Reference:3348 - Revision history

Admin: Fix hero image caption/alt to match uploaded photo (Serpico y Laino example, not Mappin & Webb)

2026-08-16T14:42:06Z

Fix hero image caption/alt to match uploaded photo (Serpico y Laino example, not Mappin & Webb)

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:42, 16 August 2026
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	\|keywords=Rolex, 3348, Bubbleback, Oyster Perpetual, vintage Rolex, Lifesaver, Mappin and Webb		\|keywords=Rolex, 3348, Bubbleback, Oyster Perpetual, vintage Rolex, Lifesaver, Mappin and Webb
	\|image=Ref 3348 hero.webp		\|image=Ref 3348 hero.webp
	\|image_alt=Rolex 3348 Bubbleback, ~~Lifesaver~~, steel ~~case, silvered dial~~		\|image_alt=Rolex 3348 Bubbleback, Serpico y Laino signed, pink gold and steel
	\|type=Article		\|type=Article
	\|og_type=article		\|og_type=article
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	<span id="core-facts"></span>		<span id="core-facts"></span>

	[[File:Ref 3348 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex 3348 Bubbleback, ~~Lifesaver~~, steel ~~case, silvered dial~~\|Rolex 3348 Bubbleback, ~~retailed by Mappin & Webb, case no. 154006~~]]		[[File:Ref 3348 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|250px\|alt=Rolex 3348 Bubbleback, Serpico y Laino signed, pink gold and steel\|Rolex 3348 Bubbleback, Serpico y Laino-signed pink gold and steel example]]

	== Core facts ==		== Core facts ==

Admin: Add second documented example: Serpico y Laino-signed bi-metal 3348

2026-08-16T14:41:42Z

Add second documented example: Serpico y Laino-signed bi-metal 3348

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:41, 16 August 2026
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	\|-		\|-
	\| documented examples		\| documented examples
	\| Sotheby's New York, 24 May 2018, sale N09879, lot 136, case no. 154006 (did not sell)		\| Sotheby's New York, 24 May 2018, sale N09879, lot 136, case no. 154006 (did not sell); a second, bi-metal 14k pink gold and steel example with Serpico y Laino retailer signature, cream dial
	\|}		\|}

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	== Production outline ==		== Production outline ==

	The ~~only documented 3348~~ is dated circa 1940, case no. 154006, retailed through Mappin & Webb. It went to auction at Sotheby's New York on 24 May 2018 (sale N09879, lot 136) against a $5,000–7,000 estimate and did not sell — a genuine market data point worth recording alongside the successful results documented for other Bubbleback references, not every catalogued example finds a buyer at its estimate.		The Sotheby's example is dated circa 1940, case no. 154006, retailed through Mappin & Webb. It went to auction at Sotheby's New York on 24 May 2018 (sale N09879, lot 136) against a $5,000–7,000 estimate and did not sell — a genuine market data point worth recording alongside the successful results documented for other Bubbleback references, not every catalogued example finds a buyer at its estimate.

			A second documented 3348 shows Rolex offering the reference in a different metal tier entirely: 14k pink gold and stainless steel bi-metal, 29mm round case, on a matching pink gold and steel bracelet with deployant buckle. Its cream Arabic-numeral dial carries a Serpico y Laino retailer signature — the Caracas-based dealer whose signed dials appear across several other Rolex references of the period, including the [[Reference:3130\|3130]].

	<span id="movement-notes"></span>		<span id="movement-notes"></span>
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	== Dial map ==		== Dial map ==

	~~Silvered~~ dial with painted Arabic numerals and dot hour markers, a subsidiary seconds sub-dial, and an outer minute-division track~~. The dial carries~~ dual signatures: Rolex as maker and Mappin & Webb as retailer.		The Sotheby's example carries a silvered dial with painted Arabic numerals and dot hour markers, a subsidiary seconds sub-dial, and an outer minute-division track, with dual signatures for Rolex as maker and Mappin & Webb as retailer. The second documented example carries a cream dial with painted Arabic numerals, a subsidiary seconds sub-dial with a printed 30/60 minute track, blued steel hands, and a Serpico y Laino retailer signature beneath the Rolex Oyster Perpetual signature.

	<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>		<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>

Admin: New article: Rolex 3348 Bubbleback

2026-08-16T14:38:28Z

New article: Rolex 3348 Bubbleback

New page

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3348 Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback "Lifesaver"}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 3348 Bubbleback "Lifesaver" — Mappin & Webb Retailed, 1940 | BezelBase
|description=The Rolex 3348 is a steel Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback that Sotheby's catalogued as a "Lifesaver Bubbleback," circa 1940, retailed by British jeweller Mappin & Webb. The only documented example failed to sell at its 2018 New York auction.
|keywords=Rolex, 3348, Bubbleback, Oyster Perpetual, vintage Rolex, Lifesaver, Mappin and Webb
|image=Ref 3348 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 3348 Bubbleback, Lifesaver, steel case, silvered dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]] -> '''3348'''

The 3348 is a stainless steel Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback, 29mm, that Sotheby's catalogued under the nickname "Lifesaver Bubbleback" when it came up for sale in New York in 2018. The name is Sotheby's own, not an official Rolex term or one otherwise documented in wider collector use — worth noting rather than repeating uncritically. What is well documented is the retail history: the dial carries a second signature for Mappin & Webb, the British jeweller and silversmith, placing this example through one of Rolex's established period retail partners.



[[File:Ref 3348 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 3348 Bubbleback, Lifesaver, steel case, silvered dial|Rolex 3348 Bubbleback, retailed by Mappin & Webb, case no. 154006]]

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 3348
|-
| family
| Oyster Perpetual (Bubbleback)
|-
| common name
| "Bubbleback"; Sotheby's catalogued its documented example as a "Lifesaver Bubbleback"
|-
| production
| documented example dated circa 1940
|-
| case
| 29mm, stainless steel, flat bezel, screw-down back and crown
|-
| movement
| self-winding (automatic)
|-
| dial (documented)
| silvered, painted Arabic numerals and dot indexes, subsidiary seconds, outer minute divisions, signed by Rolex and further signed by retailer Mappin & Webb
|-
| documented examples
| Sotheby's New York, 24 May 2018, sale N09879, lot 136, case no. 154006 (did not sell)
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==

The 3348 is a plainer, all-steel counterpart to the pink-gold-and-steel bi-metal Bubblebacks like the [[Reference:3064|3064]] and [[Reference:3130|3130]] — no bezel or lug decoration in precious metal, a flat rather than domed or engine-turned bezel, and a more modest 29mm case. It represents the lower cost tier Rolex sold alongside its gold and bi-metal Bubblebacks through the same period.


== Production outline ==

The only documented 3348 is dated circa 1940, case no. 154006, retailed through Mappin & Webb. It went to auction at Sotheby's New York on 24 May 2018 (sale N09879, lot 136) against a $5,000–7,000 estimate and did not sell — a genuine market data point worth recording alongside the successful results documented for other Bubbleback references, not every catalogued example finds a buyer at its estimate.


== Movement notes ==

Sotheby's lot description confirms an automatic movement; no caliber number or jewel count is specified in the catalogue text.


== Dial map ==

Silvered dial with painted Arabic numerals and dot hour markers, a subsidiary seconds sub-dial, and an outer minute-division track. The dial carries dual signatures: Rolex as maker and Mappin & Webb as retailer.


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

29mm stainless steel case with a flat bezel — plainer than the domed or engine-turned bezels documented on other Bubbleback references — screw-down case back and crown. Sotheby's lists an associated (non-original) expansion bracelet sold with the watch.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:3064|Bubbleback 3064]] — same generation, bi-metal construction
* [[Reference:3353|Bubbleback 3353]] — same generation, steel, tonneau case
* [[Reference:3725|Bubbleback 3725]] — same generation, documented in multiple metal configurations

See also the [[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].


== Auction record ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sale !! Lot !! Case no. !! Configuration !! Estimate !! Result
|-
| Sotheby's, New York, 24 May 2018 || 136 || 154006 || Stainless steel, silvered dial, retailed by Mappin & Webb, with associated expansion bracelet || USD 5,000–7,000 || Not sold
|}

Only one 3348 has a located auction record, and that lot did not sell — no second case number or dial variant has surfaced to compare it against.

== Sources ==

* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual-chronometer/ref-rolex-3348/lpi "Rolex Retailed By Mappin & Webb: A Rare Stainless Steel Automatic Wristwatch Ref 3348 Case 154006 'Lifesaver Bubbleback'", Sotheby's New York, sale N09879, lot 136, 2018, via CollectorSquare Luxprice Index]
* [https://www.grayandsons.com/w527238-rolex-bubble-back-29mm-3348 "Used Rolex Bubble Back 3348 14k pink gold & stainless steel", Gray & Sons]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-bubbleback-and-why-it-still-matters Anthony Traina, "The Rolex Bubbleback And Why It Still Matters", Hodinkee, 2024]

[[Category:Oyster Perpetual]]