Reference:3478 - Revision history

Admin: Reffuter fix: remove incorrect "earliest-sold" framing (the 2012 Antiquorum lot sold before the 2013 Bonhams lot)

2026-09-16T01:47:07Z

Reffuter fix: remove incorrect "earliest-sold" framing (the 2012 Antiquorum lot sold before the 2013 Bonhams lot)

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:47, 16 September 2026
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	evidence.		evidence.

	Eleven distinct case numbers are documented, from 155835 on ~~the earliest-sold watch (~~a 2013		Eleven distinct case numbers are documented, from 155835, the lowest, on a 2013 Bonhams Oxford
	Bonhams Oxford lot, undated beyond "an unassociated strap") to 312077 on the Antiquorum Oyster		lot undated beyond "an unassociated strap," to 312077, the highest, on the Antiquorum Oyster
	Commander. The numbers do not run in a clean order against the houses' own circa-dates: the		Commander. The numbers do not run in a clean order against the houses' own circa-dates: the
	"circa 1930s" Oyster Raleigh carries case 184743, higher than the "circa 1942" Oyster Standard's		"circa 1930s" Oyster Raleigh carries case 184743, higher than the "circa 1942" Oyster Standard's
Line 263:		Line 263:

	Case diameter clusters at 28-29mm for nine of the twelve watches. The Solar Aqua reaches		Case diameter clusters at 28-29mm for nine of the twelve watches. The Solar Aqua reaches
	30.5mm and the Antiquorum Oyster Commander 30mm. The ~~earliest-sold watch in the record, the~~		30.5mm and the Antiquorum Oyster Commander 30mm. The plain Oyster sold at Bonhams Oxford in 2013
	plain Oyster ~~from~~ Bonhams Oxford in 2013 (case 155835), is given only as a 3.4cm case length,		(case 155835) is given only as a 3.4cm case length, roughly 34mm and well outside every other
	roughly 34mm and well outside every other measurement here. No cited source explains the gap.		measurement here. No cited source explains the gap.

	No catalogue in this record describes a bezel profile for any of the twelve watches, and		No catalogue in this record describes a bezel profile for any of the twelve watches, and

Admin: Reffuter fix: correct currency count (USD/GBP/EUR/CHF = four, not three)

2026-09-16T01:45:57Z

Reffuter fix: correct currency count (USD/GBP/EUR/CHF = four, not three)

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:45, 16 September 2026
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	\|}		\|}

	Twelve auction appearances span ~~three~~ currencies and thirteen years, from Antiquorum's 2012 New		Twelve auction appearances span four currencies and thirteen years, from Antiquorum's 2012 New
	York sale to the paired Geneva lot in 2025. The Oyster Recorda sold as lot 52 brought the		York sale to the paired Geneva lot in 2025. The Oyster Recorda sold as lot 52 brought the
	highest confirmed single-watch price in the record, USD 2,048 incl. premium, in the same online		highest confirmed single-watch price in the record, USD 2,048 incl. premium, in the same online

Admin: Reffuter fix: remove incorrect "smaller" case-size claim about sibling ref. 2784 (2784 runs 30-31mm typical vs 3478's 28-29mm)

2026-09-16T01:45:16Z

Reffuter fix: remove incorrect "smaller" case-size claim about sibling ref. 2784 (2784 runs 30-31mm typical vs 3478's 28-29mm)

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:45, 16 September 2026
Line 24:		Line 24:
	Five of the ten Bonhams watches came to auction together in a single themed sale, "Watches: A		Five of the ten Bonhams watches came to auction together in a single themed sale, "Watches: A
	Private Canadian Collection," and several of the reference's names, Raleigh, Viceroy, Solar		Private Canadian Collection," and several of the reference's names, Raleigh, Viceroy, Solar
	Aqua, and Centregraph, recur on ~~the smaller~~ sibling reference 2784 under an entirely different		Aqua, and Centregraph, recur on sibling reference 2784 under an entirely different
	case-number band. Centre seconds appears on nine of the twelve watches; the Solar Aqua and one		case-number band. Centre seconds appears on nine of the twelve watches; the Solar Aqua and one
	Oyster Commander instead carry a subsidiary seconds register at six.		Oyster Commander instead carry a subsidiary seconds register at six.
Line 91:		Line 91:

	Four of those names, Raleigh, Viceroy, Solar Aqua and Centregraph, are not unique to the 3478.		Four of those names, Raleigh, Viceroy, Solar Aqua and Centregraph, are not unique to the 3478.
	[[Reference:2784\|2784]], a ~~smaller-cased~~ sibling documented on a different case-number band		[[Reference:2784\|2784]], a sibling reference documented on a different case-number band
	running roughly 81,000-93,000 and 126,000-128,000, carries the same four names on its own		running roughly 81,000-93,000 and 126,000-128,000, carries the same four names on its own
	watches. Oyster Watch Co. and the retailers selling under these names applied a shared		watches. Oyster Watch Co. and the retailers selling under these names applied a shared

Admin: Reffuter fix: correct imprecise "twelve years apart" claim (2012-2023 is ~11 years)

2026-09-16T01:44:43Z

Reffuter fix: correct imprecise "twelve years apart" claim (2012-2023 is ~11 years)

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:44, 16 September 2026
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	and Cal. 59 itself is only a family-level attribution on [[Reference:2784\|2784]], unconfirmed by		and Cal. 59 itself is only a family-level attribution on [[Reference:2784\|2784]], unconfirmed by
	a photographed movement there. On the 3478, two independent houses name the same caliber on		a photographed movement there. On the 3478, two independent houses name the same caliber on
	watches sold ~~twelve years~~ apart.		watches sold more than a decade apart.

	Cal. 59 is not one of Rolex's Aegler-built in-house calibers. David Boettcher's research on		Cal. 59 is not one of Rolex's Aegler-built in-house calibers. David Boettcher's research on

Admin: Reffuter fix: correct overbroad dial-map closing claim (several dials have an inner 24-hour ring)

2026-09-16T01:44:06Z

Reffuter fix: correct overbroad dial-map closing claim (several dials have an inner 24-hour ring)

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:44, 16 September 2026
Line 250:		Line 250:
	5 to 60 in two directions, printed under "SHOCK RESISTING," next to the plain silvered dial of		5 to 60 in two directions, printed under "SHOCK RESISTING," next to the plain silvered dial of
	its paired ref. 3121 lot-mate. Every other documented dial is silvered or black with Arabic		its paired ref. 3121 lot-mate. Every other documented dial is silvered or black with Arabic
	numerals ~~on a single chapter ring~~.		numerals; both Raleighs and the Viceroy add an inner 24-hour track, but none combines two outer
			scales the way the Centregraph does.

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

Admin: Reffuter fix: correct case-number comparison direction in Production outline

2026-09-16T01:43:30Z

Reffuter fix: correct case-number comparison direction in Production outline

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:43, 16 September 2026
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	Bonhams Oxford lot, undated beyond "an unassociated strap") to 312077 on the Antiquorum Oyster		Bonhams Oxford lot, undated beyond "an unassociated strap") to 312077 on the Antiquorum Oyster
	Commander. The numbers do not run in a clean order against the houses' own circa-dates: the		Commander. The numbers do not run in a clean order against the houses' own circa-dates: the
	"circa 1930s" Oyster Raleigh carries case 184743, ~~lower~~ than the "circa 1942" Oyster Standard's		"circa 1930s" Oyster Raleigh carries case 184743, higher than the "circa 1942" Oyster Standard's
	171548, so case number alone cannot anchor a date for this reference without more examples.		case 171548, so case number alone cannot anchor a date for this reference without more examples.

	==Movement notes==		==Movement notes==

Admin: Lint fix: canonical Sources heading spacing

2026-09-16T01:42:21Z

Lint fix: canonical Sources heading spacing

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:42, 16 September 2026
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	See also the [[Reference:Movements\|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets\|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers\|serial numbers by year]].		See also the [[Reference:Movements\|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets\|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers\|serial numbers by year]].

	==Sources==		== Sources ==

	* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30130/lot/23/rolex-a-gold-plated-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-ref-3478-c-1940s/ "Rolex. A gold-plated manual wind wristwatch, Oyster, Ref: 3478, c. 1940s", Bonhams, 2024-03-11]		* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30130/lot/23/rolex-a-gold-plated-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-ref-3478-c-1940s/ "Rolex. A gold-plated manual wind wristwatch, Oyster, Ref: 3478, c. 1940s", Bonhams, 2024-03-11]

Admin: Publish new reference article: Rolex 3478 Oyster Raleigh

2026-09-16T01:41:47Z

Publish new reference article: Rolex 3478 Oyster Raleigh

New page

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3478 Oyster Raleigh}}

{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Raleigh 3478 — Dial Names, Cal. 59 & Auction Record | Rolexopedia
|description=Rolex reference 3478: a manual-wind Oyster tonneau catalogued under eight names, with a directly documented Cal. 59 movement and twelve auction watches from 2012 to 2025.
|image=Ref 3478 hero.webp
|type=article
}}

<small>Oyster → '''3478'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 3478 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Oyster Raleigh 3478 in stainless steel with a silvered dial and inner 24-hour track|Rolex Oyster Raleigh 3478, case 184743, Bonhams "Watches: A Private Canadian Collection," June 2023]]
</div>

The 3478 is a manual-wind Oyster tonneau documented across twelve auctioned watches in
stainless steel and gold-plated cases, made through the 1930s and into the mid-1940s. Auction
houses have catalogued the reference under eight names: an unqualified Oyster, Oyster Raleigh,
Oyster Standard, Oyster Recorda, Oyster Viceroy, Solar Aqua, Oyster Commander and Oyster
Centregraph. Four of the twelve watches carry a directly catalogued Cal. 59 movement, a
Fontainemelon-sourced manual caliber Rolex assigned its own number rather than one of the
in-house Aegler calibers used elsewhere in the pre-war Oyster line.

Five of the ten Bonhams watches came to auction together in a single themed sale, "Watches: A
Private Canadian Collection," and several of the reference's names, Raleigh, Viceroy, Solar
Aqua, and Centregraph, recur on the smaller sibling reference 2784 under an entirely different
case-number band. Centre seconds appears on nine of the twelve watches; the Solar Aqua and one
Oyster Commander instead carry a subsidiary seconds register at six.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 3478
|-
| family
| Oyster (manual-wind)
|-
| production
| no confirmed range; catalogued dates run from "circa 1930" (a Bonhams watch whose own caseback engraving points to WWII service) through "circa 1945" (Antiquorum), with most examples clustering 1940-1943
|-
| case diameter
| 28-29mm across nine watches; 30mm and 30.5mm on two more; one Bonhams watch given only as a 3.4cm case length, roughly 34mm and unreconciled with the rest
|-
| case shape
| tonneau on eleven watches; one (Oyster Standard) catalogued as "polished round"
|-
| caseback
| screw-down on every watch that specifies it; one Antiquorum watch explicitly two-body
|-
| bezel
| not described in any cited catalogue
|-
| crystal
| material not established by the cited catalogues
|-
| crown
| screw-down
|-
| winding
| manual
|-
| seconds
| centre seconds on nine watches; subsidiary seconds at six on two (Solar Aqua, Oyster Commander)
|-
| movement
| Cal. 59 named directly on four watches (Fontainemelon-sourced, 15 or 17 jewels, straight-line lever, monometallic balance); the remaining eight watches are catalogued only as manual wind, without a caliber number
|-
| case materials
| stainless steel; gold-plated
|-
| dial designations
| Oyster (unqualified); Oyster Raleigh; Oyster Standard; Oyster Recorda; Oyster Viceroy; Solar Aqua; Oyster Commander; Oyster Centregraph
|-
| documented case numbers
| 305115; 184743; 219*** (partial); 211382; 171548; 238089; 192762; 157097; 155835; 312077; 177184
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

[[File:Ref 3478 dial-oyster.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex Oyster 3478 in gold-plated case with silvered dial|The plain "Oyster" name, gold-plated, case 305115, sold at Bonhams in 2024.]]

Antiquorum's own cataloguing of neighbouring reference 3116 notes that a single early Oyster
case could be marketed as the Royal, Viceroy, Imperial and Imperial Chronometer. The 3478 record
shows the same pattern one case number over: eight names attached to eleven case numbers, split
across two auction houses.

Four of those names, Raleigh, Viceroy, Solar Aqua and Centregraph, are not unique to the 3478.
[[Reference:2784|2784]], a smaller-cased sibling documented on a different case-number band
running roughly 81,000-93,000 and 126,000-128,000, carries the same four names on its own
watches. Oyster Watch Co. and the retailers selling under these names applied a shared
vocabulary of trade names across more than one case reference rather than tying each name to a
single Rolex reference number.

Five of the ten Bonhams-catalogued 3478 watches, the Oyster Standard, both Oyster Recordas, the
circa-1930s Oyster Raleigh, and the Solar Aqua, came to auction together in one themed online
sale titled "Watches: A Private Canadian Collection." Taken with the caliber picture below, that
consignment lines up with the account already documented on 2784: Oyster-cased watches built
around the Fontainemelon-sourced Cal. 59 reached the Canadian and wider Commonwealth market
under names that had little to do with Rolex's own reference numbering.

==Production outline==

The earliest and latest individually dated watches sit roughly fifteen years apart on the
auction houses' own estimates, though the earliest of those datings is itself disputed. Bonhams
titled its steel Oyster Viceroy "circa 1930," but that watch's caseback is engraved to a named
Royal Canadian Air Force serviceman, "R288790, W.Laurence Revitt R.C.A.F." The RCAF was not
established until 1939, nine years after the catalogue's own dating, and the cited listing does
not reconcile the two. Antiquorum's gold-plated Oyster Commander sits at the other end, dated
circa 1945.
Most of the remaining watches cluster in the intervening years, 1940 to 1943, on catalogue
estimates that the houses do not anchor to a hallmark, case-number chart, or other independent
evidence.

Eleven distinct case numbers are documented, from 155835 on the earliest-sold watch (a 2013
Bonhams Oxford lot, undated beyond "an unassociated strap") to 312077 on the Antiquorum Oyster
Commander. The numbers do not run in a clean order against the houses' own circa-dates: the
"circa 1930s" Oyster Raleigh carries case 184743, lower than the "circa 1942" Oyster Standard's
171548, so case number alone cannot anchor a date for this reference without more examples.

==Movement notes==

[[File:Ref 3478 dial-centregraph.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Two Rolex Oyster wristwatches side by side, the right one signed Oyster Centregraph with a salmon dial|Antiquorum's paired lot: a plain Oyster (ref. 3121, left) beside the Oyster Centregraph (ref. 3478, case 177184, right), sold together in Geneva, May 2025.]]

Four of the twelve documented watches name a caliber outright. Bonhams catalogues two Oyster
Raleighs and the online Solar Aqua as Cal. 59, and Antiquorum independently names Cal. 59 on the
gold-plated Oyster Commander, describing it as rhodium-plated with fausses cotes decoration, a
straight-line lever escapement, a monometallic balance and a blued steel flat balance spring.
That is firmer footing than several manual-wind siblings get: Cal. 700 remains only a plausible
family match for [[Reference:2595|2595]], [[Reference:2765|2765]] and [[Reference:3009|3009]],
and Cal. 59 itself is only a family-level attribution on [[Reference:2784|2784]], unconfirmed by
a photographed movement there. On the 3478, two independent houses name the same caliber on
watches sold twelve years apart.

Cal. 59 is not one of Rolex's Aegler-built in-house calibers. David Boettcher's research on
Oyster Watch Co. identifies it as a rebadged Fontainemelon FHF 30 ébauche, the same movement
family Rolex carried over to Tudor after that company's 1946 incorporation. The remaining eight
documented 3478 watches are catalogued only as "manual wind" or "jewelled manual wind," without
a caliber number.

Jewel count splits 15 and 17 across the record and does not track cleanly with the caliber
attribution. The four Cal.-59-named watches split evenly: the two Raleighs run 15 jewels, the
Solar Aqua and Oyster Commander run 17. Of the remaining eight watches, four are catalogued at
15 jewels and two at 17; the Bonhams Oxford Oyster and the Antiquorum paired Centregraph lot
give no single jewel count at all. No cited source explains the split.

==Dial map==

Twelve watches carry eight named dial treatments.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Catalogue name
! Case material
! Case No.
! Seconds
! Dial
! Source
|-
| Oyster
| Gold-plated
| 305115
| Centre
| Silvered, luminous filled Arabic numerals, black outer minute track, "SHOCKPROUF" printed beneath the Oyster signature
| Bonhams, 2024
|-
| Oyster Raleigh
| Steel
| 184743
| Centre
| Silvered, Arabic numerals, inner Arabic 24-hour markers, red centre-seconds hand, "SWISS MADE"
| Bonhams, 2023 ("Canadian Collection" sale)
|-
| Oyster Raleigh
| Steel
| 219*** (partial)
| Centre
| Silvered, luminous filled Arabic numerals, inner red 24-hour markers; case signed "Oyster Watch Co" and Rolex
| Bonhams, 2020 (unsold)
|-
| Raleigh
| Steel
| 211382
| Centre
| Two-tone silvered, luminous filled Arabic and baton hour markers, blued steel baton hands
| Bonhams, 2022 (unsold)
|-
| Oyster Standard
| Gold-plated
| 171548
| Centre (red-tipped)
| Two-tone silvered, Arabic numerals, white outer 1/5th-minute track, outer 24-hour markers
| Bonhams, 2023 ("Canadian Collection" sale)
|-
| Oyster Recorda
| Gold-plated
| not given
| Centre (red)
| Silvered, outer minute ring, luminous Arabic 1-12 numerals enclosing red 12-24 numerals
| Bonhams, 2023 ("Canadian Collection" sale)
|-
| Oyster Recorda
| Gold-plated
| 238089
| Centre (red)
| Silvered with gilt outer minute ring, alternating luminous baton and Arabic numerals
| Bonhams, 2023 ("Canadian Collection" sale)
|-
| Oyster Viceroy
| Steel
| 192762
| Centre
| Black, alternating luminous Arabic numeral and baton hour markers, inner 24-hour indication, gilt hands
| Bonhams, 2023
|-
| Solar Aqua
| Steel
| 157097
| Subsidiary at 6
| Two-toned silvered, Arabic numerals, blued steel needle hands
| Bonhams, 2023 ("Canadian Collection" sale)
|-
| Oyster
| Steel
| 155835
| Not specified
| Silvered, black Arabic numerals, outer scale 0-60
| Bonhams, 2013
|-
| Oyster Commander
| Gold-plated
| 312077
| Subsidiary at 6
| Matte silver, luminous Arabic numerals, outer minute track, luminous blued steel baton hands
| Antiquorum, 2012
|-
| Oyster Centregraph
| Steel
| 177184
| Centre
| Salmon, two-tone outer chapter ring, "SHOCK RESISTING" printed beneath the wordmark
| Antiquorum, 2025 (paired lot with ref. 3121)
|}

The Oyster Centregraph is the visual outlier: a salmon dial with a doubled outer track running
5 to 60 in two directions, printed under "SHOCK RESISTING," next to the plain silvered dial of
its paired ref. 3121 lot-mate. Every other documented dial is silvered or black with Arabic
numerals on a single chapter ring.

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

[[File:Ref 3478 dial-viceroy.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex Oyster Viceroy 3478 in stainless steel with a black dial, photographed on marble|Rolex Oyster Viceroy 3478, case 192762, engraved on the back to a named Royal Canadian Air Force serviceman.]]

Eleven of the twelve documented watches have tonneau cases. The twelfth, the Oyster Standard
(case 171548), is catalogued as "polished round" instead, a description the cited source does
not reconcile against the rest of the record and that may reflect a cataloguing choice rather
than a genuine case-shape variant.

Case diameter clusters at 28-29mm for nine of the twelve watches. The Solar Aqua reaches
30.5mm and the Antiquorum Oyster Commander 30mm. The earliest-sold watch in the record, the
plain Oyster from Bonhams Oxford in 2013 (case 155835), is given only as a 3.4cm case length,
roughly 34mm and well outside every other measurement here. No cited source explains the gap.

No catalogue in this record describes a bezel profile for any of the twelve watches, and
crystal material goes unmentioned throughout. Every watch that specifies a case back or crown
calls it screw-down; Antiquorum's Oyster Commander is the only watch explicitly described as
two-body construction. The Oyster Recorda sold as lot 53 in the Canadian-collection sale carries
a replaced screw-down crown, the only documented component swap anywhere in the record.

==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==

Strap and bracelet evidence is thin and mostly non-original. Seven of the twelve documented
watches carry leather or lizard straps, several explicitly noted as later or unassociated,
paired with a gilt, steel, or signed buckle. The Oyster Raleigh sold unsold at Knightsbridge in
2020 is the only watch catalogued with a bracelet, described only as "associated," fitted with
a folding clasp and no reference number given. The Oyster Standard and both Antiquorum watches
carry no strap or bracelet description at all in the cited catalogues. No end-link or clasp
reference number is documented for the 3478 anywhere in the published record.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Venue
! Date
! Lot
! Case No.
! Material / name
! Movement
! Result
|-
| Antiquorum, New York
| 2012-04-25
| 375
| 312077
| Gold-plated, Oyster Commander
| Cal. 59, 17j
| Sold USD 575 (est. USD 800-1,200)
|-
| Bonhams, Oxford (Jewellery)
| 2013-02-05
| 262
| 155835
| Steel, Oyster (unqualified)
| Not specified
| GBP 400 incl. premium (est. GBP 200-400)
|-
| Bonhams, London Knightsbridge
| 2020-02-18
| 95
| 219***
| Steel, Oyster Raleigh
| 15j, Cal.59
| Est. GBP 500-700; unsold
|-
| Bonhams, London Knightsbridge
| 2022-02-22
| 62
| 211382
| Steel, Raleigh
| 17j manual
| Est. GBP 500-700; unsold
|-
| Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris
| 2023-05-26
| 26
| 192762
| Steel, Oyster Viceroy, RCAF-engraved
| 15j manual
| EUR 960 incl. premium (est. EUR 1,000-1,500)
|-
| Bonhams, Online ("Canadian Collection")
| 2023-06-30
| 46
| 171548
| Gold-plated, Oyster Standard
| 15j manual
| USD 832 incl. premium (est. USD 1,000-2,000)
|-
| Bonhams, Online ("Canadian Collection")
| 2023-06-30
| 52
| 238089
| Gold-plated, Oyster Recorda
| 15j manual
| USD 2,048 incl. premium (est. USD 1,000-2,000)
|-
| Bonhams, Online ("Canadian Collection")
| 2023-06-30
| 53
| not given
| Gold-plated, Oyster Recorda
| 15j manual
| USD 416 incl. premium (est. USD 1,000-2,000)
|-
| Bonhams, Online ("Canadian Collection")
| 2023-06-30
| 58
| 184743
| Steel, Oyster Raleigh
| 15j, Cal.59
| USD 416 incl. premium (est. USD 800-1,200)
|-
| Bonhams, Online ("Canadian Collection")
| 2023-06-30
| 66
| 157097
| Steel, Solar Aqua
| 17j, Cal.59
| USD 544 incl. premium (est. USD 400-700)
|-
| Bonhams, Watches Online
| 2024-03-11
| 23
| 305115
| Gold-plated, Oyster
| 17j manual
| USD 512 incl. premium (est. USD 1,000-2,000)
|-
| Antiquorum, Geneva
| 2025-05-10
| 159
| 177184
| Steel, Oyster Centregraph (paired lot with ref. 3121)
| 15 or 17j (unspecified)
| CHF 1,250 for the pair (est. CHF 1,000-2,000)
|}

Twelve auction appearances span three currencies and thirteen years, from Antiquorum's 2012 New
York sale to the paired Geneva lot in 2025. The Oyster Recorda sold as lot 52 brought the
highest confirmed single-watch price in the record, USD 2,048 incl. premium, in the same online
sale as its twin lot 53, which sold for a fifth of that, USD 416, on an identical estimate band
with no cited explanation for the gap. The Centregraph result, CHF 1,250, covers both watches in
a two-watch lot and cannot be read as a per-watch price for the 3478 alone.

==Related references==

* [[Reference:2784|Oyster Junior Sport 2784]] — sibling reference sharing the Raleigh, Viceroy, Solar Aqua and Centregraph trade names under a different case-number band
* [[Reference:2595|Oyster Imperial 2595]] — manual-wind contemporary catalogued under several model names
* [[Reference:2765|Oyster Chronometer 2765]] — manual-wind contemporary catalogued under several model names
* [[Reference:3009|Oyster Chronometre Scientific 3009]] — manual-wind contemporary, also documented with centre seconds

See also the [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

==Sources==

* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30130/lot/23/rolex-a-gold-plated-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-ref-3478-c-1940s/ "Rolex. A gold-plated manual wind wristwatch, Oyster, Ref: 3478, c. 1940s", Bonhams, 2024-03-11]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28398/lot/58/rolex-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-raleigh-ref-3478-c1930s/ "Rolex. A stainless-steel manual wind wristwatch, Oyster Raleigh, Ref: 3478, c.1930s", Bonhams, 2023-06-30]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28398/lot/66/rolex-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-wristwatch-solar-aqua-ref-3478-c1943/ "Rolex. A stainless-steel manual wind wristwatch, Solar Aqua, Ref: 3478, c.1943", Bonhams, 2023-06-30]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28398/lot/46/rolex-a-gold-plated-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-standard-ref-3478-c1942/ "Rolex. A gold-plated manual wind wristwatch, Oyster Standard, Ref: 3478, c.1942", Bonhams, 2023-06-30]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28398/lot/53/rolex-a-gold-plated-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-recorda-ref-3478-c1943/ "Rolex. A gold plated manual wind wristwatch, Oyster Recorda, Ref: 3478, c.1943", Bonhams, 2023-06-30]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28398/lot/52/rolex-a-gold-plated-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-recorda-ref-3478-c1943/ "Rolex. A gold plated manual wind wristwatch, Oyster Recorda, Ref: 3478, c.1943", Bonhams, 2023-06-30]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28502/lot/26/rolex-montre-bracelet-de-type-militaire-en-acier-mouvement-mecanique-rolex-a-military-style-stainless-steel-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-viceroy-ref-3478-circa-1930/ "Rolex. A military style stainless steel manual wind wristwatch, Oyster Viceroy, Ref: 3478, Circa 1930", Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr, 2023-05-26]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/25954/lot/95/oyster-watch-co-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-bracelet-watch-oyster-raleigh-ref-3478-circa-1942/ "Oyster Watch Co. A stainless steel manual wind bracelet watch, Oyster Raleigh, Ref: 3478, Circa 1942", Bonhams, 2020-02-18]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/27660/lot/62/oyster-watch-co-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-wristwatch-raleigh-ref-3478-circa-1940/ "Oyster Watch Co. A stainless steel manual wind wristwatch, Raleigh, Ref: 3478, Circa 1940", Bonhams, 2022-02-22]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/20675/lot/262/rolex-an-oyster-wristwatch/ "Rolex: An Oyster wristwatch", Bonhams, Oxford, 2013-02-05]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-261-375 "Rolex Ref. 3478 Oyster Commander", Antiquorum, New York, 2012-04-25]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-3121-3478-oyster-oyster-centregraph-lot-377-159 "Rolex, Switzerland, Ref. 3121/3478, Oyster/Oyster Centregraph", Antiquorum, Geneva, 2025-05-10]
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/blogoysterwatchco.php David Boettcher, "Oyster Watch Co.", vintagewatchstraps.com]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-7 "Rolex ref. 3116 'Royal', case 148000", Antiquorum, The Mondani Collection, 2006-05-14]

[[Category:Oyster]]