Admin: Publish researched reference 6502 article

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Publish researched reference 6502 article

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6502}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6502 — Cal. 1030, Dials and Case Notes | Rolexopedia
|description=Catalogue records for Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6502, including Cal. 1030 examples, dial descriptions and conflicting case attributions.
|keywords=Rolex 6502, Oyster Perpetual 6502, Cal. 1030, Rolex honeycomb dial
|image=Ref 6502 hero.webp
|image_alt=18K yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6502 with textured dial and riveted Oyster bracelet
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

<small>[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]] → '''6502'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 6502 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=18K yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6502 with textured dial and riveted Oyster bracelet|Antiquorum's circa-1958 example, lot 225.]]
</div>

Auction catalogues describe several gold, time-only watches as ref. 6502 and commonly name Cal. 1030. Some records repeat the same case: Monaco Legend and Antiquorum both list 36675, while Monaco Legend and Phillips assign different references to case 36701. The evidence supports a small group of catalogued examples; the identity of case 36701 remains unsettled. [https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-874549 Christie's, London, lot 22]; [https://www.artcurial.com/ventes/M1017/lots/14-a Artcurial, lot 14]; [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6502-oyster-perpetual-lot-381-225 Antiquorum, Geneva, lot 225]; [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/134192 Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction X, lot 254].

Catalogue examples show black, silver, off-white and textured dials. Heritage’s 2022 lot adds a crosshair example and labels it a Zephyr; that remains the house’s attribution for one watch, not a confirmed 6502 branch.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6502
|-
| family
| Oyster Perpetual, no date
|-
| observed dates
| Catalogue dates mostly fall in the 1950s. Sotheby's dates case 994893 to circa 1964; the Pergola chart places that serial around 1954. These records do not establish production limits.
|-
| movement
| Cal. 1030 is named in multiple auction records; Christie's 1998 lot lists a 25-jewel automatic movement without a caliber number.
|-
| case size
| 34–35 mm in the catalogues; two catalogues give different diameters for the same case 36675
|-
| case material
| Multiple lots describe 18K yellow gold; Heritage separately attributes one steel-and-gold example to the reference.
|-
| dial records
| Black gilt markers; silver batons; off-white; textured honeycomb or waffle. Heritage attributes a crosshair example to 6502.
|-
| date
| none
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The 6502 is a mid-century, time-only Oyster Perpetual. Christie’s lot 22, Artcurial lot 14 and Antiquorum lot 225 describe their watches as chronometers. Artcurial’s photograph also shows “Officially Certified Chronometer” on the dial.

==Production outline==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! catalogued example
! catalogue date
! identifying details
! source
|-
| Christie's, case 36809
| 1950s
| 35 mm gold case, black gilt-baton dial, 25-jewel automatic movement
| [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-874549 Christie's, London, lot 22]
|-
| Artcurial, case 36729
| circa 1955
| 34 mm 18K gold, Cal. 1030, silver dial
| [https://www.artcurial.com/ventes/M1017/lots/14-a Artcurial, lot 14]
|-
| Sotheby's, case 994893
| Sotheby's: circa 1964; serial chart: circa 1954
| 35 mm 18K gold, Cal. 1030, off-white dial
| [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-geneva-6/rolex-oyster-perpetual-ref-6502-yellow-gold Sotheby's, lot 409]
|-
| Antiquorum, case 36675
| circa 1958
| 35 mm 18K gold, Cal. 1030, textured dial and riveted gold Oyster bracelet; Monaco Legend gives the same case number
| [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6502-oyster-perpetual-lot-381-225 Antiquorum, Geneva, lot 225]
|-
| case 36701, disputed
| Monaco Legend: circa 1954; Phillips: circa 1955
| Both describe a 34–34.5 mm gold watch with honeycomb dial; they assign different references
| [https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/rolex-oyster-perpetual-ref-6502-honeycomb-dial-166-c-8e042b2aae Invaluable archive of Monaco Legend, lot 166]; [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/134192 Phillips, lot 254]
|}

Each date belongs to an individual catalogue entry. Sotheby’s dates case 994893 to circa 1964, while the Pergola chart places its serial around 1954. The roughly ten-year gap keeps this case from setting a production endpoint. Monaco Legend and Antiquorum both list case 36675, so their sales describe one watch, not two.

==Movement notes==

Artcurial, Antiquorum, Sotheby’s and Watch-Wiki associate ref. 6502 with Cal. 1030; some auction houses give 25 jewels. Christie’s 1998 lot names an automatic movement with 25 jewels but leaves the caliber unnamed. Christie’s 2016 catalogue calls case 36676 a Cal. 1030, identifying the watch through an inside-back 6502 stamp. Phillips also reports that stamp inside a case it catalogues as ref. 6603. The conflicting case evidence makes the 2016 lot a weak fitment record. The reviewed sources give no dated movement transition. [https://www.artcurial.com/ventes/M1017/lots/14-a Artcurial, lot 14]; [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6502-oyster-perpetual-lot-381-225 Antiquorum, lot 225]; [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-geneva-6/rolex-oyster-perpetual-ref-6502-yellow-gold Sotheby's, lot 409]; [https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=Rolex_calibres Watch-Wiki, Cal. 1030 reference list].

==Dial map==

The table records individual catalogue descriptions. “Honeycomb” and “waffle” are the catalogues’ terms for textured surfaces; the examples show no dated sequence or established factory variant names.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! documented example
! catalogue description
! source
|-
| case 36809, 1950s
| Black dial, raised gilt baton numerals, silvered outer minute ring, luminous gold hands
| [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-874549 Christie's, London, lot 22]
|-
| case 36729, circa 1955
| Silver dial with applied markers
| [https://www.artcurial.com/ventes/M1017/lots/14-a Artcurial, lot 14]
|-
| case 36675, circa 1954–1958
| Light textured dial with applied faceted gold batons; Antiquorum calls it honeycomb. Monaco Legend's earlier listing gives the same case number and a similar description.
| [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6502-oyster-perpetual-lot-381-225 Antiquorum, Geneva, lot 225]; [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/index.php/auction/the-july-online-sale-34/lot-71 Monaco Legend, lot 71]
|-
| case 994893, circa 1964
| Off-white dial
| [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-geneva-6/rolex-oyster-perpetual-ref-6502-yellow-gold Sotheby's, Geneva, lot 409]
|-
| case number unreported, circa 1956
| Crosshair dial, luminous plots and dauphine hands; Heritage catalogues it as a Zephyr
| [https://jewelry.ha.com/itm/timepieces/wristwatch/rolex-zephyr-ref-6502-circa-1956/a/5538-54232.s Heritage, lot 54232]
|}

Antiquorum's close view shows the textured surface and applied markers on case 36675. Artcurial's separate lot shows a silver dial with baton markers on case 36729.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 6502 dial-detail.webp|Textured dial and applied markers on Antiquorum's case 36675, circa 1958.
File:Ref 6502 dial-variant-silver.webp|Silver dial on Artcurial's case 36729, circa 1955.
</gallery>

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

Christie’s and Sotheby’s describe 18K-gold cases with screw-down backs; Christie’s and Artcurial also specify screw-down crowns. Catalogue measurements range from 34 mm for Artcurial’s case 36729 to 35 mm for several other gold examples. Christie’s calls its bezel fluted; Artcurial describes its example as striated. Fluted and striated describe individual catalogue examples; the reviewed records do not connect those terms to a factory sequence. Crystal material is unreported in the examined auction catalogues. [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-874549 Christie's, London, lot 22]; [https://www.artcurial.com/ventes/M1017/lots/14-a Artcurial, lot 14].

Phillips lists case 36701 as ref. 6603 with an inside-back stamp reading 6502, while Monaco Legend catalogued the same case as ref. 6502; the matching case number, honeycomb dial and similar size point to the same watch, but the catalogues leave its reference unresolved. Christie’s 2016 lot also identifies case 36676 through an inside-back 6502 stamp. [https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/rolex-oyster-perpetual-ref-6502-honeycomb-dial-166-c-8e042b2aae Invaluable archive of Monaco Legend, lot 166]; [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/134192 Phillips, lot 254]; [https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Art/Auction/Christies/2016/20161128%20HGK12578%20Important%20Watches%20Including%20NAUTILUS%2040%20Part%20III%20%5B1%5D.pdf Christie's, Hong Kong, lot 2854].

==Bracelets, clasps, and packaging notes==

Antiquorum records an 18K riveted Rolex Oyster bracelet on case 36675. Christie's, Artcurial and Sotheby's describe leather straps on other examples, sometimes with a Rolex buckle. These are sale pairings; factory fitment across the reference remains unconfirmed. Antiquorum's lot 225 also included a fitted box, one documented example of packaging. [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6502-oyster-perpetual-lot-381-225 Antiquorum, Geneva, lot 225]; [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-874549 Christie's, London, lot 22].

==Special branches==

Heritage’s 2022 catalogue calls a steel-and-gold, crosshair-dial ref. 6502 a Zephyr. A Rolex Forums collector list treats Zephyr as informal terminology and lists men’s Oyster examples under 6582, 1008/1009 and 1038. The two sources leave the name’s status on this watch uncertain: Heritage uses it for one lot, while the forum list describes broader collector usage. Neither establishes a factory 6502 branch. [https://jewelry.ha.com/itm/timepieces/wristwatch/rolex-zephyr-ref-6502-circa-1956/a/5538-54232.s Heritage Auctions, lot 54232]; [https://rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=742488 Rolex Forums, “Rolex Zephyr models”].

==Auction record==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! sale date
! auction record
! catalogued example
! result
|-
| 18 March 1998
| [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-874549 Christie's London, lot 22]
| Gold 6502, case 36809, black gilt-baton dial
| GBP 2,070
|-
| 17 July 2017
| [https://www.artcurial.com/ventes/M1017/lots/14-a Artcurial, lot 14]
| 18K gold, case 36729, silver dial
| EUR 3,640
|-
| 8 November 2025
| [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6502-oyster-perpetual-lot-381-225 Antiquorum Geneva, lot 225]
| 18K gold, case 36675, textured dial and riveted bracelet
| CHF 15,625
|}

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 6502 hero.webp|Antiquorum's 18K-gold example with textured dial and riveted bracelet, circa 1958.
File:Ref 6502 dial-detail.webp|Close view of the same Antiquorum dial.
File:Ref 6502 dial-variant-silver.webp|Artcurial's separate silver-dial example, circa 1955.
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-874549 Christie's, "Christie's London, 18 March 1998, lot 22 — Oyster Perpetual Chronometer ref. 6502, case 36809", Christie's, 1998-03-18]
* [https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Art/Auction/Christies/2016/20161128%20HGK12578%20Important%20Watches%20Including%20NAUTILUS%2040%20Part%20III%20%5B1%5D.pdf Christie's, "Christie's Hong Kong, Important Watches, 28 November 2016, lot 2854 — ref. 6502", Christie's (catalogue copy hosted by Electronics and Books), 2016-11-28]
* [https://www.artcurial.com/ventes/M1017/lots/14-a Artcurial, "Artcurial, Horlogerie de Collection, 17 July 2017, lot 14 — ref. 6502", Artcurial, 2017-07-17]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6502-oyster-perpetual-lot-381-225 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva, 8–9 November 2025, lot 225 — ref. 6502 honeycomb dial", Antiquorum, 2025-11-08]
* [https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/index.php/auction/the-july-online-sale-34/lot-71 Monaco Legend Auctions, "Monaco Legend Auctions, The July Online Sale, 8–22 July 2024, lot 71 — ref. 6502, case 36675", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2024-07-22]
* [https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/rolex-oyster-perpetual-ref-6502-honeycomb-dial-166-c-8e042b2aae Monaco Legend Auctions, "Invaluable archived listing of Monaco Legend Auctions, July Sale, 19 July 2017, lot 166 — case 36701 catalogued as ref. 6502", Invaluable (archived listing supplied by Monaco Legend Auctions), 2017-07-19]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-geneva-6/rolex-oyster-perpetual-ref-6502-yellow-gold Sotheby's, "Sotheby's Watches Weekly Geneva, 25 June 2020, lot 409 — ref. 6502", Sotheby's, 2020-06-25]
* [https://www.watch-wiki.net/doku.php?id=Rolex_calibres Watch-Wiki contributors, "Watch-Wiki, Rolex calibres — Cal. 1030 reference list", Watch-Wiki]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/134192 Phillips, "Phillips Geneva Watch Auction X, 10 November 2019, lot 254 — ref. 6603 with 6502-stamped caseback", Phillips, 2019-11-10]
* [https://jewelry.ha.com/itm/timepieces/wristwatch/rolex-zephyr-ref-6502-circa-1956/a/5538-54232.s Heritage Auctions, "Heritage Auctions, Watches & Fine Timepieces, 16 November 2022, lot 54232 — “Zephyr,” ref. 6502", Heritage Auctions, 2022-11-16]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=695965 member listing under the name Lunar Oyster, "Rolex Forums sale listing, “1953 Rolex OP ref. 6502 Cream Waffle Dial, 18kt Gold”", The Rolex Forums, 2019-09-04]
* [https://rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=742488 powerfunk, "Rolex Forums collector reference thread, “Rolex Zephyr models”", The Rolex Forums, 2020-05-15]

[[Category:Oyster-Perpetual]]

Reference:6502 - Revision history

Admin: Publish researched reference 6502 article