Admin: Create researched ref. 1500 reference guide

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Create researched ref. 1500 reference guide

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1500}}
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|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1500 — Reference Guide | Rolexopedia
|description=Auction-grounded guide to the Rolex ref. 1500, with observed case, dial, movement and bracelet variants and conflicts in published dates and caliber names.
|keywords=Rolex 1500, Oyster Perpetual Date, Cal. 1560, Cal. 1565, Cal. 1570, Cal. 1575
|image=Ref 1500 hero.webp
|image_alt=Steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1500 with silver dial and smooth bezel
|type=Article
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}}

<small>[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]] → '''1500'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 1500 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1500 with silver dial, date window and smooth bezel|Steel ref. 1500, [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080123/909 Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909].]]
</div>

The ref. 1500 is a 34 mm Oyster Perpetual Date with a smooth bezel and date under a Cyclops lens. Auction records show steel and gold cases, several dial layouts, and more than one movement description. Catalogues place individual examples from circa 1962 into circa 1980; the production endpoints remain uncertain.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 1500
|-
| model
| Oyster Perpetual Date
|-
| documented dates
| individual auction estimates run from circa 1962 to circa 1980; not production limits
|-
| case
| Oyster case with screw-down back and crown
|-
| diameter
| usually catalogued at 34 or 35 mm; one Christie’s lot gives 36 mm
|-
| documented materials
| stainless steel and 18K yellow gold; 14K examples have conflicting ref. 1500 / 1503 identifications
|-
| bezel
| smooth, polished bezel in the Field Manual and photographed examples
|-
| crystal
| acrylic/Plexiglas with Cyclops date magnifier, as described in an auction catalogue
|-
| date display
| date aperture at 3 o’clock
|-
| movements
| auction catalogues variously say 1560 or 1570; the Field Manual lists 1565 and 1575 for ref. 1500 in its caliber tables
|-
| bracelets
| examples catalogued with 7205/57, 78350/557 and Jubilee bracelets; individual fitment is lot-specific
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

Phillips describes ref. 1500 as the successor to the Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 6534 in 1960. The 1500 combines the Oyster case with an automatic date display and a smooth bezel. Phillips compares its size with the Datejust; auction measurements for the 1500 generally fall at 34–35 mm.

==Production outline==

Phillips dates a steel example to circa 1978 and a yellow-gold example to circa 1980. The steel watch came with a guarantee dated July 1980. The same Phillips essay that calls ref. 1500 the 6534’s 1960 successor gives 1976 as the end of production. Phillips’s circa-1978 and circa-1980 lots extend beyond that stated endpoint, so the catalogue record leaves the final production year unresolved.

Other auction records fill in the middle years: Monaco Legend dates a gold example to circa 1962; Antiquorum dates a steel watch to 1963; Christie’s records another as circa 1966; Antiquorum and Sotheby’s give circa 1969; and later examples are dated circa 1972–1974. Together they document examples across the period, while leaving the production sequence open.

==Movement notes==

Caliber naming varies by source. Monaco Legend lists Cal. 1560 in a circa-1962 gold ref. 1500, and Sotheby’s uses the same name for a circa-1969 steel watch. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists ref. 1500 under Cal. 1565 in one caliber-table entry and under Cal. 1575 in another. Later auction catalogues often call the movement Cal. 1570, including Phillips’s circa-1978 steel example and Antiquorum’s 1969–1974 records. Rolex used “1570” on the bridge of date-equipped 1575-family movements; movement and calendar-work inspection identifies the caliber on an individual watch. The sequence remains unclear in the available records.

==Dial map==

Auction photographs and descriptions document silver, grey, white and champagne dials with applied baton markers. They also show less common examples: a silver dial printed for the 1968 Cotton Bowl Classic; a UAE crest dial that Christie’s says was supplied to the Ministry of Defence; and a tropicalized silver dial with Eastern Arabic numerals. These catalogues describe individual watches; the order histories and production quantities remain undocumented. Christie’s gives 36 mm for the Eastern-numeral example, while other houses usually record 34–35 mm. That measurement remains a single-lot outlier.

The Cotton Bowl and UAE examples are shown below. Antiquorum identifies the game on the first dial; Christie’s describes the second as a Ministry of Defence watch and uses three names for its emblem: “Desert Eagle,” “Desert Hawk” and “Quraysh Hawk.”

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1500 dial-detail.webp|[https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1500-oyster-perpetual-date-lot-338-234 Antiquorum, Hong Kong, lot 234]: dial printed for the 1968 Cotton Bowl Classic
File:Ref 1500 dial-detail 2.webp|[https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-5841896 Christie’s, ref. 1500]: UAE crest dial
</gallery>

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The Field Manual classifies the 1500 as a mid-size steel watch with a polished, smooth bezel. Auction catalogues document steel and 18K-gold cases. Christie’s and Antiquorum also record 14K-gold watches under 1500 or 1500/1503; the Christie’s caseback stamp and Antiquorum’s paired designation leave those case identities unresolved. Most measurements are 34 or 35 mm. Christie’s gives 36 mm for its Eastern Arabic-numeral lot; that measurement has not appeared in the other records reviewed here.

Christie’s describes a screw-down crown and screw-back case on its UAE-emblem example. Auction photographs show the low, smooth bezel and Cyclops lens over the date. Setdart describes a circa-1976 example with an acrylic crystal. The profile below belongs to Phillips’s circa-1978 steel example.

[[File:Ref 1500 case-detail.webp|thumb|right|240px|alt=Side profile of a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1500 showing the smooth bezel and acrylic crystal|Case profile, [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080123/909 Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909].]]

==Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging==

Auction records document a riveted Oyster bracelet 7205 with end links 57, an Oyster 78350 with 557 end links, and a Jubilee bracelet. These are observed combinations from individual lots. Antiquorum’s circa-1969 example has a 7205 bracelet stamped 69; the stamp dates the bracelet, not the watch head. Phillips’s circa-1978 steel example was catalogued on a 78350/557 bracelet and came with a guarantee dated 1980, box and printed material.

Christie’s lists a circa-1966 14K-gold watch under ref. 1500 with a JB Champion bracelet. The inside caseback is stamped 1503, so the watch and bracelet stay tied to that unresolved case identity; see [[#special-branches|Special branches]]. A caseback and bracelet view from the Phillips lot appears below. Its caseback is closed and bears a factory sticker; the photograph shows no movement.

[[File:Ref 1500 bracelet-detail.webp|thumb|right|240px|alt=Closed caseback with factory sticker and steel Oyster bracelet on Rolex ref. 1500|Caseback and bracelet view, [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080123/909 Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909].]]

==Special branches==

Christie’s 2014 title calls the UAE emblem “Desert Eagle,” its details say “Desert Hawk,” and the essay calls it the “Quraysh Hawk.” The catalogue says the watch was supplied to the UAE Ministry of Defence. “UAE crest” follows the photographed dial without choosing among those labels.

Antiquorum’s 1973 gold watch is catalogued jointly as refs. 1500/1503. The Field Manual associates an engine-turned bezel with ref. 1503, while its 1500 entry specifies a polished bezel. Christie’s 2018 catalogue identifies a 14K-gold watch as ref. 1500, but its condition report says the inside caseback is stamped 1503. These records leave the 14K case assignment unresolved; the other 1500 records reviewed here show or describe a smooth bezel.

==Historical market and auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! watch date / sale date
! house and lot
! recorded example
|-
| circa 1962 estimate
| Monaco Legend, lot 87
| 18K yellow gold, case 885,460, Cal. 1560, 34 mm, Beyer-signed
|-
| circa 1963 estimate
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 518
| steel, Cal. 1570 as catalogued, 34 mm, riveted Oyster bracelet
|-
| watch dated 1966; catalogue 2016
| Christie’s, case 1,280,618
| steel, Cal. 1570 as catalogued, silver dial, 35 mm, guarantee and rate certificate
|-
| circa 1966 estimate; sale 2018
| Christie’s, lot 115
| 14K gold catalogued as ref. 1500, Cal. 1570, 35 mm, JB Champion bracelet; inside caseback stamped 1503
|-
| circa 1967 estimate; sale 25 April 2021
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 234
| steel, Cotton Bowl dial, Cal. 1570 as catalogued, 7205 bracelet
|-
| watch circa 1969; sale 14 December 2021
| Sotheby’s, lot 1
| steel, white dial, Cal. 1560 as catalogued, 34 mm
|-
| original sale May 1969; auction sale 9 November 2024
| Antiquorum Geneva, lot 294
| steel, grey dial, Cal. 1570, 35 mm, 7205/57 bracelet and warranty
|-
| circa 1973 estimate; sale 7 December 2011
| Antiquorum New York, lot 349
| 14K gold catalogued as refs. 1500/1503, Cal. 1570, 34 mm
|-
| circa 1980 estimate; sale 2021
| Phillips HSNY, lot 4
| 18K yellow gold, Cal. 1570, 35 mm
|-
| circa 1978 estimate; sale 27 November 2023
| Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909
| steel, Cal. 1570, 34 mm, 78350/557 bracelet, box and 1980 guarantee
|}

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1500 hero.webp|[https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080123/909 Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909], steel ref. 1500
File:Ref 1500 case-detail.webp|[https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080123/909 Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909], case profile
File:Ref 1500 bracelet-detail.webp|[https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080123/909 Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909], caseback and bracelet
File:Ref 1500 dial-detail.webp|[https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1500-oyster-perpetual-date-lot-338-234 Antiquorum, lot 234], Cotton Bowl dial
File:Ref 1500 dial-detail 2.webp|[https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-5841896 Christie’s], UAE crest dial
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080123/909 "Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XVI, 27 November 2023, lot 909 — Rolex ref. 1500", Phillips, 2023]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/NY080021/4 "Phillips, Rolex Timepieces for HSNY, 2021, lot 4 — Rolex ref. 1500", Phillips, 2021]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-41/lot-87 "Monaco Legend Auctions, Exclusive Timepieces, lot 87 — Rolex ref. 1500", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2026]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-270-518 "Antiquorum, Geneva, 17 March 2013, lot 518 — Rolex ref. 1500", Antiquorum, 2013]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/fine-watches-12/reference-1500-date-a-stainless-steel-automatic "Sotheby’s, Fine Watches, 14 December 2021, lot 1 — Rolex ref. 1500", Sotheby’s, 2021]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1500-oyster-perpetual-date-lot-372-294 "Antiquorum, Geneva, 9 November 2024, lot 294 — Rolex ref. 1500", Antiquorum, 2024]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1500-oyster-perpetual-date-lot-355-461 "Antiquorum, Geneva, 6 November 2022, lot 461 — Rolex ref. 1500", Antiquorum, 2022]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-257-349 "Antiquorum, New York, 7 December 2011, lot 349 — Rolex ref. 1500/1503", Antiquorum, 2011]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1500-date-lot-341-350 "Antiquorum, Monaco, 21 July 2021, lot 350 — Rolex ref. 1500", Antiquorum, 2021]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1500-oyster-perpetual-date-lot-338-234 "Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 25 April 2021, lot 234 — Rolex ref. 1500 Cotton Bowl dial", Antiquorum, 2021]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4982677 "Christie’s, 1966 Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1500, case 1,280,618", Christie’s, 2016]
* [https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-5841896 "Christie’s, Rolex ref. 1500 with UAE Ministry of Defence emblem", Christie’s, 2016]
* [https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/watches-online-geneva-edit/rolex-stainless-steel-oyster-perpetual-date-tropical-dial-eastern-271/134060 "Christie’s, Watches Online: Geneva Edit, lot 271 — Rolex ref. 1500 with Eastern Arabic numerals", Christie’s, 2022]
* [https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/christies-watches-online-summer-watch-series-part-ii/rolex-14k-date-jb-champion-bracelet-ref-1500-115/58800 "Christie’s, Watches Online: Summer Watch Series Part II, lot 115 — Rolex ref. 1500", Christie’s, 2018]
* [https://images1.bonhams.com/original?src=Images%2Flive%2F2015-04%2F28%2FS-22785-0-1.pdf "Bonhams, Watches & Wristwatches, 2015, lot 205 — Rolex ref. 1500", Bonhams, 2015]
* [https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/0b5fdf83/files/uploaded/1.0%20RolexBook-23Mar.pdf Colin A. White, "The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — ref. 1500 entries in reference and caliber tables", Morning Tundra]
* [https://www.setdart.com/subasta/displayimage/cat%3D26/album%3D148/pid%3D351495922/newlang%3Denglish.html "Setdart, lot 44 — Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1500", Setdart, 2026]

[[Category:Oyster-Perpetual]]

Reference:1500 - Revision history

Admin: Create researched ref. 1500 reference guide