Reference:34075 - Revision history

Admin: Clarify source limits and object status for Rolex 34075

2026-10-14T01:14:10Z

Clarify source limits and object status for Rolex 34075

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:14, 14 October 2026
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	Christie's called it “Oyster Precision, No. 34075”; Sotheby's later catalogued it as Oyster reference 34075. Both records identify the same 9ct gold octagonal watch by its caseback engraving for Mercedes Gleitze's Vindication Channel Swim on 21 October 1927. ~~The two catalogues~~ document this watch~~; they do not establish~~ a production ~~series under the number~~.		Christie's called it “Oyster Precision, No. 34075”; Sotheby's later catalogued it as Oyster reference 34075. Both records identify the same 9ct gold octagonal watch by its caseback engraving for Mercedes Gleitze's Vindication Channel Swim on 21 October 1927. Together, they document this individual watch and leave its status as a production reference unsettled.

	==Core facts==		==Core facts==
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	==Movement==		==Movement==
	Christie's described a 17-jewel nickel-finished Rolex Precision movement. Sotheby's gives more detail: a rhodium-finished 9¾-ligne Hunter movement upgraded to Cal. 600, with 17 jewels and a patented Super Balance. ~~The catalogue does not date~~ the upgrade. Cal. 600 is the movement's documented later state; its original specification is not recorded.		Christie's described a 17-jewel nickel-finished Rolex Precision movement. Sotheby's gives more detail: a rhodium-finished 9¾-ligne Hunter movement upgraded to Cal. 600, with 17 jewels and a patented Super Balance. Sotheby's identifies the upgrade but gives no date for that work. Cal. 600 is the movement's documented later state; its original specification is not recorded.

	[[File:Ref 34075 movement.webp\|thumb\|right\|220px\|alt=17-jewel movement of the Gleitze Oyster\|Movement photographed for Sotheby's lot 134]]		[[File:Ref 34075 movement.webp\|thumb\|right\|220px\|alt=17-jewel movement of the Gleitze Oyster\|Movement photographed for Sotheby's lot 134]]
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	==Bracelet and chain==		==Bracelet and chain==
	The Sotheby's photographs show a chain attached to the watch. ~~The catalogues give no account of its original delivery or use during~~ the 1927 ~~swim;~~ its ~~fitment~~ history remains ~~undocumented~~.		The Sotheby's photographs show a chain attached to the watch. Neither catalogue records whether it accompanied the watch in 1927, so its delivery history remains unknown.

	==Provenance and auction record==		==Provenance and auction record==
	Christie's recorded the watch as having passed from Gleitze by descent to the consignor. The catalogue also records its display at Rolex's 50th Anniversary Reception in Greenwich on 22 September 1976. It appeared as lot 714 in London on 12 June 2000.		Christie's recorded the watch as having passed from Gleitze by descent to the consignor. The catalogue also records its display at Rolex's 50th Anniversary Reception in Greenwich on 22 September 1976. It appeared as lot 714 in London on 12 June 2000.

	Sotheby's offered it as lot 134 in Geneva on 9 November 2025, describing it as a pre-production prototype and reporting Glasgow import marks for 1926/1927~~. “Pre-production prototype” is Sotheby's catalogue wording; neither cited catalogue identifies another watch with the number 34075~~.		Sotheby's offered it as lot 134 in Geneva on 9 November 2025, describing it as a pre-production prototype and reporting Glasgow import marks for 1926/1927.

	==Gallery==		==Gallery==

Admin: Set descriptive display title for the Gleitze Oyster object page

2026-10-14T01:03:48Z

Set descriptive display title for the Gleitze Oyster object page

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			{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster No. 34075}}

	<small>[[Reference:bubbleback\|Oyster]] → '''34075'''</small>		<small>[[Reference:bubbleback\|Oyster]] → '''34075'''</small>

Admin: Create researched Gleitze Oyster object record

2026-10-14T01:01:22Z

Create researched Gleitze Oyster object record

New page

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster No. 34075 — The Mercedes Gleitze Watch | Rolexopedia
|description=An object record for the 9ct gold Oyster associated with Mercedes Gleitze, with case, movement, dial and provenance details from the 2000 and 2025 catalogues.
|image=Ref 34075 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Oyster No. 34075, the 9ct gold watch associated with Mercedes Gleitze
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Oyster]] → '''34075'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 34075 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Oyster No. 34075, a small 9ct gold octagonal watch with wire lugs|The Gleitze Oyster, Sotheby's Geneva 2025 lot 134]]
</div>

Christie's called it “Oyster Precision, No. 34075”; Sotheby's later catalogued it as Oyster reference 34075. Both records identify the same 9ct gold octagonal watch by its caseback engraving for Mercedes Gleitze's Vindication Channel Swim on 21 October 1927. The two catalogues document this watch; they do not establish a production series under the number.

==Core facts==
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| catalogue number
| No. 34075 (Christie's); reference 34075 (Sotheby's)
|-
| date and marks
| Christie's dates the watch to 1926 and reports Glasgow marks for 1926; Sotheby's reports Glasgow marks for 1926/1927
|-
| family
| Oyster, manual wind
|-
| case
| 9ct gold, octagonal, wire lugs; 31 × 27 mm (Christie's)
|-
| dial
| Pink-gilt in 2000; described as a later salmon dial in 2025
|-
| movement
| 9¾-ligne Hunter upgraded to Cal. 600; 17 jewels (Sotheby's)
|-
| inscription
| “The Companion ‘Oyster’. Vindication Channel Swim. October 21st. 1927.”
|}

==Case and inscriptions==
The case is a small octagonal form with fixed wire lugs. Christie's gives its dimensions as 31 × 27 mm and describes a milled bezel, screw-down crown and milled-edge screw-down back. Sotheby's places the stamps “R.W.C. LTD.,” “7 World's Records” and “Patent Applied for 114948” inside the caseback, and lists the Oyster Patent winding crown separately.

Christie's transcribes the exterior back as naming “Miss M. Gleitze” and “The Companion ‘Oyster’” for the Vindication Channel Swim on 21 October 1927. The inscription ties this object to the Vindication attempt. Rolex's general history says Gleitze wore an Oyster during a 1927 Channel crossing but does not identify the watch by number. The number and object-specific inscription come from the auction catalogues.

Owen Lawton identifies CH114948 as the Perret and Perregaux crown patent, distinct from the Oyster case patent CH120851 and improved crown patent CH120848.

[[File:Ref 34075 caseback-inside.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Inside caseback stamped R.W.C. LTD., 7 World's Records, Patent Applied for 114948 and 34075|Inside the caseback, Sotheby's lot 134]]

==Movement==
Christie's described a 17-jewel nickel-finished Rolex Precision movement. Sotheby's gives more detail: a rhodium-finished 9¾-ligne Hunter movement upgraded to Cal. 600, with 17 jewels and a patented Super Balance. The catalogue does not date the upgrade. Cal. 600 is the movement's documented later state; its original specification is not recorded.

[[File:Ref 34075 movement.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=17-jewel movement of the Gleitze Oyster|Movement photographed for Sotheby's lot 134]]

==Dial==
Christie's described a pink-gilt dial with black Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds and black hands in 2000. Sotheby's called the present dial a later salmon dial in 2025. Neither catalogue dates its installation; only Sotheby's explicitly identifies it as later.

==Bracelet and chain==
The Sotheby's photographs show a chain attached to the watch. The catalogues give no account of its original delivery or use during the 1927 swim; its fitment history remains undocumented.

==Provenance and auction record==
Christie's recorded the watch as having passed from Gleitze by descent to the consignor. The catalogue also records its display at Rolex's 50th Anniversary Reception in Greenwich on 22 September 1976. It appeared as lot 714 in London on 12 June 2000.

Sotheby's offered it as lot 134 in Geneva on 9 November 2025, describing it as a pre-production prototype and reporting Glasgow import marks for 1926/1927. “Pre-production prototype” is Sotheby's catalogue wording; neither cited catalogue identifies another watch with the number 34075.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 34075 hero.webp|alt=Rolex Oyster No. 34075 with attached chain|The Gleitze Oyster, whole watch
File:Ref 34075 caseback-inside.webp|alt=Inside caseback stamps and number 34075|Inside caseback
File:Ref 34075 movement.webp|alt=Rolex movement documented in the Gleitze Oyster|Movement
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-1817519 Christie's, "Christie's London 12 June 2000 lot 714 — Rolex Oyster Precision No. 34075", Christie's, 2000-06-12]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/important-watches-part-i-ge2504/the-companion-oyster-mercedes-gleitze-rolex-oyster Sotheby's, "Sotheby's Geneva Important Watches Part I GE2504 Lot 134 — Mercedes Gleitze 'The Companion' Rolex Oyster ref 34075", Sotheby's, 2025-11-09]
* [https://www.rolex.com/en-ca/about-rolex/history/1926-1945 Rolex, "Rolex history 1926–1945 — Oyster introduction and early history", Rolex]
* [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/2022/9/7/the-oyster-story Owen Lawton / Wind Vintage, "Wind Vintage — The Oyster Story (Part 1)", Wind Vintage, 2022-09-07]

[[Category:Oyster]]