Rolex 2490 Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback "Army Dial"
Oyster Perpetual -> 2490
The 2490 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual from 1945, self-winding, in stainless steel. Antiquorum catalogued its only publicly documented example as an "Army Dial" Rolex — the house's own name for the piece, not an official Rolex term. The dial itself explains the label: black, with a mixed Roman-and-Arabic numeral set (XI and I in Roman at the top, then plain Arabic 8, 7, 5, 4 around the lower half), signed "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" above center and "Self Winding" below, a layout closer to military field-watch convention than the all-Arabic or all-baton dials more typical of the Bubbleback range. The watch also carries center seconds, an "Oyster Patent" crown, and a period stainless steel "petites mailles" bracelet on a deployant clasp, all catalogued together as a single unit rather than head-and-bracelet mismatched at some later point.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 2490 |
| family | Oyster Perpetual (Bubbleback) |
| common name | "Bubbleback"; Antiquorum catalogued its documented example as an "Army Dial" Rolex |
| production | documented example dated 1945 |
| case | tonneau-shaped, stainless steel, water-resistant Oyster case |
| movement | self-winding ("Oyster Perpetual, Self-Winding" per Antiquorum's own lot description) |
| dial (documented) | black, mixed Roman/Arabic numerals (Roman XI, I; Arabic 8, 7, 5, 4), "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" signed above center, "Self Winding" below, center-seconds layout, original hands |
| documented examples | Antiquorum lot 218, Hong Kong, 8 June 2008, case no. 423682 |
Where it sits in the line
"Bubbleback" is a collector nickname for the Oyster Perpetual generation built between 1933 and the mid-1950s around the domed caseback the early automatic rotor required. Most Bubblebacks of this era are round; the 2490 is tonneau-shaped, a case profile more commonly associated with Rolex's manual-wind Prince and Oyster lines of the same period. What keeps the 2490 in the Bubbleback family rather than those manual lines is the movement: Antiquorum's own lot description specifies "Oyster Perpetual, Self-Winding," not a hand-wound caliber. The "bubble" in the nickname refers to the domed caseback the automatic rotor demanded, not strictly to a round outer case — Rolex clearly built at least some tonneau-cased examples around the same self-winding movement generation.
Production outline
Only one 2490 has surfaced with public documentation: case no. 423682, dated 1945 by Antiquorum, sold at the house's Hong Kong sale on 8 June 2008 (lot 218) against a HKD 50,000–65,000 estimate, hammering at HKD 60,000. Antiquorum's own notes for the lot point to comparable examples published in Franca and Guido Mondani's 1908-2008, 100th Anniversary of Rolex (p. 15) — evidence the reference was known to specialist Rolex historians independent of this specific sale, even though no second auction result has turned up alongside it. The lot's condition grading records the case as "good, scratched," the movement as "good, overhaul recommended," and the dial as "good" with original hands — a worn, honestly-graded example rather than a restored or over-polished one.
Movement notes
Antiquorum's lot description states only that the movement is self-winding; no caliber number or jewel count is given, and the movement grading ("good, overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense") indicates the example was sold as-is rather than freshly serviced.
Dial map
The dial is black with a mixed numeral set unusual for the Bubbleback range: Roman numerals at XI and I, Arabic numerals at 8, 7, 5 and 4, and applied luminous batons filling the remaining hour positions. "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" is signed above the coronet logo at center, "Self Winding" below it. The hands are a broad triangular hour hand and a matching baton minute hand, both aged to a warm patina, with a thin red-tipped sweep-adjacent seconds hand run from center — consistent with the center-seconds movement Antiquorum's description specifies.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
The case is tonneau-shaped stainless steel, described by Antiquorum as water-resistant, with an "Oyster Patent" crown — Rolex's period marking for its screw-down waterproof crown system. The bracelet is a stainless steel Rolex "petites mailles" (small-link) design on a deployant clasp, catalogued as part of the same lot rather than a later replacement, and the watch was sold with its original box.
Related references
- Bubbleback 3130 — same generation, round case, self-winding
- Bubbleback 3133 — same generation, round case, self-winding
- Bubbleback 3725 — same generation, documented in multiple metal configurations
See also the Oyster Perpetual family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.
Auction record
| Sale | Lot | Case no. | Configuration | Estimate | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 8 June 2008 | 218 | 423682 | Stainless steel, tonneau-shaped, self-winding, center seconds, "Army Dial," Oyster Patent crown, petites mailles bracelet with deployant clasp, box included | HKD 50,000–65,000 | HKD 60,000 |
The 2490 is thinly documented next to the rest of the Bubbleback range: this is the only publicly traceable example, and no second case number, dial variant, or metal configuration has surfaced to compare it against.
Sources
- "Ref. 2490, 'Army Dial' Rolex, 'Oyster Perpetual, Self-Winding', case No. 423682", lot 218, Hong Kong, Antiquorum, 8 June 2008
- Franca Mondani and Guido Mondani, 1908-2008, 100th Anniversary of Rolex, Mondani Editore, p. 15 (per Antiquorum's lot notes, citing comparable examples)
- Anthony Traina, "The Rolex Bubbleback And Why It Still Matters", Hodinkee, 2024
- Oren Hartov, "Rolex Bubbleback Watches: A Collector's Guide, From 1931 to the 1950s", Robb Report, 2024