Reference:6694 - Revision history

Admin: Correct 6426 comparison and production-date wording

2026-10-17T20:09:01Z

Correct 6426 comparison and production-date wording

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:09, 17 October 2026
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	The Oysterdate ran as a four-reference sequence — 6094, then 6294, then 6494, then 6694 — and the 6694 outlived the other three put together. The introduction is usually given as 1958, replacing the 6094 and 6494, but that date rests on dealer and marketplace copy with no primary citation behind it, and one collector-forum account offered explicitly as belief rather than documentation. The 1958 introduction has not been confirmed from a period Rolex catalogue. What can be shown is that the earliest example whose case number agrees with its catalogue date is a 1959 watch.		The Oysterdate ran as a four-reference sequence — 6094, then 6294, then 6494, then 6694 — and the 6694 outlived the other three put together. The introduction is usually given as 1958, replacing the 6094 and 6494, but that date rests on dealer and marketplace copy with no primary citation behind it, and one collector-forum account offered explicitly as belief rather than documentation. The 1958 introduction has not been confirmed from a period Rolex catalogue. What can be shown is that the earliest example whose case number agrees with its catalogue date is a 1959 watch.

	[[File:Ref 6694 with 6426.webp\|thumb\|right\|280px\|alt=A Rolex Oyster 6426 and an Oysterdate 6694 in stainless steel shown side by side on leather straps\|~~The~~ 6426 and ~~the~~ 6694 ~~as Antiquorum offered them~~, together ~~in one lot catalogued "ROLEX, REF. 6426/ 6694, OYSTER AND OYSTERDATE, STEEL". Same case, same base caliber; the date is the whole difference~~.]]		[[File:Ref 6694 with 6426.webp\|thumb\|right\|280px\|alt=A Rolex Oyster 6426 and an Oysterdate 6694 in stainless steel shown side by side on leather straps\|A no-date Oyster Precision 6426 and date-equipped Oysterdate Precision 6694, catalogued together by Antiquorum.]]

	Two ~~neighbours matter for identification~~. The 6426 is the ~~same watch without~~ the date ~~— same case, same base caliber, same bracelet — and~~ Antiquorum has offered ~~the pair together in~~ a ~~single lot, catalogued as "ROLEX, REF.~~ 6426/ 6694~~, OYSTER AND OYSTERDATE, STEEL"~~. The other is the Oyster Perpetual Date 1500, 1501 and 1503: a 34 mm steel Oyster with a date and a cyclops~~, visually near-identical across a display tray, and genuinely automatic on calibers~~ 1560, 1565 and 1570~~. That second pairing~~ is ~~the likeliest~~ source ~~of the~~ winding ~~confusion that runs through the auction record~~.		Two related manual-wind Oysters sit beside the 6694. The 6426 has no date; the 6694 adds one. Auction catalogues identify overlapping calibres across these references, so the date alone does not identify the movement. Antiquorum has offered a 6426 and a 6694 together as a pair. The other useful comparison is the automatic Oyster Perpetual Date 1500, 1501 and 1503, a 34 mm steel Oyster with a date and cyclops. Its calibres are 1560, 1565 and 1570, and it is a more plausible source for auction-title confusion about winding.

	==Production outline==		==Production outline==
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	Rolex sold manual-wind watches for roughly a quarter century after the 6694 left the catalogue. Its own product pages for the Cellini Rolex Prince, live through December 2014, carry a section headed "Wound by hand" and read: "The Prince features a manually-wound mechanical movement - the 7040 calibre - specially developed and manufactured by Rolex." The specification block on the same pages gives "Manually wound mechanical movement" and "Calibre 7040, Manufacture Rolex". That is the manufacturer describing current production, and it settles the point.		Rolex sold manual-wind watches for roughly a quarter century after the 6694 left the catalogue. Its own product pages for the Cellini Rolex Prince, live through December 2014, carry a section headed "Wound by hand" and read: "The Prince features a manually-wound mechanical movement - the 7040 calibre - specially developed and manufactured by Rolex." The specification block on the same pages gives "Manually wound mechanical movement" and "Calibre 7040, Manufacture Rolex". That is the manufacturer describing current production, and it settles the point.

	~~The narrower version — that~~ the 6694 ~~is the last manual-wind Rolex in the Oyster case — is~~ not ~~yet provable either~~. The ~~6426 shares the~~ case, ~~the~~ caliber ~~and the bracelet, and no source consulted dates the end of its production~~. ~~Until the 6426 is dated, the 6694 cannot be called the last of anything~~.		Phillips dates a 6426 case, R492,864, to circa 1987; the latest cited 6694 cases are dated circa 1986. These are dates assigned to individual watches, not factory production endpoints. The two references share an Oyster case family and manual 1200-series movements, though auction catalogues give overlapping caliber attributions. The evidence leaves open which manual-wind Oyster reference ended later.

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

	Case 828496's ~~own~~ identity ~~needs a caveat~~. Antiquorum~~'s lot~~ catalogues it as a 6694, and the dial ~~in view~~ reads "Oysterdate" and ~~carries~~ a date ~~function, consistent with that~~. ~~But the same lot's~~ caseback ~~photography~~ reads 6426 ~~— the no-date sibling — not 6694~~. ~~Given~~ the ~~6426 and 6694 share an identical~~ case ~~and bracelet~~, ~~this is either~~ a ~~service-era~~ caseback ~~swap between the two closely related references or~~ a ~~cataloguing~~ mismatch ~~on Antiquorum's part; either way~~, ~~this specific example~~ should not be ~~read~~ as a clean~~, fully-confirmed~~ 6694 without further authentication.		Case 828496's identity remains unsettled. Antiquorum catalogues it as a 6694, and the pictured dial reads 'Oysterdate' and shows a date. Its caseback photograph reads 6426. The related references use the Oyster case design, so a caseback change is possible; a catalogue mismatch is also possible. The record does not distinguish between them, and the watch should not be used as a clean 6694 example without further authentication.

	Markers run from applied faceted gilt chevrons and arrowheads on the earliest watches to the applied polished batons that dominate the middle and late run. Hands follow: dauphine early, then pointed batons with luminous inserts as the standard, with gilt daggers, alpha and — on at least one catalogued example — Mercedes hands appearing across the range.		Markers run from applied faceted gilt chevrons and arrowheads on the earliest watches to the applied polished batons that dominate the middle and late run. Hands follow: dauphine early, then pointed batons with luminous inserts as the standard, with gilt daggers, alpha and — on at least one catalogued example — Mercedes hands appearing across the range.
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	== Related references ==		== Related references ==

	* Oyster Precision 6426 — ~~the same watch without the~~ date ~~(article pending)~~		* [[Reference:6426\|Oyster Precision 6426]] — no-date sibling
	* [[Reference:3003\|Precision 3003]] — where the Precision line begins		* [[Reference:3003\|Precision 3003]] — where the Precision line begins

Klaudiusz: Remove duplicate hero image from case section; keep section gallery below text

2026-09-27T03:56:19Z

Remove duplicate hero image from case section; keep section gallery below text

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:56, 27 September 2026
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	==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==		==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

	[[File:Ref 6694 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|340px\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate Precision reference 6694 in stainless steel with a silvered baton dial on a riveted Oyster bracelet\|The default configuration: 34 mm steel Oyster, silvered dial with polished baton markers, date at three under a cyclops. Case 1840635, caliber 1225, inside back coded II.68, on a riveted 7205 bracelet.]]
	The case is a three-piece Oyster, tonneau in profile, with a screw-down back and a screw-down crown. The crown is a single-seal design rather than a two-seal Twinlock, a detail that matters in service — an oversized replacement O-ring is a common reason a 6694 crown will not seat fully. The crystal is acrylic with a moulded cyclops. The bezel is smooth and polished on steel examples, and engine-turned or fluted on the gold-cased variants.		The case is a three-piece Oyster, tonneau in profile, with a screw-down back and a screw-down crown. The crown is a single-seal design rather than a two-seal Twinlock, a detail that matters in service — an oversized replacement O-ring is a common reason a 6694 crown will not seat fully. The crystal is acrylic with a moulded cyclops. The bezel is smooth and polished on steel examples, and engine-turned or fluted on the gold-cased variants.

Klaudiusz: Deep prose and evidence audit: corrected manual-wind identification and removed unsupported market generalizations

2026-09-27T03:18:52Z

Deep prose and evidence audit: corrected manual-wind identification and removed unsupported market generalizations

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:18, 27 September 2026
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	</div>		</div>

	The 6694 is the last of the four manual-wind Oysterdate references and ~~by a wide margin~~ the ~~most numerous~~. A 34 mm steel Oyster, a date at three under a cyclops, a hand-wound Rolex caliber from the 1200 family, and no rotor — that is the whole watch. Documented examples run from about 1959 to about 1986, and new old stock was still leaving authorised dealers in 1989. ~~For thirty years it~~ was ~~the cheapest way into a waterproof Rolex on a bracelet~~, and ~~Rolex sold it accordingly~~.		The 6694 is the last of the four manual-wind Oysterdate references and one of the longest-running manual-wind Oysterdate references. A 34 mm steel Oyster, a date at three under a cyclops, a hand-wound Rolex caliber from the 1200 family, and no rotor — that is the whole watch. Documented examples run from about 1959 to about 1986, and new old stock was still leaving authorised dealers in 1989. It was sold in several case and dial configurations, including steel, plated and capped examples.

	~~The 6694 is~~ the ~~most frequently mis-catalogued vintage Rolex in the mid-market~~. ~~Four of the six major~~ auction ~~houses have described 6694 lots as automatic~~, ~~and every one of those attributions contradicts its own movement field; no~~ lot ~~at any house names an automatic Rolex~~ caliber. The reference has also acquired a distinction it cannot support — that it was the last manual-wind Rolex ever made — which Rolex's own product pages refute. These claims recur in auction and dealer descriptions.		Auction catalogues sometimes misidentify the winding system on this reference. Several auction entries use “automatic” in a title or prose line while their movement fields identify manual calibers, including the Christie’s lot whose specification states manual caliber 1225. The reference has also acquired a distinction it cannot support — that it was the last manual-wind Rolex ever made — which Rolex's own product pages refute. These claims recur in auction and dealer descriptions.

	==Core facts==		==Core facts==
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	==Auction record==		==Auction record==

	The ~~6694 is a four-figure watch in plain configuration~~ and a ~~five-figure one when the dial carries an emblem. Special-order dials account for the largest premiums in the results below~~.		The results below are individual sales. They show how dial, provenance and condition affected those lots; they do not establish a general market range.

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
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	\|}		\|}

	These results span two decades and five currencies~~, so no single figure is presented as the reference's record~~. ~~Plain steel examples in the same~~ sale ~~rooms generally settle between~~ the ~~low four figures~~ and ~~about USD 3,000, and the Mellon results show what~~ a ~~provenance and a Tiffany signature do to that baseline — five watches estimated at USD 1,500 to 2,000 apiece all sold at three to five times the low estimate~~.		These results span two decades and five currencies. The sale descriptions identify the watches and their documented details; they should not be read as a price guide for every 6694.

	Two watches in the record appear twice each, re-offered at the same house within months, which is worth knowing before treating lot counts as population counts.		Two watches in the record appear twice each, re-offered at the same house within months, which is worth knowing before treating lot counts as population counts.
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	Match the caliber to the era. A 1215 on an early-1960s serial and a 1225 on anything after the mid-1960s are both period-correct; the reverse combination needs explaining. Match the dial footer too: SWISS alone with radium on the earliest watches, T SWISS T after 1963.		Match the caliber to the era. A 1215 on an early-1960s serial and a 1225 on anything after the mid-1960s are both period-correct; the reverse combination needs explaining. Match the dial footer too: SWISS alone with radium on the earliest watches, T SWISS T after 1963.

	Treat any coloured dial as a question ~~rather than a feature~~ until ~~it is verified,~~ and ~~treat a~~ Mickey Mouse ~~dial~~ as ~~a refinish, because that is what the houses selling them say it is~~. Check a stated case diameter against an actual measurement. And read the word "automatic" in a lot title as a cataloguing error, then check the movement field, which will almost always say otherwise.		Treat any coloured dial as a question until its finish and provenance are checked. Auction catalogues describe the Mickey Mouse examples cited here as later or refinished dials. Check a stated case diameter against an actual measurement. And read the word "automatic" in a lot title as a cataloguing error, then check the movement field, which will almost always say otherwise.

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

Admin: Convert 1 legacy image(s) to WebP

2026-09-14T01:22:57Z

Convert 1 legacy image(s) to WebP

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:22, 14 September 2026
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	<div class="rp-lead">		<div class="rp-lead">
	[[File:~~Ref 6694 hero~~.~~jpeg~~\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex 6694\|Rolex 6694]]		[[File:Ref_6694_hero.webp\|thumb\|center\|640px\|alt=Rolex 6694\|Rolex 6694]]
	</div>		</div>

Klaudiusz: Flag: case 828496's identity is contested -- the same Antiquorum lot's dial reads Oysterdate/date-having (6694-consistent) but its caseback photography reads 6426 (the no-date sibling). Neither claim is invented -- both come from the same lot's own photography -- so this documents the contradiction rather than silently picking a side, per the project's capture-contradictions rule.

2026-09-13T16:53:24Z

Flag: case 828496's identity is contested -- the same Antiquorum lot's dial reads Oysterdate/date-having (6694-consistent) but its caseback photography reads 6426 (the no-date sibling). Neither claim is invented -- both come from the same lot's own photography -- so this documents the contradiction rather than silently picking a side, per the project's capture-contradictions rule.

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:53, 13 September 2026
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	<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">		<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
	File:Ref 6694 blue dial.webp\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate Precision 6694 with a blue dial on a folded-link steel bracelet\|A blue dial on case 2730705, circa 1971, caliber 1225, on a folded 7835 bracelet with 357 end links.		File:Ref 6694 blue dial.webp\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate Precision 6694 with a blue dial on a folded-link steel bracelet\|A blue dial on case 2730705, circa 1971, caliber 1225, on a folded 7835 bracelet with 357 end links.
	File:Ref 6694 tropical dial.webp\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate 6694 with a gilt dial that has aged to brown, on a riveted steel bracelet\|A tropical gilt dial on case 828496: the printing has turned brown with age rather than leaving the factory that colour. On a riveted 7205 bracelet with 61 end links.		File:Ref 6694 tropical dial.webp\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate 6694 with a gilt dial that has aged to brown, on a riveted steel bracelet\|A tropical gilt dial on case 828496 (Antiquorum Hong Kong sale 343, lot 323): the printing has turned brown with age rather than leaving the factory that colour. On a riveted 7205 bracelet with 61 end links.
	</gallery>		</gallery>

			Case 828496's own identity needs a caveat. Antiquorum's lot catalogues it as a 6694, and the dial in view reads "Oysterdate" and carries a date function, consistent with that. But the same lot's caseback photography reads 6426 — the no-date sibling — not 6694. Given the 6426 and 6694 share an identical case and bracelet, this is either a service-era caseback swap between the two closely related references or a cataloguing mismatch on Antiquorum's part; either way, this specific example should not be read as a clean, fully-confirmed 6694 without further authentication.

	Markers run from applied faceted gilt chevrons and arrowheads on the earliest watches to the applied polished batons that dominate the middle and late run. Hands follow: dauphine early, then pointed batons with luminous inserts as the standard, with gilt daggers, alpha and — on at least one catalogued example — Mercedes hands appearing across the range.		Markers run from applied faceted gilt chevrons and arrowheads on the earliest watches to the applied polished batons that dominate the middle and late run. Hands follow: dauphine early, then pointed batons with luminous inserts as the standard, with gilt daggers, alpha and — on at least one catalogued example — Mercedes hands appearing across the range.

Klaudiusz: Remove Ref 6694 movement.webp: the photographed caseback in this Antiquorum lot (343/323, case 828496) is stamped 6426, not 6694, contradicting the caption and Antiquorum's own reference-field attribution. The no-automatic argument still stands on the remaining caseback.webp example.

2026-09-13T14:41:39Z

Remove Ref 6694 movement.webp: the photographed caseback in this Antiquorum lot (343/323, case 828496) is stamped 6426, not 6694, contradicting the caption and Antiquorum's own reference-field attribution. The no-automatic argument still stands on the remaining caseback.webp example.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:41, 13 September 2026
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	<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">		<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
	File:Ref 6694 movement.webp\|alt=Manual-wind Rolex caliber 1225 in a 6694 case with the screw-down caseback removed and set beside it\|Caliber 1225 in case 828496, with the screw-down back lifted off. No rotor, no automatic winding bridge, and a back that is flat because nothing needs clearance under it.
	File:Ref 6694 black dial.webp\|alt=Black-dial Rolex Oysterdate 6694 on a steel Oyster bracelet\|Case 2943776, sold with its dated guarantee and swing tag. The lot title calls it automatic; the movement field on the same page reads 17-jewel manual wind.		File:Ref 6694 black dial.webp\|alt=Black-dial Rolex Oysterdate 6694 on a steel Oyster bracelet\|Case 2943776, sold with its dated guarantee and swing tag. The lot title calls it automatic; the movement field on the same page reads 17-jewel manual wind.
	File:Ref 6694 caseback.webp\|alt=Flat screw-down caseback of a Rolex 6694 on its Oyster bracelet and folding clasp\|The back of case 2 083 433. A rotor needs a domed caseback to turn under; every 6694 back in the auction record is flat.		File:Ref 6694 caseback.webp\|alt=Flat screw-down caseback of a Rolex 6694 on its Oyster bracelet and folding clasp\|The back of case 2 083 433. A rotor needs a domed caseback to turn under; every 6694 back in the auction record is flat.

Klaudiusz: Text audit: voice, clarity (negation-pivot, throat-clearing filler)

2026-09-12T22:43:20Z

Text audit: voice, clarity (negation-pivot, throat-clearing filler)

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:43, 12 September 2026
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	\|}		\|}

	Phillips does the most careful work on these. On the Yemen dial it notes that the arms shown are the coat of arms of North Yemen used from 1974 to 1990, "which is correct for the date of this watch" — the kind of internal check that separates a documented special order from a decorated dial. On the Kuwaiti example its research "suggests that this watch was made to commemorate the independence of Kuwait". One Sotheby's entry ~~carries~~ an ~~oddity worth noting~~: it describes a "UAE enamel logo" on a watch it also identifies as a King Abdulaziz University gift, ~~which is~~ a Saudi institution.		Phillips does the most careful work on these. On the Yemen dial it notes that the arms shown are the coat of arms of North Yemen used from 1974 to 1990, "which is correct for the date of this watch" — the kind of internal check that separates a documented special order from a decorated dial. On the Kuwaiti example its research "suggests that this watch was made to commemorate the independence of Kuwait". One Sotheby's entry contains an inconsistency: it describes a "UAE enamel logo" on a watch it also identifies as a King Abdulaziz University gift, a Saudi institution.

	Retailer signing is thinner but real. Tiffany & Co. dials are documented at two houses — an Antiquorum example sold with its original Tiffany presentation box, and a run of five from a single collection at Sotheby's.		Retailer signing is thinner but real. Tiffany & Co. dials are documented at two houses — an Antiquorum example sold with its original Tiffany presentation box, and a run of five from a single collection at Sotheby's.
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	The folded-to-solid changeover falls around 1976, so either can be correct on a mid-1970s watch. Leather is common on surviving examples but is usually a later fitment rather than an original delivery — auction descriptions mark these as "associated" more often than not.		The folded-to-solid changeover falls around 1976, so either can be correct on a mid-1970s watch. Leather is common on surviving examples but is usually a later fitment rather than an original delivery — auction descriptions mark these as "associated" more often than not.

	Clasp stamps recorded across the Bonhams lots include 2 69, 4 68, 3 63, 2 71, 4 52, S1, S11, N4, M11, G, S U10 and 7835 J2. One of those is instructive: a clasp stamped 4 52 sits on a watch dated to around 1960. A clasp code dates the bracelet~~, not the head~~, and the 6694 — cheap, common, and worn hard — has had more bracelets swapped between cases than almost any other vintage Rolex.		Clasp stamps recorded across the Bonhams lots include 2 69, 4 68, 3 63, 2 71, 4 52, S1, S11, N4, M11, G, S U10 and 7835 J2. One of those is instructive: a clasp stamped 4 52 sits on a watch dated to around 1960. A clasp code dates the bracelet alone, and the 6694 — cheap, common, and worn hard — has had more bracelets swapped between cases than almost any other vintage Rolex.

	==Auction record==		==Auction record==

Admin: Prose review: remove research commentary, inflated claims and repetitive phrasing

2026-09-12T14:05:18Z

Prose review: remove research commentary, inflated claims and repetitive phrasing

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:05, 12 September 2026
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	The 6694 is the last of the four manual-wind Oysterdate references and by a wide margin the most numerous. A 34 mm steel Oyster, a date at three under a cyclops, a hand-wound Rolex caliber from the 1200 family, and no rotor — that is the whole watch. Documented examples run from about 1959 to about 1986, and new old stock was still leaving authorised dealers in 1989. For thirty years it was the cheapest way into a waterproof Rolex on a bracelet, and Rolex sold it accordingly.		The 6694 is the last of the four manual-wind Oysterdate references and by a wide margin the most numerous. A 34 mm steel Oyster, a date at three under a cyclops, a hand-wound Rolex caliber from the 1200 family, and no rotor — that is the whole watch. Documented examples run from about 1959 to about 1986, and new old stock was still leaving authorised dealers in 1989. For thirty years it was the cheapest way into a waterproof Rolex on a bracelet, and Rolex sold it accordingly.

	~~Ubiquity has a cost.~~ The 6694 is the most frequently mis-catalogued vintage Rolex in the mid-market. Four of the six major auction houses have described 6694 lots as automatic, and every one of those attributions contradicts its own movement field; no lot at any house names an automatic Rolex caliber. The reference has also acquired a distinction it cannot support — that it was the last manual-wind Rolex ever made — which Rolex's own product pages refute. ~~Both errors are common enough that a buyer will meet them before meeting a clean example, so both are addressed below rather than left implied~~.		The 6694 is the most frequently mis-catalogued vintage Rolex in the mid-market. Four of the six major auction houses have described 6694 lots as automatic, and every one of those attributions contradicts its own movement field; no lot at any house names an automatic Rolex caliber. The reference has also acquired a distinction it cannot support — that it was the last manual-wind Rolex ever made — which Rolex's own product pages refute. These claims recur in auction and dealer descriptions.

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

	The Oysterdate ran as a four-reference sequence — 6094, then 6294, then 6494, then 6694 — and the 6694 outlived the other three put together. The introduction is usually given as 1958, replacing the 6094 and 6494, but that date rests on dealer and marketplace copy with no primary citation behind it, and one collector-forum account offered explicitly as belief rather than documentation. No Rolex catalogue ~~for the 6694 was reached in researching this page~~. What can be shown is that the earliest example whose case number agrees with its catalogue date is a 1959 watch.		The Oysterdate ran as a four-reference sequence — 6094, then 6294, then 6494, then 6694 — and the 6694 outlived the other three put together. The introduction is usually given as 1958, replacing the 6094 and 6494, but that date rests on dealer and marketplace copy with no primary citation behind it, and one collector-forum account offered explicitly as belief rather than documentation. The 1958 introduction has not been confirmed from a period Rolex catalogue. What can be shown is that the earliest example whose case number agrees with its catalogue date is a 1959 watch.

	[[File:Ref 6694 with 6426.webp\|thumb\|right\|280px\|alt=A Rolex Oyster 6426 and an Oysterdate 6694 in stainless steel shown side by side on leather straps\|The 6426 and the 6694 as Antiquorum offered them, together in one lot catalogued "ROLEX, REF. 6426/ 6694, OYSTER AND OYSTERDATE, STEEL". Same case, same base caliber; the date is the whole difference.]]		[[File:Ref 6694 with 6426.webp\|thumb\|right\|280px\|alt=A Rolex Oyster 6426 and an Oysterdate 6694 in stainless steel shown side by side on leather straps\|The 6426 and the 6694 as Antiquorum offered them, together in one lot catalogued "ROLEX, REF. 6426/ 6694, OYSTER AND OYSTERDATE, STEEL". Same case, same base caliber; the date is the whole difference.]]
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	The family architecture is described consistently by two independent sources — the watch-wiki caliber pages and a working watchmaker's teardown review of the 1200 series. The 1200 is the sub-seconds base; the 1210 adds centre seconds; the 1215 is the 1210 with a date; the 1220 is the 1210 uprated from 18,000 to 21,600 A/h; the 1225 is the 1220 with a date. The move from 1215 to 1225 in the 6694 is therefore a beat-rate upgrade rather than a redesign, and it lands somewhere in the mid-1960s. Datapoints straddle 1964 and the exact year is not settled. Owners report the practical consequence: escapement parts for the slower 1215 are scarce and expensive, and Rolex's own service network treats a 1215 watch as vintage and a 1225 watch as ordinary.		The family architecture is described consistently by two independent sources — the watch-wiki caliber pages and a working watchmaker's teardown review of the 1200 series. The 1200 is the sub-seconds base; the 1210 adds centre seconds; the 1215 is the 1210 with a date; the 1220 is the 1210 uprated from 18,000 to 21,600 A/h; the 1225 is the 1220 with a date. The move from 1215 to 1225 in the 6694 is therefore a beat-rate upgrade rather than a redesign, and it lands somewhere in the mid-1960s. Datapoints straddle 1964 and the exact year is not settled. Owners report the practical consequence: escapement parts for the slower 1215 are scarce and expensive, and Rolex's own service network treats a 1215 watch as vintage and a 1225 watch as ordinary.

	Two ~~disagreements are worth carrying rather than resolving~~. The caliber literature makes the 1210 the no-date variant, yet Antiquorum, Christie's, Sotheby's and Bonhams all catalogue a 1210 inside a date-carrying 6694 — either those cataloguers are transcribing a base-caliber marking, or the date and no-date split is less clean than the reference pages state. And power reserve is given as 58 hours by both caliber sources and as about 40 hours across much of the market literature. ~~No source consulted addresses hacking either way, so nothing~~ is ~~claimed here~~.		Two points remain uncertain. The caliber literature makes the 1210 the no-date variant, yet Antiquorum, Christie's, Sotheby's and Bonhams all catalogue a 1210 inside a date-carrying 6694 — either those cataloguers are transcribing a base-caliber marking, or the date and no-date split is less clean than the reference pages state. And power reserve is given as 58 hours by both caliber sources and as about 40 hours across much of the market literature. Hacking is not established by the cited sources.

	The date is non-quickset. Setting it means running the hands round.		The date is non-quickset. Setting it means running the hands round.
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	Sotheby's contributes the most instructive version. Two Dubai lots, offered eight months apart, both read "cal. 6694 automatic, 17 jewels" — the reference number entered in the caliber field. They share case number 5'106'160. It is one watch re-offered with the error copied forward, and the two entries disagree with each other on dial colour. Antiquorum's four self-winding lots all name a manual caliber in the movement line immediately below the word. Phillips and Heritage never call one automatic; a Phillips essay states the position plainly, noting that "the absence of 'PERPETUAL' on the dial is justified" by the manual caliber.		Sotheby's contributes the most instructive version. Two Dubai lots, offered eight months apart, both read "cal. 6694 automatic, 17 jewels" — the reference number entered in the caliber field. They share case number 5'106'160. It is one watch re-offered with the error copied forward, and the two entries disagree with each other on dial colour. Antiquorum's four self-winding lots all name a manual caliber in the movement line immediately below the word. Phillips and Heritage never call one automatic; a Phillips essay states the position plainly, noting that "the absence of 'PERPETUAL' on the dial is justified" by the manual caliber.

	~~The boring explanations were tested first.~~ A service-replaced automatic movement would show up as an automatic caliber in the movement field, and never does. A genuine automatic variant would need a reference block, and Rolex already had one for the automatic 34 mm date Oyster. Across roughly 160 lots at six houses, none names an automatic Rolex caliber, describes a rotor, or describes the domed caseback a rotor requires. There is no automatic 6694.		A service-replaced automatic movement would show up as an automatic caliber in the movement field, and never does. A genuine automatic variant would need a reference block, and Rolex already had one for the automatic 34 mm date Oyster. Across roughly 160 lots at six houses, none names an automatic Rolex caliber, describes a rotor, or describes the domed caseback a rotor requires. There is no automatic 6694.

	==Dial map==		==Dial map==

	Dial variety is the ~~reason to care about this reference~~. Rolex ran the 6694 for a quarter century across every market it served, and the dial is where that shows.		Dial variety is a large part of the 6694’s collector appeal. Rolex ran the 6694 for a quarter century across every market it served, and the dial is where that shows.

	===Factory colours and finishes===		===Factory colours and finishes===
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	The 6694 is the canonical base watch for aftermarket Mickey Mouse dials, and they are aftermarket. Bonhams catalogues them precisely, describing the dial as "Silvered, later applied Mickey and Minnie Mouse"; Antiquorum grades one "Reprinted" in its own dial grading and calls it a refinished Topolino dial. Christie's and Sotheby's both sell them without claiming factory origin. Forum specialists are blunter — the long-standing position among vintage Rolex moderators is that no genuine factory example exists, and that Rolex never offered a Mickey Mouse dial. They are still being manufactured today: a current parts supplier sells a new Mickey dial cut for the cal. 1225 with feet at 23 and 52 for well under two hundred dollars.		The 6694 is the canonical base watch for aftermarket Mickey Mouse dials, and they are aftermarket. Bonhams catalogues them precisely, describing the dial as "Silvered, later applied Mickey and Minnie Mouse"; Antiquorum grades one "Reprinted" in its own dial grading and calls it a refinished Topolino dial. Christie's and Sotheby's both sell them without claiming factory origin. Forum specialists are blunter — the long-standing position among vintage Rolex moderators is that no genuine factory example exists, and that Rolex never offered a Mickey Mouse dial. They are still being manufactured today: a current parts supplier sells a new Mickey dial cut for the cal. 1225 with feet at 23 and 52 for well under two hundred dollars.

	One editorial voice dissents. Writing in 2011, Ariel Adams argued that "it looks very likely that Rolex did have an actual relationship with Disney in mostly the 1960s and 1970s up to the early 1980s". No primary source is offered for it, and the attribution is to his own research. ~~It is recorded here as the minority position it is~~.		One editorial voice dissents. Writing in 2011, Ariel Adams argued that "it looks very likely that Rolex did have an actual relationship with Disney in mostly the 1960s and 1970s up to the early 1980s". No primary source is offered for it, and the attribution is to his own research. The proposed Rolex–Disney relationship remains unconfirmed.

	The same caution extends further. Salmon, tuxedo and bright primary-colour dials circulate on 6694 cases and are treated as refinishes by the specialists who see the most of them — one moderator states flatly that no red 6694 exists, and describes a UK operation that spent the late 1990s swapping tired original dials for fake coloured ones in imitation of Stella dials. Bonhams has nonetheless catalogued a "Red, signed" dial on a 1978 example without qualification, and Antiquorum labels its own red and green examples as aftermarket. The houses do not agree with each other. How much of the surviving dial population is original is itself disputed: one experienced contributor estimates nine in ten currently for sale are aftermarket, another says there is not much fake material on 6694 cases because values never justified the effort. Both are worth weighing before buying a coloured dial.		The same caution extends further. Salmon, tuxedo and bright primary-colour dials circulate on 6694 cases and are treated as refinishes by the specialists who see the most of them — one moderator states flatly that no red 6694 exists, and describes a UK operation that spent the late 1990s swapping tired original dials for fake coloured ones in imitation of Stella dials. Bonhams has nonetheless catalogued a "Red, signed" dial on a 1978 example without qualification, and Antiquorum labels its own red and green examples as aftermarket. The houses do not agree with each other. How much of the surviving dial population is original is itself disputed: one experienced contributor estimates nine in ten currently for sale are aftermarket, another says there is not much fake material on 6694 cases because values never justified the effort. Both are worth weighing before buying a coloured dial.
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	The case is a three-piece Oyster, tonneau in profile, with a screw-down back and a screw-down crown. The crown is a single-seal design rather than a two-seal Twinlock, a detail that matters in service — an oversized replacement O-ring is a common reason a 6694 crown will not seat fully. The crystal is acrylic with a moulded cyclops. The bezel is smooth and polished on steel examples, and engine-turned or fluted on the gold-cased variants.		The case is a three-piece Oyster, tonneau in profile, with a screw-down back and a screw-down crown. The crown is a single-seal design rather than a two-seal Twinlock, a detail that matters in service — an oversized replacement O-ring is a common reason a 6694 crown will not seat fully. The crystal is acrylic with a moulded cyclops. The bezel is smooth and polished on steel examples, and engine-turned or fluted on the gold-cased variants.

	Case diameter needs care, because the auction record does not agree with itself. Bonhams alone states 33 mm on one lot, 34 mm on nine, 35 mm on twenty-one and 36 mm on one, for the same reference; Sotheby's spans 33 to 36 mm, Christie's 33 to 35, Heritage 34 and 35, Phillips 34 and 35. 34 mm is the figure the collector literature uses and the figure quoted above. ~~No source consulted explains~~ the spread~~, so no explanation~~ is ~~offered here — but~~ a catalogue~~-stated case size for this reference should not be relied on~~.		Case diameter needs care, because the auction record does not agree with itself. Bonhams alone states 33 mm on one lot, 34 mm on nine, 35 mm on twenty-one and 36 mm on one, for the same reference; Sotheby's spans 33 to 36 mm, Christie's 33 to 35, Heritage 34 and 35, Phillips 34 and 35. 34 mm is the figure the collector literature uses and the figure quoted above. The reason for the measurement spread is undocumented; a catalogue figure needs checking against the watch.

	<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">		<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
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	==Auction record==		==Auction record==

	The 6694 is a four-figure watch in plain configuration and a five-figure one when the dial carries an emblem. ~~The gap between those two states is~~ the ~~single most important thing about its market~~.		The 6694 is a four-figure watch in plain configuration and a five-figure one when the dial carries an emblem. Special-order dials account for the largest premiums in the results below.

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
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	Match the caliber to the era. A 1215 on an early-1960s serial and a 1225 on anything after the mid-1960s are both period-correct; the reverse combination needs explaining. Match the dial footer too: SWISS alone with radium on the earliest watches, T SWISS T after 1963.		Match the caliber to the era. A 1215 on an early-1960s serial and a 1225 on anything after the mid-1960s are both period-correct; the reverse combination needs explaining. Match the dial footer too: SWISS alone with radium on the earliest watches, T SWISS T after 1963.

	Treat any coloured dial as a question rather than a feature until it is verified, and treat a Mickey Mouse dial as a refinish, because that is what the houses selling them say it is. ~~Read~~ a stated case diameter ~~as noise~~. And read the word "automatic" in a lot title as a cataloguing error, then check the movement field, which will almost always say otherwise.		Treat any coloured dial as a question rather than a feature until it is verified, and treat a Mickey Mouse dial as a refinish, because that is what the houses selling them say it is. Check a stated case diameter against an actual measurement. And read the word "automatic" in a lot title as a cataloguing error, then check the movement field, which will almost always say otherwise.

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

Admin: Layout: move duplicate hero-named image out of lead zone into its matching section

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Layout: move duplicate hero-named image out of lead zone into its matching section

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:21, 7 September 2026
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	Ubiquity has a cost. The 6694 is the most frequently mis-catalogued vintage Rolex in the mid-market. Four of the six major auction houses have described 6694 lots as automatic, and every one of those attributions contradicts its own movement field; no lot at any house names an automatic Rolex caliber. The reference has also acquired a distinction it cannot support — that it was the last manual-wind Rolex ever made — which Rolex's own product pages refute. Both errors are common enough that a buyer will meet them before meeting a clean example, so both are addressed below rather than left implied.		Ubiquity has a cost. The 6694 is the most frequently mis-catalogued vintage Rolex in the mid-market. Four of the six major auction houses have described 6694 lots as automatic, and every one of those attributions contradicts its own movement field; no lot at any house names an automatic Rolex caliber. The reference has also acquired a distinction it cannot support — that it was the last manual-wind Rolex ever made — which Rolex's own product pages refute. Both errors are common enough that a buyer will meet them before meeting a clean example, so both are addressed below rather than left implied.

	[[File:Ref 6694 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|340px\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate Precision reference 6694 in stainless steel with a silvered baton dial on a riveted Oyster bracelet\|The default configuration: 34 mm steel Oyster, silvered dial with polished baton markers, date at three under a cyclops. Case 1840635, caliber 1225, inside back coded II.68, on a riveted 7205 bracelet.]]

	==Core facts==		==Core facts==
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	==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==		==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

			[[File:Ref 6694 hero.webp\|thumb\|right\|340px\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate Precision reference 6694 in stainless steel with a silvered baton dial on a riveted Oyster bracelet\|The default configuration: 34 mm steel Oyster, silvered dial with polished baton markers, date at three under a cyclops. Case 1840635, caliber 1225, inside back coded II.68, on a riveted 7205 bracelet.]]
	The case is a three-piece Oyster, tonneau in profile, with a screw-down back and a screw-down crown. The crown is a single-seal design rather than a two-seal Twinlock, a detail that matters in service — an oversized replacement O-ring is a common reason a 6694 crown will not seat fully. The crystal is acrylic with a moulded cyclops. The bezel is smooth and polished on steel examples, and engine-turned or fluted on the gold-cased variants.		The case is a three-piece Oyster, tonneau in profile, with a screw-down back and a screw-down crown. The crown is a single-seal design rather than a two-seal Twinlock, a detail that matters in service — an oversized replacement O-ring is a common reason a 6694 crown will not seat fully. The crystal is acrylic with a moulded cyclops. The bezel is smooth and polished on steel examples, and engine-turned or fluted on the gold-cased variants.

Klaudiusz: Galleries: convert 2 in-section image cluster(s) to comparison galleries (same files, same captions)

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Galleries: convert 2 in-section image cluster(s) to comparison galleries (same files, same captions)

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	\|}		\|}

	[[File:Ref 6694 blue dial.webp~~\|thumb\|right\|280px~~\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate Precision 6694 with a blue dial on a folded-link steel bracelet\|A blue dial on case 2730705, circa 1971, caliber 1225, on a folded 7835 bracelet with 357 end links.]]		<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
			File:Ref 6694 blue dial.webp\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate Precision 6694 with a blue dial on a folded-link steel bracelet\|A blue dial on case 2730705, circa 1971, caliber 1225, on a folded 7835 bracelet with 357 end links.
	[[File:Ref 6694 tropical dial.webp~~\|thumb\|right\|300px~~\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate 6694 with a gilt dial that has aged to brown, on a riveted steel bracelet\|A tropical gilt dial on case 828496: the printing has turned brown with age rather than leaving the factory that colour. On a riveted 7205 bracelet with 61 end links.]]		File:Ref 6694 tropical dial.webp\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate 6694 with a gilt dial that has aged to brown, on a riveted steel bracelet\|A tropical gilt dial on case 828496: the printing has turned brown with age rather than leaving the factory that colour. On a riveted 7205 bracelet with 61 end links.
			</gallery>

	Markers run from applied faceted gilt chevrons and arrowheads on the earliest watches to the applied polished batons that dominate the middle and late run. Hands follow: dauphine early, then pointed batons with luminous inserts as the standard, with gilt daggers, alpha and — on at least one catalogued example — Mercedes hands appearing across the range.		Markers run from applied faceted gilt chevrons and arrowheads on the earliest watches to the applied polished batons that dominate the middle and late run. Hands follow: dauphine early, then pointed batons with luminous inserts as the standard, with gilt daggers, alpha and — on at least one catalogued example — Mercedes hands appearing across the range.
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	Case diameter needs care, because the auction record does not agree with itself. Bonhams alone states 33 mm on one lot, 34 mm on nine, 35 mm on twenty-one and 36 mm on one, for the same reference; Sotheby's spans 33 to 36 mm, Christie's 33 to 35, Heritage 34 and 35, Phillips 34 and 35. 34 mm is the figure the collector literature uses and the figure quoted above. No source consulted explains the spread, so no explanation is offered here — but a catalogue-stated case size for this reference should not be relied on.		Case diameter needs care, because the auction record does not agree with itself. Bonhams alone states 33 mm on one lot, 34 mm on nine, 35 mm on twenty-one and 36 mm on one, for the same reference; Sotheby's spans 33 to 36 mm, Christie's 33 to 35, Heritage 34 and 35, Phillips 34 and 35. 34 mm is the figure the collector literature uses and the figure quoted above. No source consulted explains the spread, so no explanation is offered here — but a catalogue-stated case size for this reference should not be relied on.

	[[File:Ref 6694 steel and gold.webp~~\|thumb\|right\|300px~~\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate Precision 6694 in steel with a gold fluted bezel and a white dial, on a tan lizard strap\|Case 476522 in steel with a gold fluted bezel, and one of the few 6694s catalogued with a roulette date wheel.]]		<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
			File:Ref 6694 steel and gold.webp\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate Precision 6694 in steel with a gold fluted bezel and a white dial, on a tan lizard strap\|Case 476522 in steel with a gold fluted bezel, and one of the few 6694s catalogued with a roulette date wheel.
	[[File:Ref 6694 pink gold capped.webp~~\|thumb\|right\|280px~~\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate Precision 6694 with a pink gold capped case and a black galvanic dial on a dark strap\|A pink gold capped case with a black galvanic dial, 1962, caliber 1225. The caseback on these stays steel.]]		File:Ref 6694 pink gold capped.webp\|alt=Rolex Oysterdate Precision 6694 with a pink gold capped case and a black galvanic dial on a dark strap\|A pink gold capped case with a black galvanic dial, 1962, caliber 1225. The caseback on these stays steel.
			</gallery>

	Beyond plain steel, the 6694 was cased several ways. Gold-plated examples pair a plated case with a stainless steel back and carry a "KB 40" stamp between the lugs at six o'clock; the marking is read by forum specialists as Kessi Frères of Bienne, the case maker, at 40 microns of plating. Matching plated bracelets of the era carry a large P on the end link. No auction house records the KB stamp, so this identification rests on community research rather than catalogue evidence. Gold shell and gold-capped constructions appear in both yellow and pink, described variously as "gold shell top and sides on steel", "pink gold capped" and "pink gold topped and steel" with a steel caseback in each case. A gold-filled variant carries its own sub-reference, 6694/5, with a yellow gold engine-turned bezel. Antiquorum has catalogued one two-tone example as "yellow gold plated and stainless steel Rolésor".		Beyond plain steel, the 6694 was cased several ways. Gold-plated examples pair a plated case with a stainless steel back and carry a "KB 40" stamp between the lugs at six o'clock; the marking is read by forum specialists as Kessi Frères of Bienne, the case maker, at 40 microns of plating. Matching plated bracelets of the era carry a large P on the end link. No auction house records the KB stamp, so this identification rests on community research rather than catalogue evidence. Gold shell and gold-capped constructions appear in both yellow and pink, described variously as "gold shell top and sides on steel", "pink gold capped" and "pink gold topped and steel" with a steel caseback in each case. A gold-filled variant carries its own sub-reference, 6694/5, with a yellow gold engine-turned bezel. Antiquorum has catalogued one two-tone example as "yellow gold plated and stainless steel Rolésor".