Admin: Add researched reference 2318 article

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Add researched reference 2318 article

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|title=Rolex ref. 2318 — Early manual-wind wristwatch | Rolexopedia
|description=Documented steel ref. 2318 examples, their case details, manual movements, dial layouts and catalogue date estimates.
|keywords=Rolex 2318, vintage Rolex, non-Oyster Rolex, manual-wind Rolex
|image=Ref 2318 hero.webp
|image_alt=Steel Rolex ref. 2318 with a silvered quartered Arabic dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex reference 2318}}

<small>Early Rolex wristwatches → '''2318'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 2318 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Steel Rolex ref. 2318 with a silvered quartered Arabic dial|Ref. 2318, case 033015, catalogued circa 1934. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.]]
</div>

Ref. 2318 appears in auction and dealer records as a small, hand-wound Rolex wristwatch. The photographed examples have steel cases and small seconds, but their dials differ: Toovey's records a quartered Arabic dial, WatchNet shows a black Roman sector dial, and Shellman documents a Gammeter-signed dial with applied markers and baton hands. [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's] [https://www.watchnet.co.jp/en/item/view/6221 WatchNet] [https://www.shellman-online.jp/view/item/000000003049 Shellman]

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
! Detail
! Documented information
|-
| Reference
| Toovey's photographs show ref. 2318 above case number 033015. Lot-Art identifies its separate watch as ref. 2318 and records case number 026247. [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's] [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-2318/158-rolex_2318_2318-06.11.21-meeting Lot-Art]
|-
| Case material and size
| The examples cited here are steel. Catalogue measurements run from 30 to 31 mm; WatchNet and Bold Timepieces give 30.5 mm for their examples. [https://www.watchnet.co.jp/en/item/view/6221 WatchNet] [https://www.boldtimepieces.co.uk/product-page/1934-rolex-stainless-steel-calatrava-case-bow-tie-dial-ref-2318-manual-wind Bold Timepieces]
|-
| Date evidence
| Separate catalogue estimates place examples circa 1929, in 1932, circa 1934, in the 1930s and in the 1940s. [https://awco.nl/shop/archive/a-rolex/rolex-ref-2318/ Amsterdam Watch Company] [https://www.vintagewatchcentre.com/product/rolex-model-ref-2318-1932/ Vintage Watch Centre] [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's] [https://www.watchnet.co.jp/en/item/view/6221 WatchNet] [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-2318/158-rolex_2318_2318-06.11.21-meeting Lot-Art]
|-
| Movement
| Hand-wound. Toovey's photograph of case 033015 reads “15 RUBIES”; other listings report 15 jewels. No reviewed source identifies a numbered caliber. [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's] [https://www.vintagewatchcentre.com/product/rolex-model-ref-2318-1932/ Vintage Watch Centre]
|-
| Case and dial
| Snap-on or press-fit backs appear in several listings. Toovey's, Amsterdam Watch Company, Lot-Art and Bold Timepieces document silvered dials with Arabic numerals; WatchNet shows a black Roman sector dial, while Shellman records a Gammeter-signed dial with applied markers and baton hands. The examples have subsidiary seconds. [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's] [https://awco.nl/shop/archive/a-rolex/rolex-ref-2318/ Amsterdam Watch Company] [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-2318/158-rolex_2318_2318-06.11.21-meeting Lot-Art] [https://www.boldtimepieces.co.uk/product-page/1934-rolex-stainless-steel-calatrava-case-bow-tie-dial-ref-2318-manual-wind Bold Timepieces] [https://www.watchnet.co.jp/en/item/view/6221 WatchNet] [https://www.shellman-online.jp/view/item/000000003049 Shellman]
|-
| Strap and buckle
| Toovey's and Amsterdam Watch Company show leather straps. Lot-Art lists a Rolex steel buckle with its example; Amsterdam Watch Company describes an aftermarket buckle. Neither catalogue establishes original delivery. [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's] [https://awco.nl/shop/archive/a-rolex/rolex-ref-2318/ Amsterdam Watch Company] [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-2318/158-rolex_2318_2318-06.11.21-meeting Lot-Art]
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

WatchNet and Shellman describe their ref. 2318 examples as non-Oyster. These dealer descriptions support the site's placement of 2318 under Other; they do not establish Rolex's factory family terminology. “Calatrava style,” used by several sellers, is a case-shape comparison rather than a documented Rolex model name.

==Production outline==

Amsterdam Watch Company estimates its example at circa 1929; Vintage Watch Centre dates case 033064 to 1932; Toovey's dates case 033015 to circa 1934; WatchNet gives only the decade; Lot-Art calls case 026247 a 1940s watch. These are estimates for individual watches. The records do not establish a serial sequence or the start and end of 2318 production. [https://awco.nl/shop/archive/a-rolex/rolex-ref-2318/ Amsterdam Watch Company] [https://www.vintagewatchcentre.com/product/rolex-model-ref-2318-1932/ Vintage Watch Centre] [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's] [https://www.watchnet.co.jp/en/item/view/6221 WatchNet] [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-2318/158-rolex_2318_2318-06.11.21-meeting Lot-Art]

==Movement notes==

All reviewed descriptions identify a manual movement. Toovey's photograph of case 033015 shows the movement marked “15 RUBIES.” Bold Timepieces and Vintage Watch Centre also describe 15-jewel movements, while WatchNet gives a 10¾-ligne size for its example. These details belong to the cited watches. No source reviewed here supports assigning a numbered caliber to ref. 2318. [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's] [https://www.boldtimepieces.co.uk/product-page/1934-rolex-stainless-steel-calatrava-case-bow-tie-dial-ref-2318-manual-wind Bold Timepieces] [https://www.watchnet.co.jp/en/item/view/6221 WatchNet]

[[File:Ref 2318 movement.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Hand-wound movement in Toovey's Rolex ref. 2318, marked 15 rubies|Movement in case 033015; the visible inscription reads “15 RUBIES.” Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.]]

==Dial map==

The catalogue descriptions document several layouts, but there is no evidence for a sequence among them.

{| class="wikitable"
! Example !! Published description
|-
| Toovey's, case 033015 || Silvered quartered dial, Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds. [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's]
|-
| Amsterdam Watch Company || Silver dial with raised gilt Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds. [https://awco.nl/shop/archive/a-rolex/rolex-ref-2318/ Amsterdam Watch Company]
|-
| Lot-Art, case 026247 || Silver-and-pink three-tone dial with painted Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds. [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-2318/158-rolex_2318_2318-06.11.21-meeting Lot-Art]
|-
| Bold Timepieces || Restored silver “bow-tie” dial with Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds. [https://www.boldtimepieces.co.uk/product-page/1934-rolex-stainless-steel-calatrava-case-bow-tie-dial-ref-2318-manual-wind Bold Timepieces]
|-
| Private Eyes / WatchNet || Black sector dial with Roman numerals and baton hands; the dealer calls the dial original. [https://www.watchnet.co.jp/en/item/view/6221 WatchNet]
|-
| Shellman, case 20050 || Gammeter-signed dial with applied bullet-shaped markers and baton hands. [https://www.shellman-online.jp/view/item/000000003049 Gammeter-signed ref. 2318 listing]
|}

Each row describes a separate catalogued watch; the table does not imply a dial sequence.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 2318 hero.webp|Case 033015, quartered Arabic dial. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
File:Ref 2318 dial-example.webp|Separate silver-dial example. Photo: Amsterdam Watch Company archive.
</gallery>

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

The catalogued cases are round and steel, with reported diameters from 30 to 31 mm. WatchNet, Shellman, Toovey's and Bold Timepieces describe snap-on or press-fit backs on their examples. WatchNet lists its watch as non-water-resistant. Bold Timepieces describes an unsigned crown and a replacement acrylic crystal on its restored example; AWCo lists acrylic for a different watch. These details do not establish the original crown or crystal specification across the reference. [https://www.watchnet.co.jp/en/item/view/6221 WatchNet] [https://www.shellman-online.jp/view/item/000000003049 Shellman] [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's] [https://www.boldtimepieces.co.uk/product-page/1934-rolex-stainless-steel-calatrava-case-bow-tie-dial-ref-2318-manual-wind Bold Timepieces] [https://awco.nl/shop/archive/a-rolex/rolex-ref-2318/ Amsterdam Watch Company]

Toovey's photographs also show the inside of the caseback, stamped “Rolex 27 Records Universels.” The same wording appears in Bold Timepieces' description of a separate watch. The material reviewed here does not establish when or across which cases this marking was used. [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's] [https://www.boldtimepieces.co.uk/product-page/1934-rolex-stainless-steel-calatrava-case-bow-tie-dial-ref-2318-manual-wind Bold Timepieces]

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 2318 case-side.webp|Case profile and crown, case 033015. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
File:Ref 2318 caseback-inside.webp|Inside caseback of case 033015. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
</gallery>

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

The reviewed examples are shown on leather. Lot-Art records a Rolex steel buckle with case 026247; Amsterdam Watch Company describes an aftermarket steel buckle on its archived watch. These are sale-time pairings, not proof of original delivery. The available records do not establish a bracelet fitment or reference-specific packaging. [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-2318/158-rolex_2318_2318-06.11.21-meeting Lot-Art] [https://awco.nl/shop/archive/a-rolex/rolex-ref-2318/ Amsterdam Watch Company]

==Special branches==

Shellman records a Gammeter double-signed example, case 20050, sold by the Singapore jeweller. Its description and photographs document that individual dial; no evidence reviewed here shows how many such watches were made. [https://www.shellman-online.jp/view/item/000000003049 Shellman]

==Historical market and auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
! Sale !! Recorded details
|-
| [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey's, lot 1110, 7 December 2023] || Case 033015; circa 1934; 30 mm steel; silvered quartered Arabic dial; leather strap. Hammer: £500.
|-
| [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-2318/158-rolex_2318_2318-06.11.21-meeting Lot-Art, lot 158, 6 November 2021] || Case 026247; described as 1940s; 31 mm steel; silver-and-pink dial; Rolex steel buckle. The archive does not identify the auction house or expose the result.
|}

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 2318 hero.webp|Case 033015, silvered quartered dial. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
File:Ref 2318 dial-example.webp|Separate silver-dial example. Photo: Amsterdam Watch Company archive.
File:Ref 2318 case-side.webp|Case profile and crown, case 033015. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
File:Ref 2318 caseback-inside.webp|Inside caseback, case 033015. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
File:Ref 2318 movement.webp|Movement marked 15 rubies, case 033015. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/558618/a-rolex-mid-size-stainless-steel-circular-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch "Toovey’s — Rolex ref. 2318, lot 1110, 7 December 2023", Toovey’s, 2023-12-07]
* [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-2318/158-rolex_2318_2318-06.11.21-meeting "Lot-Art — Rolex ref. 2318, lot 158, 6 November 2021", Lot-Art (auction archive), 2021-11-06]
* [https://awco.nl/shop/archive/a-rolex/rolex-ref-2318/ "Amsterdam Watch Company — Rolex ref. 2318 archive listing", Amsterdam Watch Company]
* [https://www.boldtimepieces.co.uk/product-page/1934-rolex-stainless-steel-calatrava-case-bow-tie-dial-ref-2318-manual-wind "Bold Timepieces — Rolex ref. 2318, 1934 dealer archive listing", Bold Timepieces]
* [https://www.watchnet.co.jp/en/item/view/6221 "Private Eyes / WatchNet — Rolex ref. 2318 black-sector listing", Private Eyes / WatchNet]
* [https://www.vintagewatchcentre.com/product/rolex-model-ref-2318-1932/ "Vintage Watch Centre — Rolex ref. 2318, serial 033064", Vintage Watch Centre]
* [https://www.shellman-online.jp/view/item/000000003049 Shellman, "Gammeter-signed ref. 2318 listing", Shellman]

[[Category:Other]]

Reference:2318 - Revision history

Admin: Add researched reference 2318 article