Admin: Create researched ref. 1503 article

2026-10-09T08:21:04Z

Create researched ref. 1503 article

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1503}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1503 — Reference Guide | Rolexopedia
|description=Catalogue-grounded notes on the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1503, including observed gold cases, dials, bezels and movement records.
|keywords=Rolex 1503, Oyster Perpetual Date, Cal. 1570, Cal. 1565, gold Rolex Date
|image=Ref 1503 hero.webp
|image_alt=Yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1503 with black dial and fluted bezel
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

<small>[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]] → '''1503'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 1503 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1503 with black dial and fluted bezel|Ref. 1503, [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2026/fine-watches-ge2611/datejust-reference-1503-a-yellow-gold-wristwatch Sotheby’s, Geneva, lot 253].]]
</div>

Ref. 1503 is an Oyster Perpetual Date. The auction and Field Manual examples reviewed here have gold cases. Auction catalogues give case diameters of 34–35 mm and place individual examples from circa 1968 to circa 1980. They document 14K and 18K cases, fluted bezels, and champagne, black lacquer and black matte sigma dials; the records do not establish production boundaries. Rolex parts catalogues list date components for ref. 1503 under Cal. 1565 and Cal. 1575. Auction houses identify individual watches as Cal. 1570, but neither record type verifies the caliber inside a particular watch.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 1503
|-
| model
| Oyster Perpetual Date
|-
| documented catalogue dates
| circa 1968–1980; a sample of dated watches, not production endpoints
|-
| documented case materials
| 14K and 18K gold in separate auction records
|-
| case diameter
| 34–35 mm in the records reviewed
|-
| bezel
| Fluted on photographed and described examples; the available records do not establish every bezel configuration
|-
| movement evidence
| Auction catalogues identify Cal. 1570 in examples; Rolex parts catalogues list date components for refs. 1500, 1501 and 1503 under Cal. 1565 and 1575
|-
| dial examples
| Champagne; black lacquer; black matte sigma; one blue dial was reported as a later replacement
|-
| recorded bracelets
| Gold riveted Oyster, Florentine-finish bracelet, gold Jubilee and 14K U.S.A. Jubilee; catalogue descriptions apply to individual lots
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 1503 belongs to the Oyster Perpetual Date line. Sotheby’s 2026 lot details and the photographed dial identify its example as Oyster Perpetual Date, although the page title says Datejust.

==Production outline==

The dated catalogues reviewed here place examples at circa 1968, 1970, 1971, circa 1976, circa 1977 and circa 1980. Their case numbers range from 1,765,968 to 6,275,775. These are catalogue estimates for individual watches, not a serial-year chart or evidence of the first and last years of production. The 2025 Monaco listing repeats case 6,275,775 from its 2022 lot, so it is a re-offering of the same watch rather than a later date point.

[[Reference:Serial-numbers#Oyster_Perpetual_Date_1503_dated_examples|The serial-number notes]] link each dated lot and keep the auction estimates separate from serial ranges.

==Movement notes==

Phillips, Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Heritage list Cal. 1570 in individual ref. 1503 watches. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual also lists 1570 for the 1503. Rolex’s Cal. 1565 and Cal. 1575 parts catalogues list date-indicator components for ref. 1503. Those parts records establish service applications; they do not identify the caliber inside a particular watch. The available examples do not establish a movement changeover. See [[Reference:Movements#cal-1565|Cal. 1565]] and [[Reference:Movements#cal-1575|Cal. 1575]].

==Dial map==

Phillips catalogues a black lacquer dial on a 1970 example, and Sotheby’s describes a black matte sigma dial on a circa-1971 watch. Sotheby’s also records a champagne dial on a circa-1968 example. These entries document individual watches; they do not show how often each dial appeared or whether it was fitted at first delivery.

Christie’s describes a blue dial on its circa-1976 example, but the condition report says the dial and hands are later replacements. It should not be counted as evidence for an original blue-dial branch.

[[File:Ref 1503 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|240px|alt=Black dial with gold baton markers on a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1503|Black matte sigma dial, [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2026/fine-watches-ge2611/datejust-reference-1503-a-yellow-gold-wristwatch Sotheby’s, lot 253].]]

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

The case sizes in these catalogues range from 34 to 35 mm. The 2024 Sotheby’s lot gives 34 mm, Phillips gives 34.5 mm, and Sotheby’s 2026 and Heritage give 35 mm. The catalogues do not explain the spread or show a size change during production.

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists the 1503 with a fluted bezel; Heritage describes one and the Sotheby’s 2026 photographs show the same treatment. The Dial Atlas lists smooth or engine-turned bezels. The records establish fluted examples but do not resolve the full bezel range. Heritage identifies an acrylic crystal on its individual example; the other records do not define a reference-wide crystal or crown specification.

==Bracelets, clasps, and packaging notes==

The catalogues record several offered configurations: Sotheby’s describes a Florentine-finish bracelet on its circa-1968 example and a gold riveted Oyster bracelet on its circa-1971 example. Christie’s lists a 14K U.S.A. Jubilee bracelet with the circa-1976 watch; Monaco describes a gold Jubilee bracelet with the clasp marked D’A on its circa-1980 lot. These records show what accompanied those watches at auction. They do not establish original delivery for the reference.

Monaco re-offered case 6,275,775 in 2025 on a leather strap. The change in the listing documents a later sale configuration, not a bracelet variant or a production change.

[[File:Ref 1503 bracelet-detail.webp|thumb|right|240px|alt=Caseback and gold bracelet on Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1503|Caseback and bracelet from Sotheby’s, Geneva, lot 253.]]

==Special branches==

Heritage describes a circa-1977 14K-gold 1503 with a fluted bezel. Christie’s also titles a circa-1978 14K watch as ref. 1503, but its condition report says the inside caseback is stamped 1500. A separate 2026 Christie’s 14K example is catalogued as ref. 1503, though its blue dial and hands are reported as later replacements. The reciprocal caseback conflict with Christie’s 2018 listing of a 1500 stamped 1503 leaves that pair of 14K attributions unresolved; see [[Reference:1500#special-branches|ref. 1500]].

Material descriptions also conflict. Bob’s Watches lists steel examples, while The Dial Atlas says the case can be steel or gold-capped. The auction lots and Field Manual examples reviewed here are gold; they do not settle whether the reference was also made in those other materials.

==Historical market and auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! watch date
! sale date
! house and lot
! recorded example
|-
| circa 1968
| 11 June 2024
| Sotheby’s New York, lot 321
| 18K yellow gold; case 1,765,968; Cal. 1570; champagne dial; 34 mm; Florentine-finish bracelet
|-
| 1970
| 31 May 2016
| Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction TWO, lot 214
| 18K yellow gold; case 2,326,051; Cal. 1570; black lacquer dial; 34.5 mm
|-
| circa 1971
| 13 May 2026
| Sotheby’s Geneva, lot 253
| 18K yellow gold; case 2,841,395; Cal. 1570; black matte sigma dial; 35 mm; gold riveted Oyster bracelet
|-
| circa 1976
| 17 June 2026
| Christie’s New York, lot 284
| 14K gold; case 5,004,120; 34 mm; blue dial and hands reported as later replacements; U.S.A. Jubilee bracelet
|-
| circa 1977
| 18 November 2011
| Heritage, lot 60276
| 14K gold; case 5,004,222; Cal. 1570; fluted bezel; acrylic crystal; 35 mm
|-
| circa 1978
| 25 June 2019
| Christie’s, lot 88
| Titled ref. 1503, but condition report says the inside caseback is stamped 1500; excluded as clean 1503 evidence
|-
| circa 1980
| 23 April 2022
| Monaco Legend, lot 147
| 18K yellow gold; case 6,275,775; Cal. 1570; gold Jubilee bracelet with clasp marked D’A; 34 mm
|-
| circa 1980
| 19 October 2025
| Monaco Legend, lot 245
| Same case 6,275,775; re-offered on a leather strap
|}

The watch dates above are the auction houses’ estimates. They document the cited examples only.

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1503 hero.webp|[https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2026/fine-watches-ge2611/datejust-reference-1503-a-yellow-gold-wristwatch Sotheby’s, lot 253], front view
File:Ref 1503 dial-detail.webp|[https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2026/fine-watches-ge2611/datejust-reference-1503-a-yellow-gold-wristwatch Sotheby’s, lot 253], dial detail
File:Ref 1503 bracelet-detail.webp|[https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2026/fine-watches-ge2611/datejust-reference-1503-a-yellow-gold-wristwatch Sotheby’s, lot 253], caseback and bracelet
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://thedialatlas.com/ref/30943/ The Dial Atlas, "The Dial Atlas, Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1503 page", The Dial Atlas]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/vintage-week-rolex-date-reference-1503.html Paul Altieri, "Bob’s Watches, “Vintage of the Week: Rolex Date Reference 1503”", Bob’s Watches]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/fine-watches-4/reference-1503-date-a-yellow-gold-automatic Sotheby’s, "Sotheby’s New York, 11 June 2024, lot 321 — ref. 1503 Date", Sotheby’s, 2024-06-11]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/96638 Phillips, "Phillips Hong Kong, 31 May 2016, lot 214 — ref. 1503 black lacquer dial", Phillips, 2016-05-31]
* [https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/christies-watches-online-time-travel/rolex-14k-date-ref-1503-88/71652 Christie’s, "Christie’s, 25 June 2019, lot 88 — 14K ref. 1503 attribution with caseback stamped 1500", Christie’s, 2019-06-25]
* [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://onlineonly.christies.com/s/watches-online-new-york-edit/rolex-very-attractive-14k-gold-oyster-perpetual-date-blue-dial-14k-284/313970 Christie’s, "Christie’s New York, 17 June 2026, lot 284 — ref. 1503, 14K case and later blue dial", Christie’s, 2026-06-17]
* [https://jewelry.ha.com/itm/timepieces/wristwatch/rolex-ref-1503-vintage-14k-gold-oyster-perpetual-date-circa-1977/a/5081-60276.s Heritage Auctions, "Heritage Auctions, 18 November 2011, lot 60276 — ref. 1503", Heritage Auctions, 2011-11-18]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-28/lot-147 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Monaco Legend Auctions, 23 April 2022, lot 147 — ref. 1503, case 6,275,775", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2022-04-23]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-38/lot-245 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Monaco Legend Auctions, 19 October 2025, lot 245 — ref. 1503, case 6,275,775 re-offered", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2025-10-19]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2026/fine-watches-ge2611/datejust-reference-1503-a-yellow-gold-wristwatch Sotheby’s, "Sotheby’s Geneva, 13 May 2026, lot 253 — Datejust title, ref. 1503, black sigma dial", Sotheby’s, 2026-05-13]
* [https://www.emmywatch.com/wp-content/plugins/watchsearch/inc/documents/rolex--1565--movement_parts.pdf Rolex technical department, "Rolex — Calibre 1565 parts catalogue", Rolex]
* [https://www.clubderelojeria.com/comunicaciones/R/ROLEX/rolex1575/ROLEX%201575.pdf Rolex technical department, "Rolex — Calibre 1575 parts catalogue", Rolex]
* [https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/0b5fdf83/files/uploaded/1.0%20RolexBook-23Mar.pdf Colin A. White, "The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — ref. 1500 and 1503 entries in reference and caliber tables", Morning Tundra]

[[Category:Oyster-Perpetual]]

Reference:1503 - Revision history

Admin: Create researched ref. 1503 article