Admin: Add sourced Rolex Prince reference 1855 article

2026-10-21T03:29:39Z

Add sourced Rolex Prince reference 1855 article

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Prince ref. 1855}}
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|title=Rolex Prince 1855 — Documented Cases, Dials and Movement Notes | Rolexopedia
|description=Auction-documented Rolex Prince ref. 1855 examples, with case and dial variations, movement evidence, and the limits of the surviving date record.
|keywords=Rolex Prince 1855, Rolex Prince Brancard, Rolex 1855, Aegler Prince movement, Murdock's Cape Town Rolex
|image=Ref 1855 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rectangular Rolex Prince reference 1855, photographed for Bonhams sale 23512 lot 21
|type=Article
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}}

<small>[[Reference:prince|Prince]] → '''1855'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 1855 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rectangular Rolex Prince reference 1855, photographed for Bonhams sale 23512 lot 21|Bonhams sale 23512, lot 21 (2016).]]
</div>

Ref. 1855 is a rectangular Rolex Prince that auction catalogues call “Prince Brancard.” Examples dated from about 1930 to about 1940 have steel and pink-gold or 9-carat yellow-gold cases. Those sale dates do not establish the production span.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Detail !! Documented record
|-
| Family || Prince; catalogued as Prince Brancard by Christie's and Bonhams
|-
| Reference || 1855, named by multiple auction houses; visible on the Arthur Johnson example's case
|-
| Production dates || Individual examples catalogued circa 1930, in the 1930s, and circa 1940; endpoints unknown
|-
| Case materials || Stainless steel and pink gold; 9-carat yellow gold
|-
| Case shape || Rectangular; flared or curved sides on described examples
|-
| Movement || Manual-wind, shaped Prince movement; no numbered caliber established
|-
| Dial layout || Upper time display and subsidiary seconds at six in pictured and catalogued examples
|-
| Case dimensions || Published figures include 20 × 35 mm (Alexandre Landre), 22 × 35 mm (Bonhams), 23 × 41 mm (Antiquorum), 36 × 23 mm (Sotheby's), and 25 × 42 mm (Olde Timers); measuring conventions differ
|-
| Bracelet || Leather straps are documented; bracelet and end-link fitment are not established
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 1855 belongs to the Prince family of rectangular watches with shaped manual-wind movements. Catalogues use “Brancard” for the 1855 and for other Prince references. The surviving 1855 examples have flared rectangular sides. Auction catalogues also use “Brancard” for other Prince references, so the case profile is the more useful identifier.

==Production outline==

Christie's dates two-tone case 14382 to about 1930. Bonhams also dates a two-tone watch to about 1930; its photograph shows case 14368, though the catalogue text masks the number as 143**. Piguet lists another case, 14413, in the 1930s. Sotheby's dates yellow-gold case 31705 to about 1940.

These are dates assigned by cataloguers to individual watches. These four case numbers and catalogue dates are too few to establish a serial-to-year sequence or the reference's production endpoints.

==Movement notes==

The examples use manually wound, shaped movements of the Prince type. Bonhams' photograph of case 14368 shows “510” and “17 Rubies” on the plate; its catalogue calls 510 a caliber. The movement guide treats bare plate numbers such as 510 as likely movement serials because the same movement family carries several numbers. Piguet also reports 17 jewels; Christie's lists 18 for case 14382. The Arthur Johnson photograph of a separate 1855 shows Extra Prima and six-position markings. Alexandre Landre's 2024 lot calls another movement “Rolex 318”; its small photographs do not show a legible marking. Exact caliber assignments remain unsettled.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1855 movement.webp|Movement in case 14368; Bonhams sale 23512, lot 21
File:Ref 1855 inside-caseback.webp|Inside caseback of case 14368; Bonhams sale 23512, lot 21
</gallery>

==Dial map==

Christie's describes a silvered dial with Arabic and baton numerals, pink-gilt detail, blued Alpha hands and subsidiary seconds. Bonhams describes case 14368 with a salmon-pink dial, black quarter numerals, sword hands and a seconds register. Piguet describes a sand-finished dial with pink accents and blued seconds hand. The Arthur Johnson photograph shows Arabic numerals, a subsidiary-seconds register, and the retailer signature “Murdock's, Cape Town.” It also carries “Fabsuisse” near six. The records show different dial treatments, but no source dates them as a production sequence.

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

Christie's describes flared lugs, a stainless-steel case and a pink-gold bezel on case 14382. Bonhams describes case 14368 as brushed and polished steel and rose gold, with flared sides. Its inside back shows “25 Records Universelles,” a crowned SAR stamp, and a parachute mark. David Boettcher identifies the parachute as a Robert Meylan trademark. Meylan’s Geneva case-making company was registered in 1928; the trademark was registered in 1934. That registration is not a date for this case. Boettcher says the SAR mark is undocumented; “Société Anonyme Rolex” is only a possible reading. Sotheby's records a 9-carat yellow-gold snap-back case, 36 × 23 mm, while Antiquorum's 2003 example measures 23 × 41 mm and is described as curved, two-body construction. The Arthur Johnson photographs show another stepped rectangular case and removable back. The dimensions use different measuring conventions and should stay tied to their individual watches.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1855 case-profile.webp|Case profile and crown, case 14368; Bonhams sale 23512, lot 21
File:Ref 1855 caseback-exterior_2.webp|Case number 14368 on the outer caseback; Bonhams sale 23512, lot 21
</gallery>

==Bracelets, clasps, and packaging==

The auction records show leather straps. Alexandre Landre measures 18 mm between the lugs, but that does not establish a factory bracelet or end links. Antiquorum lists a fitted box with its watch; that is evidence for that sale only.

==Special branches==

Arthur Johnson's photographed example has the retailer name Murdock's and “Cape Town” on its dial. Watch Guru describes a yellow-gold 1855 with the same retailer name and says it was presented to a De Beers executive in 1940. The dealer also calls it one of three. The listing gives no case number or supporting document, and the available details do not show whether it is the Arthur Johnson watch. Treat the presentation story and scarcity count as dealer claims.

[[File:Ref 1855 reference-stamp_2.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Side and underside of a separate ref. 1855 case with the reference and case number stamped beneath the case|The case stamp on Arthur Johnson's Murdock's-signed example.]]

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sale !! Case / movement !! Record
|-
| Christie's, lot 4366792 || 14382 / not numbered in catalogue || Steel and pink gold, circa 1930; silvered dial; 18 jewels; 42 mm long
|-
| Bonhams, sale 23512, lot 21 (2016) || 14368 in photograph / “510” || Steel and rose gold, circa 1930; salmon-pink dial; 17 jewels; 22 × 35 mm. The case number is visible in the lot photograph; the catalogue masks it as 143**.
|-
| Antiquorum, Geneva, 11 October 2003, lot 432 || Number not transcribed || Pink gold and stainless steel, circa 1930s; 18 jewels; 23 × 41 mm; fitted box listed
|-
| Piguet, lot 1592 (2017) || 14413 / 77395 || Steel and rose gold, 1930s; 17 jewels; 21 mm wide
|-
| Sotheby's, London, lot 128 (2017) || 31705 / not stated || 9-carat yellow gold, circa 1940; silvered refinished dial; 18 jewels; 36 × 23 mm
|-
| Arthur Johnson, lot 1081 (2023) || 032693 in title; identifier type not specified || Circa 1930s; 22 mm case; Murdock's, Cape Town dial; six photographs include the case, dial and movement
|-
| Alexandre Landre, lot 30 (2024) || Not stated || Steel with two rose-gold bands; 20 × 35 mm; 18 mm lug spacing; catalogue calls movement Rolex 318
|-
| EveryWatch aggregated listing || 31707 (as reported) || Circa 1934; 9-carat gold, tagged rose gold; source auction not linked, so sale and material remain unverified
|-
| Olde Timers, archive item 3722 || Numbered caseback; number not transcribed || Dealer archive describes steel and rose gold, 25 × 42 mm, SAR mark and an Extra Prima movement; possible overlap with other two-tone records is unresolved
|}

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1855 hero.webp|Dial and case, case 14368; Bonhams sale 23512, lot 21
File:Ref 1855 case-profile.webp|Case profile and crown; Bonhams sale 23512, lot 21
File:Ref 1855 caseback-exterior_2.webp|Case number 14368; Bonhams sale 23512, lot 21
File:Ref 1855 inside-caseback.webp|Inside caseback; Bonhams sale 23512, lot 21
File:Ref 1855 movement.webp|Movement; Bonhams sale 23512, lot 21
File:Ref 1855 reference-stamp_2.webp|Reference 1855 and separate number 032693 beneath the case; Arthur Johnson, lot 1081
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-rolex-a-fine-and-rare-stainless-steel-4366792/ Christie's, "Rolex Prince Chronometre Brancard ref. 1855, case 14382", Christie's]
* [https://www.alexandrelandre.com/lot/148418/25180425-rolex-prince-ref-1855-montre-bracelet-en-acier-et-deux Alexandre Landre, "Rolex Prince ref. 1855, Alexandre Landre lot 30", Alexandre Landre, 2024-05-04]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/1855/watch-31529880 EveryWatch, "EveryWatch aggregated Rolex Prince ref. 1855 case 31707 listing", EveryWatch]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/23512/lot/21/rolex-a-stainless-steel-and-rose-gold-manual-wind-rectangular-wristwatch-prince-brancard-ref1855-serial-no143-circa-1930/ Bonhams, "Prince Brancard ref. 1855, serial 143**, Bonhams sale 23512 lot 21", Bonhams, 2016-12-14]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-44-432 Antiquorum, "Prince Brancard ref. 1855, Antiquorum Geneva 2003 lot 432", Antiquorum, 2003-10-11]
* [https://production-static.piguet.com/sales/2754ef55-9043-4cff-b435-c37aa576f58b/specials/3378e48b-2897-4bfb-b9cf-cdb2bb46994f/catalog.pdf Piguet, "Rolex Prince Brancard ref. 1855, case 14413, Piguet lot 1592", Piguet, 2017]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2017/watches-sale-l17053.html Sotheby's, "Rolex Prince Brancard ref. 1855, case 31705, Sotheby's London lot 128", Sotheby's, 2017-04-25]
* [https://www.arthurjohnson.co.uk/catalogue/lot/dbb08ae46e695490a37698b54a2d0c8f/1d509dfe86f02da2d7cbda445ef6ff1f/wednesday-sale-salerooms-1-2-and-6-lot-1081/ Arthur Johnson, "Rolex Prince ref. 1855 with Murdock's, Cape Town dial, Arthur Johnson lot 1081", Arthur Johnson / Easy Live Auction, 2023-05-10]
* [https://www.vintage-wristwatches.co.uk/watches-catalogue/archived-watches/rolex-watches-archive/1930s-steel-gold-vintage-rolex-prince-brancard-watch-3722/ Olde Timers, "1930s steel and gold Rolex Prince Brancard ref. 1855, archive item 3722", Olde Timers]
* [https://www.watchguru.com/WatchGuru/Watch-Details/Rolex/Prince/13212 Watch Guru, "Rolex Prince ref. 1855, Watch Guru item 13212", Watch Guru]
* [https://rolexopedia.net/wiki/Reference:Movements Rolexopedia, "Rolexopedia Movements page, live revision 12926", Rolexopedia, 2026-10-21]
* [https://rolexopedia.net/wiki/Reference:prince Rolexopedia, "Rolexopedia Prince family page, live revision 12808", Rolexopedia, 2026-10-20]
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/myrolexpage.php David Boettcher, "David Boettcher, Rolex SAR and Robert Meylan case marks", Vintage Watch Straps]

[[Category:Prince]]

Reference:1855 - Revision history

Admin: Add sourced Rolex Prince reference 1855 article