Reference:1343

Prince -> 1343

The 1343 is the unflared Rolex Prince Classic — the straight-sided rectangular case that anchors every other Prince article on this site. It launches in the late 1920s alongside the 971 Brancard, runs roughly until 1935, and survives in silver, 9ct gold, 14K white gold, stainless steel, and the two-colour 1343B "Tiger Stripe" variant. Friedberg's foundational 2001 TimeZone taxonomy locks in the case-shape rule that holds across the family: Classic 1343 with parallel sides, Brancard 971 with the flared waist. Almost every Prince article on bezelbase reaches back to the 1343 to set up that distinction.

Inside that taxonomy lives a contradiction worth stating. Friedberg, Beckertime, and the Dutch rolexencyclopedie.nl canon all treat 1343 + 971 as the 1928 launch pair. Everest Bands (Vincent Deschamps, December 2023) and Rolex Magazine (Jake Ehrlich, May 2017) instead pair 1343 with 1490 — the larger, longer-produced Brancard that overlaps with then succeeds 971. Both readings are on the public record. The cleanest reconciliation is that 971 was the original Brancard and 1490 the longer-produced sibling; modern editorial that drops 971 conflates "first" with "most encountered." The 1343 sits opposite both of them as the Classic.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	1343 (suffix variants 1343A, 1343B)
family	Prince
common name	Prince Classic
production	c.1928 / 1929 to c.1935 (Bonhams 24632 catalogue text: "introduced 1929, continued until 1935"); Friedberg dates the launch to 1928
case shape	rectangular Art Deco, unflared (parallel-sided) — the distinguishing tell from the Brancard's flared waist
case dimensions	20 × 35 mm (1343B Tiger Stripe per Bonhams) or 20 × 39–40 mm (silver / stainless / white gold per Heritage, Mondani, Watches To Buy, Bonhams 16896)
metals	sterling silver, 9ct yellow gold, 14K white gold, 18K two-colour gold (1343B Tiger Stripe), stainless steel ("Rolesium" per Mondani catalogue text)
crystal	chrome-bezel mineral glass (period-correct); replacement glass common
crown	period winding crown (no Twinlock; Twinlock arrives in the 1950s on the Oyster sport line)
movement	Aegler 7½ ligne shaped caliber, manual wind, 15 jewels, Extra Prima / Observatory Quality, adjusted to 6 positions (rare 7-position examples documented)
caseback	snap-on, polished, often hallmark-engraved per market (Glasgow 1929, London assay marks, US import marks)
predecessor / sister	launches alongside the 971 Brancard (Friedberg / Beckertime) or alongside the 1490 Brancard (Everest Bands / Rolex Magazine 2017) — see launch-pair contradiction below
successor	Classic lineage continues through the 1862 (also unflared); the 1490 Brancard runs in parallel through c.1944

Where it sits in the line

Rolex enters the rectangular Prince market in the late 1920s with two distinct case architectures. The Brancard — French for stretcher, named for its flared, waisted profile — runs as 971 from 1928–29 onward, with the larger 1490 picking up the line into the 1930s and 1940s. The Classic runs in parallel as 1343, with the 1862 succeeding it later in the Classic lineage. Friedberg's Rolex's Charming Prince essay (TimeZone, 23 January 2001) is the foundational English-language taxonomy, and the case-flare distinction (waisted versus parallel-sided) is the visual rule Friedberg uses to anchor every other Prince case.

The 1343 carries Rolex's first Prince architecture — the smaller, more reserved Classic envelope — and the same Aegler shaped-caliber that powers the rest of the early Prince line. Production overlaps with the 971 Brancard (both running 1928–29 through the early 1930s), and pre-dates the longer-faced 1490 Brancard, the stepped Railway 1527 (1935), and the centre-seconds Aerodynamic 3361 (1939 Zurich exhibition). The 1862 Classic and the 3937 late Brancard close the family.

The 1343 is the reference Friedberg uses to define what "Classic" means at all. Without the 1343, the published bezelbase corpus rests its Classic lineage on the 1862 alone — which is why every published Prince article cross-references back to the 1343 launch reference even before this article existed.

Production outline

The launch year is contested. Friedberg, Beckertime, and most modern editorial put the 1343 at the 1928 launch alongside the 971. Bonhams's catalogue text on the 1343B Tiger Stripe (sale 24632, December 2018) reads instead "the Prince model was introduced by Rolex in 1929 and continued until 1935." Both years are defensible: a 1928 Swiss launch with first-British-import Glasgow assay marks dated 1929 fits the documented examples. Treat 1928–29 as the launch window rather than picking one year.

The end-year reading is firmer. The Bonhams catalogue text places production through 1935. The Bucherer-signed 14K white gold 1343A at Gardiner Houlgate (lot 45, 23 May 2018) is dated c.1935 and is the latest 1343 surfaced in the auction record. No 1343 dated post-1938 has surfaced at major auction. The 1490 Brancard runs significantly later — into the early 1940s — but the 1343 Classic appears to wind down at roughly the same time the 1862 Classic is taking over.

Total production output is not published by Rolex for any Prince reference. The 1343 surfaces less frequently at major auction than the 1490 Brancard but more frequently than the 1527 Railway or the 3361 Aerodynamic. The Mondani Collection Antiquorum sale (14 May 2006, lot 794) is the canonical primary catalogue and the highest-watermark Antiquorum lot in the documented record at hammer CHF 10,620 against estimate CHF 10,000–14,000.

The suffix system matters. Catalogue text across Bonhams, Antiquorum, Heritage, and Gardiner Houlgate documents three variants: 1343 (no suffix, typically silver examples), 1343A (standard production across multiple metals), and 1343B (the 18K two-colour gold "Tiger Stripe" variant). No source explicitly explains the suffix mapping, but the pattern parallels the 971 / 971A relationship and the 1343A as the dominant standard with 1343B as the special two-colour configuration is consistent across surfaced examples.

Movement notes

The 1343 runs an Aegler 7½ ligne shaped manual-wind caliber — the same family of rectangular movements that powers the entire early Rolex Prince line. The caliber receives different commercial designations across surfaced lots: Bonhams catalogue text describes "15 jewels, adjusted to 6 positions, Observatory Quality" (sale 24632); the Mondani Antiquorum lot describes "Extra Prima, 15 jewels, Observatory Quality"; the Antiquorum 100 Years 2000 sale (lot 60, ref 6057C, an adjacent Prince Classic) reads the period spec as "Prima caliber 7½ ligne, rhodium plated, 15 jewels, lateral lever escapement, cut bimetallic balance with Breguet balance spring."

Cal. 460, the designation later applied to certain Prince movements, does not surface on documented 1343 lots. The Rolex Texte Sélecté (T.S.) caliber that powers the later 1490, 1491, and 1527 references is also not catalogued on the 1343 — the 1343's production era pre-dates the T.S. nomenclature. Movement physical envelope is approximately 32 × 15 mm rectangular, with the winding barrel at one end and the balance at the other per the 1927 Aegler shaped-caliber patent.

The chronometer-grade attribution is consistent. Every surfaced 1343 lot is described as Observatory Quality / Extra Prima — Rolex's contemporary trade text for the highest commercial grade of the period, indicating the movement passed Bienne or Geneva Observatory rate certification before casing. A documented white gold 1343 is adjusted to seven positions rather than the typical 6 — Rolex's catalogue text from the period describes seven-adjustment movements as the highest grade offered in the Prince line and notes that they are uncommon. The Gardiner Houlgate Bucherer-signed 1343A carries movement number 8325 — likely a movement serial number rather than a caliber designation, paralleling the format on other Bonhams Prince lots.

Case and construction

The case is rectangular, parallel-sided, snap-on back. Two distinct dimensional clusters surface across documented examples: a smaller 20 × 35 mm envelope on the Bonhams 1343B Tiger Stripe and a larger 20 × 39–40 mm envelope across the Heritage sterling, Mondani stainless, Watches To Buy white gold, and Bonhams 16896 silver examples. Whether these represent two genuine sub-variants of the case or a measurement difference (with versus without lugs) is not resolved in the surfaced sources. Both dimensional readings are documented and both should be expected on surviving examples.

The case is consistently described as "stepped sides" or "tonneau" in catalogue text — period Art Deco geometry, with the lateral edges chamfered or stepped rather than left flat. The lugs are short and integrated into the case shape rather than soldered as separate pieces. The crystal is mineral glass; period-correct replacements are common given the 90-year service life.

Materials documented across major-house lots:

Sterling silver — Heritage Auctions (lot 5023-61304, c.1930, 43 × 23 mm), Bonhams 16896 (December 2009, 20 × 39 mm)
9ct yellow gold — Bonhams 17800 (1343A, June 2010, sold £2,280)
14K white gold — Gardiner Houlgate (1343A, May 2018, Bucherer-signed, c.1935)
Stainless steel ("Rolesium") — Antiquorum / Mondani (1343A, May 2006, hammer CHF 10,620)
18K two-colour gold "Tiger Stripe" — Bonhams 24632 (1343B, December 2018, est. £7,000–9,000) and re-offered at Bonhams 25394 (February 2019)
White gold filigree — documented white-gold filigree example, 20 × 40 mm, seven-position chronometer

No platinum 1343 surfaces in the auction record. Platinum is documented only on the 971 Brancard and certain 1490 examples; the 1343 Classic appears to be steel-and-gold only.

Dial map

The 1343 dial map is narrower than the 1490 or 1527 — fewer surfaced examples, less variation across the surfaced examples that exist. Documented configurations across major-house lots:

Two-tone silvered with applied Arabic numerals

The dominant configuration. Silvered or matte-grey ground, applied or painted black Arabic numerals, sub-seconds register at six o'clock. The 1343B Tiger Stripe at Bonhams 24632 carries this dial. The Bonhams 17800 9ct gold 1343A and the Bonhams 16896 silver 1343 also carry two-tone silvered Arabic dials. The Gardiner Houlgate Bucherer-signed 1343A wears a silvered Arabic dial with the C.Bucherer's retailer text printed at six.

Matte champagne with applied yellow gold baton indices

The Antiquorum / Mondani 1343A (May 2006, lot 794) wears this dial — matte champagne ground with applied yellow gold baton hour markers rather than Arabic numerals. Less common than the Arabic-numeral configuration; on the stainless steel "Rolesium" case the contrast between the gold batons and the steel case is the visual signature.

Sterling silver with golden Arabic numerals and blue corner batons

The Heritage Auctions sterling 1343 (lot 5023-61304, c.1930) carries the most decorative dial in the auction record — sterling ground with golden luminescent Arabic numerals plus blue applied baton indices and corner geometric trim. Catalogued as "Prince Classic Duo Dial" — the duo-dial term references the visually-divided main-time / sub-seconds layout rather than the digital-aperture jump-hour mechanism that lives on the 1491.

Restored doctor's dial

A documented white gold 1343 carries a restored doctor's-dial sweep-seconds layout. The doctor's complication on the Prince family canonically lives on the 1491 jump-hour — a documented doctor's-dial 1343 is unusual and likely restored rather than original. Treat any 1343 with a doctor's complication as suspect unless backed by major-house auction provenance.

The Roman / Breguet numeral, sector, black, salmon, tropical, and Cartier / Tiffany / Asprey / Beyer / Hofkens / Serpico y Laino retailer-signed 1343 configurations have not surfaced in the auction record. Their absence is not proof — the Prince family is documented thinly compared to the post-1953 Oyster sport refs, and additional dial variants may surface as auction catalogues digitise older sales. The Bucherer-signed 1343A is the only documented retailer signature.

Special branches

1343B Tiger Stripe two-colour gold

The headline 1343 special variant. 18K two-colour white-and-yellow gold case with alternating vertical stripes — the "Tiger Stripe" name follows period catalogue language. The Bonhams 24632 December 2018 lot (Glasgow assay 1929, retailed by Charles Packer & Co Ltd, 76 Regent St London W) is the documented anchor: estimate £7,000–9,000, did not sell, and was re-offered at Bonhams 25394 in February 2019 at £7,000–9,300, again unsold. The Tiger Stripe is the visually distinctive 1343 — the only 1343 sub-variant that breaks the standard rectangular case material in any material way. Two unsold offerings at strong estimates suggests the secondary market reads the variant as scarce but not enough to clear the high estimates without a stronger consignor narrative.

1343A Bucherer-signed

The Gardiner Houlgate The Watch Sale (lot 45, 23 May 2018) catalogued a 14K white gold 1343A, c.1935, with the dial signed C.Bucherer's — the Lucerne retailer that grew into the modern Bucherer Group. Movement number 8325, serial 67xxx, 15 jewels Observatory Quality. The only documented retailer-signed 1343 in documented examples and the latest dated 1343 across all sources. Bucherer signatures are common on later Datejust and Day-Date references; on a Prince of this era they are rare.

Seven-position chronometer 1343

A documented white gold 1343 is adjusted to seven positions rather than the standard six. The seven-adjustment grade was the highest commercial grade Rolex offered on the Prince line, and the period Rolex catalogue text reads it as uncommon. No major-house lot anchors the seven-position 1343 — the variant surfaces only in dealer corpus.

Historical market and auction record

Sale	Lot	Year	Reference details	Result
Bonhams Fine Watches 24632 (London)	47	2018	1343B Tiger Stripe, 18K two-colour gold, 20 × 35 mm, case 67946 / mvt 71351, 15j Observatory 6-pos, retailer Charles Packer & Co (London), Glasgow 1929 hallmarks	Est. £7,000–9,000 — not sold
Bonhams 25394	—	2019	1343B Tiger Stripe re-offered after 24632 unsold	Est. €7,000–9,300 — not sold
Antiquorum / Mondani Collection (Geneva)	794	2006	1343A, stainless steel "Rolesium," 40 × 20 mm, case 836678, Extra Prima 15j, matte champagne dial with applied yellow gold batons, c.1930s	Est. CHF 10,000–14,000 — hammer CHF 10,620
Gardiner Houlgate The Watch Sale (Corsham)	45	2018	1343A, 14K white gold, 40 × 20 mm, mvt 8325 (15j, 6-pos), Bucherer-signed silvered dial, c.1935, serial 67xxx
Heritage Auctions Signature Timepieces	5023-61304	2009	1343 sterling, 43 × 23 mm, golden Arabic numerals + blue batons + sub-seconds at 6, c.1930, "Prince Classic Duo Dial"
Bonhams 17800 (London)	—	2010	1343A 9ct gold, 20 mm, two-tone silvered Arabic dial, 15j 6-pos	Sold £2,280
Bonhams 16896 (London)	—	2009	1343 silver, 20 × 39 mm, applied Arabic dial, 15j Extra Prima Observatory	Sold £2,400

Phillips's documented Prince catalogue activity concentrates on 971 (multiple platinum lots), 1490 (the Beyer 1998 retailer-signed example), and 1862. No Phillips 1343 lot essay surfaces in the auction record through 2025. Sotheby's and Christie's similarly carry 1343 less prominently — the Bonhams Tiger Stripe re-offering and the Antiquorum / Mondani lot are the strongest auction anchors. The 1343 Classic has historically traded approximately ten percent below the 1490 Brancard at retail per Chrono24 Magazine, which may explain Phillips's preference for the Brancard in headline essay material.

Authentication

The 1343 is a 90-year-old reference. The first question on any 1343 is originality across the case, dial, movement, and crown. Most surviving 1343s have been serviced, dialled-restored, or partially refit at some point in the period 1980–2010, when collector demand for vintage Rolex pushed many Prince examples through restoration shops. Eric Wind, writing at Wind Vintage, frames the unrestored-original Prince as "almost always found in a compromised state due to a common practice in the 1980s and 1990s where collectors would have the dials redone." Treat any 1343 with a perfect glossy dial as suspect; treat dials with even minor period patina (silvering loss, applied-marker shadowing, sub-seconds-track wear) as the originality positive.

The case suffix should match the metal: 1343 (no suffix) and 1343A appear in silver, 9ct gold, 14K white gold, and stainless steel; 1343B is the Tiger Stripe two-colour gold only. A 1343B in plain steel or single-colour gold is a misattribution. The case-back hallmarks should match the catalogued production window — Glasgow assay marks dated 1929, London assay marks across the early 1930s, US import marks in the same window. The Bucherer-signed 1343A from c.1935 is the latest dated example in the auction record; a 1343 dated after 1938 should carry strong provenance.

The movement number versus the case number is the standard authentication anchor. Both should be period-consistent and should match the catalogue's recorded ranges where they exist (Bonhams 24632 case 67946 / mvt 71351 is the strongest documented anchor for the 1343B). A 1343 with a movement number from a later production era — particularly any T.S. (Texte Sélecté) family caliber, which entered Prince production after the 1343 era — is service-replacement and not original.

The Aegler shaped caliber across all early Prince references is fragile. Christian Wass at Watch Guy has documented restoration narratives on Prince movements where damaged parts had to be CNC-machined from scratch because original Aegler parts no longer exist. Service history matters; a Prince that has been in continuous service across decades may carry post-period replacement components without ever being misattributed at sale.

Sources