Admin: Remove stray dry-run footer from ref. 3462 page

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Remove stray dry-run footer from ref. 3462 page

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	[[Category:Pre-Daytona-Chronographs]]		[[Category:Pre-Daytona-Chronographs]]


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Admin: Create grounded ref. 3462 article

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Create grounded ref. 3462 article

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Centregraph 3462}}

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Centregraph 3462 — Reference Guide | Rolexopedia
|description=Documented Centregraph 3462 examples, case and dial details, movement descriptions, and unresolved production dates.
|keywords=Rolex 3462, Centregraph, Oyster chronograph, monopusher, vintage Rolex
|image=Ref 3462 hero.webp
|image_alt=Steel Rolex Oyster Centregraph reference 3462 with single pusher and silver dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

<small>[[Reference:pre-daytona-chronographs|Pre-Daytona chronographs]] → '''3462'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 3462 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Steel Rolex Centregraph 3462 with one pusher, central chronograph hand and silver dial|Rolex Oyster Centregraph ref. 3462, case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.]]
</div>

Ref. 3462 is the Oyster Centregraph, a steel, single-button chronograph with a central timing hand. Auction catalogues date individual watches from the 1930s through circa 1942; those estimates do not define the factory production span. Christie’s and Antiquorum describe 29–29.5mm cases; The Vintage Rolex Field Manual gives 32mm.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
! Detail
! Documented information
|-
| Reference
| 3462
|-
| Name
| Oyster Centregraph; catalogues also use Centregraph Chronomètre and Oyster Chronometre Centregraph
|-
| Type
| Manual-wind, single-button chronograph with central timing seconds
|-
| Production
| Individual catalogue dates run from the 1930s to circa 1942; start and end are unknown
|-
| Case
| Stainless steel in the auction examples reviewed
|-
| Diameter
| 29–29.5mm in auction descriptions; 32mm in The Vintage Rolex Field Manual
|-
| Movement
| Manual; 10½ lignes in auction descriptions and 10 lignes in the Field Manual; no numeric caliber established
|-
| Dials
| Two-tone silvered Arabic-numeral and matte silver Roman-numeral examples documented
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

White’s ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' groups refs. 3346 and 3462 as early Oyster monopusher chronographs. It says the names Zerographe and Centregraph were used for both at first, then maps Centregraph to 3462 and Zerographe to 3346. Auction catalogues continue to use both names for ref. 3346, so the labels are useful clues rather than a reliable way to identify a case.

The manual also gives a shared 32mm diameter and a 10-ligne Hunter movement for the pair. Auction descriptions of ref. 3462 instead measure cases at 29 or 29.5mm and report 10½-ligne movements. The catalogue record contains both measurements. A factory drawing or movement photograph could settle the difference; neither appears in the sources cited here.

Antiquorum's 1938 Centregraph catalogued as ref. 3642 is a separate record. White's timeline gives that number to the Centregraph, while its reference table lists 3642 as a twin-register monopusher and 3462 separately. The caseback shown here is stamped 3462, and Christie's identifies case 161'489 as 3462. The sources reviewed leave the relationship between the two numbers unresolved.

==Production outline==

The named auction records identify cases 161’489 and 161’501. Christie’s dates both to circa 1939; Loupe This dates case 161’501 to circa 1942. The shared case number ties those two listings to one watch, with conflicting catalogue dates. Antiquorum’s 1992 and 2000 records date their examples to the 1930s but give no case numbers in the accessible entries.

Christie’s and Antiquorum say fewer than 50 Centregraphs were made; Phillips gives an estimate below 100. The estimates conflict and none cites a factory production register. They remain auction-house estimates rather than a production count.

==Movement notes==

Christie’s and Antiquorum describe manual 10½-ligne movements with 17 or 18 jewels. White’s Field Manual gives 10 lignes and calls the movement a Hunter. The catalogues report movement size and jewel count without a caliber number; the image sets reviewed show no open movement.

Antiquorum describes the single pusher as start-stop-reset. Christie’s identifies a zero-reset function, while White calls the Hunter movement a flyback modification. The catalogues describe the operating sequence differently. See [[Reference:Movements|Movements]] for the distinction between movement size and caliber number.

==Dial map==

Christie’s describes two-tone silvered dials with Arabic numerals; its 2017 case 161’489 entry also records a gilt center, baton and Arabic numerals, and luminous accents. Antiquorum’s 2000 example has a matte silver dial with painted Roman numerals and indexes. The catalogues document both layouts; their dates leave the sequence uncertain. The dial in the image set below belongs to case 161’501.

[[File:Ref 3462 dial.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Silvered Centregraph dial with Arabic numerals, red 24-hour scale and central chronograph hand|Dial of case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.]]

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

Christie’s describes case 161’501 with a two-part case, domed crystal, finely milled bezel, screw-down back and crown, and a pusher in the case band. Its case is 29mm. The 2017 Christie’s record gives 29.5mm for case 161’489 and describes a screw-down back and crown with a pump pusher.

Antiquorum calls the bezels graduated or reeded. White’s Field Manual first groups both 3346 and 3462 with rotating bezels, then describes the 3462 as fixed and polished. Auction descriptions use graduated, reeded, or milled for the 3462 bezel; none specifies whether it rotates.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 3462 caseback.webp|Exterior caseback of case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.
File:Ref 3462 case-profile.webp|Case side, crown and pusher on case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.
</gallery>

==Bracelets, clasp, and packaging==

Christie’s describes an associated leather strap and Rolex steel buckle with case 161’489. Loupe This shows case 161’501 on a Gay Frères expansion bracelet; the clasp carries a GF mark. Both describe sale configurations. Original delivery, reference-wide bracelet use, and end-link fitment remain unverified. Christie’s also records a fitted Rolex box with the 161’489 lot; that pairing applies to the sale, not every 3462.

[[File:Ref 3462 clasp.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Inside of the Gay Frères expansion bracelet clasp shown with Centregraph case 161501|Clasp shown with case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.]]

==Special branches==

All catalogued 3462 examples reviewed here are stainless steel. These records document no precious-metal, retailer, or military branch. Dial and bezel descriptions vary; the examples do not establish a production sequence.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sale record
! Case
! Catalogue description
|-
| [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-140-184 Antiquorum, Geneva, 17 October 1992, lot 184]
| Not stated in accessible record
| 1930s; 29mm steel; two-tone dial; 10½-line, 17-jewel movement
|-
| [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-66-71 Antiquorum, Geneva, 19 November 2000, lot 71]
| Not stated in accessible record
| 1930s; 29mm steel; Roman-numeral dial; 10½-line, 18-jewel movement
|-
| [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5091717 Christie’s, lot 5091717]
| 161’501
| Circa 1939; 29mm steel; 10½-line, 18-jewel movement
|-
| [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6079995 Christie’s, lot 6079995]
| 161’489
| Circa 1939; 29.5mm steel; 10½-line, 17-jewel movement
|-
| [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/116718 Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction: SIX]
| Not stated in accessible record
| Circa 1940; 29mm steel; 10½-line, 17-jewel movement
|-
| [https://loupethis.com/auctions/rolex-centregraph-chronograph-3462-observatory-chronometer-mirror-track-luminous-dial Loupe This, lot 3040]
| 161’501
| Circa 1942; same case Christie's listed in 2008; 19-view photo set
|}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 3462 hero.webp|Case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.
File:Ref 3462 dial.webp|Dial of case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.
File:Ref 3462 caseback.webp|Exterior caseback of case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.
File:Ref 3462 case-profile.webp|Case side, crown and pusher. Loupe This, lot 3040.
File:Ref 3462 clasp.webp|Gay Frères clasp shown with case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5091717 Christie's Watches Department, "Christie's, Rolex Oyster Chronometre Centregraph ref. 3462, case 161501", Christie's, 2008]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6079995 Christie's Watches Department, "Christie's, Oyster Centregraph ref. 3462, case 161489", Christie's, 2017]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-140-184 "Antiquorum, Important Wristwatches, Watches & Clocks, Geneva, 17 October 1992, lot 184", Antiquorum, 1992]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-66-71 "Antiquorum, 100 Years of Wristwatches, Geneva, 19 November 2000, lot 71", Antiquorum, 2000]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/116718 Phillips Watches Department, "Phillips, The Hong Kong Watch Auction: SIX, Rolex Centregraph ref. 3462", Phillips]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-102-208 "Antiquorum, Important Watches, Geneva, 12 October 1996, lot 208 — Rolex Centregraph ref. 3642", Antiquorum, 1996]
* [https://loupethis.com/auctions/rolex-centregraph-chronograph-3462-observatory-chronometer-mirror-track-luminous-dial Loupe This auction editorial, "Loupe This, lot 3040, Rolex Centregraph ref. 3462, case 161501", Loupe This]
* [https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/0b5fdf83/files/uploaded/1.0%20RolexBook-23Mar.pdf ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra]
* [https://bulangandsons.com/blogs/watch-talks/rolex-zerograph Bulang & Sons, "Bulang & Sons, “The Mysterious Rolex Zerograph Chronograph”", Bulang & Sons]

[[Category:Pre-Daytona-Chronographs]]

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Reference:3462 - Revision history

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