Reference:4444 - Revision history

Klaudiusz: Remove promotional and overbroad 4444 wording; bound auction scope

2026-09-29T09:40:32Z

Remove promotional and overbroad 4444 wording; bound auction scope

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:40, 29 September 2026
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	The 4444 is a manual-wind Oyster ~~Royal~~ documented ~~across~~ eight ~~individual watches sold at~~ Antiquorum and Bonhams ~~between 2000 and 2025. It is a small~~, ~~unassuming dress watch by the standards of Rolex's later catalog, 30 to 32mm depending on the example, and it shows up at auction with genuinely inconsistent dial text: most examples read "ROLEX~~ OYSTER ROYAL~~," one reads "ROLEX~~ OYSTER~~" without "Royal~~," and one ~~carries no Oyster-line wording at all despite sharing the same reference number and a case~~-and-gold-~~bezel configuration~~. ~~Results across the eight lots~~ are ~~modest and unremarkable, which is itself the point: this is~~ a ~~working collector's Oyster, not a headline~~ watch.		The 4444 is a manual-wind Oyster documented in auction records from 2000 through 2025. The eight Antiquorum and Bonhams records reviewed here cover 30–32 mm cases, mostly signed “ROLEX OYSTER ROYAL.” One dial is catalogued as “ROLEX OYSTER,” and one steel-and-gold example is described without Oyster-line wording. Those records are examples rather than a complete surviving-watch census.

	==Core facts==		==Core facts==
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	==Where it sits in the line==		==Where it sits in the line==

	The 4444 belongs to the same manual-wind Oyster Royal branch Rolex sold through the late 1940s and 1950s alongside the automatic Perpetual Bubbleback line, aimed at buyers who wanted the Oyster case's water resistance without the added cost of an automatic movement. It ~~joins~~ the ~~same admitted vintage/historical bucket as~~ references 1873, 2765, and 4453 ~~already documented on this wiki —~~ and ~~with eight independently documented physical examples, it is better attested at~~ auction ~~than several of those~~.		The 4444 belongs to the same manual-wind Oyster Royal branch Rolex sold through the late 1940s and 1950s alongside the automatic Perpetual Bubbleback line, aimed at buyers who wanted the Oyster case's water resistance without the added cost of an automatic movement. It belongs to the manual-wind Oyster group that includes references 1873, 2765, and 4453. The reviewed lots provide configuration and auction evidence for this reference; they do not establish its production volume or precedence within that group.

	==Production outline==		==Production outline==

	No factory production window is documented for the 4444. Eight individual watches carry auction-house circa-dates spanning 1948 to 1960: a Bonhams 2025 lot dates its example "circa 1948" (case no. 664303), while five later Bonhams lots date their examples "circa 1957" through "circa 1960" against case numbers in the 357,000-505,000 range. ~~Read in isolation, that is backwards — the higher~~ case number ~~sits on the earlier~~-~~dated watch~~. ~~This~~ is ~~recorded here~~ as a ~~documented inconsistency in the dealer's own circa~~-dating ~~across its lots, not resolved by this project~~; it is not ~~treated as evidence of~~ a ~~real~~ production ~~chronology one way or the other~~. Antiquorum's own 2000 lot carries no date beyond "1950's."		No factory production window is documented for the 4444. Eight individual watches carry auction-house circa-dates spanning 1948 to 1960: a Bonhams 2025 lot dates its example "circa 1948" (case no. 664303), while five later Bonhams lots date their examples "circa 1957" through "circa 1960" against case numbers in the 357,000-505,000 range. The case-number and catalogue-date pairings do not produce a usable chronology. The discrepancy is retained as a source-level dating conflict; it does not establish a production sequence. Antiquorum's own 2000 lot carries no date beyond "1950's."

	==Movement notes==		==Movement notes==
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	</gallery>		</gallery>

	Dial text ~~is genuinely inconsistent~~ across the eight documented examples, not a ~~simple~~ two-way split. Most read "ROLEX" over "OYSTER ROYAL," with "SHOCK RESISTING" (or "SHOCK-RESISTING," with a hyphen on at least one example) printed beneath the centre. One 2018 Bonhams lot reads "ROLEX OYSTER" only, dropping "Royal." One 2011 Bonhams lot — the steel case with the engraved gold bezel — carries no Oyster-line wording in its documented description at all. Hour markers vary with the dial: applied gilt or luminous Arabic numerals are most common, one example uses black cubist-style Arabic numerals with matching black hands, and the gold-bezel example uses dagger markers with tapered luminous gilt hands rather than numerals. Hands are correspondingly varied: gilt dauphine-style, black cubist, blued steel baton with luminous inserts, and gilt pointed baton all appear across the population.		Dial text varies across the eight documented examples and is not limited to a two-way split. Most read "ROLEX" over "OYSTER ROYAL," with "SHOCK RESISTING" (or "SHOCK-RESISTING," with a hyphen on at least one example) printed beneath the centre. One 2018 Bonhams lot reads "ROLEX OYSTER" only, dropping "Royal." One 2011 Bonhams lot — the steel case with the engraved gold bezel — carries no Oyster-line wording in its documented description at all. Hour markers vary with the dial: applied gilt or luminous Arabic numerals are most common, one example uses black cubist-style Arabic numerals with matching black hands, and the gold-bezel example uses dagger markers with tapered luminous gilt hands rather than numerals. Hands are correspondingly varied: gilt dauphine-style, black cubist, blued steel baton with luminous inserts, and gilt pointed baton all appear across the population.

	~~With~~ eight ~~documented examples this is recorded as~~ the ~~fullest known dial range for the reference,~~ not a ~~settled~~ or ~~exhaustive variant table; further examples could plausibly surface with configurations not yet seen here~~.		These eight records document the configurations listed here. They do not form a complete factory or surviving-watch dial survey.

	==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==		==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
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	~~Results across the eight documented lots are modest and closely clustered — USD 700-854 and GBP 650-1~~,~~216 — with no visible pattern tied to case material~~, ~~dial configuration~~, ~~bracelet versus strap, or circa-date~~. ~~Eight results spanning a quarter~~-~~century and two currencies are a working record of what~~ this ~~watch actually trades for, not evidence of any pricing trend; the~~ sample is too ~~thin~~ and ~~too~~ mixed ~~in condition and presentation~~ to ~~support~~ a ~~stated trajectory~~.		The results use different currencies, estimates, dates, and condition descriptions. They are listed as lot-level market records; this sample is too small and mixed to establish a price trend.

	== Related references ==		== Related references ==

Admin: Self-audit: trim em-dash density in the dial-signature paragraph (Slop Cop)

2026-09-17T04:53:00Z

Self-audit: trim em-dash density in the dial-signature paragraph (Slop Cop)

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:53, 17 September 2026
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	Dial text is genuinely inconsistent across the eight documented examples, not a simple two-way split. Most read "ROLEX" over "OYSTER ROYAL," with "SHOCK RESISTING" (or "SHOCK-RESISTING," with a hyphen on at least one example) printed beneath the centre. One 2018 Bonhams lot reads "ROLEX OYSTER" only, dropping "Royal." One 2011 Bonhams lot — the steel case with the engraved gold bezel — carries no Oyster-line wording in its documented description at all. Hour markers vary with the dial: applied gilt or luminous Arabic numerals are most common, one example uses black cubist-style Arabic numerals with matching black hands, and the gold-bezel example uses dagger markers with tapered luminous gilt hands rather than numerals. Hands are correspondingly varied — gilt dauphine-style, black cubist, blued steel baton with luminous inserts, and gilt pointed baton all appear across the population.		Dial text is genuinely inconsistent across the eight documented examples, not a simple two-way split. Most read "ROLEX" over "OYSTER ROYAL," with "SHOCK RESISTING" (or "SHOCK-RESISTING," with a hyphen on at least one example) printed beneath the centre. One 2018 Bonhams lot reads "ROLEX OYSTER" only, dropping "Royal." One 2011 Bonhams lot — the steel case with the engraved gold bezel — carries no Oyster-line wording in its documented description at all. Hour markers vary with the dial: applied gilt or luminous Arabic numerals are most common, one example uses black cubist-style Arabic numerals with matching black hands, and the gold-bezel example uses dagger markers with tapered luminous gilt hands rather than numerals. Hands are correspondingly varied: gilt dauphine-style, black cubist, blued steel baton with luminous inserts, and gilt pointed baton all appear across the population.

	With eight documented examples this is recorded as the fullest known dial range for the reference, not a settled or exhaustive variant table; further examples could plausibly surface with configurations not yet seen here.		With eight documented examples this is recorded as the fullest known dial range for the reference, not a settled or exhaustive variant table; further examples could plausibly surface with configurations not yet seen here.

Admin: New reference: Rolex Oyster Royal 4444, eight documented examples across Antiquorum and Bonhams

2026-09-17T04:50:58Z

New reference: Rolex Oyster Royal 4444, eight documented examples across Antiquorum and Bonhams

New page

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 4444 Oyster Royal}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Royal 4444 — Eight Documented Examples | Rolexopedia
|description=Rolex reference 4444: a manual-wind Oyster Royal documented across eight individual watches at Antiquorum and Bonhams, with a dial signature that shifts between "Oyster Royal," "Oyster," and no Oyster wording at all.
|image=Ref 4444 hero.webp
|type=article
}}

<small>Oyster → '''4444'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 4444 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Oyster Royal 4444, stainless steel, cream dial, leather strap, Bonhams 2025|Rolex Oyster Royal 4444, stainless steel, cream dial, leather strap, Bonhams 2025]]
</div>

The 4444 is a manual-wind Oyster Royal documented across eight individual watches sold at Antiquorum and Bonhams between 2000 and 2025. It is a small, unassuming dress watch by the standards of Rolex's later catalog, 30 to 32mm depending on the example, and it shows up at auction with genuinely inconsistent dial text: most examples read "ROLEX OYSTER ROYAL," one reads "ROLEX OYSTER" without "Royal," and one carries no Oyster-line wording at all despite sharing the same reference number and a case-and-gold-bezel configuration. Results across the eight lots are modest and unremarkable, which is itself the point: this is a working collector's Oyster, not a headline watch.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 4444
|-
| family
| Oyster (manual-wind)
|-
| documented examples
| eight, Antiquorum (2000) and Bonhams (2011, 2018, 2020 x2, 2023 x2, 2025)
|-
| case shape
| tonneau form on most examples; one described as round
|-
| case diameter
| 30-32mm across the documented population
|-
| crown
| screw-down
|-
| winding
| manual
|-
| seconds
| centre, on all eight documented examples
|-
| movement
| 15-jewel manual wind; 10 3/4-ligne per Antiquorum's lot; no caliber number given in any source
|-
| case material
| stainless steel (seven of eight examples); steel with an engraved gold bezel (one example)
|-
| dial signature
| varies: "ROLEX OYSTER ROYAL" (most), "ROLEX OYSTER" (one), no Oyster wording (one)
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 4444 belongs to the same manual-wind Oyster Royal branch Rolex sold through the late 1940s and 1950s alongside the automatic Perpetual Bubbleback line, aimed at buyers who wanted the Oyster case's water resistance without the added cost of an automatic movement. It joins the same admitted vintage/historical bucket as references 1873, 2765, and 4453 already documented on this wiki — and with eight independently documented physical examples, it is better attested at auction than several of those.

==Production outline==

No factory production window is documented for the 4444. Eight individual watches carry auction-house circa-dates spanning 1948 to 1960: a Bonhams 2025 lot dates its example "circa 1948" (case no. 664303), while five later Bonhams lots date their examples "circa 1957" through "circa 1960" against case numbers in the 357,000-505,000 range. Read in isolation, that is backwards — the higher case number sits on the earlier-dated watch. This is recorded here as a documented inconsistency in the dealer's own circa-dating across its lots, not resolved by this project; it is not treated as evidence of a real production chronology one way or the other. Antiquorum's own 2000 lot carries no date beyond "1950's."

==Movement notes==

Every documented example runs a 15-jewel manual-wind movement. Antiquorum's lot gives the fullest technical account: 10 3/4 lignes, rhodium-plated, lever escapement, monometallic Superbalance balance, self-compensating Breguet balance-spring. No source among the eight names a specific Rolex caliber number, and none is asserted here.

==Dial map==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 4444 dial-variant-black-numerals.webp|alt=Rolex Oyster Royal 4444 white dial with black Arabic numerals and cubist hands|Bonhams 2023: white dial, black Arabic numerals, "cubist style" hands
File:Ref 4444 dial-variant-gilt-bracelet.webp|alt=Rolex Oyster Royal 4444 silvered dial with gilt Arabic numerals on an Oyster-link bracelet|Bonhams 2020: silvered dial with applied gilt Arabic numerals, gilt pointed baton hands, Oyster-link bracelet
</gallery>

Dial text is genuinely inconsistent across the eight documented examples, not a simple two-way split. Most read "ROLEX" over "OYSTER ROYAL," with "SHOCK RESISTING" (or "SHOCK-RESISTING," with a hyphen on at least one example) printed beneath the centre. One 2018 Bonhams lot reads "ROLEX OYSTER" only, dropping "Royal." One 2011 Bonhams lot — the steel case with the engraved gold bezel — carries no Oyster-line wording in its documented description at all. Hour markers vary with the dial: applied gilt or luminous Arabic numerals are most common, one example uses black cubist-style Arabic numerals with matching black hands, and the gold-bezel example uses dagger markers with tapered luminous gilt hands rather than numerals. Hands are correspondingly varied — gilt dauphine-style, black cubist, blued steel baton with luminous inserts, and gilt pointed baton all appear across the population.

With eight documented examples this is recorded as the fullest known dial range for the reference, not a settled or exhaustive variant table; further examples could plausibly surface with configurations not yet seen here.

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

[[File:Ref 4444 bracelet.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Oyster Royal 4444 on an Oyster rivet-link bracelet, tropical dial|Bonhams 2018: fitted to an Oyster rivet-link bracelet, tropical-toned dial]]

Case construction is described by Antiquorum as "two-body," with a screw-down caseback and crown confirmed on every documented example's catalogue text. Most lots describe a tonneau-form case; one (the 2025 Bonhams lot, case no. 664303) is instead described as "brushed and polished round." Case sizes run 30mm on the steel-and-gold example up to 32mm on most of the solid-steel examples, with one at 31mm.

Seven of the eight documented cases are solid stainless steel. The eighth, sold at Bonhams in 2011, pairs a stainless steel case with an engraved gold bezel carrying applied hour markers — a genuine documented material variant, not evidence on its own of a distinct solid-gold or two-tone production run.

Two of the eight examples are fitted to Oyster-pattern metal bracelets rather than leather straps: a rivet-link bracelet (2018, accompanied by a spare bracelet and further spare parts) and a plain Oyster-link bracelet (2023). The 2018 bracelet's folding clasp is stamped "1 61," a clasp date code reading January 1961 under this project's published clasp-code convention — which dates the bracelet, not the circa-1957 watch head it is currently fitted to, consistent with a later-fitted or service-replaced bracelet rather than a contradiction of the head's own dating.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Venue
! Date
! Lot
! Case no.
! Material
! Result
|-
| Antiquorum, Geneva
| 2000-10-15
| 52
| —
| Steel, pink gold indexes/hands
| est. CHF 1,200-1,400 (result not recorded)
|-
| Bonhams
| 2011-06-16
| 111
| 589974
| Steel, engraved gold bezel
| USD 700 hammer (USD 854 with premium)
|-
| Bonhams
| 2018-09-11
| 49
| 358***
| Steel, Oyster rivet bracelet
| GBP 750 hammer (GBP 937.50 with premium)
|-
| Bonhams
| 2020-02-18
| 92
| 357***
| Steel, "recently serviced"
| GBP 850 hammer (GBP 1,083.75 with premium)
|-
| Bonhams
| 2020-02-18
| 94
| 505***
| Steel, Oyster-link bracelet
| GBP 650 hammer (GBP 828.75 with premium)
|-
| Bonhams
| 2023-09-13
| 40
| 358076
| Steel, personal caseback engraving
| GBP 800 hammer (GBP 1,024 with premium)
|-
| Bonhams
| 2023-11-22
| 58
| 505890
| Steel, Oyster-link bracelet
| GBP 750 hammer (GBP 960 with premium)
|-
| Bonhams
| 2025-12-03
| 66
| 664303
| Steel, leather strap
| GBP 950 hammer (GBP 1,216 with premium)
|}

Results across the eight documented lots are modest and closely clustered — USD 700-854 and GBP 650-1,216 — with no visible pattern tied to case material, dial configuration, bracelet versus strap, or circa-date. Eight results spanning a quarter-century and two currencies are a working record of what this watch actually trades for, not evidence of any pricing trend; the sample is too thin and too mixed in condition and presentation to support a stated trajectory.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:1873|Oyster Royal 1873]] — sibling Oyster Royal reference
* [[Reference:4453|Oyster Royal 4453]] — sibling Oyster Royal reference, published the same week
* [[Reference:2765|Oyster Chronometer 2765]]
* [[Reference:3009|Oyster Chronometre Scientific 3009]]

See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

== Sources ==

* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-63-52 "Rolex Oyster, 'Shock-Resisting', Ref. 4444, 1950's", Antiquorum, Geneva, 15 October 2000, Lot 52]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/19216/lot/111/rolex-a-stainless-steel-and-gold-center-seconds-wristwatchref-4444-case-no-589974/ "Rolex. A stainless steel and gold center seconds wristwatch, Ref: 4444, Case no. 589974", Bonhams, 16 June 2011]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/24629/lot/49/rolex-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-bracelet-watch-oyster-ref-4444-circa-1957/ "Rolex. A stainless steel manual wind bracelet watch Oyster, Ref: 4444, Circa 1957", Bonhams, 11 September 2018]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/25954/lot/92/rolex-a-recently-serviced-stainless-steel-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-royal-ref-4444-circa-1958/ "Rolex. A recently serviced stainless steel manual wind wristwatch Oyster Royal, Ref: 4444, Circa 1958", Bonhams, 18 February 2020]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/25954/lot/94/rolex-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-bracelet-watch-oyster-royal-ref-4444-circa-1960/ "Rolex. A stainless steel manual wind bracelet watch Oyster Royal, Ref: 4444, Circa 1960", Bonhams, 18 February 2020]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28034/lot/40/rolex-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-royal-ref-4444-circa-1958/ "Rolex. A stainless steel manual wind wristwatch Oyster Royal, Ref: 4444, Circa 1958", Bonhams, 13 September 2023]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28035/lot/58/rolex-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-bracelet-watch-oyster-royal-ref-4444-circa-1959/ "Rolex. A stainless steel manual wind bracelet watch Oyster Royal, Ref: 4444, Circa 1959", Bonhams, 22 November 2023]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30664/lot/66/rolex-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-royal-ref-4444-circa-1948/ "Rolex. A stainless steel manual wind wristwatch Oyster Royal, Ref: 4444, Circa 1948", Bonhams, 3 December 2025]

[[Category:Oyster]]