or a service replacement from a duo-dial Prince. The relief escutcheon is itself authentication-friendly because refinishing a dial cleanly through a raised heraldic feature is technically difficult.

The reference-broad checks: gold case + gold crown match (a steel crown on a gold 3361 is a service replacement); factory-stamped caseback (hand-engraved markings indicate post-factory work, except owner-presentation engraving); period-correct dial patina (foxing in the dial outer edges is consistent with original; glassy-perfect surface is a refinish). Glasgow / Edinburgh hallmarks do NOT typically appear on 3361 cases — the reference was sold predominantly through continental and Italian channels, with British imports rare.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! year
! venue
! configuration
! hammer
|-
| 2000
| Antiquorum (sale 59 lot 166)
| yellow gold 1940s
| est. CHF 20,000–24,000 (earliest "Aerodynamic" auction-vocabulary use)
|-
| 2006
| Antiquorum HK (lot 13)
| yellow gold 1940s
| HKD 106,200
|-
| 2006
| Antiquorum Mondani (lot 209)
| pink gold case 899,677, 1952
| CHF 21,240 (high mark)
|-
| 2006
| Antiquorum Mondani (lot 210)
| yellow gold case 899,568, 1952
| CHF 18,880
|-
| 2012
| Sotheby's Geneva GE1201 (lot 282)
| pink gold
| unsold (est. EUR 10,000–15,000)
|-
| 2015
| Antiquorum NY (sale 296 lot 73)
| yellow gold c.1940, mvt T94122
| USD 16,250
|-
| 2022
| Antiquorum Geneva (May)
| pink gold
| est. CHF 8,300–15,200
|-
| 2024
| Monaco Legend (July)
| yellow gold
| USD 4,299 (low end)
|-
| various
| dealer (PatekMonger / 1stdibs)
| Cuervo y Sobrinos co-signed pink, case 59,330
| dealer-level only
|}

The 3362 sister adds three lots: Antiquorum 1991 sale 149 lot 290 (pink, 19×38 mm, est. CHF 20,000–22,000); Antiquorum 2002 Thematic Forms lot 71 (14K pink, CHF 6,900); Antiquorum 2015 sale 291 lot 109 (14K pink case 62,482, c.1935, CHF 11,250). The 3361 hammer band runs USD 4,299 to CHF 21,240 across documented lots, with the Mondani 1952 pair at the top and the Monaco Legend 2024 yellow gold at the bottom. Phillips, Christie's, Heritage, Watches of Knightsbridge, Artcurial, Drouot, and Tajan carry no documented 3361 lots in their public archives — the reference is Antiquorum-dominant in the modern auction record. The Phillips "Rolex Milestones" exhibition inclusion of SN T61239 is the institutional-recognition data point but does not produce a hammer-price record.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:971|Prince 971]] — Brancard Art-Deco (1928–1938)
* [[Reference:1343|Prince 1343]] — Classic Rectangular (1928–1935)
* [[Reference:1490|Prince 1490]] — 1928–1945
* [[Reference:1491|Prince 1491]] — 1930–1945
* [[Reference:1527|Prince 1527]] — 1930–1945
* [[Reference:1862|Prince 1862]] — 1928–1942

See also the [[Reference:prince|Prince family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

* "Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 Pink Gold — Mondani 1952", Antiquorum, 2006-05-14
* "Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 Yellow Gold — Mondani 1952", Antiquorum, 2006-05-14
* "Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 Yellow Gold 1940s", Antiquorum, 2006-04-23
* "Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 Yellow Gold c.1940", Antiquorum, 2015-12-15
* "Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 Yellow Gold", Antiquorum, 2000-04-02
* "Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 Pink Gold", Sotheby's, 2012-05-15
* "Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 Yellow Gold", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2024-07
* "Rolex Prince 3362 Pink Gold — Earliest Asymmetric Naming", Antiquorum, 1991
* "Rolex Prince 3362 14K Pink Gold c.1935", Antiquorum, 2015-05-10
* "Rolex Prince 3362 14K Pink Gold", Antiquorum, 2002
* "Rolex Prince Aerodynamic 3361 — Cuervo y Sobrinos Co-Signed Pink Gold", PatekMonger
* [http://people.timezone.com/mfriedberg/articles/RolexPrince.html Michael Friedberg, "Rolex's Charming Prince — 3361 / 3362 / 3937 wedge-shaped Princes", TimeZone, 2001-01-23]
* Osvaldo Patrizzi, "Collezionare Orologi da Polso Rolex", Antiquorum, 1998
* "Rolex Milestones — 38 Timepieces That Made History (Hong Kong)", Phillips
* [https://www.vintagerolexforum.com/showthread.php?t=23475 "Watch-guy.com on 3361 / 3362 — asymmetric / Presentation Prince family", Watchprosite (mirror VRF t23475), 2011-04-17]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2017/05/the-complete-history-of-rolex-prince.html Jake Ehrlich, "The Complete History of the Rolex Prince", Rolex Magazine, 2017-05]
* [https://quillandpad.com/2019/04/09/the-golden-age-of-rolex-movements-part-i-sowing-the-seeds-of-greatness/ Tim Mosso, "The Golden Age of Rolex Movements Part I", Quill & Pad, 2019-04-09]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/the-current-prince-a-different-side-of-rolex/ Martin Green, "The Current Prince: A Different Side Of Rolex", Revolution Watch, 2014-02-28]
* [https://www.watchonista.com/articles/depth/uncommon-objects-rediscovering-rolexs-discontinued-collections Rhonda Riche, "Uncommon Objects: Rediscovering Rolex's Discontinued Collections", Watchonista, 2025-11-06]
* [https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=rolex_prince "Rolex Prince", Watch-Wiki (DE)]
* [https://www.everestbands.com/blogs/bezel-barrel/the-rolex-prince-from-the-1930s Vincent Deschamps, "The 1930s Rolex Prince", Everest Bands, 2023-12-12]
* [https://www.coronet.org/new-1minute-reads/the-doctors-rolex Andres Ibarguen, "The Doctor's Rolex", Coronet Magazine, 2021-08-22]
* [https://www.analogshift.com/blogs/transmissions/a-brief-history-of-the-doctor-s-watch Oren Hartov, "A Brief History of the Doctor's Watch", Analog/Shift, 2024-07-08]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/2020/https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/rolex-tonneau-movement.100077/ "Rolex Tonneau Movement?", NAWCC, 2013-03-11]
* Colin A. White, "The Vintage Rolex Field Manual", Morning Tundra

[[Category:Prince]]

Reference:3359

2026-07-18T12:56:33Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3359 Oyster Perpetual}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual 3359 (1934–1946) — Production & Dial Guide | BezelBase
|description=The Rolex Oyster Viceroy 3359 — manual-wind tonneau-cased Oyster from approximately 1939 to 1947, signed "Viceroy" on the dial, with two-tone steel + pink gold bezel variants and applied luminous numerals.
|keywords=Rolex, 3359, Oyster, Viceroy, vintage, manual-wind, tonneau, two-tone, reference guide
|image=Ref 3359 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 3359 Oyster Viceroy 1944 black dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-17T22:13:55Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:19:15Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[File:Ref 3359 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 3359 Oyster Viceroy 1944 black dial|1944 SS+pink gold Viceroy, original black dial]]

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Viceroy 3359 — BezelBase
|description=The 3359 is the Oyster Viceroy, a manual-wind Oyster from roughly 1934 to 1946. The watch is small, angular, and very period in shape, usually in two-tone steel and gold but also seen in full yellow or rose gold. The dial range is unusually wide for the era, which is one reason the reference stays interesting.


== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 3359
|-
| family
| Oyster (manual-wind)
|-
| production
| about 1934–1946 (medium confidence)
|-
| case shape
| angular tonneau (geometric, not round)
|-
| case diameter
| 29–29.5 mm (two-tone); about 32 mm (solid gold)
|-
| lug-to-lug
| about 38–39 mm
|-
| thickness
| about 10 mm
|-
| case materials
| SS/18K YG (most common two-tone); SS/18K PG; SS/14K PG; SS/10K RG; full 18K YG; full 18K RG
|-
| bezel
| engine-turned gold, raised above the case
|-
| crown
| screw-down (gold on two-tone configurations)
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| movement
| manual-wind, Cal. 10½ lignes, rhodium-plated
|-
| balance
| Rolex Patented Super Balance, monometallic, Breguet spring
|-
| escapement
| straight-line lever
|-
| regulator
| micrometer
|-
| jewels
| 15, 17, or 18 depending on grade (see contradictions)
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 3359 is one of the angular, pre-Perpetual manual Oysters that occupied the lower-to-middle rungs of Rolex's mid-1930s catalog. By the time 3359 production began the Perpetual rotor was already established alongside it (the 1858, 3131, and 3372 Bubblebacks were in production), but manual-wind Oysters still had a clear commercial role. They were thinner, less mechanically ambitious, and they could be built into case shapes the rotor could not accommodate. The tonneau form of the 3359 is the clearest example: a Bubbleback caseback in a 29 mm tonneau case would not have worked, while a manual 10½-ligne caliber made it trivial.

The Viceroy name has its own short prehistory. Before 1934 ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'''s alternate-brand table records Viceroy as a standalone Wilsdorf trench-watch label with RWC casebacks and Viceroy dials, produced roughly 1925–1935 separately from the Oyster line. When 3359 production began, Viceroy was absorbed into the Oyster catalog as a model designation. The earlier trench Viceroys and the Oyster Viceroy 3359 share a name and a Wilsdorf commercial genealogy, but they are not the same watch.

The closest siblings in the 3359's own family are the other 1930s–1940s manual Oysters: 2280 Royal, 3139 Army, 4220 Speedking, and the wider cohort of small-batch references catalogued in the Field Manual. The 3359 sits toward the dressier end of that group. Its engine-turned gold bezel and two-tone configuration are decorative features, not tool-watch features. It is a waterproof Oyster, with a screw-down crown and the three-piece Oyster case architecture, but it was sold as a dress watch to customers who wanted the Oyster patent's waterproofing in a thin, geometric, gold-accented package.


== The tonneau case ==

[[File:Ref 3359 caseback.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3359 Viceroy caseback|Viceroy caseback]]
The defining visual feature of the 3359 is the angular tonneau case with a raised engine-turned gold bezel. Tonneau in the Rolex vocabulary of this period means a barrel-shaped case with straight-flanked sides, not round. The 3359 reads as a geometric rectangle with radiused corners and integrated angular lugs, flat across the top, with the bezel sitting proud of the mid-case. Its gold surface is engine-turned — a finely machined decorative pattern, barleycorn or a close variant, cut radially into the bezel face. On two-tone examples the contrast between polished gold and brushed steel is deliberate and is the single most recognizable element of the reference.

Two-tone is the dominant configuration. A stainless steel mid-case and caseback are paired with an 18K yellow gold engine-turned bezel and matching gold crown. The yellow gold combination is the most frequently surfaced, but rose gold appears in three karat grades on two-tone cases: 18K, 14K, and 10K. The 14K and 10K pairings are a Rolex concession to the North American market, where lower karat grades were the norm for jewelry retail. The 10K rose gold bezel on a steel case is a specifically North American configuration and tends to surface in US-based dealer and auction records rather than European ones.

Solid gold examples exist in both 18K yellow gold and 18K rose gold. These cases run larger — about 32 mm versus the 29–29.5 mm of the two-tone examples — and the proportions read differently on the wrist. The solid gold 3359 is a distinct watch visually, not simply a two-tone in gold clothing. The engine-turned bezel remains, but against a gold case flank the contrast collapses and the bezel reads as a textured detail rather than a two-tone statement.

The crown is screw-down, consistent with the Oyster patent. On two-tone cases the crown is gold to match the bezel. The case is three-piece: bezel, mid-case, caseback, threaded together. Lugs are straight and angular, integral with the tonneau form, and sized for period leather straps rather than bracelets.


== Dimensions ==

The two-tone 3359 measures 29–29.5 mm across the case, lug-to-lug roughly 38–39 mm, thickness around 10 mm. Small by modern standards. In 1934 it was sized as a men's dress watch, comparable to the contemporary Patek Calatrava and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, and the geometric tonneau form makes it wear slightly larger than its diameter because the lugs push the visual width out toward 39 mm. Solid gold examples at about 32 mm wear noticeably larger and carry more wrist presence.


== The Cal. 10½ lignes movement ==

Under the caseback is a manual-wind Rolex caliber of 10½ lignes, the same broad movement family Rolex used across its 1930s–1940s manual Oysters. The specification is consistent across surviving 3359s on the main architectural points: rhodium-plated finish, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance fitted with a Breguet (self-compensating) overcoil spring, Rolex Patented Super Balance designation on the plate, and a micrometer regulator for fine rate adjustment. Period advertising and movement stampings carry the Super Balance wording, and the micrometer regulator is visible on every documented example.

Sources disagree on jewel count, and the cleanest explanation is that 3359s were delivered in more than one grade. In practice a 3359 can carry 15, 17, or 18 jewels, so the movement should be judged against the specific watch rather than against one fixed spec sheet.

Adjustment positions are a second contested point. A claim of 7 positions (chronometer-grade territory) appears in some secondary listings but is not confirmed by any primary source. Heritage Auctions explicitly documents 2 positions on the examples it has catalogued, and the 7-position figure reads as a carry-over from a different reference's spec sheet or a dealer error that has propagated. The confirmed adjustment specification for surfaced 3359 examples is 2 positions. Higher-grade variants within the Cal. 10½ family did reach 6-position adjustment elsewhere in the Oyster line, so a higher-grade 3359 movement at more than 2 positions is not impossible, but none is documented.

There is no shock protection in any modern sense on these movements. The Super Balance is a stability design, not an Incabloc or KIF system. The 10½ lignes architecture predates Rolex's adoption of shock-protected balances by more than a decade.


== Dial variants ==

[[File:Ref 3359 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3359 Viceroy black dial luminous numerals|Viceroy black dial close-up, applied luminous numerals]]
The 3359 dial range is wide enough to make the reference feel like several watches sharing a case. Confirmed configurations include:

Sector dials carry a black or copper ground divided by radial sector lines, with rose gold Art Deco Arabic numerals. The layout is distinctly period, and on the 3359 it surfaces most frequently on examples co-signed by Serpico y Laino, the Caracas retailer that held exclusive Rolex distribution for Venezuela from 1925 through 1966. A sector-dial 3359 with "SERPICO Y LAINO" text above six o'clock is one of the most desirable configurations of the reference.

The California dial is the Rolex-patented "Error-Proof" layout (Rolex's own term; collectors call it California), with Roman numerals on the upper half and Arabic on the lower, luminous plots at the cardinal points. The California patent dates to 1941, which places these dials in the later half of the 3359 run. A California-dial 3359 from a 1934 serial range is either a service-era dial installation or a very early production of the California layout.

The dial range breaks into six practical groups.

* Silver or champagne with applied gold batons: the dressiest standard form.
* Black military-style dial with luminous Arabic numerals: more tool-like, and more often seen on two-tone cases.
* Salmon or pink dial: rarer, and prized when the colour is even.
* Glossy gilt dial: scarce, often aged brown.
* Two-tone rose-and-silver dial: a decorative period variant.
* Romabic dial: the rarest surfaced layout.

Dial text also varies. The standard configuration reads "ROLEX / OYSTER VICEROY" across two lines. The 1934 yellow gold examples frequently read "ROLEX / OYSTER PRECISION" rather than Viceroy, evidence that the Viceroy model name was applied progressively rather than from the first batch. Late-run examples (about 1944–1946) carry "VICEROY IMPERIAL" text, elevating the model designation with an additional descriptor that Rolex used elsewhere in its period catalog for upgraded variants. Serpico y Laino co-branding appears on a documented subset of dials, with the retailer name printed above six o'clock in small text.

Hand configurations track the dial. Yellow gold cases typically carry blued or gilt leaf hands. Alpha hands (a gold, pointed-oval leaf variant) appear on higher-grade examples. Mercedes hands are documented on surviving 3359s, but the Mercedes handset is more strongly associated with the Oyster Army and Submariner lineages, and Mercedes-handed 3359s are often suspected of being service replacements rather than period-original. Luminous spade hands appear on military-style luminous-dial examples and are period-correct for that configuration.


== Auction and dealer record ==

The 3359 has a modest but real auction record. Heritage sold a two-tone example in 2015, and that lot is still one of the most-cited references for the movement description. Craft + Tailored documented a 1943 watch with unusual 1983 Rolex Service Center paperwork, which matters because provenance at this level is rare on a 1940s Rolex. Surfaced prices run from about USD 2,100 to USD 15,000, driven mostly by dial originality, condition, and paperwork.

The reference does not trade in the five-figure-plus territory routinely reached by Bubblebacks of the same period. Collectors approaching the 3359 tend to be specialists in early Oysters or in Art Deco dress watches rather than generalist vintage Rolex buyers, and the market reflects that.


== Collecting considerations ==

On a two-tone 3359 the gold bezel should be engine-turned and raised above the case top plane. A flat, smooth polished, or worn-smooth bezel are all signals worth examining: engine-turning on gold wears slowly but visibly over ninety years, and heavily polished examples may have lost the pattern entirely.

Given the width of the dial range, dial originality is the single most important variable in 3359 collecting. Refinished dials are the norm in the surfaced market, and distinguishing a period original from a competent refinish on a 1930s Oyster is specialist work. Serpico y Laino co-signing, the Viceroy Imperial text, and the rare Romabic layout have all been reproduced by refinishers. Matching patina between dial and hands, legible printing under magnification, and consistency between dial and case aging are the primary cross-checks.

Movement grade follows the same principle. With three documented jewel counts (15, 17, 18) and contested adjustment positions, the movement inside a specific 3359 should be matched against the example itself rather than a canonical spec. A 15-jewel movement does not make the watch wrong, and a 17-jewel movement does not make it right. Internal consistency matters: movement finish, stampings, and serial range in line with what the case and dial suggest.

Case size is a useful cross-check. A 3359 at about 29 mm is two-tone; a 3359 at about 32 mm is likely solid gold. Listings describing a two-tone 3359 at 32 mm are worth questioning, either for measurement convention or for a possible case-reference mismatch.

A 3359 co-signed by Serpico y Laino carries a premium and, in condition, reads as one of the most desirable configurations of the reference. The co-signing should be consistent with Serpico y Laino's typographic conventions on documented Rolex dials of the period, not added as a dial-refinisher flourish.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:3139|Oyster Perpetual 3139]] — 1938–1947
* [[Reference:5701|Oyster Perpetual 5701]] — 1959–1988
* [[Reference:2136|Oyster Perpetual 2136]]
* [[Reference:2574|Oyster Perpetual 2574]]
* [[Reference:4220|Oyster Perpetual 4220]]

See also the [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.ha.com/ Heritage Auctions — 3359 lot56006]
* [https://www.craftandtailored.com/ Craft and Tailored — 3359 1943]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/ Bob's Watches — watches 3359]
* [https://www.hashtagwatchco.com/ Hashtag Watch Co — src hashtag watch 3359]
* [https://www.1stdibs.com/ 1stDibs — 3359]

[[Category:Oyster]]

Reference:3139

2026-07-18T12:56:30Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3139 Oyster Perpetual}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual 3139 (1938–1947) — Production & Dial Guide | BezelBase
|description=The 3139 is the only Rolex ever produced with "Army" on the dial. That single word, printed beneath the twelve-o'clock coronet on a stainless steel…
|keywords=Rolex, 3139, Oyster, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 3139 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Oyster 3139 cushion case 1941
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-17T22:13:52Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:19:13Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

Oyster → '''3139'''
[[File:Ref 3139 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Oyster 3139 cushion case 1941|Rolex Oyster 3139, 1941 example with silver dial]]

The 3139 is collected for one word: Army. It is the only Rolex reference to carry that dial text, and that is why the watch matters.


== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 3139
|-
| family
| Oyster (WWII manual-wind)
|-
| production
| about 1938–1947
|-
| case shape
| cushion, heavy faceted lugs
|-
| case sizes
| mid-sized approx. 30×30 mm × 11.5 mm (Antiquorum); larger approx. 30×35 mm
|-
| case material
| stainless steel (all documented examples)
|-
| crown
| screw-down "Oyster Patent"
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| movement
| Cal. 10½ Hunter or Cal. 710 (17 jewels, manual-wind; see movement section)
|-
| dial text
| "ROLEX OYSTER ARMY" below 12; "SWISS MADE" at 6
|-
| dial variants
| California (top), black glossy gilt, silvered with batons, matte black with green Arabic, luminous military layout
|-
| hands
| Mercedes with luminous; blued pencil with radium
|-
| approximate units produced
| c.3,000 (figure repeated in dealer and collector literature; not factory-confirmed)
|-
| military issue markings
| none — no W.W.W., no broad arrow, no government marks
|-
| known case numbers
| 244828 (1942), 244874 (c.1943), 245141 (c.1945), 275869, 382045
|-
| typical auction range
| USD 3,000–7,000+, California dial above
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 3139 occupies a particular niche in Rolex's late-1930s and wartime Oyster catalog. By 1938, the Oyster range had fractured into two clear tracks: the round, rotor-driven Perpetual Bubblebacks that were becoming the company's technical flagship, and the manual-wind Oysters in varied case forms (round, tonneau, cushion, octagonal) that Rolex continued to sell through European, British, and Commonwealth channels. The Perpetual was the future; the manual Oysters were the present business, and they were selling very well.

The 3139 is a manual-wind cushion Oyster in that second track, aimed straight at wartime customers. It sits alongside the tonneau-cased 3116 "Royal/Viceroy/Imperial" family, the smaller-case Canadian-market Oysters (3136 "Raleigh/Lipton," 3478 "Recorda," and their siblings), the 4220 Speedking, and the 3359 Viceroy, a cohort of WWII-era Rolex manual-winds that servicemen bought in large numbers for themselves. Among these, the 3139 is the only one that carries the word "Army" on the dial. That distinction is the reference's entire identity.

The case form predates the war. The cushion Oyster descends from the 1926 Oyster catalog's original cushion shape, one of the two shapes (octagonal and cushion) Rolex launched the Oyster with, and both descend structurally from the three-piece hermetic screw-case patented by François Borgel in 1903. Rolex's earliest Oysters used Borgel-made cases before the firm refined the construction around its own screw-down crown. By 1938 the cushion form had been out of the mainstream Oyster line for over a decade, and its revival for a wartime military-branded watch is part of the reference's appeal: a deliberately old-fashioned case for a watch sold to soldiers.

Rolex manufactured cases for Panerai in this same period, and the Panerai ref 3646 is a cushion-cased Rolex-made watch of the wartime years. The two are cousins within the Borgel-derived Oyster cushion family, not twins. The 3646 is a 47 mm pocket-watch-derived diver's case with wire lugs, produced for the Italian Royal Navy. The 3139 is a 30–35 mm wristwatch with heavy soldered faceted lugs, produced for the Anglo-American market. Common ancestry, separate construction.


== The "Army" question ==
[[File:Ref 3139 full.webp|thumb|right|260px|alt=Rolex Oyster 3139 ARMY dial 1943|Black gilt Army-marked dial, 1943 example]]

The dial text is unambiguous. Below the coronet and "ROLEX OYSTER," the word "ARMY" appears in block capitals, with "SWISS MADE" at the six-o'clock minute track. No other Rolex dial carries that word. The reference is routinely described in dealer copy and collector forums as a "military-issued" watch supplied to Allied troops, and the about three-thousand-unit production figure is cited as the wartime distribution total.

The markings tell a different story. None of the surfaced 3139 examples (Antiquorum 2006, Antiquorum 2014, Bonhams) carry formal military issue marks. There is no W.W.W. (Watch, Wrist, Waterproof — the British Ministry of Defence standard applied to the "Dirty Dozen" issue watches of 1945). There is no broad arrow. There is no Allied service number engraved on the caseback from the factory. Service-number engravings do appear on some examples, but they are owner engravings, added post-purchase in the field, not factory-applied issue marks.

The right frame is commercial, not military-contract. Rolex sold the 3139 to wartime buyers through normal channels, but there is no sign of formal government issue. The military styling is real. The contract-watch reading is not.


== Case and construction ==

The 3139 case is a cushion (a squared form with curved edges) in stainless steel, about 11.5 mm thick, which places it in the substantial-wartime-tool category rather than the slimmer 1930s dress-Oyster register. The lugs are the signature visual element: heavy, faceted, soldered to the case rather than milled integrally, meeting the case at sharp angles and stepping back to the strap attachment with distinct bevels. That construction separates the 3139 visually from the smaller cushion Oysters of the 1920s and 1930s, which carried thin wire lugs.

The case carries the reference 3139 engraved between the lugs on the underside, and the standard Oyster caseback text on the interior. The back is a screw-down three-piece element consistent with Oyster architecture. The crown is a screw-down Oyster Patent crown, threaded to the case tube.

Two case sizes are documented under the same reference: a more common mid-size around 30x30mm and a larger 30x35mm variant. Both are legitimate. Buyers should measure the watch rather than assume one fixed size.

Known case numbers anchor the reference to specific production years. Antiquorum dates case 244828 to 1942, 244874 to about 1943, and 245141 to about 1945. Case 275869 appears in the dealer record without a firm date. The outlier is 382045, catalogued by Antiquorum as "1930s," which is implausible given the reference's 1938 production start; the serial sits in a mid-1940s range, and the catalog dating reads as a typographic or indexing error rather than a real attribution.


== The movement question ==

Surfaced listings attribute the 3139's movement in two ways. Some sources describe the calibre as the 10½-ligne Hunter, a 17-jewel manual-wind movement with straight-line lever escapement, Rolex-patented Superbalance, Breguet overcoil hairspring, centre sweep seconds, and adjustment in six positions for all climates. Others describe the calibre as the Rolex 710, a 17-jewel manual with 18,000 bph, 44-hour power reserve, and two-position adjustment.

The movement labels most likely describe the same physical movement under two naming systems: the older 10½ Hunter family label and the later Rolex 710 number. The conflicting adjustment counts probably reflect different grades across the run rather than two completely different movements.

On the wrist the movement delivers manual winding through the screw-down Oyster crown, seventeen jewels, a centre sweep seconds hand on most configurations, and roughly forty hours of reserve. The Superbalance and Breguet overcoil specifications, where present, match the precision-grade manual Rolex produced across its better late-1930s Oysters. There is no shock protection of the Incabloc or KIF type; shock-protected Rolex calibres arrive later in the 1940s with the A.296, after the 10½ Hunter base.


== Dial variants ==
[[File:Ref 3139 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|260px|alt=Rolex 3139 ARMY dial detail|Army-marked gilt dial detail]]
[[File:Ref 3139 dial-detail 2.webp|thumb|right|260px|alt=Rolex 3139 ARMY dial macro|Numerals and hands close-up]]

The 3139's dial range is where the reference acquires most of its collector interest. Five configurations are documented across auction and dealer sources, and the dial variant is by far the most significant driver of market value among surviving examples.

The California dial is the two-tone configuration: Roman numerals on the upper half, Arabic numerals on the lower half, radium luminous plots at the tips, and a railroad-style minute track. The California is the top-tier 3139 dial. Rolex's period name for the layout was "Error-Proof" or "High Visibility"; the "California" name came from 1970s–80s refinishers and stuck. A 3139 with a documented-original California dial commands a substantial premium over other variants and is the configuration most frequently featured in auction-house material.

The black glossy gilt variant uses a black enamel or lacquer base with gilt (gold-coloured) printing for the dial text, hour markers, and minute track. The glossy gilt 3139 is the variant most prized by gilt-dial collectors, with the ROLEX OYSTER ARMY text reading in gold against a deep black field. Lunar Oyster has offered unpolished examples with original glossy gilt dials at strong prices. This dial configuration is highly sought after and, in original unrestored condition, is the variant most likely to attract serious dial-variant-focused buyers.

A silvered dial with baton indices is the more conservative treatment: silvered base, applied or printed baton hour markers, a simple minute track, and blued steel hands. This is the 3139 in its dressiest, least overtly military configuration, and it is the variant most likely to carry the reference through a non-military retail channel. Period-appropriate and attractive, but collected at lower prices than the gilt and California dials.

A matte black dial with green Arabic numerals is the tool-watch configuration: matte black base, Arabic hour numerals in luminous or green-painted radium, with a corresponding luminous handset. Reads very directly as a wartime military-themed dial. Documentation for this variant is less extensive than for the California and gilt configurations, but it surfaces in period examples and is consistent with the 3139's wartime-customer positioning.

The military-layout luminous dial carries Arabic or baton markers, full luminous plots, and sometimes a 24-hour inner track, the closest the 3139 gets to a formal military-issue dial, though as noted above, it carries no formal issue markings. This configuration is the one most frequently described in dealer copy as "military" and is the dial most likely to be paired with Mercedes luminous hands.

Hands come in two principal configurations. Mercedes hands with luminous fill (the three-spoke hour hand that became the Rolex tool-watch signature from the Submariner onward) appear on the military-layout and matte-black 3139s. Blued pencil hands with radium appear on the silvered and some gilt configurations. Matching patina between dial and hands is the standard authenticity check; mismatched aging indicates a service replacement somewhere along the chain.


== The Panerai 3646 relationship ==

Rolex manufactured Panerai's cases during the Second World War. The Panerai reference 3646, produced from 1938 through the mid-1940s as a diver's watch for the Italian Royal Navy's underwater assault units (the Decima Flottiglia MAS), is a Rolex-made cushion case in a 47 mm pocket-watch-derived format, fitted with wire lugs and a California dial. It carries a Cortébert movement rather than a Rolex calibre, because Panerai specified the ebauche.

The 3139 and the 3646 are related by case family. Both descend from the Borgel-derived cushion Oyster architecture that Rolex developed in the 1920s and refined through the 1930s. The resemblance is most apparent in the cushion geometry (curved-edge square form, not round) and in the three-piece hermetic screw-case construction. On a photograph of the bare cases, the family relationship is immediate.

The 3139 and Panerai 3646 may share visual DNA, but they are not near-twins. The 3646 is a much larger military dive watch. The 3139 is a normal-wrist Oyster with different movement, crown system, and market purpose.


== Auction and dealer record ==

The 3139 is a mid-tier vintage Rolex by value but a specialist collector's watch by character. Its auction record is steadier at smaller houses and specialist dealers than at the major international rooms, and the variance between dial variants is substantial.

The 3139 has a steady specialist-market record rather than a big mainstream one. Antiquorum and Bonhams have both handled examples, and dealer archives from, Lunar Oyster, WannaBuyAWatch, and others show the normal spread: black gilt dials at the top, more ordinary watches lower. What matters most is dial originality, case shape, and whether the watch is the common 30x30mm form or the less common larger variant.

The market range is workable enough to separate the main tiers: standard dials at the baseline, glossy black gilt above that, and California dials as the real outliers when original.


== Collecting considerations ==

Dial originality drives the 3139's value more than almost any early Oyster reference. An original dial, even with honest wear, reads meaningfully different from a refinished example, and the gap in collector interest is substantial. Gilt printing on the glossy black variant is particularly difficult to replicate convincingly at refinish quality; California dials, likewise, carry telltale signs (printing register, luminous plot shape, radium patina) that specialists use to distinguish originals from high-grade redials. Where dial originality is uncertain, the conservative position is to price the watch as refinished and treat any original-dial upside as a bonus.

Case size matters practically on the 3139. Buyers expecting a mid-sized 30×30 mm watch who encounter a 30×35 mm example (or vice versa) will find the wrist presence meaningfully different. Measure the case across both axes before assuming which size is in the box.

On case numbers and dating, the surfaced serials cluster in the 244,000–245,000 range for wartime examples (244828, 244874, 245141) and extend into higher ranges (275869, 382045) for later production. Dating via case number is reasonably firm within this cluster. Antiquorum's "1930s" attribution on 382045 is the one anomaly in the surfaced record; the consensus reading places that case in the mid-1940s.

Caseback engravings — service numbers, names, dates — are almost always owner additions rather than factory issue marks. A serviceman's name, service number, unit, or date of issue engraved on the back is provenance information, not authentication of government issue. Where such an engraving ties to a documented serviceman, it is an attractive provenance layer; where it is present but undocumented, it is neutral. The absence of a broad arrow or W.W.W. is not a defect; no 3139 left the factory with those marks.

The movement should be signed with the Rolex wordmark and carry seventeen jewels, the 10½ Hunter or 710 architecture, and manual-wind operation via the Oyster crown. A replacement movement of a different architecture (automatic, larger calibre number, or different jewel count) indicates a service substitution somewhere in the watch's history.

Polish condition is the last check, and it matters. The faceted lugs are the 3139's defining visual feature, and they do not survive aggressive polishing. An unpolished 3139 with sharp lug facets reads very differently from a polished example where the facets have rounded into continuous curves. Unpolished examples command a premium and, on the glossy gilt and California dial variants, are the pieces most likely to attract the top of the market.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:3359|Oyster Perpetual 3359]] — 1934–1946
* [[Reference:5701|Oyster Perpetual 5701]] — 1959–1988
* [[Reference:2136|Oyster Perpetual 2136]]
* [[Reference:2574|Oyster Perpetual 2574]]
* [[Reference:4220|Oyster Perpetual 4220]]

See also the [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* [https://bulangandsons.com/ — sons 3139]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/ Antiquorum — 3139 2006]
* [https://shop.connoisseuroftime.com/ Connoisseur of Time — of time 3139]
* [https://lunaroyster.com/ Lunar Oyster — src lunar oyster 3139]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/ Bonhams — 3139]
* [https://wannabuyawatch.com/ WannaBuyAWatch — 3139]

[[Category:Oyster]]

Reference:3132

2026-07-18T12:56:27Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3132 Bubbleback}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Bubbleback 3132 — Production, Dials & Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|description=The 3132 is the sweep-seconds twin of the 3131. Introduced simultaneously in 1936, the two references share a case, a generation, and a position in Rolex…
|keywords=Rolex, 3132, Bubbleback, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 3132 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 3132 two-tone Bubbleback 1947 cream dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-17T22:13:47Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:19:10Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] -> '''3132'''
[[File:Ref 3132 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 3132 two-tone Bubbleback 1947 cream dial|1947 two-tone, cream non-luminous dial]]

The 3132 is the sweep-seconds twin of the 3131. Introduced simultaneously in 1936, the two references share a case, a generation, and a position in Rolex history: the first Bubblebacks built on the two-piece Oyster case that would become the standard for every sport and dress Oyster that followed. What separates them is the second hand. The 3131 carried Cal. 620 with a subsidiary seconds register at 6 o'clock; the 3132 carried Cal. 630, the same base movement reworked to drive a centre sweep seconds. In 1936, that was the modern choice.


== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 3132
|-
| family
| Bubbleback (collector name; never official Rolex usage)
|-
| production
| 1936–late 1940s approximate
|-
| case diameter
| 32mm (tonneau; reported 32–33mm depending on measurement point)
|-
| case shape
| tonneau
|-
| case construction
| two-piece (caseback screws directly into case middle)
|-
| bezel
| smooth or engine-turned (engine-turned unusually common on this reference)
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| movement
| Cal. 630 (9¾''', centre sweep seconds)
|-
| companion reference
| 3131 (Cal. 620 with subsidiary seconds at 6)
|-
| case materials
| 14K YG, 14K PG, 18K YG, 18K PG — precious metals only
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

[[File:Ref 3132 full.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3132 SS rose gold salmon dial 1938|1938 SS + rose gold, salmon dial]]
The 3132 does not exist without the 3131, and the 3131 does not exist without the 3132. Rolex introduced the pair together in 1936 on a shared case platform, splitting the launch across two seconds layouts and two closely related movements. A buyer walking into a retailer in 1936 chose between sub-seconds and sweep-seconds in the same two-piece Oyster, in the same precious metals, at roughly comparable prices.

The 3131 is usually described as the architectural hinge, the first Bubbleback on the two-piece case that defined every Oyster that followed. The 3132 inherits that weight in full: same mid-case, same caseback construction, same elimination of the separate bezel ring that had characterised the first-generation 1858 and 3458. What changes is the dial grammar. Sweep seconds in 1936 were a technical and commercial statement, signalling a modern movement and making the watch read as a single clean field rather than a main dial with a subsidiary counter at 6.

Within the Bubbleback family, the split between sub-seconds and centre-seconds layouts continues well past the 3131/3132 pairing. Later two-piece references (3065 on the sub-seconds side, 3372 and 4220 on the centre-seconds side) carry forward the same dual-movement logic. The 3132 is the origin point for that centre-seconds branch.


=== The simultaneous launch ===

The 3131 and 3132 are not different generations of the same watch, nor are they a predecessor and successor. They are siblings launched on the same day, priced against each other, and sold from the same counters. Rolex did not replace subsidiary seconds with sweep seconds in this era; the company offered both and let the market choose. Survival counts suggest the 3131 sold in marginally higher volume, but the evidence is thin. Indexed auction frequency may reflect service history and movement-complexity differences as much as original production ratios.


== The two-piece case, shared ==

[[File:Ref 3132 crown-detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3132 crown profile two-tone case|Crown profile, two-tone case]]
Case construction on the 3132 is identical to the 3131: a tonneau mid-case with integrated lugs turned from a single block, the bezel part of the mid-case rather than a separate ring, the caseback screwed directly into threads cut into the mid-case itself. Two pieces, the whole shell, appearing on this reference in 1936 alongside its subsidiary-seconds twin.

The consequences are the same as on the 3131. A thinner case than the earlier four-piece construction allowed, one fewer sealing surface to control in manufacturing, simpler service access, and lower production cost. The trade-off, where bezel damage and case damage become the same problem, was evidently acceptable to Rolex, because the company never reverted. Every Bubbleback after 1936 uses this construction, and so does every Submariner from 1953 forward, the GMT-Master, and the Datejust from the 4467 onward.

What differs on the 3132, visually, is the bezel surface. A substantial subset of documented 3132 examples carry engine-turned bezels: finely machined radial knurling cut directly into the mid-case bezel ring. Engine turning is unusual for Bubblebacks of this era; smooth-bezel Bubblebacks dominate the surviving corpus. On the 3132, the proportion of engine-turned examples is high enough that it reads as a period-appropriate variant rather than a rarity. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual's suffix system for the 3132 is organised around the engine-turned bezel: three of the four documented suffixes (/3, /7, /8) specify engine turning in their construction codes.


=== Dimensions ===

Case diameter reports track the 3131: 32mm is the most-cited figure, with some sources quoting 32.5mm or 33mm depending on where the caliper sits on the tonneau. The thickness on the 3132 is slightly influenced by the sweep-seconds train (the indirect drive arrangement that Cal. 630 uses adds a fraction of a millimetre to the movement stack), but the dome shape is dominated by the rotor, not by the seconds mechanism. A 3132 and a 3131 on the same wrist read as the same watch in profile.


== Cal. 630 ==

Cal. 630 is the centre-seconds counterpart to Cal. 620. Same 9¾''' NA format, same 17 jewels, same 18,000 bph train, same roughly 40-hour power reserve, same 360-degree unidirectional rotor, same Super Balance, same Swiss lever escapement with Breguet overcoil hairspring. The architecture is shared, and so is the parentage. Cal. 630, like Cal. 620, was developed under Emile Borer at Aegler as part of the Perpetual program that began with the 1931–1933 patents.

Cal. 630 reworks the motion works so the watch can carry center seconds instead of a subsidiary register. It keeps most of the 620 train but adds an indirect seconds drive. That is the practical movement change buyers are really looking at on the reference.

The indirect centre-seconds layout has two practical consequences: a slight visible stutter in the sweep hand and a little more service complexity than a direct-drive setup.

Cal. 630 is, like Cal. 620, unidirectional. Bidirectional winding in a Rolex automatic arrives only with Cal. 1030 in 1950, the movement that also ends the Bubbleback era by enabling a flat caseback.


== Precious metals only ==

The 3132 follows the 3131's materials policy exactly: precious metals only. No confirmed stainless steel examples appear in the surfaced auction or dealer record. Four case materials are documented across the auction record.

14K yellow gold is the most common auction configuration. Pink-gold examples sit higher, and 18K pink gold with matching dial colour still marks the top of the market.

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists a suffix /0 designation for the 3132 in stainless steel, flagged as rare. Whether this suffix code represents physically produced examples or a theoretical construction code never realised in volume is not documented. No steel 3132 has surfaced in the indexed auction record. The weight of evidence places the reference firmly within the precious-metal-only Bubbleback tier alongside the 3131, positioned from introduction at the premium end of the catalog.


=== The suffix system ===

Four 3132 suffix variants appear in the Vintage Rolex Field Manual's Bubbleback chapter. 3132/0 is stainless steel, described as rare. 3132/3 covers the two-tone configurations (SSRG or SSYG) with an engine-turned bezel. 3132/7 is solid gold in rose or yellow with an engine-turned bezel, and 3132/8 is the alternate solid-gold code, typically yellow, also engine-turned.

Three of the four specify engine turning, a concentration unusual within the Bubbleback family where smooth bezels dominate. The suffix codes were used internally by Rolex on parts documentation c.1933–1953 but were almost never engraved on casebacks. Most surviving 3132 casebacks carry only the bare four-digit "3132" reference. The suffix must be inferred from the bezel style, case material, and hallmarks rather than read directly off the case.

A catalog inconsistency worth noting: some Vintage Rolex Field Manual listings describe 3132 suffix variants with subsidiary seconds at 6 o'clock. This is mechanically inconsistent with Cal. 630, which is a centre-sweep movement by definition. The most plausible explanation is a conflation with the sibling 3131 in the secondary listings rather than a genuine 3132 variant. The reference's defining feature, centre sweep seconds, is the feature that separates it from the 3131 in the first place.


== Dial and hand variants ==

[[File:Ref 3132 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3132 cream dial close-up sub-seconds|1947 cream non-luminous dial close-up, sub-seconds]]
The 3132 dial corpus is narrower than the 3131's because the sweep seconds layout imposes a simpler dial. No subsidiary register at 6 means the lower half of the dial can carry a clean "Oyster Perpetual" signature without a counter interrupting the space. The result is a dial grammar that reads more modern than the 3131's, even though the two references are exact contemporaries.

Silvered and cream/ivory dials dominate the documented 3132 corpus. Champagne dials appear on yellow gold cases, typically with applied gold Arabic numerals or baton markers. Salmon and pink dials track the precious-metal convention: pink gold cases paired with tonal pink dials, yellow gold cases paired with champagne or cream. Textured grené finishes (the lightly grained or hammered background seen on well-preserved 3131 dials) appear on 3132 examples as well and remain one of the strongest indicators of an original unrestored dial versus a refinish.

Serpico y Laino co-signed dials are documented on 3132s sold through the Venezuelan retailer's network in the late 1930s and 1940s. Like other retailer-signed Rolex dials from this period (Cuervo y Sobrinos, Bucherer, Gobbi), a Serpico y Laino signature carries a collector premium in proportion to its authenticity and condition. Refinished Serpico y Laino dials are common; genuine period-original co-signed dials are scarce and verify via lettering consistency with other documented examples rather than via paperwork, which rarely survives.

Hand configurations follow the 3131 catalog. Luminous pencil hands with radium fill are the most common; feuille (leaf) hands appear on formal silvered-dial examples; spade hands are scarce and typically appear on early-production pre-1940 cases. Dauphine hands, which become dominant on later 1940s Bubblebacks, are period-plausible on late 3132 examples but appear less frequently than pencil hands in the surfaced corpus.


== Auction and market record ==

The 3132 appears at public auction less frequently than the 3131, which itself is not a high-frequency reference. Specific well-documented lots are thinner on the record, and the price band for the reference is established more by dealer listings and private-sale indices than by marquee auction results.

The market framework is clear enough even if the record is thin. Standard 14k examples sit close to the 3131 baseline, pink-gold examples sit at the top of the range, and engine-turned bezel variants usually add a modest premium over smooth-bezel watches.

Serpico y Laino co-signed 3132s with verified authenticity and strong original dial condition represent the top end of the reference's market, with auction results for comparable co-signed vintage Bubblebacks reaching into the USD 15,000–25,000 range when hammered.


=== Case number observations ===

The 3132 case number range tracks the 3131 closely, consistent with the simultaneous 1936 introduction and parallel production runs. Surfaced examples span roughly the late-1930s to mid-1940s serial bands that characterise the 3131 indexed corpus. Exact production ratios between the two references are not documented in any public source.


== Collecting considerations ==

The 3132 sits alongside the 3131 as a first two-piece Bubbleback, and the collecting considerations are nearly identical. Refinished dials are the norm rather than the exception. Original unrestored 3132 dials are scarce and substantially premium-worthy. The grené textured surface, crisp applied gold markers, and correct radium aging on lume plots are the strongest visible indicators of originality. Polishing is universal on 90-year-old gold cases; an unpolished 3132 is rare and deserves a premium equivalent to the unpolished 3131 premium documented at Phillips in 2022.

Hallmark verification is required. A 14K YG 3132 and an 18K YG 3132 look similar in photographs but differ substantially in both weight and retail value. A seller offering 18K material should provide clear hallmark photography; the absence of verifiable assay marks should be treated as a reason to discount rather than as a curiosity.

Engine-turned bezel condition is a specific 3132 consideration that does not apply in the same way to the 3131. Engine turning is a shallow machined pattern that polishes down over decades of service. A strong original engine-turned bezel will show crisp radial lines with sharp edges; a worn or repolished engine-turned bezel will show softened, shallow lines with rounded edges. The difference is visible at magnification in quality photography and matters meaningfully to a collector paying a premium for the /7 or /8 variant.

The Cal. 630 service history of any 3132 under consideration is worth interrogating. The indirect centre-seconds drive is serviceable but demands a watchmaker comfortable with pre-war Rolex architecture. A poorly serviced 3132 can exhibit pronounced sweep hand stutter, timing instability, or reduced amplitude (all correctable by a competent service, but all indicators to price against rather than to ignore).


== The quieter twin framing ==

Collector literature often calls the 3132 the quieter twin of the 3131, but the two were born as equals. Same day, same case, same precious metals, same retail tier, same movement architecture with the one motion-works rework that distinguishes them. The 3131 acquired its slightly louder modern reputation mainly because its headline auction result at Phillips in 2022 drew attention to the configuration, and because sub-seconds survival at auction appears marginally higher. The 3132 is not a derivative or a secondary variant. It is the sweep-seconds side of the same launch.

Collectors divide by which configuration they prefer. Sub-seconds readers value the traditional dress-watch grammar of the 3131: the chapter ring, the subsidiary register, the smaller moving field. Sweep-seconds readers value the cleaner face of the 3132, the fuller Oyster Perpetual signature undisturbed by a counter at 6, and the engine-turned bezel option that gives the reference a distinct visual identity. The two configurations collect on their own terms.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:1858|Bubbleback 1858]] — 1933–1935
* [[Reference:2764|Bubbleback 2764]] — 1937–1948
* [[Reference:2940|Bubbleback 2940]] — 1940–1949
* [[Reference:3065|Bubbleback 3065]] — 1937–1950
* [[Reference:3131|Bubbleback 3131]] — 1936–1948
* [[Reference:3372|Bubbleback 3372]]

See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-oyster-perpetual-bubbleback-reference-3131 Wind Vintage — Rolex Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback Reference 3131] — Wind Vintage
* [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/how-rolex-became-rolex-the-automatic-perpetual-movement-part-2 Wind Vintage — How Rolex Became Rolex: The Automatic Perpetual Movement Part 2] — Charlie Dunne / Wind Vintage, Wind Vintage
* [https://calibercorner.com/rolex-caliber-620/ Caliber Corner — Rolex Caliber 620] — Caliber Corner
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/vintage-week-rolex-bubbleback-3131.html Bob's Watches — Vintage of the Week: Rolex Bubbleback Reference 3131] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/rolex-bubble-back.html Bob's Watches — Rolex Bubble Back Collector's Guide] — Bob's Watches
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-bubbleback-watches-collector-guide-1931-1950s-1235893131/ Robb Report — A Collector's Guide to Rolex Bubbleback Watches 1931-1950s] — Robb Report
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=230912 Rolex Forums — Bubbleback 3131 Owners Thread] — Rolex Forums, rolexforums.com

[[Category:Bubbleback]]

Reference:3131

2026-07-18T12:56:24Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3131 Bubbleback}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Bubbleback 3131 (1936–1948) — Production & Dial Guide | BezelBase
|description=The 3131 is the reference where the Bubbleback grows up. Three years after ref 1858 introduced the Perpetual rotor in an Oyster case, Rolex simplified the…
|keywords=Rolex, 3131, Bubbleback, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 3131 hero.jpg
|image_alt=Rolex Bubbleback 3131 hero
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-17T21:04:13Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:19:07Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[File:Ref 3131 hero.jpg|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Bubbleback 3131 hero|Rolex Bubbleback 3131]]

[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] -> '''3131'''

The 3131 is the reference where the Bubbleback grows up. Three years after ref 1858 introduced the Perpetual rotor in an Oyster case, Rolex simplified the case architecture. In 1936 the 3131 and its sweep-seconds twin 3132 arrive with a two-piece Oyster: the caseback screws directly into the case middle, and the separate bezel ring disappears. From that point forward every Rolex Oyster of consequence uses the same two-piece logic. The 3131 is the hinge on which that transition turns. It is also, deliberately and exclusively, a precious-metal watch.


== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 3131
|-
| family
| Bubbleback (collector name; never official Rolex usage)
|-
| production
| 1936–c.1948 approximate
|-
| case diameter
| 32mm (variously reported as 32.5mm and 33mm; see below)
|-
| case shape
| tonneau
|-
| case construction
| two-piece (caseback screws directly into case middle)
|-
| bezel
| smooth fixed gold, polished
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| movement
| Cal. 620 (9¾''' NA, sub-seconds at 6)
|-
| companion reference
| 3132 (Cal. 630 with centre sweep seconds)
|-
| case materials
| 9K, 14K YG, 14K PG, 18K YG, 18K PG — precious metals only
|-
| italian nickname
| ''ovetto'' ("little egg"), per Italian auction usage
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 3131 is the first two-piece Oyster case Bubbleback. That single sentence carries most of the reference's significance.

Earlier Bubblebacks used a more complex case construction. The 3131 simplifies it to the two-piece form that becomes the main Bubbleback case standard, and that is one of the reference's real structural contributions.

Within its own production run, the 3131 does not evolve in the way the 1016 Explorer or the 5513 Submariner do. It is a shorter-lived reference. Surviving examples span roughly 1936 through the late 1940s, and the variation happens in dials, hands, and case materials rather than in generations of movements or case revisions. The 3131 and 3132 were sold side by side. A buyer in 1938 could choose subsidiary seconds or sweep seconds in the same case, at roughly the same price, in the same metals. Most surviving examples across both references are in comparable states of scarcity, with the sub-seconds 3131 slightly more commonly encountered at auction.


=== The transition it completes ===

The arc from 1858 to 3131 runs three years and covers the entire experimental phase of the Oyster Perpetual. The 1858 proves that a 360-degree rotor can be built into a waterproof case. The 3458 proves it can be scaled to production. The 3131 proves the case itself can be simplified without losing waterproofness. Every Bubbleback after 1936 (through ref 8050 in the mid-1950s, and every Oyster descended from that lineage) is built on the two-piece logic the 3131 introduces.

The 3131 is where the Bubbleback stops being an experimental platform and becomes a mature production design. The rotor works. The case works. The movement is reliable enough that Rolex can offer it in solid gold at premium retail prices without hedging. From here, the story becomes about variants and refinement rather than architecture.


== The two-piece case ==
[[File:Ref 3131 caseback.jpg|thumb|right|280px|alt=Rolex 3131 caseback|Rolex 3131 screw-down caseback]]

[[File:Ref3131_phillips_14k_yg_front.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex 3131 in 14K yellow gold, case 412931 (Phillips NY 2022, sold USD 18,900).|Rolex 3131 in 14K yellow gold, case 412931 (Phillips NY 2022, sold USD 18,900).]]

[[File:Ref3131_phillips_14k_yg_caseback.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=The 3131's bubble caseback — screwing directly into the case middle.|The 3131's bubble caseback — screwing directly into the case middle.]]

The defining technical feature of the 3131 is its case construction. On the earlier first-generation Bubbleback architecture, the bezel, mid-case, movement-holder ring, and caseback combined as distinct parts to make the sealed Oyster unit. The two-piece case eliminates the internal ring entirely. The bezel is integral to the mid-case, turned from the same block of metal, with the lugs, the crystal seat, and the outer profile all part of a single component. The caseback screws directly into threads cut into the mid-case itself. Two pieces. That is the whole shell.

The gains are easy to see: a thinner case, fewer sealing surfaces, easier service, and simpler production. The trade-off is just as clear: because the bezel is the mid-case, damage to one means damage to both.

The 3131 case carries the Oyster Watch Co. signature on the caseback interior along with period-correct patent markings and hallmarks. Reference numbers between the lugs are not standard on 3131s; most surviving examples have the reference engraved only on the caseback interior, consistent with the pre-1948 Rolex convention. Serials appear between the lugs at 6 o'clock, following the 1926-onward Oyster standard.


=== Dimensions ===

Case diameter is reported variously as 32mm, 32.5mm, and 33mm. The variance reflects different measurement points on a tonneau case. On the wrist the 3131 reads as a small-to-medium dress watch, comparable in presence to a 32mm round case. Thickness is a more meaningful figure than diameter on any Bubbleback, because the dome is the point. On the 3131 the dome is more pronounced than on the earlier 1858: the Cal. 620 rotor is physically larger and heavier than the Cal. 520 it descends from, and the caseback rises higher to clear it.


== The Cal. 620 ==

Cal. 620 is a 9¾''' automatic movement with 17 jewels, 18,000 bph, and a 35–41 hour power reserve depending on rotor winding state. The movement blank measures 26.4mm in diameter by 7.5mm in height, wider and flatter than it looks given how much of the 3131's perceived thickness comes from the caseback dome rather than the movement itself.

Architecturally, cal. 620 is the next step after cal. 520. The useful point is that it improves balance stability and winding efficiency, which is why the 3131 carries a more pronounced Bubbleback dome than the earliest 1858 generation.

Cal. 620 is unidirectional: the rotor spins freely in one direction and winds in the other. True bidirectional winding in a Rolex movement arrives only with Cal. 1030 in 1950, which is also the movement that ends the Bubbleback era by enabling a thin flat caseback.

Cal. 620 was developed under Emile Borer at Aegler, who had led the 1931–1933 Perpetual patent work that produced Cal. 520. Rolex paid royalties to Aegler on every unit produced. The "in-house" framing often applied to Rolex movements of this era is a design-authorship claim, not a manufacturing-ownership one: Rolex owned the designs progressively from 1913 onward, Aegler built them exclusively for Rolex, and the Bienne manufacturing plant did not come fully under Rolex ownership until decades later.

On the 3131, Cal. 620 runs with sub-seconds at 6 o'clock. The companion 3132 used Cal. 630, the same base movement modified to drive a centre sweep seconds hand through an indirect drive arrangement. Sweep seconds cost marginally more to build and were marketed as the modern option; sub-seconds in 1936 was the conservative register choice, readable, traditional, and the convention for most dress watches of the era.


== Precious metals only ==

[[File:Ref3131_pink_gold.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex 3131 in pink gold — one of several precious-metal variants.|Rolex 3131 in pink gold — one of several precious-metal variants.]]

Unlike the 1858 and 3458, which exist in steel, gold, Rolesor two-tone, and gold-filled variants, the 3131 is, as far as the documented auction and dealer record runs, a precious-metal-only reference. Five case materials appear in the surfaced corpus.

The best-documented 14K yellow gold example is the Phillips NY Watch Auction SEVEN 2022 lot (case 412931, c.1946), sold with its original Rolex hangtag, an unusual survival on a watch approaching 80 years old.

14K pink gold is the Sotheby's Watches Online 2020 configuration (case 473634, c.1946, silvered dial). The alloy reads warmer and softer than 18K PG and is more commonly encountered in the North American market.

18K yellow gold is the most commonly surfacing 3131 material across general auction and dealer listings. 18K YG examples carry Swiss or French assay marks on the caseback and lugs, depending on the market the watch was originally sold into.

18K pink gold shows up in the Sotheby's Watches Weekly Geneva 2020 example (case 51699, c.1938, pink dial), early-production and a watch that ran on its original Rolex bracelet from delivery through its 2020 consignment.

9K gold was a UK-market metal standard (37.5% pure gold, compared to 58.3% for 14K and 75% for 18K), permitted for hallmarking in Britain but not in most continental European markets. 9K 3131 examples exist in dealer records and represent the lower-priced end of the precious-metal range, targeted at the British Commonwealth market.

No confirmed stainless-steel 3131 has surfaced. The cleanest reading is that Rolex positioned the 3131/3132 pair as a premium two-piece Bubbleback pair and routed the steel side of the family through other references.


=== The suffix system ===

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual's Bubbleback suffix system applies to the 3131. Within the precious-metal-only corpus, the relevant variants are:

* '''3131/7''' — solid gold (yellow or rose; color not encoded in the suffix)
* '''3131/8''' — alternate solid gold (typically used to distinguish karat, e.g. 14K vs 18K)

The suffix codes were period-authentic (Rolex used them internally on parts lists and service paperwork c.1933–1953) but were rarely engraved on casebacks. Most surviving 3131 casebacks carry only the four-digit "3131" without the slash variant. The suffix must be inferred from the hallmarks and dial rather than read off the case directly. A seller claiming a specific /7 or /8 variant without hallmark documentation should be treated cautiously.


== Dial and hand variants ==

The 3131 sits in a period when Rolex dials were still largely bespoke (retailers could specify signatures, markers, and finishing within a catalog of options), and the result is a dial variety that does not map neatly onto production generations. White and silvered dials are the most commonly encountered baseline, often with applied gold Arabic numerals and a sub-seconds register at 6. Cream and ivory dials appear on yellow gold cases with the same marker convention but a softer background. Pink and salmon dials are the signature configuration for 18K PG and 14K PG cases. The Sotheby's Watches Weekly 2020 example (case 51699, 18K PG) carries a pink dial matched to the case.

The case-matched dial is the signature look. Beige is the baseline, black is the rare premium look, and genuine grene texture is one of the best signs that a dial has not been refinished.

Three hand configurations appear. Luminous pencil hands are the most common, with straight pencil-style hour and minute hands and radium fill that has aged to a warm orange or brown patina. Feuille (leaf) hands appear on a smaller subset, typically paired with silvered or cream dials, and give the watch a more formal dress-watch character. Spade hands are the rarest of the three, with only a handful of documented examples, typically on early pre-1940 production.


== Auction and market record ==

Public auction records for the 3131 are thinner than for a Submariner or a Datejust reference, but substantially richer than for the vanishingly rare 1858. Three well-documented lots across Phillips and Sotheby's anchor the modern auction picture.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Venue
! Date
! Lot
! Case No
! Material
! Dial
! Notes
! Result
|-
| Phillips NY (Watch Auction SEVEN)
| 2022
| 64
| 412931
| 14K YG
| —
| c.1946, movement 20915, unpolished, original Rolex hangtag
| '''USD 18,900''' (est USD 8k–16k)
|-
| Sotheby's Watches Online
| 2020
| —
| 473634
| 14K PG
| Silvered
| c.1946
| est CHF 5,000–7,000
|-
| Sotheby's Watches Weekly Geneva
| 2020
| —
| 51699
| 18K PG
| Pink
| c.1938, on original Rolex bracelet
| est CHF 4,000–6,000
|}

The Phillips NY 2022 result is the headline data point. A 14K YG 3131 sold for USD 18,900 against an estimate of USD 8,000–16,000, on a watch that retained its original Rolex hangtag (the small paper card affixed at the factory and typically removed by the first owner on receipt). Hangtag survival on a mid-1940s Rolex is extraordinary; it effectively pushes the watch into a provenance tier above its configuration peers.

The two Sotheby's 2020 lots sit at more typical market levels. Both were estimated in the low-to-mid four-figure CHF range, which maps reasonably onto broader dealer pricing for the reference. Collectors Square data covering the same period shows 3131 examples trading in the EUR 2,516–5,100 range, suggesting that the reference's baseline market for unrestored original-dial examples in good condition sits in roughly the EUR 3,000–5,000 / CHF 3,000–6,000 band. Premium-tier examples (hangtag survival, exceptional dial condition, early production 18K PG on original bracelet) can reach the USD 15,000–20,000 range observed at Phillips.


=== Case number observations ===

The three documented cases span roughly 51,699 (c.1938) through 473,634 (c.1946), a serial range consistent with 1936–1948 production dating per the standard Dowling/Hess reconstruction. The 412,931 and 473,634 cases, both dated to roughly 1946, sit within a tight serial window and likely reflect a concentrated late-production batch. No confirmed 3131 example post-1948 has surfaced in the indexed auction record, which supports the standard end-of-production estimate in the late 1940s.

The pattern matches what would be expected for a reference that was introduced in 1936, gained traction through the late 1930s, continued through the war years (with reduced production volumes reflecting the broader Swiss watch industry contraction), and was gradually replaced by newer two-piece Bubblebacks (3065, 3372, 4220, early 4467) through the mid-to-late 1940s. Exact production totals are not documented in any public source.


== What the 3131 established ==

Three features of the 3131 persist across Rolex production for decades after the reference itself ends.

The two-piece Oyster case becomes the platform for every sport and dress Oyster that follows. Every Bubbleback from 1936 forward (2940, 2764, 3065, 3372, 4220, and the entire 1940s Datejust lineage) uses the same two-piece logic. By the time the Submariner launches as ref 6204 in 1953, the two-piece case is so thoroughly the standard that no one talks about it as a design decision. It is simply how Rolex makes waterproof watches.

Cal. 620 establishes the automatic movement architecture that serves the Bubbleback era through its transitional 630, 635, and 645 variants into the early 1950s. When Cal. 1030 arrives in 1950 and ends the Bubbleback dome by enabling a flat caseback, it inherits the same 360-degree rotor principle that Cal. 620 embodied. The bidirectional winding is new in Cal. 1030; the rotating-mass-drives-the-mainspring concept runs from 1858 through 3131 through Cal. 1030 and into every Rolex automatic that follows.

The precious-metal-only positioning of the 3131 establishes a template that Rolex returns to later. The Day-Date, launched in 1956 as the first reference offered only in precious metals, is the most famous expression of the same commercial logic: a watch engineered to sell exclusively at the top of the catalog.


== Collecting considerations ==

The 3131 occupies a specific position in the Bubbleback collecting hierarchy. It is less rare than the 1858, less visually dramatic than the engine-turned 3372, and less commercially significant than the 4467 Datejust. It is the first two-piece Bubbleback, and precious-metal-only, which sets a baseline price floor that the broader steel Bubbleback market does not have.

As with most 1930s–1940s Rolex watches, refinished dials are common. On a 3131 the best signals of originality are grene texture, sharp applied numerals, and dial-hand lume that has aged together.

Hallmark verification is required. Case metal is the single largest driver of the watch's value. A 9K gold 3131 and an 18K gold 3131 are physically similar watches with substantially different retail positions. A seller offering a 3131 in 18K PG or YG should provide clear hallmark photography. Paperwork on 3131-era Rolex watches is effectively non-existent at public auction; a surviving Rolex hangtag (Phillips 2022) or period-correct gold bracelet (Sotheby's 51699) is unusual and adds meaningful premium, but original boxes from the 1930s–1940s are almost never present.

The market sits in roughly the EUR 3,000–5,000 / CHF 3,000–6,000 range for standard-dial, good-condition examples, rising to USD 15,000–20,000 for exceptionally preserved examples with hangtag or bracelet survival. Solid 18K PG examples with pink dials on original bracelets represent the top of the type-specific market; 9K and 14K examples with refinished dials represent the bottom. Between those poles, most 3131 activity happens in the mid-four-figure band.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:2764|Bubbleback 2764]] — 1937–1948
* [[Reference:3458|Bubbleback 3458]] — 1934–1948
* [[Reference:3065|Bubbleback 3065]] — 1937–1950
* [[Reference:2940|Bubbleback 2940]] — 1940–1949
* [[Reference:3595|Bubbleback 3595]] — 1941–1949
* [[Reference:4467|Bubbleback 4467]] — 1945–1949

See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/NY080322/64 Phillips NY Watch Auction SEVEN Lot 64 — Rolex ref 3131 14K YG c.1946] — Phillips
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-online-2/rolex-bubbleback-ref-3131-pink-gold-wristwatch-2 Sotheby's Watches Online — Rolex ref 3131 14K PG c.1946 silvered dial] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-oyster-perpetual-bubbleback-reference-3131 Wind Vintage — Rolex Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback Reference 3131] — Wind Vintage
* [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/how-rolex-became-rolex-the-automatic-perpetual-movement-part-2 Wind Vintage — How Rolex Became Rolex: The Automatic Perpetual Movement Part 2] — Charlie Dunne / Wind Vintage, Wind Vintage
* [https://calibercorner.com/rolex-caliber-620/ Caliber Corner — Rolex Caliber 620] — Caliber Corner
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/vintage-week-rolex-bubbleback-3131.html Bob's Watches — Vintage of the Week: Rolex Bubbleback Reference 3131] — Bob's Watches
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/rolex-bubble-back.html Bob's Watches — Rolex Bubble Back Collector's Guide] — Bob's Watches
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-bubbleback-watches-collector-guide-1931-1950s-1235893131/ Robb Report — A Collector's Guide to Rolex Bubbleback Watches 1931-1950s] — Robb Report
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=230912 Rolex Forums — Bubbleback 3131 Owners Thread] — Rolex Forums, rolexforums.com

[[Category:Bubbleback]]

Reference:3065

2026-07-18T12:56:22Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3065 Bubbleback}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Bubbleback 3065 (1937–1950) — Production & Dial Guide | BezelBase
|description=The 3065 is the Bubbleback Rolex built around a single design decision. Where the contemporary ref 2940 carried open, exposed lugs in the familiar Oyster…
|keywords=Rolex, 3065, Bubbleback, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 3065 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 3065 hooded-lug Serpico Y Laino
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-17T22:14:09Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:19:04Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] -> '''3065'''
[[File:Ref 3065 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 3065 hooded-lug Serpico Y Laino|Hooded-lug 3065, Monaco Legend Serpico Y Laino retailer-signed]]

The 3065 is the Bubbleback Rolex built around a single design decision. Where the contemporary ref 2940 carried open, exposed lugs in the familiar Oyster idiom, the 3065 hooded them. The case flanks extrude forward and over the spring-bar channel so that the bracelet appears to emerge from beneath the watch rather than between it. On a two-tone example the effect is emphatic: yellow or rose gold hoods, polished flat, set into a satin steel mid-case, with the coin-edge or smooth bezel completing a vertical stack of metals. No other standard-sized Bubbleback commits as thoroughly to ornament. After the ref 1858, the 3065 commands the highest prices in the family.


== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 3065
|-
| family
| Bubbleback (collector term; never official Rolex usage)
|-
| production
| c.1937–1950, with core output concentrated 1940–1946
|-
| case diameter
| 32mm (sources range 31–33mm; measurement variance)
|-
| lug-to-lug
| about 39mm
|-
| lug width
| 18mm
|-
| case thickness
| 13–14.2mm depending on reference source
|-
| case construction
| two-piece (Oyster)
|-
| lug style
| rigid hooded lugs — the defining feature
|-
| bezel
| smooth/inclined (engine-turned on the 3065/7 yellow-gold variant)
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| crown
| screw-down brevet
|-
| movement
| Cal. 620 (sub-seconds) or Cal. 630 (indirect center sweep), 9¾''', 17 jewels
|-
| certification
| COSC chronometer on many examples (dial-signed "Officially Certified Chronometer")
|-
| suffix variants
| 3065/0 (SS), 3065/3 (SSRG, 1939), 3065/7 (YG or RG hooded, engine-turned variant), 3065/8 (RG hooded)
|-
| sub-variant
| 3065/3159 — Mappin London exclusive, California-dial hooded-lug
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The Bubbleback line, by 1940, had sorted itself into roles. The first-generation 1858 and 3458 had proved the Perpetual rotor in three-piece cases. The ref 3131 and 3132 had brought the two-piece Oyster architecture that would define the format for the following decade. The ref 2940 carried that two-piece case with standard open lugs, sold at working-Perpetual prices, and established the visual template for most mid-run Bubblebacks. Above the 2940 sat the dress-oriented references, and above those, the 3065.

The 3065 took the 2940's two-piece Oyster case and rebuilt the lug structure. Rather than the conventional split-lug with an exposed spring-bar channel, the case flanks were extended forward and joined at the top, forming a rigid hood that enclosed the spring-bar area on both sides. The bracelet endlink fits under the hood rather than between the lugs. On the wrist the transition from case to bracelet reads as continuous rather than articulated, a design vocabulary closer to the later Datejust than to the working Bubblebacks it shared a movement with.

Production ran from about 1937 into 1950, with the weight of documented examples clustering between 1940 and 1946. SwissWatchExpo places one example in 1937; Sotheby's 2020 catalogued a late survivor dated to around 1950; a 513xx serial in the documented population corresponds to 1946. The 1937 outlier likely represents the earliest hooded-lug experimentation, and the 1950 examples likely reflect the tail of active production into dealer stock. Core output is concentrated in the wartime and immediate post-war years.


== The hooded lug ==

This is the reference's single defining element, and it is the first thing an authenticator checks. The hood is a fixed extension of the mid-case, machined as part of the case itself rather than soldered or bolted on, then finished to a different surface treatment on two-tone examples. On a two-tone 3065 the hood is typically polished gold, the mid-case satin-brushed steel. The visual effect depends on that contrast: the hood reads as a distinct element above the case flank, catching light across a flat-polished surface while the steel body absorbs it.

The hood meets the case with a gentle teardrop curve into the mid-case. That teardrop profile is the authentication detail. Aftermarket modifications of the standard ref 2940, where a hooded sleeve is added to an open-lug case, cannot reproduce the teardrop transition cleanly. A modified 2940 shows a hard angle or a visible seam where the added metal meets the case. A factory 3065 shows a single continuous flow from lug to mid-case. Collectors looking at a prospective 3065 routinely check the lug-to-case transition first and the caseback stamp second.

The caseback must read "3065." Any other reference number on the caseback, regardless of how convincing the hooded-lug profile appears, flags either a service-replacement case or a modified 2940. VRF collectors have repeatedly documented aftermarket hooded-lug modifications on 2940 cases intended to impersonate 3065s, and given the price spread between the two references, the caseback engraving is not a formality.


== Case materials and suffix system ==

[[File:Ref 3065 caseback.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3065 Bubbleback caseback|Bubbleback caseback]]
The 3065 appears across the full metal range of its period, but two-tone steel-and-gold is the signature look. Full-gold examples are less common, and full-steel examples remain controversial enough to require caution.

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual documents the suffix system cleanly: 3065/0 for stainless steel, 3065/3 for stainless-with-rose-gold (dated by VRF to 1939), 3065/7 for yellow-gold or rose-gold hooded construction (both the two-tone and full-gold variants share the /7 suffix depending on the period), and 3065/8 for rose-gold hooded. As with the 3372 and other Bubblebacks, the suffix encodes construction logic rather than a clean one-to-one metal code; hallmarks and dial text settle the specific metal on any given example.


== The 3065/3159 — Mappin London ==

A documented sub-variant sits under the reference code 3065/3159, produced exclusively for the London retailer Mappin. These carry a California dial on the hooded-lug case and surface at auction as a distinct configuration rather than a standard 3065 with a Mappin-signed dial. An example appeared at Antiquorum Hong Kong in October 2019 with a hammer result of HKD 55,000 (about USD 7,000 at the period exchange rate), a level consistent with a California-dialed 3065 but with the retailer association driving additional narrative interest.

Mappin, an old-line British retailer with a Rolex relationship extending back into the early twentieth century, periodically took exclusive configurations of Rolex references for the London market. The 3065/3159 sits alongside other Mappin-specific production in the Bubbleback era. Whether the /3159 designates a specific case batch, a specific dial configuration, or both is not fully resolved in public documentation.


== The bezel ==

Most 3065 examples wear a smooth or inclined polished bezel, a fixed ring without fluting or coining, finished to match the case metal. On a two-tone 3065 the bezel is gold, flush with the hooded lugs and distinct from the steel mid-case. The smooth bezel suits the hooded-lug visual vocabulary: the watch already carries substantial ornament in its case silhouette and does not need a decorative bezel to complete the effect.

The engine-turned bezel variant is the exception. Documented on the 3065/7 in yellow gold, this configuration pairs the hooded-lug case with the coin-edge or fluted bezel treatment otherwise associated with the ref 3372 "Luxury Model" and the Oyster Viceroy ref 3359. An engine-turned 3065/7 in yellow gold sits at the top of the reference hierarchy, with hooded-lug silhouette, flagship bezel, full-gold case, and often a California or sector dial. Examples are scarce and command prices approaching or exceeding gold 3372s.


== The Cal. 620 and Cal. 630 movements ==

Two calibers powered the 3065 across its production. The earlier Cal. 620 is a 9¾-ligne Perpetual automatic without sweep seconds, a sub-seconds configuration with a small seconds register at 6 o'clock. The later Cal. 630 shares the 620's dimensions and architecture but adds an indirect center seconds train, sweeping the seconds hand from the dial's central pinion. On a 3065, the caliber fitted tracks loosely with production date: earlier wartime examples more often carry the 620, later post-war examples the 630. Both are period-correct to the reference.

The movement specifications are standard for the Bubbleback family. Seventeen jewels across most production, with some earlier examples documented at fifteen jewels. The lower jewel count appears in sources referring to the earliest 620-era examples and may reflect either a pre-standardization variant or source inconsistency. The Ranfft archive and the Vintage Rolex Field Manual both settle on 17j as the consensus specification. Straight-line Swiss lever escapement, monometallic Super-Balance, self-compensating Breguet overcoil hairspring on higher grades, and a unidirectional rhodium-plated rotor complete the architecture. 18,000 bph, non-hacking, 35–41 hour power reserve.

COSC chronometer certification appears on a meaningful fraction of 3065 examples, more frequently than on the working 2940 and consistent with the reference's catalogue position above the standard Bubblebacks. Dial-signed "Officially Certified Chronometer" text corresponds to certified-grade movements; examples without the chronometer line on the dial were delivered with uncertified movements from the same caliber family. Service swaps over eight decades have blurred this correlation on some surviving watches, and matching the dial text to the movement grade is one of the authentication checks on an unrestored 3065.


== Dial variants ==

The 3065's dial range is narrower than the 3372's but wider than most mid-tier Bubblebacks, reflecting both the reference's decade-plus production and its positioning above the working references. Several configurations recur across documented examples.


=== Champagne / beige Roman with dot markers ===

The most common 3065 dial: a champagne or beige-toned silvered ground with gold-applied or gold-printed Roman numerals at the twelve hour positions, with small dot markers between the Romans along the minute track. Minutes railway around the outer edge. Text is restrained: Rolex, Oyster Perpetual, Swiss Made, occasionally the Officially Certified Chronometer line. This dial pairs naturally with two-tone cases and reads as the reference's default dress configuration.


=== California dial ===

The California dial (Roman numerals on the top hemisphere, Arabic numerals on the bottom, railway minutes) is a Rolex-patented format filed in May 1941 and granted in June 1942 under the "High Visibility" or "Error-Proof" language. The name "California" was applied later by the West Coast vintage trade. The 3065 sits in the documented list of Bubbleback references that carried Rolex-made California dials from the factory, alongside 2910, 2940, 2764, 3065, 3372, 3458, 3595, and 4220. Forum research on the Vintage Rolex Forum has documented the 3065 as a factory California-dial reference with examples matching the patent-era production window.

Two primary color variants surface on 3065 Californias: pink on pink-gold or stainless cases, and cream or ivory on steel and two-tone cases. A black military California variant with gilt numerals has been documented on eBay sales. Original Rolex-made California dials on the 3065 command the highest prices in the reference's market, comfortably above $10,000 and in exceptional examples exceeding $15,000. Refinished California dials, including Kirk Rich-era refurbishments, are significantly more common than factory-original survivors.


=== Black military-style ===

A matte-black dial with luminous Arabic numerals and baton hour markers, paired with luminous hands. The military register on a 3065 is uncommon (the hooded-lug case reads as dressier than the dial suggests), and the surviving examples occupy a narrow collector niche. The pairing works better on 3065/0 full-steel cases than on the two-tones, where the black dial conflicts with the gold-and-steel case vocabulary.


=== Salmon / orange ===

[[File:Ref 3065 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3065 salmon dial Serpico Y Laino detail|Salmon dial, Roman numerals, Serpico Y Laino retailer-signed]]
A full salmon or orange ground, typically with gilt Arabic numerals or applied batons, without the California half-and-half split. Salmon 3065s lean toward the pink-gold and two-tone rose-gold cases. The dial aging is the usual Bubbleback pattern: original salmon tones tend toward warmer pinkish-orange, while refinished salmon dials often read too uniform and too saturated compared to period production.


=== Sector ===

Among the rarest 3065 configurations. The sector dial (a silvered outer chapter with a contrasting inner sector in a different silver tone, typically with applied batons or small Arabic quarter-hour markers) appears on a small population of surviving 3065s. As on the 3372, the sector pairs with blued steel hands and reads as a daylight-only dress dial. A sector-dialed 3065 in two-tone is an emphatic statement of the reference's dress intent.


=== Silvered baton ===

A flat silvered ground with gilt or steel baton hour markers, no Arabic numerals, no luminous material. The cleanest and most restrained 3065 dial; appears across all case materials but pairs most naturally with full-gold and two-tone yellow-gold examples. This configuration ages quietly: a silvered 3065 from 1944 still looks, in 2026, largely like a silvered 3065 from 1944.


== Hands ==

Hand configurations follow dial logic. The characteristic 3065 hand set is leaf (also called feuille) in blued steel, particularly on champagne Roman, silvered, and sector dial configurations. Later 3065 production, particularly on California and military-style dials, moved toward Mercedes hands with luminous fill. Dauphine and pencil or baton hands appear on full-gold and two-tone examples with silvered and champagne dials, where the hand profile matches the applied markers. As with all vintage Rolex, mismatched lume patina between hands and dial flags replacement of one or the other.


== Serial ranges and production dating ==

Serial-dating the 3065 is the usual vintage-Rolex exercise: broad year bands, not exact factory dates. The working outline is enough to separate pre-war, wartime, and late-run examples, but not enough to overclaim precision.

As with all Bubblebacks, serial dating identifies case production rather than final assembly or retail delivery. Wartime logistics and dealer stock holding mean a 1944-cased example may have been sold in 1947.


== Auction and market context ==

The 3065 is the second-most-valuable standard-sized Bubbleback after the ref 1858. Chrono24 inventory spans roughly $9,500 to $30,000 across honest examples, with configuration driving most of the spread. Best-condition original California-dial examples push past $15,000, and exceptional full-gold or engine-turned 3065/7 configurations can approach or exceed $20,000.

Sotheby's 2020 catalogued a pink-gold and stainless steel 3065 with a silvered dial, dated circa 1950, estimated at $3,000–5,000. That estimate sits at the low end of the reference's market and reflects both the silvered dial (less valuable than California or sector) and the late production date. A gold California-dialed 3065 with period provenance would have estimated meaningfully higher; the Antiquorum Hong Kong 2019 Mappin-retailed 3065/3159 California hammered at HKD 55,000, about USD 7,000, which anchors the retailer-associated California configuration.

Stratification across the reference is predictable. At the top: engine-turned 3065/7 in yellow gold, Mappin-retailed 3065/3159 California, and unrestored original-dial California configurations on two-tone or pink-gold cases, pushing toward $15,000–25,000. In the middle: honest two-tone examples with period-correct champagne or silvered dials at $9,000–14,000. At the baseline: refinished-dial examples, worn two-tones with polished lugs that compromise the hooded silhouette, and contested full-steel 3065/0 examples at $7,500–10,000.

The 3065 has appreciated faster than the 2940 over the past decade. Two watches with nearly identical movements, cases of the same diameter, and the same production window have diverged in market terms, driven entirely by the hooded lug. The open-lug 2940 trades as a working Bubbleback; the hooded-lug 3065 trades as a collector reference.


== Authentication and collecting considerations ==

Authenticating a 3065 is primarily a case problem. Dial variants matter for value, but the reference itself stands or falls on whether the hooded-lug structure is factory-original. The checks fall in rough sequence of priority.

The caseback must read "3065." An incorrect or illegible caseback stamp disqualifies the watch. The lug-to-case transition must show the continuous teardrop flow characteristic of factory production, not the hard angle or visible seam that a modified 2940 shows. The mid-case satin brushing and hood polishing, on two-tone examples, should reflect factory surface treatments rather than later refinishing. The bracelet endlink, if original, fits under the hood rather than between the lugs.

Dial originality on the 3065 follows the standard vintage Rolex rule of one in fifteen to twenty surviving examples carrying an untouched dial. Refinished dials from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s are the norm; Kirk Rich-era California refinishes sit between service and refinish status. Establishing original-dial condition requires matching lume patina between dial and hands, printing consistent with period Rolex manufacturing, and, where possible, continuous period provenance. On a California-dialed 3065 where the configuration drives most of the value, original-dial verification is central to the transaction.

Movement inspection should confirm that the fitted caliber (620 or 630) is period-appropriate to the case serial. A late-generation Cal. 630 in an early-1940s case suggests a service replacement. COSC chronometer dial text should correspond to a chronometer-grade movement; mismatches flag either dial refinishing or movement substitution. The engine-turned bezel on 3065/7 yellow-gold examples is particularly vulnerable to wear and incorrect replacement. Sharp original milling separates a top-tier example from a compromised one.

Full-steel 3065/0 examples require extra scrutiny. Period production of full-steel hooded-lug Bubblebacks appears to have existed, but the population is small enough that forums routinely debate whether specific examples are authentic factory full-steel or stripped two-tones with the gold hoods replaced by steel service parts. Hallmark evidence, dial-text consistency, and period provenance become unusually important on a prospective 3065/0.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:2764|Bubbleback 2764]] — 1937–1948
* [[Reference:2940|Bubbleback 2940]] — 1940–1949
* [[Reference:3131|Bubbleback 3131]] — 1936–1948
* [[Reference:3595|Bubbleback 3595]] — 1941–1949
* [[Reference:3458|Bubbleback 3458]] — 1934–1948
* [[Reference:4467|Bubbleback 4467]] — 1945–1949

See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* ''swisswatchexpo 3065''
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/ Sotheby's — 3065 2020]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/ Antiquorum — 3065 3159 hk 2019]
* [https://wannabuyawatch.com/ WannaBuyAWatch — 3065]
* ''timezone 3065''
* [https://www.1stdibs.com/ 1stDibs — 3065]
* [https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vintagerolexforum/ Vintage Rolex Forum — 3065 california]
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-bubbleback-watches-collector-guide-1931-1950s-1235893131/ Robb Report — A Collector's Guide to Rolex Bubbleback Watches 1931-1950s] — Robb Report
* [https://www.chrono24.com/ Chrono24 — 3065]

[[Category:Bubbleback]]

Reference:2764

2026-07-18T12:56:18Z

Klaudiusz: Internal linking: related references + component links

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 2764 Oyster Perpetual}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual 2764 (1937–1948) — Production & Dial Guide | BezelBase
|description=The 2764 is a late-pre-war and early-post-war Bubbleback with three points of interest a collector keeps returning to. The dial sometimes carries the…
|keywords=Rolex, 2764, Bubbleback, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 2764 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 2764 Super Precision Bubbleback 1940s
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-17T22:14:03Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:18:53Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] -> '''2764'''
[[File:Ref 2764 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 2764 Super Precision Bubbleback 1940s|1940s Super Precision Bubbleback, cal. 620N]]

The 2764 is a late-pre-war and early-post-war Bubbleback with three things collectors keep coming back to: the Super Precision dial branch, the long-debated 620N movement suffix, and the retailer variants like Zell Bros and Birks.


== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 2764
|-
| family
| Bubbleback
|-
| production
| c.1937–1948
|-
| case diameter
| 31–32mm (measurement method varies)
|-
| lug-to-lug
| about 39mm
|-
| thickness
| about 13mm
|-
| lug width
| 19mm
|-
| case construction
| two-piece Oyster (bezel + mid-case + screw-down caseback)
|-
| bezel
| smooth, fixed, polished
|-
| crystal
| acrylic
|-
| crown
| screw-down
|-
| movement
| Cal. 620N (9¾ ligne, 18,000 bph, 17j, Breguet overcoil)
|-
| power reserve
| 35–41 hours
|-
| dial text
| "SUPER PRECISION" / "Precision" / "Officially Certified Chronometer"
|-
| retailer variants
| Zell Bros. (Portland, OR) "Turtle Perpetual"; Birks (Canada)
|-
| case materials
| stainless steel (most common at auction), gold shell, gold-plated
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

[[File:Ref 2764 full.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Steel Bubbleback Phillips Geneva 2016|Steel Bubbleback, Phillips Geneva 2016 lot]]
The 2764 is a mid-to-late-run member of the second-generation Bubbleback family, the generation that begins with the two-piece case transition of 1936 (refs 3131 and 3132) and continues through the post-war period until the flat-caseback architecture of Cal. 1030 arrives in 1950. The 2764's earliest documented case is Heritage's example numbered 107524; the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction THREE lot (case 107118) is dated 1941. The observed serial range, paired with the mature two-piece Oyster case and the 620-family movement, places production in a window roughly 1937 through 1948.

Within that window, the 2764 is a civilian dress Bubbleback in the 31–32mm size bracket, the default Oyster Perpetual case size before the 36mm Ovettone family (4467 and siblings) arrives in 1945 with the first Datejust. The 2764 is a conventional 32mm Bubbleback executed at the precision end of Rolex's mid-century range, without the date window, Jubilee bracelet, or Big Bubbleback case that define the Datejust.

The measurement variance (31mm on the Phillips and Heritage catalog listings, 32mm on most dealer descriptions) is the same caveat that attaches to every tonneau-cased Bubbleback of the period. Width across the case flanks reads smaller than width including the lug tips. The physical case does not change; the measurement method does.


== The "Super Precision" mark ==

The most distinctive 2764 dials are the ones marked "SUPER PRECISION" below "Oyster Perpetual." That mark designates a chronometer-grade movement, a Cal. 620 adjusted in multiple positions and passed against the Swiss timing standards of the day, at the higher end of Rolex's internal precision hierarchy. The standard 620 is a 17-jewel automatic with standard adjustment; the "Super Precision" examples received closer timing work, and the additional dial mark reflected that.

Three dial text configurations appear on surviving 2764 examples. "SUPER PRECISION" is the chronometer-grade mark. "Precision" is the standard Oyster Perpetual designation, used on non-chronometer-graded movements. "Officially Certified Chronometer" appears on examples that received the formal Swiss chronometer certification (COSC's predecessor timing bureaus) rather than Rolex's internal "Super Precision" designation alone.

All three configurations are period-correct. The "SUPER PRECISION" mark is the one that draws collector attention, because it is the mark that signals the highest-adjustment movement behind the dial, and because the text itself is no longer in Rolex's vocabulary. By the 1950s the factory had consolidated on "Officially Certified Chronometer" as the standard dial-mark for chronometer-grade output. "Super Precision" falls away.


== The Cal. 620N — and what "N" means ==

The 2764 is powered by Cal. 620N, a 9¾-ligne automatic in the 620 family. The physical specifications are documented: 26.4mm × 7.5mm, 18,000 vibrations per hour, 35 to 41 hours of power reserve, unidirectional 360-degree rotor in the Rolex Perpetual tradition, Rolex Super Balance, Breguet overcoil hairspring, nickel finish, sub-seconds register at 6 o'clock. Seventeen jewels in standard configuration.

The "N" suffix has been a source of confusion in forum commentary, which has occasionally read it as a technical grade indicator, a variant caliber number signalling chronometer adjustment or some other quality distinction. The parts-catalog evidence suggests otherwise. In the Esslinger parts listings and in the Caliber Corner reference documentation, "N" and "NA" appear as sizing codes for the 9¾L NA parts group, the dial-side measurement category used to index spare parts across the Aegler/Rolex parts catalog. The letter designates where on the parts chart a given caliber lives, not what timing grade it was built to.

That distinction matters because it settles the old 620N debate. The N is best read as a cataloging suffix, not a separate movement grade. A 620N can still be a standard watch or a chronometer-grade Super Precision depending on the example.

The prevailing view among informed collectors is that the sizing-code interpretation is correct. Anyone reading "N" or "NA" on a Cal. 620 movement plate and concluding they have a technically-distinct caliber on their hands is reading the wrong story into the suffix.


== Case and construction ==

[[File:Ref 2764 caseback.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=2764 Bubbleback caseback|Bubbleback caseback bulge]]
The 2764 case is a two-piece Oyster. Smooth polished fixed bezel, mid-case with the Bubbleback's characteristic domed caseback screwed directly into it, with no separate movement-holder ring (that generation of construction ended in 1936). The screw-down crown maintains the Oyster's waterproof claim; the acrylic crystal rides above the dial.

Case dimensions cluster at 31mm in the Phillips and Heritage catalog measurements and 32mm in most dealer listings. Lug-to-lug runs about 39mm; thickness about 13mm; lug width 19mm. On the wrist the 2764 reads as a small-to-mid-size dress watch, smaller than a modern 36mm Oyster Perpetual, domed enough to sit high on the wrist in the Bubbleback tradition.

The caseback dome is the defining external feature of the Bubbleback profile, and on the 2764 it follows the mature second-generation Bubbleback template: enough curvature to house the 620-family rotor without forcing the case walls thicker, but not as exaggerated as on the earliest Cal. 520-era examples where the movement architecture drove the dome geometry hardest. By the 620 era the rotor mass had stabilized and the dome was a known quantity.

Lugs are standard (soldered to the case in the pre-war and early post-war Rolex convention), with 19mm spacing at the strap end. The crown is a period Rolex screw-down.


=== Case materials ===

The 2764 was built in three case configurations. Stainless steel is the most common at auction and in surviving populations; the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction THREE lot (case 107118) is stainless steel. Gold shell (a layer of gold applied over a stainless steel base case, typically with a stainless caseback) accounts for the middle tier of surviving examples. Gold-plated (thin electroplated gold over base metal) examples also exist.

No solid gold 2764 example is confirmed in auction archives or dealer surveys. That distinguishes the reference from the 4467, the contemporary 18K gold Big Bubbleback Datejust, and from solid-gold examples among other 31–32mm Bubbleback siblings. Claimed solid-gold 2764 watches warrant caseback weight documentation and hallmark photography before the claim can be taken at face value.


== Dial variants ==

[[File:Ref 2764 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Super Precision dial sub-seconds register|Super Precision dial: sub-seconds register]]
The 2764 produces a wider dial variety than most single Bubbleback references of the period, partly because the production window ran over a decade and partly because the reference carried multiple retailer variants, each with its own dial configuration.

A two-tone champagne radium dial appears in the rarer surfaced examples documented through Antiquorum: champagne-toned center with a contrasting outer chapter ring, radium-lumed hour markers, typically paired with luminous baton or pencil hands. The warm champagne palette reads distinctly from the more common cream or off-white dials and is the configuration most closely associated with the Birks Canada retailer signature.

A multi-tone off-white dial with copper or gold raised Arabic numerals is the configuration Phillips presented as Lot 126 in the Geneva Watch Auction THREE (May 2016). The dial is an off-white with tonal shifts across the surface, applied raised Arabic numerals at every hour position in copper or gold tone, a conventional seconds sub-register at 6 o'clock. The Phillips example, stainless steel with case 107118 dated 1941, sold for CHF 31,250 against an estimate of 15,000–25,000. This is the 2764's public-auction benchmark for a strong-condition example.

The California-dial 2764, documented by Bachmann & Scher, pairs Arabic numerals on the lower half with Roman numerals on the upper half, the "California" layout that Rolex used on a small number of dial configurations across the 1930s and 1940s, and that Wind Vintage and other specialist dealers have catalogued extensively on later Submariner and Explorer references. The 2764 California is one of the earlier appearances of the layout. Radium-lumed markers at the hour positions; blued steel or luminous baton hands depending on the example.

Silver or cream with luminous Arabic numerals is the "Turtle Perpetual" retailer variant. The Heritage Auctions example retailed through Zell Bros. of Portland, Oregon, carries a silver or cream dial with luminous Arabic numerals at every hour position and the retailer's "Turtle Perpetual" mark in addition to the Rolex text. This is the single best-known retailer variant of the reference and gives the 2764 a named place in the North American retailer-signature literature that collectors of the period track.

The baseline configuration is the standard cream or off-white dial. Applied or painted Arabic numerals, Rolex coronet and "Oyster Perpetual" line at 12 o'clock, "SUPER PRECISION" or "Precision" or "Officially Certified Chronometer" mark below 6 o'clock, sub-seconds register integrated into the dial. This is the configuration that appears most often in unsigned examples without retailer provenance.

Hands across the dial variants fall into four recurring styles. Blued steel sword hands on the more austere dials; luminous baton hands on the radium-marked variants; pencil or stick hands with radium inserts on the standard configurations; cathedral hands on a smaller subset of examples, typically paired with the more formal dial layouts.


== The Zell Bros "Turtle Perpetual" ==

Zell Bros was a Portland, Oregon jewelry retailer that carried Rolex in the late 1930s and 1940s. Their "Turtle Perpetual" designation for a 2764 variant is a retailer-specific naming convention, a local dealer's marketing term for the Bubbleback's distinctive domed caseback rather than a Rolex factory designation. The "turtle" reference is to the caseback dome's resemblance to a turtle's shell. The name appears on Zell Bros-signed dials and sometimes also in accompanying retail paperwork.

Heritage Auctions has documented at least one Zell Bros "Turtle Perpetual" 2764 in their archives, and the reference is mentioned in collector forum discussions of North American Rolex retailer signatures from the period. The practice of regional retailers applying their own nicknames to Rolex models was common in the pre-war and early post-war years. Rolex distribution was less centralized, and retailers had more latitude to present watches under their own language. Zell Bros is one of the better-documented American examples.

The Zell Bros 2764 dials are typically the silver or cream configuration with luminous Arabic numerals, paired with the retailer's signature alongside the Rolex text. An authentic Zell Bros "Turtle Perpetual" 2764 is a cross-category collectible: a Bubbleback for Rolex collectors, a retailer-signed vintage American watch for specialists in period dealer variants, and a 620-era dress watch with chronometer-grade possibilities behind it depending on the individual example's dial mark.


== The Birks Canada variants ==

Birks (Henry Birks & Sons, the Canadian luxury retailer founded in Montreal in 1879) carried Rolex through the pre-war, wartime, and post-war decades. Birks-signed Bubblebacks exist across multiple references, and the 2764 is represented in their retail output by the two-tone champagne dial variants.

A Birks 2764 typically carries the "Birks" signature below the Rolex coronet on the dial, paired with the standard Oyster Perpetual text and the "SUPER PRECISION" or "Precision" mark. The two-tone champagne dial configuration associated with Birks distribution reads as a dressier, warmer variant than the plainer cream dials; the champagne palette matches the gold shell case finish when the two are paired.

Birks-signed Rolex watches from this period trade in a specialist segment of the Canadian vintage market. An original Birks 2764 with its two-tone champagne dial is period-correct, desirable, and uncommon enough to warrant retailer-signature premiums at the North American end of the auction circuit.


== Auction record ==

The 2764's public auction footprint is dominated by the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction THREE result, with supporting examples from Heritage, Antiquorum, and Bachmann & Scher dealer listings.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Venue
! Date
! Lot
! Case No
! Material
! Dial
! Result
|-
| Phillips Geneva Watch Auction THREE
| May 2016
| 126
| 107118
| Stainless steel
| Multi-tone off-white, raised gold Arabic
| '''CHF 31,250''' (est. 15,000–25,000)
|-
| Heritage Auctions
| —
| —
| 107524
| Stainless steel
| Silver/cream with luminous Arabic, Zell Bros "Turtle Perpetual" signed
| Earliest documented case
|-
| Antiquorum
| —
| —
| —
| —
| Two-tone champagne radium, Birks-signed
| Referenced in collector archives
|-
| Bachmann & Scher
| —
| —
| —
| —
| California (Arabic + Roman + radium)
| Dealer listing, California-dial example
|}

The Phillips Geneva Watch Auction THREE Lot 126 result is the public benchmark. Case 107118, movement 91390, dated 1941, stainless steel, multi-tone off-white dial with raised copper or gold Arabic numerals, expandable bracelet of the period. Estimate CHF 15,000–25,000; sold CHF 31,250. The result sits meaningfully above the high estimate. The configuration (strong dial, clean case, period-correct hardware) drew committed bidding, and the case number places the watch near the middle of the 2764's production window.

The Heritage Zell Bros "Turtle Perpetual" example (case 107524) is the earliest documented 2764 serial. The retailer signature and nickname combination makes it a collector-category piece in the North American specialist market.

The Antiquorum two-tone champagne radium examples and the Bachmann & Scher California variant fill out the configuration space. No 2764 has exceeded the Phillips 2016 result in publicly-indexed sales.


=== Case number observations ===

Observed 2764 case numbers cluster in the 107000-range based on the two best-documented examples (107118 on the Phillips lot, 107524 on the Heritage Zell Bros example). Given the ten-plus-year production window and the mid-century Rolex serial allocation pattern (serials shared across contemporary references), the 2764's own range likely extends substantially above and below this cluster. The small public-auction sample size constrains tighter mapping.


== Collecting considerations ==

The 2764 occupies a specific Bubbleback slot: chronometer-grade dress watch with the "SUPER PRECISION" mark, the odd-suffix Cal. 620N behind the dial, and a cluster of retailer variants that are themselves collector categories.

The desirability hierarchy is clear enough. Zell Bros "Turtle Perpetual" sits at the top, then the strongest benchmark auction examples, then the retailer-signed and California-dial rarities, then the more ordinary Precision and Officially Certified Chronometer watches.

Authentication on the 2764 is mostly about movement and dial making sense together. The movement should still be from the 620 family, and the dial text should fit one of the known period designations rather than a stripped or simplified refinish.

Case material should be stainless steel, gold shell, or gold-plated. Claimed solid-gold examples require hallmark photography and caseback weight documentation. Zell Bros ("Turtle Perpetual") and Birks retailer signatures are period-correct; unusual retailer marks warrant research against known North American and European archives, and added retailer text on a refinished dial is a standard flag. Radium markers should patinate together with radium-inserted hands. Mismatched lume color across dial and hands points to a replacement, and refinished dials with relumed markers reduce value meaningfully.

The Phillips 2016 result at CHF 31,250 is the current public-auction benchmark for a strong-configuration 2764. Clean stainless examples with "SUPER PRECISION" and period-correct hardware anchor roughly CHF 10,000–25,000 depending on condition and dial. Zell Bros and Birks retailer signatures push into the CHF 20,000–35,000+ range when paired with strong condition.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:3131|Bubbleback 3131]] — 1936–1948
* [[Reference:3065|Bubbleback 3065]] — 1937–1950
* [[Reference:3458|Bubbleback 3458]] — 1934–1948
* [[Reference:2940|Bubbleback 2940]] — 1940–1949
* [[Reference:3595|Bubbleback 3595]] — 1941–1949
* [[Reference:4467|Bubbleback 4467]] — 1945–1949

See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==
* [https://www.phillips.com/auctions/watches Phillips — 2764 lot126 2016]
* [https://www.ha.com/ Heritage Auctions — 2764 turtle perpetual]
* [https://www.bachmann-scher.de/ Bachmann & Scher — 2764 california]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/ Antiquorum — 2764]
* [https://calibercorner.com/ Caliber Corner — src caliber corner 620]
* [https://www.watchuseek.com/ WatchUSeek — 2764]
* ''vintage watch specialist 2764''
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.esslinger.com/ Esslinger parts catalog — parts listings]

[[Category:Bubbleback]]