Rolex 3134 Bubbleback
Bubbleback → 3134
The 3134 is a 32 mm tonneau Oyster Perpetual from the 1940s and 1950s, fitted with a 9¾-ligne Rolex automatic. Catalogued watches have either subsidiary or centre seconds. Most documented cases are stainless steel; one combines steel with yellow gold. Two documented examples have California dials, though neither source establishes that its dial is original to the watch.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 3134 |
| family | Bubbleback (collector name; never official Rolex usage) |
| documented examples | 1940s to 1957 by auction-catalogue dating; one dealer dates an example to c.1941 |
| case diameter | 32 mm |
| case thickness | about 14 mm |
| case shape | tonneau |
| case construction | three-body / three-part in two catalogues |
| bezel | inclined, smooth |
| crystal | acrylic |
| crown | screw-down |
| movement | 9¾-ligne Rolex automatic; documented descriptions vary by example |
| escapement | lever; described as straight-line in the 2013 catalogue |
| balance | monometallic with a self-compensating Breguet balance spring in 1992; Superbalance in 2013 |
| seconds | subsidiary and centre sweep both documented |
| case materials | stainless steel; stainless steel with yellow gold |
Where it sits in the line
The 3134 belongs to the two-digit-suffixed Oyster Perpetual references 3130 through 3135. The group includes different seconds layouts and case metals. Antiquorum's 1992 and 2013 examples have subsidiary seconds. Exclusive Timepieces lot 227 and the Luxe Auctioneers example have centre seconds; the cited dealer listing does not establish the seconds layout of its c.1941 California-dial watch.
The documented 3134 cases are predominantly steel. The four auction lots comprise three steel watches and one steel-and-yellow-gold watch; a separate dealer-listed example is also steel. No solid-gold 3134 appears in the cited records.
Production outline
Auction catalogues date documented 3134 examples to the 1940s, c.1945, the 1950s and 1957. A dealer dates another example to c.1941. No source states a production start or end for the reference.
These dates are catalogue estimates, not a production window. Exclusive Timepieces dates case 168751 to 1957, while Hodinkee places the end of Bubbleback production in the mid-1950s. The sources do not resolve that difference.
Movement notes
Antiquorum Geneva's 1992 lot 181 describes a self-winding 9¾-ligne movement with 17 jewels, lever escapement, monometallic balance and a self-compensating Breguet balance spring. Exclusive Timepieces lot 227 also gives a 9¾-ligne automatic. Antiquorum's 2013 lot 143 records rhodium plating, a straight-line lever escapement and a Superbalance, but does not state the winding type or jewel count.
No documented lot names a caliber number. The subsidiary-seconds watches are consistent with Cal. 620 or the shock-protected Cal. 635; centre-seconds watches are consistent with Cal. 630 or 645. None of those fitments is confirmed by a movement photograph or catalogue description, so the caliber remains unresolved.
Dial map
The five documented examples fall into four dial configurations.
The matte silver dial with applied luminous Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds appears on Antiquorum's 2013 example, case 104396. Case 168751 has a pink dial with luminous Arabic and squared numerals, an outer minutes track and centre seconds. A black subsidiary-seconds dial appears on the 1992 steel-and-yellow-gold example.
Two documented 3134s have half-Roman, half-Arabic California dials. Luxe Auctioneers dates one to c.1945, and a dealer dates the other to c.1941. Neither source establishes that the dial is original. Hodinkee notes that refinished California dials are common on Bubblebacks. Rolex filed Swiss patent CH221643 for the layout in May 1941; it was issued in June 1942.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
Documented cases measure 32 mm across. Antiquorum's 2013 lot 143 is 14 mm thick; no second source gives thickness. The tonneau case has an inclined smooth bezel, acrylic crystal and screw-down crown.
Antiquorum's 2013 lot 143 calls the case "three body," and Exclusive Timepieces describes case 168751 as "composed of three parts." Both catalogue descriptions identify a three-part case.
Antiquorum's 1992 catalogue describes its steel-and-yellow-gold example as having "hooded fluted lugs," while case 168751 has curved lugs. No photograph of the 1992 watch has been located, so the hooded-lug description remains catalogue evidence rather than a visually confirmed sub-variant.
The side-profile photograph shows a domed caseback, although no auction description uses that term. Antiquorum's 1992 lot and Exclusive Timepieces lot 227 describe automatic movements. Exclusive Timepieces and Luxe Auctioneers catalogue the reference as a Bubbleback.
Bracelets, end links, and clasps
Only one documented example carries a bracelet: case 168751, fitted with a riveted steel Oyster. The bracelet is period-correct for a 1940s steel Bubbleback, but no documentation ties it to original delivery. The Luxe example has an associated leather strap and a Rolex steel tang buckle; the catalogue does not claim either as original delivery.
Case-metal suffixes
Rolex used slash suffixes on Bubbleback references to distinguish case metals. Colin A. White's The Vintage Rolex Field Manual documents the system and gives 1578/7 and 1578/8 as examples.
No cited source confirms a complete suffix-to-metal map for reference 3134. The documented cases are steel and steel with yellow gold; the cited records contain no solid-gold example.
Auction record
| Venue | Date | Lot | Case no. | Material | Dial | Estimate | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antiquorum Geneva #140 | 1992-10-17 | 181 | — | Steel and yellow gold | Black | EUR 15,000–18,000 (Collector Square conversion) | Unsold |
| Antiquorum Geneva #272 | 2013-05-12 | 143 | 104396 | Steel | Matte silver, applied luminous Arabics | CHF 4,000–6,000 | Unsold |
| Exclusive Timepieces | — | 227 | 168751 | Steel | Pink with patina | EUR 6,000–12,000 | EUR 13,650 |
| Luxe Auctioneers | 2026-01-15 | 118 | — | Steel | California | — | USD 3,250 hammer; USD 4,063 total reported by EveryWatch |
Case 168751 sold for EUR 13,650 against a EUR 6,000–12,000 estimate. Luxe Auctioneers reported a USD 3,250 hammer for its California-dial example; EveryWatch reports USD 4,063 including fees. The Luxe catalogue notes dial toning and minor spotting and describes the leather strap as associated.
Both indexed Antiquorum lots were unsold. Four published results across thirty-four years do not establish a market level for the reference.
Related references
- Bubbleback 3131 — 1936–c.1948
- Bubbleback 3132
- Bubbleback 3372
- Bubbleback 3065 — 1937–1950
- Bubbleback 3595 — 1941–1949
- Bubbleback 2940 — 1940–1949
See also the Bubbleback family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.
Sources
- Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva #140 Lot 181 — Rolex ref 3134 steel and yellow gold, black dial, 1940s", Antiquorum, 1992-10-17
- Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva #272 Lot 143 — Rolex ref 3134 steel, matte silver dial, case 104396", Antiquorum, 2013-05-12
- EveryWatch, "Exclusive Timepieces Lot 227 — Rolex ref 3134 Bubbleback steel, pink dial, case 168751", EveryWatch
- Luxe Auctioneers, "Luxe Auctioneers — Rolex ref 3134 steel Bubble Back with California dial, circa 1945", Luxe Auctioneers, 2026-01-15
- Collectors Square, "Collectors Square price index — Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref 3134", Collectors Square
- Robb Report, "Robb Report — A Collector's Guide to Rolex Bubbleback Watches 1931-1950s", Robb Report, current
- Hodinkee, "Everything You Need To Know About The Vintage Rolex Bubbleback", Hodinkee
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
- Caliber Corner, "Caliber Corner — Rolex Caliber 620", Caliber Corner, current
- Matthew Bain Inc, "Matthew Bain Inc — Rolex stainless steel Bubbleback ref 3134 with California dial, circa 1941", Matthew Bain Inc
- Jose Pereztroika, "Dials — California dial patent chronology", Perezcope