Admin: Create researched ref. 5052 article

2026-10-21T02:44:55Z

Create researched ref. 5052 article

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 5052}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5052 — Documented Watches and Movement Evidence | Rolexopedia
|description=Case-numbered ref. 5052 records in pink gold and steel, with dial, case and movement details and the limits of current dating evidence.
|keywords=Rolex 5052, Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5052, Bubbleback 5052, Rolex 9¾ ligne automatic, Rolex case 663654
|image=Ref 5052 hero.webp
|image_alt=Steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 5052, case serial 663654, photographed by Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Oyster Perpetual and Bubbleback]] → '''5052'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 5052 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 5052, case serial 663654, photographed by Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö|Case serial 663654, Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö, lot 2105792 (2022). Photo: Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö.]]
</div>

Ref. 5052 appears in auction records from the 1940s and 1950s as an Oyster Perpetual. The documented examples include pink-gold case 653977 and steel case 663654, both 32 mm and catalogued with automatic movements. The records do not establish a production span or a numbered caliber.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Detail !! Documented record
|-
| Model || Oyster Perpetual; auction catalogues also use “Bubble-back”
|-
| Reference || 5052, visible on case 663654 and its inside caseback
|-
| Documented materials || Pink gold and stainless steel
|-
| Movement || Automatic/self-winding in Christie’s, Stockholms Auktionsverk and Sweetroad records; numbered caliber not established
|-
| Seconds || Subsidiary seconds on Christie’s case 653977
|-
| Diameter || 32 mm in Christie’s case 653977 and Stockholms Auktionsverk case 663654
|-
| Dating evidence || Christie’s dates case 653977 to the 1940s; Stockholms Auktionsverk dates case 663654 to the 1950s
|-
| Field Manual entry || Listed as Full Size; caliber, bezel and description are not given
|-
| Production span || Not established
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 5052 is an Oyster Perpetual from the domed-back automatic era that collectors group under “Bubbleback.” Christie’s catalogue uses both Oyster Perpetual and Bubble-back for case 653977. The round caseback profile and automatic rotor are visible on the steel example photographed by Stockholms Auktionsverk.

==Production outline==

Christie’s dates pink-gold case 653977 to the 1940s and records movement N8194. Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö later catalogued a steel example, case serial 663654 and movement number 31883/F37.519, with a 1950s estimate. Its photographs show the 5052 stamp on the case flank and inside the caseback, and the matching serial on the opposite flank.

Christie’s and Stockholms Auktionsverk give dates in separate decades for two case-numbered watches. Sweetroad dates its separately photographed steel 5052 to 1948–50, a dealer estimate. These records leave the reference’s production endpoints unknown.

==Movement notes==

Christie’s calls case 653977 self-winding and identifies its movement as N8194. The rotor is visible in Stockholms Auktionsverk’s photographs of case 663654; Sweetroad also describes its stamped example as automatic. Rolex’s Oyster case table pairs ref. 5052 with a 9¾-ligne automatic movement. That is a size description, not a caliber number, and none of these records confirms a numbered caliber for the reference.

Anderson & Garland catalogued a 30 mm steel watch attributed to ref. 5052 as manual-wind Cal. 635, with subsidiary seconds, movement no. 319xx and a case serial beginning 663xxx. Stockholms Auktionsverk records automatic movement no. 31883/F37.519 in case 663654. The serial prefixes overlap, but the movement numbers and winding descriptions differ. Until the cases can be matched, Anderson & Garland’s manual-wind entry remains a disputed catalogue attribution, not a confirmed 5052 variant.

[[File:Ref 5052 movement.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Automatic Rolex movement and rotor in case serial 663654|The rotor is visible in the case 663654 movement photograph. Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö, lot 2105792.]]

==Dial map==

Christie’s describes case 653977 with a silvered dial, luminous Arabic numerals, a large subsidiary-seconds display and luminous Mercedes hands. Stockholms Auktionsverk’s photographs show a dark dial with Arabic 12, 3 and 9 and baton-like markers. Sweetroad describes another 5052 with luminous wedges around the edge, Arabic 12, 3 and 9, and raised dots between them; it calls that dial original, but the listing does not establish the claim independently. These are individual layouts, with no documented sequence or confirmed factory variant family.

[[File:Ref 5052 dial.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Dark dial with Arabic numerals at 12, 3 and 9 on case serial 663654|Dial of case serial 663654. Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö, lot 2105792.]]

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

Christie’s gives a 32 mm pink-gold case with a chamfered bezel and screwed back. The 32 mm steel case 663654 has 5052 stamped on the flank and inside the caseback. Stockholms Auktionsverk describes its crystal as plexiglass. The original Swedish listing says the movement was running when catalogued, but the auction house does not guarantee its function. Service history is unknown and wear is noted; the photographs show verdigris around the lugs. These details apply to this watch only.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 5052 crown.webp|Crown and case profile, case 663654; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
File:Ref 5052 reference-stamp.webp|5052 stamp on the case flank, case 663654; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
File:Ref 5052 serial.webp|Serial 663654 on the opposite case flank; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
File:Ref 5052 inside-caseback.webp|Inside caseback stamped 5052; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
File:Ref 5052 caseback.webp|Domed caseback, case 663654; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
</gallery>

==Bracelet, clasp, and packaging==

Christie’s lists case 653977 on a leather strap with a steel buckle. Stockholms Auktionsverk photographs case 663654 on a leather strap. Sweetroad’s separate steel watch is shown on a rivet bracelet that the dealer identifies as Privé. Original delivery, bracelet fitment and end links remain unverified for ref. 5052.

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Source !! Case and movement !! Catalogue record
|-
| Christie’s, lot 1472920 (1999) || 653977 / N8194 || Pink gold, 32 mm, self-winding; silvered dial with luminous Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds; dated 1940s
|-
| Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö via Auctionet, lot 2105792 (2022) || 663654 / 31883/F37.519 || Steel, 32 mm, automatic; catalogue estimate 1950s; photographs show reference and serial stamps and movement rotor; running when catalogued, but function not guaranteed; service history unknown
|-
| Sweetroad, item W-33646 || Caseback stamp shown; serial not transcribed || Steel, 32 mm, automatic, dealer-dated 1948–50; unusual dial and rivet bracelet described by the dealer
|-
| Anderson & Garland, lot 421 (2025) || Serial prefix 663xxx / movement 319xx || Catalogued as steel, 30 mm and manual-wind Cal. 635; dated alternatively to c.1948 or 1961. Its partial serial may overlap 663654, but movement and winding details conflict with the Stockholms Auktionsverk record.
|}

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 5052 hero.webp|Case serial 663654, full watch; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö, lot 2105792
File:Ref 5052 dial.webp|Dial of case serial 663654; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
File:Ref 5052 crown.webp|Crown and case profile; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
File:Ref 5052 reference-stamp.webp|5052 case-flank stamp; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
File:Ref 5052 serial.webp|Case serial 663654; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
File:Ref 5052 caseback.webp|Domed caseback; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
File:Ref 5052 inside-caseback.webp|Inside caseback stamped 5052; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
File:Ref 5052 movement.webp|Automatic movement and rotor; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
File:Ref 5052 movement-detail.webp|Second view of the automatic movement; Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-1472920 Christie’s, "Christie’s lot 1472920 — Rolex Oyster Perpetual Bubble-back ref. 5052, case 653977", Christie’s, 1999]
* [https://auctionet.com/fi/2105792-rolex-bubleback-rannekello-teras-automaatti-1950-luku Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö, "Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö, Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 5052, lot 2105792", Stockholms Auktionsverk Malmö via Auctionet, 2022-04-03]
* [https://www.vrfm.io/Scans/OYSTER-CROWNS-GUIDE.pdf "Rolex Oyster case assembly table — ref. 5052", Rolex (scan hosted by Vintage Rolex Forum Museum)]
* [https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/0b5fdf83/files/uploaded/1.0%20RolexBook-23Mar.pdf Colin A. White, "Colin A. White, The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Oyster Perpetual reference table, 5052 row", Morning Tundra, 2020]
* [https://www.sweetroad.com/view/item/000000018774 Sweetroad, "Sweetroad listing W-33646 — Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 5052", Sweetroad]
* [https://www.andersonandgarland.com/auction/lot/lot-421---a-rolex-oyster-perpetual-stainless-steel-wristwatch/?lot=371857&sd=1 Anderson & Garland, "Anderson & Garland lot 421 — steel Oyster Perpetual attributed to ref. 5052", Anderson & Garland, 2025-04-02]

[[Category:Oyster]]

Reference:5052 - Revision history

Admin: Create researched ref. 5052 article