Admin: Remove importer dry-run wrapper; retain reviewed ref. 1511 article

2026-10-23T03:20:40Z

Remove importer dry-run wrapper; retain reviewed ref. 1511 article

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 {{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1511}}
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Admin: Create audited ref. 1511 article; reviewed source and image set

2026-10-23T03:19:54Z

Create audited ref. 1511 article; reviewed source and image set

New page

Found 6 images across 7 slots for 1511
=== Reference:1511 ===
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1511}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1511 — Reference Guide | Rolexopedia
|description=Reference 1511 examples, movement labels, textured bezel terminology, dial records, and bracelet evidence.
|keywords=Rolex 1511, Oyster Perpetual Date 1511, Cal. 1575, 18K gold, Milanese bracelet
|image=Ref 1511 hero.webp
|image_alt=Yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1511 with champagne dial and gold mesh bracelet
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

<small>[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]] → '''1511'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 1511 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1511 with champagne dial and gold mesh bracelet|Ref. 1511 listed as a 1971 watch by Bachmann & Scher.]]
</div>

Ref. 1511 is a 34 mm, 18K yellow-gold Oyster Perpetual Date documented in auction and dealer records from circa 1970 to 1971. The listings show champagne and black gilt dials, textured gold bezels, and gold bracelets described as bark-finish or Milanese. They leave the production span and any factory name for the bezel texture undocumented.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
! detail
! documented record
|-
| reference
| 1511; one auction catalogue uses 1511/8
|-
| model
| Rolex Date / Oyster Perpetual Date
|-
| dates
| Auction and dealer records date examples from circa 1970 to 1971; Caso assigns 1969 from a partial serial. These are example attributions; production limits remain unknown.
|-
| case
| 18K yellow gold in the reviewed examples
|-
| diameter
| 34 mm in Sotheby’s, Rapp, Bachmann & Scher, and HODINKEE listings
|-
| dial examples
| Champagne baton; black gilt
|-
| bezel
| Textured yellow gold; catalogued as bark-finish or linen-textured, with collector terms including woven and straw/paille
|-
| crystal
| Plexiglas or acrylic in catalogue and dealer descriptions
|-
| movement
| Time Connection II and HODINKEE associate 1511 with Cal. 1575; Sotheby’s, Rapp, and Bonhams catalogue date-equipped examples as Cal. 1570. None of these listings includes a movement photograph to resolve the difference.
|-
| bracelet
| Gold Milanese, mesh, and bark-finish link examples; original delivery remains unproven
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 1511 belongs to Rolex’s four-digit Oyster Perpetual Date line. Its gold case and textured bezel set it apart from the steel and Rolesor Date references. Rolex factory nomenclature for the finish and the suffix used on some examples remains undocumented in the sources reviewed here.

==Production outline==

Rapp’s 2024 catalogue dates a ref. 1511/8 to 1971. Sotheby’s dates case 2,554,911 to circa 1971; Pensinasia gives the same case number and says it was bought in Singapore in 1970. The matching number likely identifies the same watch in both records, so the purchase account is not a second manufacture date. Sotheby’s records a 4/70 clasp stamp, which dates the bracelet component.

Bonhams dates case 2,879,754 to circa 1970; its catalogue lists Cal. 1570, a champagne sunburst dial, bark-finish bezel and bracelet, and a clasp stamped 4/71. HODINKEE dates a nearby serial, 2,879,809, to 1971 and lists Cal. 1575. Its page URL says 1973, while its title and specifications say 1971. These neighboring numbers carry overlapping catalogue dates; they do not establish a serial sequence. Bachmann & Scher dates a photographed example to 1971 without giving a serial. Caso assigns 1969 to its black-dial example from a partial serial beginning 1,901; its listing leaves the full number and period papers unavailable for checking that date.

==Movement notes==

Time Connection II’s case-reference list associates 1511 and 1511-8 with Cal. 1575; HODINKEE also lists that caliber for case 2,879,809. Sotheby’s, Rapp, and Bonhams catalogue their date-equipped examples as Cal. 1570. The auction listings leave each individual movement identification unverified.

Rolex’s Cal. 1575 parts catalogue lists date-indicator applications for refs. 1500, 1501, and 1503. Separately, a 2018 Rolex Forums thread reproduces manual pages that distinguish the date-equipped 1575 parts from 1570 and show the 1575 bridge marked 1570. That may explain why some catalogues use 1570 for date watches, but it does not identify the movements in these examples. The reference-level assignment remains unresolved: the sources use both labels, and none of the examined watches has a published movement photograph.

==Dial map==

Rapp and Bachmann & Scher catalogue champagne baton dials. Bonhams describes its champagne dial as sunburst and notes luminous inserts in the hands. Caso shows a black gilt dial with gold-colored printing and markers, and describes its lume as tritium. These records document two dial appearances; a factory range and changeover sequence remain undocumented.

[[File:Ref 1511 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|240px|alt=Close view of the champagne dial, baton markers, date window, and Cyclops on ref. 1511|Champagne dial on the Bachmann & Scher example.]]

==Case, bezel, and crystal==

The auction and dealer examples reviewed here are described as 18K yellow gold and measure 34 mm. Rapp and Bachmann & Scher call the bezel bark-finish; Caso calls its texture linen. A Rolex Forums contributor uses “woven” but says that is his own description. In a later Reddit chart, the same contributor uses straw or paille. Those labels describe how individual writers read the surface; a factory term remains undocumented.

Rapp and Caso describe Plexiglas or acrylic crystals. Time Connection II’s parts table lists a 25-117 acrylic Cyclops crystal for 1511 and 1511-8. The photographs show the date under a Cyclops. The reviewed images cover the case exterior; inside-caseback stamps and movement numbers remain unseen.

[[File:Ref 1511 case-detail.webp|thumb|right|240px|alt=Side profile of the yellow-gold Rolex 1511 showing its textured bezel, crystal, lugs, and crown|Case and bezel profile, Bachmann & Scher example.]]

==Bracelet, clasp, and packaging==

Rapp and Bachmann & Scher catalogue gold Milanese bracelets. Bonhams describes a bark-finish link bracelet with a 4/71 clasp; Sotheby’s records a gold bracelet with a 4/70 clasp on the watch also listed by Pensinasia. HODINKEE’s separately numbered example was shown on a green leather strap. These are individual configurations, and the available photographs leave original bracelet pairing unproven. Rapp notes wear damage at the bracelet’s end attachment.

The Rapp catalogue lists a box and a 1989 service paper with its 1511/8. Their connection to the watch’s original sale is undocumented.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1511 caseback.webp|Closed caseback on the Bachmann & Scher example; no serial is legible
File:Ref 1511 clasp.webp|Reverse of the gold bracelet clasp; no date code is identified
File:Ref 1511 bracelet.webp|Gold mesh bracelet shown with the Bachmann & Scher watch
</gallery>

==Suffix records==

Rapp prints the reference as 1511/8. Time Connection II groups 1511 and 1511-8 in its Cal. 1575 parts-fitment list. These are commercial fitment categories. Whether the slash and hyphen forms are equivalent, and what the suffix denotes, remains unspecified.

==Auction and sale records==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! date and listing
! recorded example
! result
|-
| 9 October 2020, Sotheby’s Hong Kong, lot 2112
| Case 2,554,911; circa 1971; 18K yellow gold, champagne dial, 34 mm; catalogue calls the movement Cal. 1570
| HKD 69,300, as archived by EveryWatch
|-
| 24 May 2022, Bonhams Paris, lot 142
| Case 2,879,754; circa 1970; 18K yellow gold, champagne sunburst dial, 34 mm; catalogue calls the movement Cal. 1570
| €6,375 including premium
|-
| 7 December 2024, Rapp Christmas Auction, lot 6017
| Ref. 1511/8; 1971; 18K yellow gold, champagne baton dial, 34 mm, Milanese bracelet
| CHF 6,000 hammer; estimate CHF 6,000–7,000
|-
| HODINKEE Shop archive
| Case 2,879,809; listed as 1971; 18K yellow gold, 34 mm, Cal. 1575
| Sold for USD 5,800
|}

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1511 hero.webp|Complete champagne-dial ref. 1511, listed as 1971 by Bachmann & Scher
File:Ref 1511 dial-detail.webp|Champagne dial and date display
File:Ref 1511 case-detail.webp|Textured bezel and case profile
File:Ref 1511 caseback.webp|Plain outer caseback
File:Ref 1511 clasp.webp|Gold bracelet clasp
File:Ref 1511 bracelet.webp|Gold mesh bracelet
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REFERENCE-1511-A-YELLOW-GOLD-WRISTWATCH-WITH-DATE-AND-BRACELET-CIRCA-1971-1511-2554911-1971/2112-rolex_1511_yellow_gold_wristwatch_1511-09.10.20-sotheby Sotheby's, "Sotheby's Hong Kong, ref. 1511, lot 2112, case 2,554,911", Sotheby's; catalogue transcript hosted by Lot-Art, 2020-10-09]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/1511/watch-9211164 EveryWatch, "EveryWatch archive of Sotheby's Hong Kong, ref. 1511, lot 2112", EveryWatch]
* [https://www.pensinasia.com/rolex_bark_finish.htm Pensinasia, "Pensinasia, Rolex 1511-2554911 bark-finished example", Pensinasia]
* [https://www.rapp-auktionen.ch/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2024/11/Uhren_Katalog_interaktiv.pdf Rapp Auktionen, "Peter Rapp AG, Watches 2024, lot 6017, ref. 1511/8", Rapp Auktionen, 2024-12-07]
* [https://www.rapp-auktionen.ch/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/auction-printresult.pdf Rapp Auktionen, "Rapp Auktionen, Christmas Auction 2024 result list, lot 6017", Rapp Auktionen, 2025-01]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/27810/lot/142/ Bonhams, "Bonhams Paris, Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1511, lot 142", Bonhams, 2022-05-24]
* [https://shop.hodinkee.com/products/1973-rolex-date-ref-1511-in-18k-gold-with-bark-bezel HODINKEE Shop, "HODINKEE Shop, sold Rolex Date ref. 1511, case 2,879,809", HODINKEE Shop]
* [https://www.bachmann-scher.de/en/sold-watches/rolex-vintage-date-ref-1511-18k-yellow-gold-bark-tritium-dial-bj-1971-13748.html Bachmann & Scher, "Bachmann & Scher, sold Rolex ref. 1511, 18K yellow gold", Bachmann & Scher]
* [https://www.casowatches.com/catalogo/date-ref-1511-gilt-dial-with-bracelet/ Caso Watches, "Caso Watches, Date ref. 1511 gilt dial with bracelet", Caso Watches]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/~trfcom/showthread.php?t=837346 powerfunk, "Rolex Forums, all 15 bezel textures of 15xx Oyster Perpetual Date models", Rolex Forums]
* [https://www.reddit.com/r/rolex/comments/14nvyaq powerfunk, "Reddit collector chart of 15xx Oyster Perpetual Date bezel textures", Reddit, 2023-07-01]
* [https://www.timeconnectioninc.com/pages/rolex-case-reference-list-1000-thru-1873 "Time Connection II, Rolex case reference list 1000 through 1873", Time Connection II, Inc.]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/archive/index.php/t-641144.html southtexas and forum participants, "Rolex Forums, 1570/1575 movement debate with parts-manual scans", Rolex Forums members, 2018-11-22]
* [https://www.clubderelojeria.com/comunicaciones/R/ROLEX/rolex1575/ROLEX%201575.pdf Rolex technical department, "Rolex — Calibre 1575 parts catalogue", Rolex]

[[Category:Oyster-Perpetual]]

--- 11107 chars, 6 images ---
[hero] Ref_1511_hero.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/1511/images/public/Ref 1511 hero.webp
[dial-detail] Ref_1511_dial-detail.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/1511/images/public/Ref 1511 dial-detail.webp
[case-detail] Ref_1511_case-detail.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/1511/images/public/Ref 1511 case-detail.webp
[caseback] Ref_1511_caseback.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/1511/images/public/Ref 1511 caseback.webp
[clasp] Ref_1511_clasp.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/1511/images/public/Ref 1511 clasp.webp
[bracelet] Ref_1511_bracelet.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/1511/images/public/Ref 1511 bracelet.webp

Reference:1511 - Revision history

Admin: Remove importer dry-run wrapper; retain reviewed ref. 1511 article

Admin: Create audited ref. 1511 article; reviewed source and image set