Reference:2784: Difference between revisions

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Correct false claim: 6694 is not the last manual-wind Rolex ever made (Cal. 7040 Cellini Prince ran to 2014); see CLAUDE.md 2026-08-23 correction
Correct 2784 auction corpus, Cal. 59 attribution, and Solar Aqua evidence
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 2784 Oyster Junior Sport}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 2784 Oyster Junior Sport}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Junior Sport 2784 — Dial Names, Movement & Auction Record | BezelBase
|title=Rolex Oyster Junior Sport 2784 — Dial Names, Movement & Auction Record | BezelBase
|description=The 2784 is a small manual-wind Oyster of the 1930s and 1940s, catalogued at auction as Junior Sport, Lipton, Viceroy, Raleigh and Centregraph. Dial map, Fontainemelon calibre 59 movement notes, case numbers and the documented auction record.
|description=Rolex reference 2784: manual-wind Oyster auction records, Junior Sport, Lipton, Viceroy, Raleigh and Centregraph names, and the photographed Solar Aqua branch.
|keywords=Rolex, 2784, Oyster, Oyster Junior Sport, Oyster Lipton, Oyster Viceroy, manual wind, reference guide
|image=Ref 2784 hero.webp
|image=Ref 2784 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Oyster Junior Sport ref 2784 with a three-tone dial signed Beyer
|type=article
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


<small>[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]] -> '''2784'''</small>
<small>Oyster → '''2784'''</small>


The 2784 is a small manual-wind Oyster of the 1930s and 1940s, roughly 30mm across a barrel-shaped case, running a 15- or 17-jewel movement with subsidiary seconds. What makes it worth a page is the names on it. The same reference has been catalogued at auction as Oyster Junior Sport, Oyster Lipton, Oyster Viceroy, Oyster Raleigh and Oyster Centregraph. That is one case reference, five dial names, and a corporate history the best available research still leaves unresolved.
The 2784 is a small manual-wind Oyster in a barrel-shaped case, usually catalogued at 30–31mm.
Auction houses have used five names for the reference: Oyster Junior Sport, Oyster Lipton,
Oyster Viceroy, Oyster Raleigh and Oyster Centregraph. A photographed dealer example adds the
unsigned Eaton's Solar Aqua branch.


It is also routinely miscatalogued. The 2784 sits on the community reference lists that circulate as the Bubbleback roster, and marketplace metadata files it under "Oyster Perpetual." Neither survives contact with the auction record. Across the fourteen lots documented at six houses between 2002 and 2026, not one is described as automatic, self-winding or Perpetual, and none has the domed caseback that exists to clear a rotor. Sotheby's puts the watch on the right side of that line in its own catalogue note, filing the Junior Sport among the models collectors call Flatbacks and describing it as the alternative to the Bubbleback for buyers who wanted a slimmer case and lugs without hoods.
Some collector lists and marketplace records classify the 2784 as a Bubbleback or Oyster
Perpetual. Eleven sourced auction appearances from five houses describe manual movements, not
self-winding Perpetual movements. Sotheby's places the Junior Sport among the watches collectors
call Flatbacks. The auction evidence supports a manual Oyster classification without requiring
every example to have the same back profile.


[[File:Ref 2784 hero.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Oyster Junior Sport ref 2784 in stainless steel with a three-tone dial signed Beyer|Rolex Oyster Junior Sport 2784, case 81218, with the three-tone dial double-signed for Beyer of Zurich, the reference's auction-record example.]]
[[File:Ref 2784 hero.webp|thumb|right|340px|alt=Rolex Oyster Junior Sport ref 2784 in stainless steel with a three-tone dial signed Beyer|Rolex Oyster Junior Sport 2784, case 81218, double-signed for Beyer of Zurich]]


==Core facts==
==Core facts==
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|-
|-
| production
| production
| 1930s to mid-1940s; catalogue dates conflict and are unreliable
| no documented range; catalogue estimates for individual watches span circa 1930 to 1945
|-
|-
| case diameter
| case diameter
| 30–31mm; about 39mm lug to lug; about 34mm across the crown
| usually 30–31mm; one Bonhams catalogue gives 34mm
|-
|-
| case shape
| case shape
Line 42: Line 46:
|-
|-
| case construction
| case construction
| two-piece Oyster, screw-down back and screw-down crown
| screw-down back and crown; two-piece construction reported on photographed examples
|-
|-
| case material
| case material
Line 48: Line 52:
|-
|-
| crystal
| crystal
| acrylic
| material not established by the cited auction catalogues
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| Fontainemelon FHF 30, designated Rolex and Tudor calibre 59
| manual, 15 or 17 jewels; FHF 30 / Cal. 59 is a family-level attribution, not confirmed by an original photographed 2784 movement
|-
|-
| jewels
| jewels
Line 62: Line 66:
| two bands, roughly 81,000–93,000 and 126,000–128,000
| two bands, roughly 81,000–93,000 and 126,000–128,000
|-
|-
| inner caseback marks
| photographed inner caseback marks
| "Oyster Watch Co."; RWC LTD sponsor's mark; SAR under a seven-pointed crown
| "Oyster Watch Co." and RWC LTD on the Solar Aqua example; reference 2784 and case number 126474 on the Raleigh
|}
|}


==Where it sits in the line==
==Where it sits in the line==


In the 1930s a Rolex reference number named a case, and the name printed on the dial was a separate marketing decision applied to it. Antiquorum put the principle on the record when it catalogued the Mondani Collection, noting that reference 3116 "was marketed as the Royal, Viceroy, Imperial, Imperial Chronometer and Observatory Chronometer." The 2784 works the same way, which is why a single reference can appear under five names without any of them being wrong.
One early Oyster case reference could carry several marketed names. Antiquorum notes that ref.
3116 appeared as Royal, Viceroy, Imperial, Imperial Chronometer and Observatory Chronometer.
Ref. 2784 shows the same pattern in the auction record.


The "Junior" in Junior Sport is a size class. Against the 32mm Oyster Perpetual of the same period, a 30mm case was the boy's or mid-size option, and the smaller wristwatch was fashionable through the decade. Sotheby's dates the reference's introduction to the early 1930s.
The "Junior" in Junior Sport is a size class. Against the 32mm Oyster Perpetual of the same period, a 30mm case was the boy's or mid-size option, and the smaller wristwatch was fashionable through the decade. Sotheby's dates the reference's introduction to the early 1930s.


Where the 2784 sits is best understood through the company that made the case. The horological researcher David Boettcher, working from Swiss commercial-register extracts, establishes that Montres Huître S.A., trading in English as Oyster Watch Limited, was incorporated in Geneva on 31 August 1928 with Hans Wilsdorf on the first board. That incorporation made Oyster Watch Limited, in his words, "legally a completely separate company from the Rolex Watch Company and not just another sub-brand." It ceased trading on 28 August 1940 and was struck from the register in December 1969. James Dowling's ''Rolex: The Unauthorised History'' is explicit that Oyster Watch Co. products were not intended to compete with Rolex. In modern terms the relationship is closer to Rolex and Tudor than to two badges on one product, which is how a long-standing contributor on the NAWCC board put it in 2003: the Oyster of that era was Rolex's second line.
David Boettcher's work from Swiss commercial-register extracts shows that Montres Huître S.A.,
trading as Oyster Watch Limited, was incorporated in Geneva on 31 August 1928 with Hans Wilsdorf
on its first board. It was legally separate from Rolex Watch Company, ceased trading in 1940 and
was struck from the register in 1969. That corporate separation helps explain why Oyster Watch
Co. and Rolex marks can appear together without making every component Rolex-manufactured.


==Production outline==
==Production outline==
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[[File:Ref 2784 caseback.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Caseback of a Rolex Oyster 2784 stamped with case number 126474 above the reference number 2784|Case 126474 stamped above the reference number, an example from the upper of the two documented case bands.]]
[[File:Ref 2784 caseback.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Caseback of a Rolex Oyster 2784 stamped with case number 126474 above the reference number 2784|Case 126474 stamped above the reference number, an example from the upper of the two documented case bands.]]


Two things make dating the 2784 harder than it looks.
The catalogue estimates do not reconcile with the observed case-number order. Christie's dated
cases 126541 and 127947 to circa 1930, while Sotheby's dated the lower case 92797 to circa 1939.
Documented cases cluster around 81,000–93,000 and 126,000–128,000. The houses assign individual
watches dates from circa 1930 to 1945, but those estimates do not establish a production range.


The catalogue estimates do not reconcile. Christie's dated cases 126541 and 127947 both to circa 1930, while Sotheby's dated the much lower case 92797 to circa 1939. Higher case numbers cannot be nine years earlier. The documented cases fall into two bands, roughly 81,000 to 93,000 and 126,000 to 128,000, and the houses have variously assigned examples across those bands to 1930, 1935, 1936, 1939, 1940, 1941 and 1945. The case-number bands are evidence; the circa dates are guesses, and quoting them as production dates would propagate the error.
Antiquorum gives the steel-and-gold Oyster Raleigh, case 126474, the year 1941 but does not say
 
what anchors that date.
The other complication is that the Rolex R.20 case manual does not list the reference. That sounds significant and is not. A contributor on the NAWCC board who checked it reported that the manual's references "end on ref:1831 - and then jump right to ref:5500 nothing in between." The omission spans the entire band from 1832 to 5499, so it says nothing about the 2784 in particular.
 
One example is dated more tightly than the rest. Antiquorum gives the steel-and-gold Oyster Raleigh, case 126474, a flat 1941 where its other 2784 lots carry a circa reading, though the catalogue does not say what the year rests on.


==Movement notes==
==Movement notes==


The 2784 does not use an Aegler movement, which sets it apart from the Rolex Oysters it resembles. Boettcher examined an Oyster Watch Co. movement directly and identified it: a 10½-ligne FHF 30 from Fontainemelon, running at 18,000 vph with fifteen jewels and a Swiss straight-line lever escapement. The same ébauche was used by Tudor as calibre 59, with an indirect centre-seconds version designated 59(SC) and a Fontainemelon reference of FHF 30-1. That centre-seconds variant is what runs the Centregraph and the other sweep-seconds examples of this reference.
Auction catalogues describe manual movements with 15 or 17 jewels. They do not identify a
 
manufacturer or caliber. David Boettcher identifies the movement used in this Oyster Watch Co.
The "Font 59" and "font 59 caliber" phrases that appear in dealer copy and forum posts are not garbled: "Font" is Fontainemelon, and the movement is the calibre 59.
family as the 10½-ligne Fontainemelon FHF 30, also designated Cal. 59 by Rolex and Tudor, with a
 
centre-seconds version known as 59(SC).
Both 15- and 17-jewel movements appear across documented 2784 lots. Boettcher accounts for the split at the ébauche: Fontainemelon also built the FHF 30 as a 17-jewel variant with end stones on the escape-wheel bearings. What no source explains is which 2784s got which, or whether the choice tracked date, dial type or the centre-seconds version.
 
Boettcher rates the ébauche higher than its reputation. He calls the FHF 30 a good quality basic mass-produced movement, perhaps a little cheaper than an Aegler ébauche because Fontainemelon made them in volume, but similar in quality to Aegler's own fifteen-jewel movements. The example he examined is stamped "unadjusted", a mark applied to lower the import duty on watches sent to America rather than a verdict on the movement. The same NAWCC contributor put it more precisely: the six-position-adjusted chronometer movements of the period never went into an Oyster, and there is "nothing wrong with the Oyster movement."


One authentication detail follows from the construction. Fontainemelon delivered these ébauches unbranded, and the only change Boettcher records on the Tudor version is the name engraved on the bridge during manufacture. The owner of one in the 2003 NAWCC thread described his as completely unsigned, marked only "Swiss made" and "15 Rubies # 59". A blank top plate is normal on this family.
That family attribution is plausible for ref. 2784 but not directly confirmed by the available
movement photography. The only movement image tied to a case visibly stamped 2784 has a
Tudor-signed bridge and may be a replacement. The Centregraph and Raleigh records establish
centre seconds, but their catalogues do not name Cal. 59(SC). Both 15- and 17-jewel movements
remain documented; the reason for the split is unknown.


==Why the Canadian models exist==
==Why the Canadian models exist==
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[[File:Ref 2784 Raleigh dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Oyster Raleigh 2784 in steel and gold with luminous Arabic numerals, inner red 24-hour numerals and centre seconds|An Oyster Raleigh on the 2784 case, dated 1941: luminous Arabic hours, inner red 24-hour numerals and sweep centre seconds from the calibre 59(SC).]]
[[File:Ref 2784 Raleigh dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Oyster Raleigh 2784 in steel and gold with luminous Arabic numerals, inner red 24-hour numerals and centre seconds|An Oyster Raleigh on the 2784 case, dated 1941: luminous Arabic hours, inner red 24-hour numerals and sweep centre seconds from the calibre 59(SC).]]


Oyster-cased watches went to Canada and the wider Commonwealth carrying names like Royalite, Victory, Firefly, Raleigh, Commander, Recorda, Edison, Grenfell, Shipmate, Skyrocket and Standard, and the 2784 is one of the cases they were built on. What share of the reference went that way is not documented. Why the Canadian names exist at all is disputed, and the two best-documented accounts contradict each other.
Oyster-cased watches sold in Canada and the wider Commonwealth carried names including Raleigh,
Commander, Recorda and Shipmate. Ref. 2784 appears under several of these names, but no source
establishes what share of production went to Canada.


The widely repeated explanation is a territorial one. Wilsdorf and the Gruen brothers were both shareholders in Aegler, and the agreement between them divided the world: Gruen sold Aegler-powered watches in the United States, Rolex everywhere else. On this account the Canadian Oysters carry Fontainemelon movements because Aegler movements were unavailable to Rolex in North America.
One account says the Aegler territorial agreement forced Rolex to use Fontainemelon movements in
North America. Boettcher's commercial-register research instead places Canada inside Rolex's
permitted British Empire territory and restricts Gruen to the United States. The published
accounts therefore do not explain why the Canadian-market watches used these movements.


Boettcher's version of the same agreement breaks that logic. He describes Rolex's permitted territory as running "throughout Europe, Asia and the British Empire, which included Australia and Canada," with Gruen restricted to the USA alone. If Canada was inside Rolex's Aegler territory, the Gruen agreement cannot explain why Canadian-market Oysters got FHF movements. Boettcher independently places the Fontainemelon workaround in the United States instead, in the Abercrombie & Fitch venture, where a cheap chrome-plated Oyster case was paired with a Fontainemelon movement.
Claims that Junior Sport was sold only in Canada, through military exchanges, or specifically to
 
departing soldiers come from repeated dealer copy. Analog/Shift supports broader Commonwealth
Neither account addresses the other, and nothing in the published work on Oyster Watch Co. reconciles them. The commercial reason the Canadian models exist has not been established.
distribution and private military purchases, not those ref. 2784-specific claims.
 
The distribution story that surrounds these watches needs the same scepticism. A paragraph asserting that the Junior Sport was sold only in Canada, marketed to soldiers heading overseas and sold through PX stores, circulates nearly verbatim across several dealer sites, and one copy still carries an un-edited reference to a different model. Analog/Shift's survey of Rolex in the Second World War supports only the general pattern, that Oyster-cased models were sold throughout Commonwealth countries and bought by individual servicemen. The specific claims about this reference rest on recycled listing copy.


==The Viceroy and Lipton names==
==The Viceroy and Lipton names==
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[[File:Ref 2784 Viceroy dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Oyster Viceroy 2784 in stainless steel with a two-tone dial marked Extra Prima|Oyster Viceroy on the 2784 case, case 91535. The dial carries the Extra Prima grade marking below the centre.]]
[[File:Ref 2784 Viceroy dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Oyster Viceroy 2784 in stainless steel with a two-tone dial marked Extra Prima|Oyster Viceroy on the 2784 case, case 91535. The dial carries the Extra Prima grade marking below the centre.]]


Both names have an origin story in circulation. One collapses under checking; the other is honestly labelled as a guess by the person who proposed it.
Dealer listings claim that Oyster Viceroy watches were tied to a Viceroy cigarette coupon
promotion. No auction catalogue, book or period advertisement supports that story. Brown &
Williamson's documented pre-war coupon programme used the Raleigh name, while Viceroy also
appears as a Rolex model name on ref. 3116. The tobacco explanation remains unsupported.


The Viceroy story is that Rolex made the watch for a promotion by the Viceroy cigarette brand, redeemable with coupons plus cash at official dealers. It traces to two dealer listings with near-identical wording and appears in no auction catalogue, book or period document. The dates do not settle it. Brown & Williamson introduced Viceroy cigarettes in 1936, and Antiquorum's catalogued Rolex Viceroys are dated too loosely to be measured against that. Two are given only as 1930s, the Mondani Collection's reference 3116 is dated 1940, and two examples of reference 3359 are dated 1943. Chronology leaves the promotion possible. What rules it out is where the name came from. Viceroy is one of Rolex's own model names, sitting on reference 3116 in the same Empire-titled set as Royal and Imperial, and owing nothing to tobacco. The New York Times account of Brown & Williamson adds that the company's pre-war coupon programme ran on Raleigh, not Viceroy, which is probably where the confusion started, since Oyster Raleigh is also a real Rolex dial name.
An NAWCC contributor proposed that Oyster Lipton referred to tea merchant and yachtsman Thomas
 
Lipton, but labelled the idea as a belief. No period document or tea-coupon programme has been
There is a further reason to distrust that listing copy. The same page explains that "Prima simply means first, and this term was common use before Rolex was founded, as was extra Prima, which was used to mean high quality" — a sentence lifted almost word for word from Boettcher, who wrote that "Prima simply means first, and this term was in common use before Rolex was founded, as was extra prima, which was used to mean high quality." Having borrowed the sentence, the listing then attaches Extra Prima to the promotion. Extra Prima is a movement timekeeping grade with nothing to do with any marketing campaign.
found. The origins of both names remain unresolved.
 
The Lipton name is handled more honestly by the person who proposed its origin. On the NAWCC board, a long-standing member offers it explicitly as belief rather than documentation: that the model was named for Sir Thomas Lipton of the tea company, famous for his America's Cup challenges, and that every example he has seen is an Oyster Lipton rather than a Rolex Lipton. A yachtsman is a plausible namesake for a waterproof watch, and it fits the wider Empire-themed naming set. No tea-coupon programme has surfaced in any source.
 
Neither name has a documented origin. Both fit Rolex's habit of titling watches after Empire offices and famous people, and that is as far as the evidence goes.


==Dial map==
==Dial map==
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[[File:Ref 2784 Solar Aqua dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Solar Aqua dial on a Rolex Oyster 2784 carrying neither Rolex nor Oyster signature|The Solar Aqua, the branch that carries neither the Rolex nor the Oyster name: red 13 to 24 numerals inside the luminous Arabic hours and ANTI-MAGNETIC over the seconds register.]]
[[File:Ref 2784 Solar Aqua dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Solar Aqua dial on a Rolex Oyster 2784 carrying neither Rolex nor Oyster signature|The Solar Aqua, the branch that carries neither the Rolex nor the Oyster name: red 13 to 24 numerals inside the luminous Arabic hours and ANTI-MAGNETIC over the seconds register.]]


Twelve distinct dial configurations appear across the documented record, a range Sotheby's treats as characteristic of the period rather than of any one reference.
Auction records and secondary listings describe thirteen dial configurations. The first nine rows
below have auction support; the remaining four rely on dealer or photographed secondary evidence.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 167: Line 181:
|-
|-
| Cream two-tone, applied gold Arabic
| Cream two-tone, applied gold Arabic
| Railway minute track, sub-seconds at 6; the only applied-numeral example found, all others printed
| Railway minute track, sub-seconds at 6
| Artcurial 2009 (case 93816, catalogued 2784B)
| Artcurial 2009 (case 93816, catalogued 2784B)
|-
|-
Line 173: Line 187:
| Inner red 24-hour chapter ring and sweep centre seconds
| Inner red 24-hour chapter ring and sweep centre seconds
| Christie's 2003
| Christie's 2003
|-
| Oyster Raleigh
| Luminous Arabic hours, inner red 13–24 numerals, centre seconds
| Antiquorum 2026 (case 126474)
|-
|-
| 24-hour military
| 24-hour military
Line 193: Line 211:
Two of these deserve separating out.
Two of these deserve separating out.


The Centregraph is a genuinely different watch on the same case. Christie's catalogued one with 17 jewels, an inner red 24-hour chapter ring and sweep centre seconds, which means the calibre 59(SC) centre-seconds variant rather than the sub-seconds base. It should not be confused with the 24-hour military dial, where the red track sits on the outside and the seconds stay in a subsidiary register.
The Centregraph is mechanically different from the subsidiary-seconds watches. Christie's
catalogued one with 17 jewels, an inner red 24-hour chapter ring and sweep centre seconds. That
layout is consistent with the Cal. 59(SC) family attribution, but Christie's does not name the caliber.


The Solar Aqua is the loosest attribution on the list. Analog/Shift records that the Solar Aqua and the King of Wings, both sold through Eaton's in Canada, "weren't signed 'Rolex' or 'Oyster' on the dial at all", and an unsigned dial is what would separate a distinct variant from a retailer stamp on a standard watch. Analog/Shift attaches no reference number to either name, and the one Solar Aqua in Antiquorum's catalogue sits on reference 1069. Whether a 2784 was ever sold under the name is not established by anything in the auction record.
The Solar Aqua does not appear in the ref. 2784 auction record. A Yorktime listing supplies direct
photographic evidence: its unsigned Solar Aqua dial is paired with an inner caseback visibly stamped
2784. The same watch has a Tudor-signed movement bridge, which may be a service replacement and is
not used here to establish original movement branding.


One label should not be carried across: a dealer description of an ordinary 3-6-9 luminous Arabic dial as an "Explorer dial" imports terminology from a reference two decades later. It is the standard silvered luminous Arabic configuration.
One label should not be carried across: a dealer description of an ordinary 3-6-9 luminous Arabic dial as an "Explorer dial" imports terminology from a reference two decades later. It is the standard silvered luminous Arabic configuration.
Line 207: Line 230:
[[File:Ref 2784 Raleigh profile.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Three-quarter view of a steel and gold Rolex Oyster 2784|The same case in steel and gold, the only confirmed departure from plain stainless steel — a plated example has been claimed but not verified, see Case notes.]]
[[File:Ref 2784 Raleigh profile.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Three-quarter view of a steel and gold Rolex Oyster 2784|The same case in steel and gold, the only confirmed departure from plain stainless steel — a plated example has been claimed but not verified, see Case notes.]]


A two-piece Oyster case with a screw-down back and a screw-down "Oyster Patent" crown, barrel-shaped, in stainless steel. The recorded diameters run 30mm, 30.2mm, 31mm and 34mm. Christie's, Antiquorum and Artcurial all give 30mm, Sotheby's gives 31mm, and Bonhams alone gives 34mm. A 34mm reading is what this case measures across the crown rather than across the bezel, which is the likeliest explanation for the outlier, though Bonhams does not say what it measured. The true case is about 30–31mm, roughly 39mm lug to lug, and the residual 30-versus-31 disagreement is measurement slop between houses rather than two case sizes.
The catalogued cases are barrel-shaped with screw-down backs and crowns. Christie's, Antiquorum
and Artcurial give 30mm, Sotheby's gives 31mm, and Bonhams gives 34mm. Bonhams does not state how
it measured the case, so the 34mm figure remains an outlier rather than proof of another case size.


Bezels are described as plain or bevelled. One dealer reports a rarer rounded convex bezel, a single unsupported sighting.
Auction catalogues describe plain and bevelled bezels. No production sequence has been established.


The inner caseback carries the marks that cause the most confusion. "Oyster Watch Co." appears inside these cases, as does an incuse RWC LTD mark within an oval. That second mark is a British sponsor's mark for the Rolex Watch Company Limited, and Boettcher is explicit that it "is not an absolute identifier of a Rolex watch" — it records who submitted the case for assay, not who built the watch. The SAR mark under a seven-pointed crown, often assumed to abbreviate a Rolex company name, is more likely a case-maker's mark associated with Robert Meylan, who made most Oyster Watch Co. cases; Boettcher hedges this himself, saying it "may have been" registered by that company.
The photographed Solar Aqua inner back carries Oyster Watch Co., an RWC LTD oval and the reference
2784. Boettcher identifies RWC LTD as a British sponsor's mark, not absolute proof that Rolex made
the case. His broader Oyster Watch Co. research discusses an SAR mark under a seven-pointed crown,
but that mark is not visible on either ref. 2784 caseback image used here.


Whether a Rolex-dialled watch in an Oyster Watch Co. case counts as a Rolex is unsettled even in the best available research. Boettcher records at least three examples of one reference, 2416, with Rolex Oyster dials and Oyster Watch Co. casebacks, identified from separate sources, and concludes that further research is needed.
Boettcher records other references with Rolex Oyster dials and Oyster Watch Co. casebacks. He
does not treat the combined marks as a settled guide to who manufactured each component.


==Bracelets and straps==
==Bracelets and straps==


Nothing systematic survives. One example wears a Bonklip, the standard British utility bracelet of the period; others come on later leather straps. At least one Christie's example retained its presentation box. A bracelet on a watch of this age dates itself and nothing else.
One example wears a Bonklip; others appear on leather straps. Christie's records a presentation
box with case 127947. No bracelet or strap has been established as original delivery.


==Auction record==
==Auction record==


Fourteen documented lots across six houses, 2002 to 2026. Thirteen are listed below with their sale dates. The fourteenth is Christie's sale 5650, lot 15, an Oyster Junior Sport with case 127947 sold with its presentation box, whose lot record carries no sale date.
Eleven sourced auction appearances across five houses are known. Ten have sale dates and appear
below. The eleventh is Christie's sale 5650, lot 15, an Oyster Junior Sport with case 127947 and
a presentation box; the surviving lot page gives no sale date or result.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 245: Line 277:
| Christie's 1218, New York
| Christie's 1218, New York
| 5 Jun 2003
| 5 Jun 2003
| Oyster Centregraph (lot of two)
| Oyster Centregraph (lot of two watches)
| —
| —
| USD 1,912
| USD 1,912 for the lot
|-
|-
| Sotheby's, Hong Kong HK0218
| Sotheby's, Hong Kong HK0218
Line 257: Line 289:
| Christie's 5862, London
| Christie's 5862, London
| 11 Dec 2005
| 11 Dec 2005
| Oyster Junior Sport (lot of two)
| Oyster Junior Sport (lot of two watches)
| 126541
| 126541
| GBP 420
| GBP 420 for the lot
|-
|-
| Artcurial 1727, Monte-Carlo
| Artcurial 1727, Monte-Carlo
Line 278: Line 310:
| 81218
| 81218
| CHF 6,875
| CHF 6,875
|-
| Miller & Miller
| 10 Apr 2026
| Junior Sport and two unnamed
| —
| USD 1,547 / 602 / 430
|-
|-
| Antiquorum
| Antiquorum
Line 289: Line 315:
| Oyster Viceroy
| Oyster Viceroy
| 91535
| 91535
| CHF 3,500
| USD 4,504
|-
|-
| Antiquorum, Monaco
| Antiquorum, Monaco
Line 298: Line 324:
|}
|}


The highest documented result is the Beyer-retailed three-tone dial at Antiquorum in November 2024, CHF 6,875 against a CHF 2,000–4,000 estimate, seventy-two percent over the top estimate. Retailer signature and an unusual dial together explain the gap; ordinary examples trade in the low hundreds to low thousands.
The highest individual-watch result in the sourced record is CHF 6,875 for the Beyer-retailed
three-tone watch at Antiquorum in November 2024, against a CHF 2,000–4,000 estimate. The two
Christie's totals belong to two-watch lots and cannot be assigned to ref. 2784 alone.


Two entries in this table need reading carefully, because both are two-watch lots and both have been misread. The Christie's 2005 lot pairs a 2784 Junior Sport with a separate plated Rolex Viceroy — the Viceroy there is the companion watch, not the 2784, and citing that lot as evidence the 2784 carried the Viceroy name is an error. The Antiquorum lot of May 2026 is the sound basis for that claim. The Christie's 2003 lot runs the other way: the 2784 is the first watch, the Centregraph with centre seconds, and the companion is a Rolex Sky-Rocket.
The Christie's 2005 lot pairs a 2784 Junior Sport with a separate plated Rolex Viceroy. The
Viceroy is the companion watch, not the 2784; Antiquorum's May 2026 watch is the sound evidence
for the Viceroy name on this reference. In the 2003 Christie's lot, the 2784 is the Centregraph
and the companion is a Rolex Sky-Rocket.


== Related references ==
== Related references ==
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* [[Reference:3009|Oyster Chronometre Scientific 3009]] — manual-wind Oyster of the same era
* [[Reference:3009|Oyster Chronometre Scientific 3009]] — manual-wind Oyster of the same era
* [[Reference:3003|Oyster Precision 3003]]
* [[Reference:3003|Oyster Precision 3003]]
* Oyster Precision 6694 — later manual-wind Precision, same family
* [[Reference:6694|Oyster Precision 6694]] — later manual-wind Precision


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]].
See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|early Oyster and Bubbleback index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
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* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-2784-oyster-junior-sport-lot-372-106 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva, Lot 372-106 — Rolex ref. 2784 Oyster Junior Sport, retailed by Beyer, case 81218", Antiquorum, 2024-11-09]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-2784-oyster-junior-sport-lot-372-106 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva, Lot 372-106 — Rolex ref. 2784 Oyster Junior Sport, retailed by Beyer, case 81218", Antiquorum, 2024-11-09]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/2784/watch-32581633 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum, Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces, Lot 182 — Rolex ref. 2784 Oyster Viceroy, two-tone dial, stainless steel", Antiquorum, 2026-05-09]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/2784/watch-32581633 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum, Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces, Lot 182 — Rolex ref. 2784 Oyster Viceroy, two-tone dial, stainless steel", Antiquorum, 2026-05-09]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-2784-oyster-raleigh-stainless-steel-and-gold-lot-388-115 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Monaco, Lot 388-115 — Rolex ref. 2784 Oyster Raleigh, stainless steel and gold, case 126474, dated 1941", Antiquorum, 2026-06-28]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-1022773 Christie's, "Christie's sale 5650, Lot 15 — Rolex Oyster Junior Sport, No. 2784, case 127947, circa 1930, with presentation box", Christie's]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/fine-watches-8/oyster-junior-sport-reference-2784-montre-bracelet Sotheby's, "Sotheby's Fine Watches 8 — Oyster Junior Sport, reference 2784, case 92797", Sotheby's, 2023-01-01]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/fine-watches-8/oyster-junior-sport-reference-2784-montre-bracelet Sotheby's, "Sotheby's Fine Watches 8 — Oyster Junior Sport, reference 2784, case 92797", Sotheby's, 2023-01-01]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster/ref-rolex-2784/lpi Christie's, "Christie's sale 5862, London South Kensington, Lot 147 — Oyster Junior Sport, case 126541, ref 2784 (lot of two)", Christie's, 2005-12-11]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster/ref-rolex-2784/lpi Christie's, "Christie's sale 5862, London South Kensington, Lot 147 — Oyster Junior Sport, case 126541, ref 2784 (lot of two)", Christie's, 2005-12-11]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster/ref-rolex-2784/lpi Christie's, "Christie's sale 1218, New York, Lot 125 — Oyster, Centregraph, Ref. 2784, circa 1945 (lot of two)", Christie's, 2003-06-05]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster/ref-rolex-2784/lpi Christie's, "Christie's sale 1218, New York, Lot 125 — Oyster, Centregraph, Ref. 2784, circa 1945 (lot of two)", Christie's, 2003-06-05]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster/ref-rolex-2784/lpi Artcurial, "Artcurial sale 1727, Monte-Carlo, Lot 844 — Oyster Lipton ref 2784B, case 93816, circa 1936", Artcurial, 2009-07-28]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster/ref-rolex-2784/lpi Artcurial, "Artcurial sale 1727, Monte-Carlo, Lot 844 — Oyster Lipton ref 2784B, case 93816, circa 1936", Artcurial, 2009-07-28]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster/ref-rolex-2784/lpi Collector Square, "Rolex Oyster reference 2784 auction index", Collector Square]
* [https://www.yorktime.com/shop/solar-aqua-by-rolex-watch-company/ Yorktime Watches, "Solar Aqua by Rolex Watch Company, ref. 2784", Yorktime Watches]
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/blogoysterwatchco.php David Boettcher, "Oyster Watch Co. — vintagewatchstraps.com", vintagewatchstraps.com, 2026-03-31]
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/blogoysterwatchco.php David Boettcher, "Oyster Watch Co. — vintagewatchstraps.com", vintagewatchstraps.com, 2026-03-31]
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/myrolexpage.php David Boettcher, "My Rolex Page — vintagewatchstraps.com", vintagewatchstraps.com, 2026-03-31]
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/myrolexpage.php David Boettcher, "My Rolex Page — vintagewatchstraps.com", vintagewatchstraps.com, 2026-03-31]
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* [https://www.analogshift.com/blogs/transmissions/rolex-watches-of-world-war-ii Analog/Shift, "Rolex Watches of World War II", Analog/Shift, 2020-01-01]
* [https://www.analogshift.com/blogs/transmissions/rolex-watches-of-world-war-ii Analog/Shift, "Rolex Watches of World War II", Analog/Shift, 2020-01-01]
* [https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/lipton-oyster-rolex-watch.11082/ NAWCC members including Jeffrey P. Hess and Doug S., "Lipton Oyster — Rolex Watch? (NAWCC Message Board)", NAWCC, 2007-01-01]
* [https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/lipton-oyster-rolex-watch.11082/ NAWCC members including Jeffrey P. Hess and Doug S., "Lipton Oyster — Rolex Watch? (NAWCC Message Board)", NAWCC, 2007-01-01]
* [https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/rolex-oyster-case-2784-canadian.66214/ NAWCC members, "rolex oyster case 2784 canadian (NAWCC Message Board)", NAWCC, 2011-01-01]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viceroy_(cigarette) various, "Viceroy cigarette brand launch date — used to date-check the Rolex Oyster Viceroy naming claim", Wikipedia / Stanford SRITA tobacco advertising archive / The New York Times, 1967-01-01]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viceroy_(cigarette) various, "Viceroy cigarette brand launch date — used to date-check the Rolex Oyster Viceroy naming claim", Wikipedia / Stanford SRITA tobacco advertising archive / The New York Times, 1967-01-01]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-2784-oyster-raleigh-stainless-steel-and-gold-lot-388-115 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Monaco, Lot 388-115 — Rolex ref. 2784 Oyster Raleigh, stainless steel and gold, case 126474, dated 1941", Antiquorum, 2026-06-28]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-1022773 Christie's, "Christie's sale 5650, Lot 15 — Rolex Oyster Junior Sport, No. 2784, case 127947, circa 1930, with presentation box", Christie's]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-7 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva, The Mondani Collection, Lot 7 — Rolex ref. 3116 'Royal', case 148000, made 1940", Antiquorum, 2006-05-14]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-7 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva, The Mondani Collection, Lot 7 — Rolex ref. 3116 'Royal', case 148000, made 1940", Antiquorum, 2006-05-14]
[[Category:Oyster]]
[[Category:Oyster]]

Revision as of 22:58, 23 August 2026


Oyster → 2784

The 2784 is a small manual-wind Oyster in a barrel-shaped case, usually catalogued at 30–31mm. Auction houses have used five names for the reference: Oyster Junior Sport, Oyster Lipton, Oyster Viceroy, Oyster Raleigh and Oyster Centregraph. A photographed dealer example adds the unsigned Eaton's Solar Aqua branch.

Some collector lists and marketplace records classify the 2784 as a Bubbleback or Oyster Perpetual. Eleven sourced auction appearances from five houses describe manual movements, not self-winding Perpetual movements. Sotheby's places the Junior Sport among the watches collectors call Flatbacks. The auction evidence supports a manual Oyster classification without requiring every example to have the same back profile.

Rolex Oyster Junior Sport ref 2784 in stainless steel with a three-tone dial signed Beyer
Rolex Oyster Junior Sport 2784, case 81218, double-signed for Beyer of Zurich

Core facts

detail value
reference 2784
model designations Oyster Junior Sport, Oyster Lipton (catalogued once as 2784B), Oyster Viceroy, Oyster Raleigh, Oyster Centregraph
production no documented range; catalogue estimates for individual watches span circa 1930 to 1945
case diameter usually 30–31mm; one Bonhams catalogue gives 34mm
case shape barrel / tonneau
case construction screw-down back and crown; two-piece construction reported on photographed examples
case material stainless steel; two-tone steel and gold documented (no plated example confirmed — see Case notes)
crystal material not established by the cited auction catalogues
movement manual, 15 or 17 jewels; FHF 30 / Cal. 59 is a family-level attribution, not confirmed by an original photographed 2784 movement
jewels 15 or 17
seconds subsidiary seconds at 6; centre seconds on the Centregraph and some others
case numbers two bands, roughly 81,000–93,000 and 126,000–128,000
photographed inner caseback marks "Oyster Watch Co." and RWC LTD on the Solar Aqua example; reference 2784 and case number 126474 on the Raleigh

Where it sits in the line

One early Oyster case reference could carry several marketed names. Antiquorum notes that ref. 3116 appeared as Royal, Viceroy, Imperial, Imperial Chronometer and Observatory Chronometer. Ref. 2784 shows the same pattern in the auction record.

The "Junior" in Junior Sport is a size class. Against the 32mm Oyster Perpetual of the same period, a 30mm case was the boy's or mid-size option, and the smaller wristwatch was fashionable through the decade. Sotheby's dates the reference's introduction to the early 1930s.

David Boettcher's work from Swiss commercial-register extracts shows that Montres Huître S.A., trading as Oyster Watch Limited, was incorporated in Geneva on 31 August 1928 with Hans Wilsdorf on its first board. It was legally separate from Rolex Watch Company, ceased trading in 1940 and was struck from the register in 1969. That corporate separation helps explain why Oyster Watch Co. and Rolex marks can appear together without making every component Rolex-manufactured.

Production outline

Caseback of a Rolex Oyster 2784 stamped with case number 126474 above the reference number 2784
Case 126474 stamped above the reference number, an example from the upper of the two documented case bands.

The catalogue estimates do not reconcile with the observed case-number order. Christie's dated cases 126541 and 127947 to circa 1930, while Sotheby's dated the lower case 92797 to circa 1939. Documented cases cluster around 81,000–93,000 and 126,000–128,000. The houses assign individual watches dates from circa 1930 to 1945, but those estimates do not establish a production range.

Antiquorum gives the steel-and-gold Oyster Raleigh, case 126474, the year 1941 but does not say what anchors that date.

Movement notes

Auction catalogues describe manual movements with 15 or 17 jewels. They do not identify a manufacturer or caliber. David Boettcher identifies the movement used in this Oyster Watch Co. family as the 10½-ligne Fontainemelon FHF 30, also designated Cal. 59 by Rolex and Tudor, with a centre-seconds version known as 59(SC).

That family attribution is plausible for ref. 2784 but not directly confirmed by the available movement photography. The only movement image tied to a case visibly stamped 2784 has a Tudor-signed bridge and may be a replacement. The Centregraph and Raleigh records establish centre seconds, but their catalogues do not name Cal. 59(SC). Both 15- and 17-jewel movements remain documented; the reason for the split is unknown.

Why the Canadian models exist

Rolex Oyster Raleigh 2784 in steel and gold with luminous Arabic numerals, inner red 24-hour numerals and centre seconds
An Oyster Raleigh on the 2784 case, dated 1941: luminous Arabic hours, inner red 24-hour numerals and sweep centre seconds from the calibre 59(SC).

Oyster-cased watches sold in Canada and the wider Commonwealth carried names including Raleigh, Commander, Recorda and Shipmate. Ref. 2784 appears under several of these names, but no source establishes what share of production went to Canada.

One account says the Aegler territorial agreement forced Rolex to use Fontainemelon movements in North America. Boettcher's commercial-register research instead places Canada inside Rolex's permitted British Empire territory and restricts Gruen to the United States. The published accounts therefore do not explain why the Canadian-market watches used these movements.

Claims that Junior Sport was sold only in Canada, through military exchanges, or specifically to departing soldiers come from repeated dealer copy. Analog/Shift supports broader Commonwealth distribution and private military purchases, not those ref. 2784-specific claims.

The Viceroy and Lipton names

Rolex Oyster Viceroy 2784 in stainless steel with a two-tone dial marked Extra Prima
Oyster Viceroy on the 2784 case, case 91535. The dial carries the Extra Prima grade marking below the centre.

Dealer listings claim that Oyster Viceroy watches were tied to a Viceroy cigarette coupon promotion. No auction catalogue, book or period advertisement supports that story. Brown & Williamson's documented pre-war coupon programme used the Raleigh name, while Viceroy also appears as a Rolex model name on ref. 3116. The tobacco explanation remains unsupported.

An NAWCC contributor proposed that Oyster Lipton referred to tea merchant and yachtsman Thomas Lipton, but labelled the idea as a belief. No period document or tea-coupon programme has been found. The origins of both names remain unresolved.

Dial map

Close view of the three-tone dial on a Rolex Oyster Junior Sport 2784 signed Beyer
The three-tone dial: a cream centre, a brown chapter ring and printed Arabic numerals at 3, 9 and 12, with the Beyer retailer signature under the model name.
Rolex Oyster Junior Sport 2784 in steel with a two-tone champagne crisscross dial
The two-tone champagne crisscross dial, case 92797, its sectors meeting in a cross through the centre.
Solar Aqua dial on a Rolex Oyster 2784 carrying neither Rolex nor Oyster signature
The Solar Aqua, the branch that carries neither the Rolex nor the Oyster name: red 13 to 24 numerals inside the luminous Arabic hours and ANTI-MAGNETIC over the seconds register.

Auction records and secondary listings describe thirteen dial configurations. The first nine rows below have auction support; the remaining four rely on dealer or photographed secondary evidence.

Dial Description Documented by
Silvered, luminous Arabic Subsidiary seconds, blued skeletonised hands; the commonest type Christie's 2005 (case 126541)
White, Arabic Subsidiary seconds, luminous hands Christie's lot 1022773 (case 127947)
Off-white Arabic Blued and luminous hands, bevel bezel Bonhams 2003
Two-tone champagne "crisscross" Textured two-tone ground Sotheby's 2023 (case 92797)
Three-tone, Beyer-retailed The reference's highest documented result; the only retailer signature among documented lots Antiquorum 2024 (case 81218)
Two-tone cream, Viceroy Antiquorum 2026 (case 91535)
Cream two-tone, applied gold Arabic Railway minute track, sub-seconds at 6 Artcurial 2009 (case 93816, catalogued 2784B)
Silvered matte, Centregraph Inner red 24-hour chapter ring and sweep centre seconds Christie's 2003
Oyster Raleigh Luminous Arabic hours, inner red 13–24 numerals, centre seconds Antiquorum 2026 (case 126474)
24-hour military Outer red 24-hour track, large radium Arabic numerals, sub-seconds Canadian dealer examples
Black, "Extra Prima" printed Sub-seconds Case 88xxx
Tropicalised Faded and patinated variants of the above Dealer examples
Solar Aqua Carries no Rolex or Oyster dial signature at all Eaton's private label

Two of these deserve separating out.

The Centregraph is mechanically different from the subsidiary-seconds watches. Christie's catalogued one with 17 jewels, an inner red 24-hour chapter ring and sweep centre seconds. That layout is consistent with the Cal. 59(SC) family attribution, but Christie's does not name the caliber.

The Solar Aqua does not appear in the ref. 2784 auction record. A Yorktime listing supplies direct photographic evidence: its unsigned Solar Aqua dial is paired with an inner caseback visibly stamped 2784. The same watch has a Tudor-signed movement bridge, which may be a service replacement and is not used here to establish original movement branding.

One label should not be carried across: a dealer description of an ordinary 3-6-9 luminous Arabic dial as an "Explorer dial" imports terminology from a reference two decades later. It is the standard silvered luminous Arabic configuration.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Three-quarter view of a stainless steel Rolex Oyster Junior Sport 2784 showing the barrel case and screw-down crown
The barrel case from three-quarters, showing the screw-down crown that gives the 34mm across-the-crown figure some catalogues quote as a diameter.
Inner caseback of a Rolex Oyster 2784 stamped Oyster Watch Co, Geneva-Swiss, with the RWC Ltd oval and the reference number
The marks that cause the confusion, on one caseback: "Oyster Watch Co / GENEVA-SWISS / PATENTED IN ALL COUNTRIES", the R.W.C. LTD oval, and 2784 below it.
Three-quarter view of a steel and gold Rolex Oyster 2784
The same case in steel and gold, the only confirmed departure from plain stainless steel — a plated example has been claimed but not verified, see Case notes.

The catalogued cases are barrel-shaped with screw-down backs and crowns. Christie's, Antiquorum and Artcurial give 30mm, Sotheby's gives 31mm, and Bonhams gives 34mm. Bonhams does not state how it measured the case, so the 34mm figure remains an outlier rather than proof of another case size.

Auction catalogues describe plain and bevelled bezels. No production sequence has been established.

The photographed Solar Aqua inner back carries Oyster Watch Co., an RWC LTD oval and the reference 2784. Boettcher identifies RWC LTD as a British sponsor's mark, not absolute proof that Rolex made the case. His broader Oyster Watch Co. research discusses an SAR mark under a seven-pointed crown, but that mark is not visible on either ref. 2784 caseback image used here.

Boettcher records other references with Rolex Oyster dials and Oyster Watch Co. casebacks. He does not treat the combined marks as a settled guide to who manufactured each component.

Bracelets and straps

One example wears a Bonklip; others appear on leather straps. Christie's records a presentation box with case 127947. No bracelet or strap has been established as original delivery.

Auction record

Eleven sourced auction appearances across five houses are known. Ten have sale dates and appear below. The eleventh is Christie's sale 5650, lot 15, an Oyster Junior Sport with case 127947 and a presentation box; the surviving lot page gives no sale date or result.

Sale Date Name Case Result
Sotheby's, Hong Kong HK0186 7 May 2002 Oyster Junior Sport — HKD 6,490
Bonhams 10396 2 Dec 2003 unnamed — GBP 211
Christie's 1218, New York 5 Jun 2003 Oyster Centregraph (lot of two watches) — USD 1,912 for the lot
Sotheby's, Hong Kong HK0218 3 May 2005 Oyster Junior Sport — not sold
Christie's 5862, London 11 Dec 2005 Oyster Junior Sport (lot of two watches) 126541 GBP 420 for the lot
Artcurial 1727, Monte-Carlo 28 Jul 2009 Oyster Lipton, catalogued 2784B 93816 not sold
Sotheby's, Fine Watches 8 2023 Oyster Junior Sport 92797 —
Antiquorum, Geneva 9 Nov 2024 Oyster Junior Sport, retailed by Beyer 81218 CHF 6,875
Antiquorum 9 May 2026 Oyster Viceroy 91535 USD 4,504
Antiquorum, Monaco 28 Jun 2026 Oyster Raleigh, steel and gold 126474 est. EUR 2,000–4,000

The highest individual-watch result in the sourced record is CHF 6,875 for the Beyer-retailed three-tone watch at Antiquorum in November 2024, against a CHF 2,000–4,000 estimate. The two Christie's totals belong to two-watch lots and cannot be assigned to ref. 2784 alone.

The Christie's 2005 lot pairs a 2784 Junior Sport with a separate plated Rolex Viceroy. The Viceroy is the companion watch, not the 2784; Antiquorum's May 2026 watch is the sound evidence for the Viceroy name on this reference. In the 2003 Christie's lot, the 2784 is the Centregraph and the companion is a Rolex Sky-Rocket.

Related references

See also the early Oyster and Bubbleback index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

Sources

Retrieved from "https://bezelbase.org/index.php?title=Reference:2784&oldid=7851"