Reference:3359
Oyster → 3359
The 3359 is the Oyster Viceroy, a manual-wind Oyster produced from roughly 1934 through 1946, built around an angular tonneau case with an engine-turned gold bezel raised above the case body. It is not a round watch. The case is geometric, faceted, closer in spirit to the Art Deco architecture of its period than to the rounded Oyster Perpetuals that were already in production alongside it. Most surviving examples are two-tone, with a stainless steel mid-case paired with a gold bezel and gold crown, and most measure under 30 mm across. Full solid-gold examples exist in both yellow and rose gold and tend to run larger. The dial range is unusually wide for a reference of this period: sector layouts, California configurations, silver-and-gold batons, military-style luminous Arabics, salmon, gilt with brown patina, two-tone rose and silver, and the rare Romabic with diamond-shaped markers. The Viceroy Imperial dial text surfaces late in the run. The 1934 yellow gold examples sometimes read “Oyster Precision” rather than “Oyster Viceroy.”
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 3359 |
| family | Oyster (manual-wind) |
| production | approximately 1934–1946 (medium confidence) |
| case shape | angular tonneau (geometric, not round) |
| case diameter | 29–29.5 mm (two-tone); approximately 32 mm (solid gold) |
| lug-to-lug | approximately 38–39 mm |
| thickness | approximately 10 mm |
| case materials | SS/18K YG (most common two-tone); SS/18K PG; SS/14K PG; SS/10K RG; full 18K YG; full 18K RG |
| bezel | engine-turned gold, raised above the case |
| crown | screw-down (gold on two-tone configurations) |
| crystal | acrylic |
| movement | manual-wind, Cal. 10½ lignes, rhodium-plated |
| balance | Rolex Patented Super Balance, monometallic, Breguet spring |
| escapement | straight-line lever |
| regulator | micrometer |
| jewels | 15, 17, or 18 depending on grade (see contradictions) |
Where it sits in the line
The 3359 is one of the angular, pre-Perpetual manual Oysters that occupied the lower-to-middle rungs of Rolex’s mid-1930s catalog. By the time 3359 production began, the Perpetual rotor was already established (the 1858, 3131, and 3372 Bubblebacks were in production alongside it), but manual-wind Oysters still had a clear commercial role. They were thinner, less mechanically ambitious, more amenable to dress-watch proportions, and they could be built into case shapes the rotor simply could not accommodate. The tonneau form of the 3359 is the clearest example. A Bubbleback caseback in a 29 mm tonneau case would not have worked; a manual 10½-ligne caliber made it trivial.
The “Viceroy” name carries some history of its own. Before 1934, Viceroy surfaces in the Vintage Rolex Field Manual’s alternate-brand table as a standalone trench-watch brand, a Wilsdorf side-label with “RWC” casebacks and “Viceroy” dials, produced roughly 1925–1935, entirely separate from the Oyster line. When 3359 production began, Viceroy was absorbed into the Oyster catalog as a model designation rather than a parallel brand. The earlier standalone Viceroy trench watches and the Oyster Viceroy 3359 share a name and a Wilsdorf commercial genealogy, but they are not the same watch and should not be conflated. Reference 3359 is the definitive Oyster-line Viceroy.
The closest siblings in the 3359’s own family are the other 1930s–1940s manual Oysters: 2280 Royal, 3139 Army, 4220 Speedking, and the wider cohort of small-batch references catalogued in the Field Manual. The 3359 sits toward the dressier end of that group. Its engine-turned gold bezel and two-tone configuration are decorative features, not tool-watch features. It is a waterproof Oyster, with a screw-down crown and the three-piece Oyster case architecture, but it was sold as a dress watch to customers who wanted the Oyster patent’s waterproofing in a thin, geometric, gold-accented package.
The tonneau case
The defining visual feature of the 3359 is the angular tonneau case with a raised engine-turned gold bezel. “Tonneau” in the Rolex vocabulary of this period means a barrel-shaped case whose sides are straight-flanked rather than round. The case reads as a geometric rectangle with radiused corners and integrated angular lugs, not as a cushion or an oval. The top plane of the case is flat. The bezel sits proudly above that top plane, raised, and its gold surface is engine-turned: a finely machined decorative pattern (barleycorn, or a close variant) cut radially into the bezel face. On two-tone examples the contrast is deliberate (polished gold against a brushed or satin steel case flank) and is the single most recognizable element of the reference.
Two-tone is the dominant configuration. A stainless steel mid-case and caseback are paired with an 18K yellow gold engine-turned bezel and matching gold crown. The yellow gold combination is the most frequently surfaced, but rose gold appears in three karat grades on two-tone cases: 18K, 14K, and 10K. The 14K and 10K pairings are a Rolex concession to the North American market, where lower karat grades were the norm for jewelry retail. The 10K rose gold bezel on a steel case is a specifically North American configuration and tends to surface in US-based dealer and auction records rather than European ones.
Solid gold examples exist in both 18K yellow gold and 18K rose gold. These cases run larger — approximately 32 mm versus the 29–29.5 mm of the two-tone examples — and the proportions read differently on the wrist. The solid gold 3359 is a distinct watch visually, not simply a two-tone in gold clothing. The engine-turned bezel remains, but against a gold case flank the contrast collapses and the bezel reads as a textured detail rather than a two-tone statement.
The crown is screw-down, consistent with the Oyster patent. On two-tone cases the crown is gold to match the bezel. The case is three-piece: bezel, mid-case, caseback, threaded together. Lugs are straight and angular, integral with the tonneau form, and sized for period leather straps rather than bracelets.
Dimensions
The two-tone 3359 measures 29–29.5 mm across the case, with a lug-to-lug of roughly 38–39 mm and a thickness around 10 mm. By modern standards this is a small watch. In 1934 it was sized as a men’s dress watch, comparable to the contemporary Patek Calatrava and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso proportions, and the geometric tonneau form makes it wear slightly larger than the diameter suggests, because the lugs push the visual width out toward 39 mm. Solid gold examples at approximately 32 mm wear noticeably larger and carry more wrist presence.
The Cal. 10½ lignes movement
Under the caseback is a manual-wind Rolex caliber of 10½ lignes, the same broad movement family Rolex used across its 1930s–1940s manual Oysters. The specification is consistent across surviving 3359s on the main architectural points: rhodium-plated finish, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance fitted with a Breguet (self-compensating) overcoil spring, Rolex Patented Super Balance designation on the plate, and a micrometer regulator for fine rate adjustment. Period advertising and movement stampings carry the Super Balance wording, and the micrometer regulator is visible on every documented example.
Where sources disagree is jewel count. Hashtag Watch Co. records 15 jewels on the examples they have catalogued. Heritage Auctions, the most frequently citing source, describes 17 jewels. Bob’s Watches documents 18 jewels on their example. The likely explanation is not source error but production reality: the Cal. 10½ lignes was built in multiple grades through the run, and jewel count varied with grade. A 15-jewel standard, a 17-jewel improved, and an 18-jewel Precision or Chronometer-grade movement could all sit under 3359 casebacks depending on year, retailer, and spec. Treating the 3359 as a single-movement reference obscures this; the honest reading is that a 3359 can carry any of three jewel counts and the movement inside should be matched against the specific example rather than against a canonical spec sheet.
Adjustment positions are a second contested point. Earlier research surfaced a claim of 7 positions (chronometer-grade territory), which is not confirmed by any primary source in the catalogued record. Heritage Auctions explicitly documents 2 positions on the examples they have catalogued. The prevailing reading is that the 7-position claim is either a carry-over from a different reference’s spec sheet or a dealer error that propagated through secondary listings; the confirmed adjustment specification for surfaced 3359 examples is 2 positions. Higher-grade variants within the Cal. 10½ family did reach 6-position adjustment elsewhere in the Oyster line, so a higher-grade 3359 movement at more than 2 positions is not impossible, but it is not documented.
There is no shock protection in any modern sense on these movements. The Super Balance is a stability design, not an Incabloc or KIF system. The 10½ lignes architecture predates Rolex’s adoption of shock-protected balances by more than a decade.
Dial variants
The 3359 dial range is wide enough to make the reference feel like several watches sharing a case. Confirmed configurations include:
The sector dial features a black or copper ground divided by radial sector lines, with rose gold Art Deco Arabic numerals. The sector layout is distinctly period, and on the 3359 it surfaces most frequently on examples co-signed by Serpico y Laino, the Caracas retailer that held exclusive Rolex distribution for Venezuela from 1925 through 1966. A sector-dial 3359 with “SERPICO Y LAINO” text above six o’clock is one of the most desirable configurations of the reference.
The California dial is the Rolex-patented “Error-Proof” layout (Rolex’s own term; collectors call it California), with Roman numerals on the upper half and Arabic on the lower, luminous plots at the cardinal points. The California patent dates to 1941, which places these dials in the later half of the 3359 run. A California-dial 3359 from a 1934 serial range is either a service-era dial installation or a very early production of the California layout.
Silver or champagne dials with applied gold batons form the dressiest configuration, typical of yellow gold and two-tone yellow gold cases, with no luminous material and a focus on metalwork and finish rather than legibility in darkness.
Black dials with luminous Arabic numerals carry the military-style layout, with a black ground and radium- or tritium-filled Arabic numerals for night legibility. This configuration turns up on two-tone cases more often than on solid gold, consistent with the Oyster Army design language of the period.
Salmon or pink dials show a copper-pink ground, usually with applied gold batons or printed Arabics. Salmon dials age unevenly, and survivors with even color carry a premium.
Glossy gilt dials start as a black gilt ground with gold printing and age to brown patina over the decades. Gilt 3359 dials are scarce relative to the other configurations but do surface in the dealer record.
Two-tone rose and silver dials combine a rose-gold-plated central zone against a silvered outer chapter ring, or vice versa. A decorative period configuration that pairs naturally with rose gold two-tone cases.
The Romabic is the rarest configuration: diamond-shaped (rhombic) hour markers combining Roman and Arabic references. Described as Romabic in dealer text but not widely catalogued; only a small number of surfaced examples carry the layout.
Dial text also varies. The standard configuration reads “ROLEX / OYSTER VICEROY” across two lines. The 1934 yellow gold examples frequently read “ROLEX / OYSTER PRECISION” rather than Viceroy, evidence that the Viceroy model name was applied progressively rather than from the first batch. Late-run examples (approximately 1944–1946) carry “VICEROY IMPERIAL” text, elevating the model designation with an additional descriptor that Rolex used elsewhere in its period catalog for upgraded variants. Serpico y Laino co-branding appears on a documented subset of dials, with the retailer name printed above six o’clock in small text.
Hand configurations track the dial. Yellow gold cases typically carry blued or gilt leaf hands. Alpha hands (a gold, pointed-oval leaf variant) appear on higher-grade examples. Mercedes hands are documented on surviving 3359s, but the Mercedes handset is more strongly associated with the Oyster Army and Submariner lineages, and Mercedes-handed 3359s are often suspected of being service replacements rather than period-original. Luminous spade hands appear on military-style luminous-dial examples and are period-correct for that configuration.
Auction and dealer record
The 3359 has a modest but real auction record. Heritage Auctions sold a two-tone stainless steel / 18K yellow gold example as Lot 56006 in May 2015, dated c.1940s, with the standard Oyster Viceroy dial text and the engine-turned gold bezel intact. Heritage’s cataloging of that lot is the source most frequently cited for jewel count (17) and adjustment positions (2) on the reference.
Craft and Tailored documented a 1943 two-tone Oyster Viceroy, serial range 285XXX, with exceptional provenance: original Rolex Service Center letters, invoice, and box from a 1983 service. That level of documentation on a vintage Rolex of this period is unusual. The RSC paperwork anchors the watch to a known service history and removes most of the originality questions that a 1940s two-tone of this kind would otherwise carry.
Bob’s Watches has listed multiple 3359 examples over the years, including a Serpico y Laino co-signed configuration that informs the sector-dial discussion. Hashtag Watch Co. and 1stDibs have both offered 3359 examples in varying configurations. The surfaced dealer and auction prices span roughly USD 2,100 at the low end to USD 15,000 at the high end, with the range driven primarily by condition, dial originality, and provenance rather than by case material or production year. Exceptional original-dial examples with documented history reach the top of the range; average two-tone examples with refinished dials sit in the lower two-thirds.
The reference does not trade in the five-figure-plus territory routinely reached by Bubblebacks of the same period. Collectors approaching the 3359 tend to be specialists in early Oysters or in Art Deco dress watches rather than generalist vintage Rolex buyers, and the market reflects that.
Collecting considerations
On a two-tone 3359 the gold bezel should be engine-turned and raised above the case top plane. A flat bezel, a smooth polished bezel, or a bezel whose engine-turning has worn smooth are all signals worth examining. Engine-turning on gold wears slowly but visibly over ninety years of ownership; heavily polished examples may have lost the pattern entirely.
With a dial range this wide, dial originality is the single most important variable in 3359 collecting. Refinished dials are the norm in the surfaced market, and distinguishing a period original from a competent refinish on a 1930s Oyster is specialist work. The Serpico y Laino co-signing, the Viceroy Imperial text, and the rare Romabic layout are all features that refinishers have reproduced. Matching patina between dial and hands, legible printing under magnification, and consistency between the dial’s aging and the case’s aging are the primary cross-checks.
On movement grade, given the three documented jewel counts (15, 17, 18) and the contested adjustment positions, the movement inside a specific 3359 should be matched against the example itself rather than against a single canonical specification. A 15-jewel movement is not evidence that the watch is wrong; a 17-jewel movement is not evidence that it is right. What matters is internal consistency: movement finish, stampings, and serial range in line with what the case and dial suggest.
On case size, a 3359 at approximately 29 mm is two-tone; a 3359 at approximately 32 mm is likely solid gold. Listings that describe a two-tone 3359 at 32 mm are worth double-checking, either for measurement convention (case across points versus across flats) or for a possible case-reference mismatch.
A 3359 co-signed by Serpico y Laino carries a premium and, in condition, reads as one of the most desirable configurations of the reference. The co-signing should be consistent with Serpico y Laino’s typographic conventions on documented Rolex dials of the period, not added as a dial-refinisher flourish.
Still open
Several questions about the 3359 remain unresolved in the surfaced sources.
Adjustment positions
Whether the Cal. 10½ lignes as fitted in the 3359 was ever adjusted to more than 2 positions in its higher-grade forms is not conclusively documented. Heritage’s explicit 2-position statement and the absence of corroborating 7-position documentation in primary sources suggest that 2 positions is the correct baseline, but a higher-grade Chronometer-spec variant within the 3359 population is not ruled out by the surfaced record. Until a documented movement-level examination of a higher-grade 3359 surfaces, the question sits open.
Viceroy Imperial dating
The Viceroy Imperial text is associated with c.1944–1946 examples in the surfaced dealer record, but whether the Imperial designation corresponds to a specific movement grade, dial material, or sub-variant is not documented. It may simply be late-run dial nomenclature applied to the same watch as the earlier Oyster Viceroy, or it may mark a specific production change. The surfaced sources do not settle the question.
Production totals
No production-total figure for the 3359 has been published. Surviving examples at auction and dealer channels suggest modest production volumes, consistent with the pattern across the 1930s–1940s manual Oyster references, but a numerical total would require systematic case-number analysis that has not been done publicly.
The full-gold 3359 in detail
The solid 18K yellow gold and 18K rose gold 3359s are documented but thinly sourced. Dimensions (the approximately 32 mm figure), dial configurations, and production dating for the solid gold variants are drawn from a small number of dealer listings rather than from a catalog-scale survey. Whether the solid gold 3359 shares all of the two-tone dial configurations, or whether some dial variants are configuration-specific, is not resolved.
The standalone-Viceroy-to-Oyster-Viceroy transition
The Viceroy name’s transition from a standalone Wilsdorf brand (1925–1935) into an Oyster model designation (3359, from 1934) is documented only through the Vintage Rolex Field Manual’s alternate-brand table and the auction/dealer record of the Oyster 3359. The commercial logic, why Rolex chose this moment to absorb the Viceroy name into the Oyster line, is not recorded in the surfaced sources. As with much pre-1950 Rolex product history, that remains conjecture.
Sources
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Chevalier Edition — unknown, Morning Tundra
- Heritage Auctions — 3359 lot56006
- Craft and Tailored — 3359 1943
- Bob's Watches — watches 3359
- Hashtag Watch Co — src hashtag watch 3359
- 1stDibs — 3359