Admin: Create sourced ref. 5010 reference article

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Create sourced ref. 5010 reference article

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5010}}
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|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5010 — Bubbleback reference guide | Rolexopedia
|description=Documented examples of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5010, including its case, dial and 1950 Anno Sancto bezel.
|keywords=Rolex 5010, Oyster Perpetual 5010, Bubbleback, Anno Sancto
|image=Ref_5010_hero.webp
|image_alt=Steel and gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5010 with a silvered baton dial
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}}

<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback and early Oyster]] → '''5010'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref_5010_hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Steel and gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5010 with a silvered baton dial|The Auction Room London, lot 20, case 655756. Catalogue estimate: circa 1949.]]
</div>

The 5010 is a centre-seconds, self-winding Oyster Perpetual. Collectors group it with Bubblebacks, the early automatic Oyster watches with a domed back. Catalogue examples date from circa 1945 to 1955; the production span remains unknown. Records describe steel and two-tone cases, several dial layouts, and a bezel engraved for the 1950 Holy Year.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
! detail !! value
|-
| reference || 5010
|-
| model line || Oyster Perpetual; grouped with Bubblebacks by collectors
|-
| production || Catalogue examples circa 1945–1955; production endpoints unverified.
|-
| movement || Self-winding, centre seconds; catalogues describe a 9¾-ligne movement size. A numbered caliber remains unconfirmed.
|-
| case || Stainless steel and gold in several catalogue records; stainless steel also reported. Most cited examples are 31–32 mm.
|-
| dial || Black Arabic-and-dagger, silvered baton, and white dial with gilt batons, darts, and Roman quarters appear in catalogues; factory range unknown.
|-
| bracelet || No original bracelet or end-link fitment established.
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 5010 carries the Oyster Perpetual name in auction catalogues. Collectors group it with Bubblebacks, a term for early automatic Oyster watches with a domed back. See the [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback and early Oyster guide]].

==Production outline==

Christie’s dates a steel-and-pink-gold example circa 1945. Antiquorum records case 646'799 in 1948; The Auction Room estimates case 655756 at circa 1949; Phillips dates case 655'677 to 1950. Bonhams describes case 35873, stamped II.55 inside, as circa 1955. These dates apply to individual watches. The reference's production start and end remain unknown.

==Movement notes==

Phillips gives the 1950 Anno Sancto watch an automatic 9¾-ligne movement with 18 jewels. Antiquorum lists a 9¾-ligne movement in its 1948 example; a 2004 Bonhams catalogue transcription gives 19 jewels for another 5010. Jewel count remains specimen-specific in these records.

The [[Reference:Movements|movement guide]] treats 9¾ lignes as a size class. The cited records give no numbered caliber for these specimens.

==Dial map==

Catalogue descriptions include black Arabic-and-dagger, silvered baton, and white-dial layouts. Christie’s describes applied dagger markers and Arabic numerals. The Auction Room's circa-1949 watch has a silvered dial with gold-tone baton markers. Bonhams describes a circa-1955 white dial with gilt batons, alternating dart and Roman-numeral quarter markers, and gilt leaf hands. These are individual catalogue descriptions; the full factory dial range remains unverified.

[[File:Ref_5010_dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|220px|The Auction Room London, lot 20: silvered dial with gold-tone baton markers.]]

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

Catalogue diameters range from 31 to 33 mm: Phillips and Antiquorum give 32 mm, The Auction Room gives 31 mm, and a 2004 Bonhams record gives 33 mm. Christie’s describes hooded lugs. Antiquorum calls its 1948 case stainless steel and gold and identifies the watch as retailed by Serpico y Laino.

The records include plain bezels. Phillips also documents case 655'677 with an engraved bezel reading “ANNO SANCTO” and a Latin dedication to the Holy Year of 1950. That catalogue treats the inscription as a feature of this watch; a reference-wide bezel range is not established.

[[File:Ref_5010_commemorative.webp|thumb|right|220px|Phillips, lot 282: the bezel engraving on the 1950 Anno Sancto example.]]

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

Most cited catalogue records show a leather strap. Phillips lists a gold-plated Rolex buckle; Antiquorum lists a stainless-steel Rolex buckle. These records describe buckles rather than bracelets.

Austin Auction Gallery's 2026 listing pairs a 5010 with a riveted expandable Oyster bracelet. It reports clasp code C&I 1-66. That code dates the bracelet clasp to 1966, not the watch head, so the listing does not establish original delivery or period fitment. The Rolex Forums thread also shows a collector's two-tone 5010 on a riveted bracelet; it is an owner example, not factory documentation.

[[File:Ref_5010_profile.webp|thumb|right|220px|The Auction Room London, lot 20, case 655756: side profile with leather strap.]]

==Special branches==

Phillips records one 1950 “ANNO SANCTO” watch with an engraved bezel commemorating the Roman Catholic Holy Year and naming Pius XII. The catalogue describes a two-tone steel and yellow-gold case, a leather strap, and a gold-plated Rolex buckle. It gives no production total or second configuration.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
! record !! details recorded !! limit
|-
| Christie’s, lot 856369 || Ref. 5010; circa 1945; stainless steel and pink gold; black Arabic-and-dagger dial; hooded lugs; 32 mm || Catalogue date and description apply to this watch; no serial or caliber is given in the text.
|-
| Antiquorum, Geneva, 13 May 2018, lot 136 || Serpico y Laino; case 646'799; dated 1948; steel and gold; 9¾ lignes; 32 mm; patinated dial || Catalogue reports a stainless-steel Rolex buckle; it does not establish bracelet fitment.
|-
| The Auction Room London, lot 20 || Case 655756; estimated circa 1949; two-tone case; silvered baton dial; 31 mm || Listing supplies five photographs; no movement number or result is shown.
|-
| Jones & Horan, lot 366 || Ref. 5010; serial 646754; stainless-steel case; refinished silvered dial toned tan || Archived catalogue transcription; no movement or date supplied.
|-
| Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction TWO, 7–8 November 2015, lot 282 || Case 655'677; movement 29377/N134; dated 1950; “ANNO SANCTO” engraved bezel; 9¾ lignes, 18 jewels; 32 mm || One commemorative example; estimate CHF 30,000–60,000; sold CHF 37,500.
|-
| Bonhams, New Bond Street, 20 April 2004, lot 259 || Ref. 5010; 1940s; two-tone case; silvered baton dial; 19-jewel automatic movement; 33 mm || Catalogue text does not name a caliber or give a case number.
|-
| Bonhams, Paris, 24 May 2022, lot 276 || Ref. 5010; estimated circa 1955; case 35873; inner caseback stamped II.55; movement N98383; white dial; 32 mm || Catalogue record for one stainless-steel watch; estimate does not establish a production endpoint.
|-
| Austin Auction Gallery, 3 May 2026 || Case serial 625221; black dial; gold-tone bezel; 32 mm; expandable riveted Oyster bracelet; clasp C&I 1-66 || The clasp code dates the bracelet component, not the watch head or original fitment.
|}

==Related references==

See the [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback and early Oyster guide]], [[Reference:Movements|movement guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial-number guide]]. The case numbers listed here are individual catalogue observations; no 5010 serial chart has been established.

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref_5010_hero.webp|The Auction Room London, lot 20, case 655756: silvered baton dial and two-tone case
File:Ref_5010_caseback.webp|The Auction Room London, lot 20: external caseback
File:Ref_5010_dial-detail.webp|The Auction Room London, lot 20: dial detail
File:Ref_5010_commemorative.webp|Phillips, 2015, lot 282: Anno Sancto bezel engraving, a separate 1950 watch
File:Ref_5010_profile.webp|The Auction Room London, lot 20: side profile
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-856369 Christie's, "Christie's, Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 5010, circa 1945", Christie's]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080515/282 Phillips, "Phillips Geneva Watch Auction TWO, lot 282, Rolex ref. 5010 Anno Sancto", Phillips, 2015-11-08]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-5010-bubbleback-lot-313-136 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva, lot 136, Rolex ref. 5010 retailed by Serpico y Laino", Antiquorum, 2018-05-13]
* [https://www.easyliveauction.com/catalogue/lot/a71d427914804f094e9f80b45b7062d1/0af8d24542e81eb9357e7ef448a6646f/fine-art-sale/ The Auction Room London, "The Auction Room London, ref. 5010, case 655756, lot 20", The Auction Room London via Easy Live Auction, 2026-09-29]
* [https://auctions.jones-horan.com/1602/html/1602_textonly.htm Jones & Horan, "Jones & Horan, Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 5010, lot 366", Jones & Horan]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-5010/lpi Bonhams, "Collector Square archive, Bonhams New Bond Street, 20 April 2004, lot 259, ref. 5010", Collector Square, reproducing Bonhams catalogue data, 2004-04-20]
* [https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Art/Auction/Bonhams/2022/20220524%20S-27810-0-1%20Montres%20de%20Prestige.pdf Bonhams, "Bonhams, Montres de Prestige, Paris, 24 May 2022, lot 276, ref. 5010", Bonhams, 2022-05-24]
* [https://www.austinauction.com/pastresults/lot/bidsquare-8949049 Austin Auction Gallery, "Austin Auction Gallery, estate Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 5010, case 625221", Austin Auction Gallery, 2026-05-03]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/archive/index.php/t-138944.html Subexplorer and forum participants, "Rolex Forums, “Bubbleback (or Goldfinger’s Bubbleback)” discussion", Rolex Forums, 2010-08-16]

[[Category:Oyster-Perpetual]]

Reference:5010 - Revision history

Admin: Create sourced ref. 5010 reference article