Admin: Create researched Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748 article

2026-10-23T08:37:56Z

Create researched Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748 article

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6748}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6748 — reference guide | Rolexopedia
|description=Catalogue evidence for the mid-size, time-only Oyster Perpetual 6748, with documented steel and gold cases, Cal. 2030, dial variants and bracelet examples.
|keywords=Rolex 6748, Oyster Perpetual 6748, Cal. 2030, 7835, 78350, 78353
|image=Ref_6748_hero.webp
|image_alt=Two-tone Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6748 with white Roman dial, fluted yellow-gold bezel and Oyster bracelet
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

<small>[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]] → '''6748'''</small>

<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 6748 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Two-tone Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6748 with white Roman dial, fluted yellow-gold bezel and Oyster bracelet|Sotheby's, Watches Weekly Hong Kong, lot 115, 2020.]]
</div>

Ref. 6748 is a time-only Oyster Perpetual with automatic Cal. 2030. Auction records describe steel, steel-and-gold, and full-gold watches measuring 29–31.5 mm. The catalogued standalone examples so far range from circa 1972 to 1981.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable"
! detail !! value
|-
| reference || 6748
|-
| collection || Oyster Perpetual
|-
| display || Hours, minutes and central seconds; no date
|-
| movement || Automatic Cal. 2030; Rolex's 1978 service manual gives sweep seconds, 28 jewels and hacking ([https://www.vrfm.io/Scans/TECHNICAL-SERVICE-INFO-3RD-EDITION-1978.pdf Rolex service manual]; [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-hong-kong-13/rolex-oyster-perpetual-reference-6748-a-yellow Sotheby's, lot 115])
|-
| case materials || Stainless steel, steel and yellow gold, and full yellow gold in individual records ([https://www.bonhams.com/auction/24033/lot/100/ Bonhams, lot 100]; [https://www.gazette-drouot.com/en/lots/12671726-rolex---a-mid-size-oyster Gazette Drouot archive of Fellows, lot 217])
|-
| diameter || 29–31.5 mm across catalogued examples ([https://wannenesgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/cssas/catalogo_pdf/WANNENES_MO_521_20_07_23.pdf Wannenes, lot 422]; [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-hong-kong-13/rolex-oyster-perpetual-reference-6748-a-yellow Sotheby's, lot 115])
|-
| crystal || Plexiglas in catalogue descriptions ([https://www.pandolfini.it/it/asta-1223/rolex-perpetual-boysize-acciaio-e-oro-ref-6748-12023005574 Pandolfini, lot 1303]; [https://wannenesgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/cssas/catalogo_pdf/WANNENES_MO_521_20_07_23.pdf Wannenes, lot 422])
|}

==Where it sits in the line==

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists the 6748 with Cal. 2030, a polished smooth bezel and a mid-size case. Auction catalogues use “mid-size” and “boy-size” and describe a no-date dial with central seconds ([https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/0b5fdf83/files/uploaded/1.0%20RolexBook-23Mar.pdf The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Oyster Perpetual table]; [https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Art/Auction/Bonhams/2017/20170221%20S-24033-0-1%20Watches%20and%20Wristwatches%20including%20the%20Collection%20of%20a%20European%20Nobleman.pdf Bonhams, lot 100]; [https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/8582551/ Dorotheum, lot 145-051725/0001]).

Antiquorum lot 102, sold in 2006, describes a two-tone watch made in 1982 and jointly attributed to 6748/6751 ([https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-102 Antiquorum]). Eguchi lists two steel 6748 watches and identifies their inner casebacks as 6751 and 6749 ([https://eguchi-store.jp/stocklist/e24060201/ 6751 caseback]; [https://eguchi-store.jp/stocklist/278680/ 6749 caseback]). A 2014 Cornette de Saint Cyr catalogue also describes ref. 6748 with a 6749 caseback ([https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-6748/lpi archived sale record, lot 481]). Sotheby’s case 4,180,498 shares its full serial and end-link number with an earlier Leonard Auction record, which also mentions 6751; the auction records differ on gold purity ([https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-hong-kong-13/rolex-oyster-perpetual-reference-6748-a-yellow Sotheby's, lot 115]; [https://everywatch.com/rolex/oyster-perpetual/6748/watch-13136000 Leonard Auction archive]). In these records, 6748/6751 appears as a joint attribution; 6751 and 6749 also appear on casebacks. The sources leave the relationship among those numbers unresolved.

==Production outline==

Bonhams dates a steel-and-gold example to circa 1972 in its 2017 catalogue and circa 1973 in a 2014 record. Both records give case prefix 353 and movement prefix 316, which suggests a repeat listing rather than two watches. Nomisma dates a steel example to 1981. Watchpedia Japan groups refs. 6748 and 6748/0 through circa 1990, but gives no serial-numbered or auction example for that endpoint. Antiquorum lot 102 (2006) describes a watch made in 1982 and jointly attributed to 6748/6751. The dated standalone examples run from circa 1972 to 1981; they do not establish the factory production span. ([https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Art/Auction/Bonhams/2017/20170221%20S-24033-0-1%20Watches%20and%20Wristwatches%20including%20the%20Collection%20of%20a%20European%20Nobleman.pdf Bonhams, 2017 lot 100]; [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-6748/lpi archived Bonhams record, 2014 lot 128]; [https://onebid.it/it/orologi-rolex-oyster-perpetual-31-referenza-6748-movimento-a-c/2744728 Nomisma, lot 3007]; [https://www.watchpedia.jp/brands/rolex/%E3%82%AA%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%91%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9A%E3%83%81%E3%83%A5%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC%E3%82%A4%E3%82%BA/ Watchpedia Japan]; [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-102 Antiquorum, lot 102])

The partial case numbers help compare individual catalogue records. The [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial-number guide]] explains how to read catalogue dates alongside serial evidence.

Cambi and Eguchi each list a 6748 with a serial beginning 3,569. Both mask the remaining digits, so the records may describe the same watch ([https://www.cambiaste.com/uploads/auctions/918-841_Orologi_layout_RGB.pdf Cambi, lot 168]; [https://eguchi-store.jp/stocklist/e24060201/ Eguchi listing]).

==Movement notes==

Auction catalogues identify Cal. 2030 in steel, two-tone and gold 6748 watches. Rolex’s 1978 [https://www.vrfm.io/Scans/TECHNICAL-SERVICE-INFO-3RD-EDITION-1978.pdf service manual] gives 28 jewels, as does Bonhams' 2017 catalogue. Bonhams' 2014 lot 174R lists 23 jewels; that entry includes no movement photograph for comparison ([https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Art/Auction/Bonhams/2017/20170221%20S-24033-0-1%20Watches%20and%20Wristwatches%20including%20the%20Collection%20of%20a%20European%20Nobleman.pdf lot 100]; [https://images1.bonhams.com/original?src=Images/live/2014-04/30/S-21663-0-1.pdf lot 174R]). See [[Reference:Movements|Movements]] for the wider caliber index.

==Dial map==

Auction records show five dial treatments on 6748-attributed watches: white Roman, black baton, champagne, linen Sigma, and silvered with gilt markers. Each is tied to an individual lot; the sources leave the order of introduction open.

{| class="wikitable"
! dial description !! documented example
|-
| White Roman || Sotheby’s 2020 ([https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-hong-kong-13/rolex-oyster-perpetual-reference-6748-a-yellow lot 115]); Dorotheum 2023 ([https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/8582551/ lot 145-051725/0001])
|-
| Black baton with luminous details || Bonhams 2014 ([https://images1.bonhams.com/original?src=Images/live/2014-04/30/S-21663-0-1.pdf lot 174R]); Antiquorum 2006, in a lot jointly attributed to 6748/6751 ([https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-102 lot 102])
|-
| Champagne with applied baton markers || Pandolfini 2023 ([https://www.pandolfini.it/it/asta-1223/rolex-perpetual-boysize-acciaio-e-oro-ref-6748-12023005574 lot 1303]); Fellows, as recorded by Gazette Drouot ([https://www.gazette-drouot.com/en/lots/12671726-rolex---a-mid-size-oyster lot 217])
|-
| Linen-textured “Sigma” || Pandolfini's 2021 catalogue dates a steel 6748 to 1973 and describes a Sigma linen dial ([https://www.pandolfini.it/uploads/auctions/Catalogo%20orologi%20dicembre%20alta.pdf lot 419])
|-
| Silvered dial with gilt baton markers || Bonhams 2017, circa 1972 ([https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Art/Auction/Bonhams/2017/20170221%20S-24033-0-1%20Watches%20and%20Wristwatches%20including%20the%20Collection%20of%20a%20European%20Nobleman.pdf lot 100)
|}

Bonhams' 2014 lot 174R describes case prefix 377 with a black dial, 23-jewel Cal. 2030 and 7835/17 bracelet. Its 2020 catalogue record gives the same case prefix but describes a white Roman dial, 28 jewels and a 78350 bracelet ([https://images1.bonhams.com/original?src=Images/live/2014-04/30/S-21663-0-1.pdf Bonhams, 2014 lot 174R]; [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-6748/lpi archived Bonhams record, 2020 lot 120]). The masked serials leave the match uncertain. If the records describe one watch, they document different catalogue descriptions or states. Either way, the pair leaves the timing of any factory dial change unresolved.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 6748 dial-variant-black.webp|Antiquorum lot 102 (2006), describing a watch made in 1982 and jointly attributed to refs. 6748/6751; black baton dial.
File:Ref 6748 dial-variant-champagne.webp|Pandolfini, lot 1303, 2023; champagne sunburst dial.
</gallery>

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

Sale catalogues measure individual examples at 29–31.5 mm; several lots give 30 or 31 mm ([https://wannenesgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/cssas/catalogo_pdf/WANNENES_MO_521_20_07_23.pdf Wannenes, lot 422]; [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-hong-kong-13/rolex-oyster-perpetual-reference-6748-a-yellow Sotheby's, lot 115]). The sources give catalogue measurements, while the factory tolerance for this reference remains open.

Cambi describes a smooth steel bezel. The Field Manual also lists a polished smooth bezel for the 6748; Pandolfini records an 18K fluted yellow-gold bezel, while Antiquorum's joint 6748/6751 lot describes a polished gold bezel ([https://www.cambiaste.com/uploads/auctions/918-841_Orologi_layout_RGB.pdf Cambi, lot 168]; [https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/0b5fdf83/files/uploaded/1.0%20RolexBook-23Mar.pdf The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Oyster Perpetual table]; [https://www.pandolfini.it/it/asta-1223/rolex-perpetual-boysize-acciaio-e-oro-ref-6748-12023005574 Pandolfini, lot 1303]; [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-102 Antiquorum, lot 102]). Dorotheum describes a screw-down crown; Pandolfini and Wannenes list Plexiglas ([https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/8582551/ Dorotheum]; [https://wannenesgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/cssas/catalogo_pdf/WANNENES_MO_521_20_07_23.pdf Wannenes]).

[[File:Ref 6748 caseback.webp|thumb|right|220px|Sotheby's lot 115, caseback, crown, end link stamped 451, and bracelet code visible in the lot photographs.]]

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

Sotheby’s photographs show the two-tone 78353/17 stamp and 451 end links. Bonhams lists an Oyster 7835/17, while Pandolfini records a 7835 with 251 ends on its 1974 watch ([https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-hong-kong-13/rolex-oyster-perpetual-reference-6748-a-yellow Sotheby's, lot 115]; [https://images1.bonhams.com/original?src=Images/live/2014-04/30/S-21663-0-1.pdf Bonhams, lot 174R]; [https://www.pandolfini.it/it/asta-1223/rolex-perpetual-boysize-acciaio-e-oro-ref-6748-12023005574 Pandolfini, lot 1303]). Pandolfini's 1973 steel lot and Nomisma's 1981 example both list 78350 bracelets with 551B ends ([https://www.pandolfini.it/uploads/auctions/Catalogo%20orologi%20dicembre%20alta.pdf Pandolfini, lot 419]; [https://onebid.it/it/orologi-rolex-oyster-perpetual-31-referenza-6748-movimento-a-c/2744728 Nomisma, lot 3007]).

The sale records pair 7835/17 with 251 ends, 78350 with 551B ends, and 78353/17 with 451 ends on individual watches. A factory fitment chart would be needed to extend those combinations across production. A clasp code dates the bracelet rather than the watch head; any box or guarantee belongs to the particular lot.

[[File:Ref 6748 bracelet-detail.webp|thumb|right|220px|Sotheby's lot 115 bracelet detail; 78353/17 is stamped on the links.]]

==Auction and catalogue record==

{| class="wikitable"
! record !! catalogue details
|-
| [https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Art/Auction/Bonhams/2017/20170221%20S-24033-0-1%20Watches%20and%20Wristwatches%20including%20the%20Collection%20of%20a%20European%20Nobleman.pdf Bonhams, 21 February 2017, lot 100] || Steel and gold; circa 1972; case prefix 353; Cal. 2030, 28 jewels; silvered dial with gilt batons; 30 mm
|-
| [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-6748/lpi archived Bonhams record, February 2014, lot 128] || Steel and gold; catalogue dates case prefix 353 to circa 1973 and gives movement prefix 316; matching 2017 lot 100 details suggest a repeat listing
|-
| [https://images1.bonhams.com/original?src=Images/live/2014-04/30/S-21663-0-1.pdf Bonhams, 20 May 2014, lot 174R] || Steel; circa 1973; case prefix 377; Cal. 2030 described as 23 jewels; black baton dial; 30 mm; 7835/17 Oyster bracelet
|-
| [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-6748/lpi archived Bonhams record, November 2020, lot 120] || Steel; circa 1973; case prefix 377; Cal. 2030, 28 jewels; white Roman dial; 78350 bracelet; 29 mm. The shared prefix leaves the two lots' identity uncertain
|-
| [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-6748/lpi archived Cornette de Saint Cyr record, April 2014, lot 481] || Steel; circa 1976; catalogue describes ref. 6748 with a 6749 caseback, 7835 bracelet, white Roman dial and Cal. 2030
|-
| [https://www.cambiaste.com/uploads/auctions/918-841_Orologi_layout_RGB.pdf Cambi, lot 168] || Steel; 1973; case 3,569,xxx; white Roman dial; smooth bezel; 31 mm
|-
| [https://wannenesgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/cssas/catalogo_pdf/WANNENES_MO_521_20_07_23.pdf Wannenes, 2023, lot 422] || Steel; 1973; case 3,573,990; 29 mm; automatic movement; Plexiglas
|-
| [https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/8582551/ Dorotheum, 22 June 2023, lot 145-051725/0001] || Steel; circa 1974; case 3,574,104; Cal. 2030, 28 jewels; white Roman dial; circa 30 mm; catalogue notes replacement parts and partial overhaul
|-
| [https://www.pandolfini.it/it/asta-1223/rolex-perpetual-boysize-acciaio-e-oro-ref-6748-12023005574 Pandolfini, 2023, lot 1303] || Steel and 18K yellow gold; 1974; case 3,796,9XX; champagne dial; Cal. 2030; 7835 bracelet with 251 end links; 30 mm
|-
| [https://www.pandolfini.it/uploads/auctions/Catalogo%20orologi%20dicembre%20alta.pdf Pandolfini, December 2021, lot 419] || Steel; catalogued as 1973; case 3,5740XX; linen Sigma dial; Cal. 2030; 78350 bracelet with 551B end links; 30 mm
|-
| [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-hong-kong-13/rolex-oyster-perpetual-reference-6748-a-yellow Sotheby’s, 2020, lot 115] || Steel and 18K yellow gold; circa 1976; case 4,180,498; Cal. 2030, 28 jewels; white Roman dial; 31.5 mm. Leonard Auction’s archive records the same serial and end link 451, but describes the gold as 14K.
|-
| [https://onebid.it/it/orologi-rolex-oyster-perpetual-31-referenza-6748-movimento-a-c/2744728 Nomisma, Auction 72, lot 3007] || Steel; catalogued as 1981; serial 51XXXXXX; white Roman dial; 78350 bracelet with 551B end links; Plexiglas; 31 mm
|-
| [https://www.gazette-drouot.com/en/lots/12671726-rolex---a-mid-size-oyster Gazette Drouot archive of Fellows, lot 217] || Full 18-carat gold; circa 1973; champagne baton dial; Cal. 2030; Oyster bracelet; 30 mm
|-
| [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-102 Antiquorum, Geneva, 14 May 2006, lot 102] || Jointly attributed as 6748/6751; case 6,700,779; dated 1982; steel and yellow gold; black baton dial; Cal. 2030, 28 jewels; 31 mm
|}

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 6748 hero.webp|Sotheby's lot 115, full watch
File:Ref 6748 dial-variant-black.webp|Antiquorum lot 102, black dial, jointly attributed 6748/6751
File:Ref 6748 dial-variant-champagne.webp|Pandolfini lot 1303, champagne dial
File:Ref 6748 caseback.webp|Sotheby's lot 115, caseback and end links
File:Ref 6748 bracelet-detail.webp|Sotheby's lot 115, bracelet code 78353/17
</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Art/Auction/Bonhams/2017/20170221%20S-24033-0-1%20Watches%20and%20Wristwatches%20including%20the%20Collection%20of%20a%20European%20Nobleman.pdf "Bonhams, mid-size Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748, lot 100", Bonhams; catalogue preserved by Electronics and Books]
* [https://images1.bonhams.com/original?src=Images/live/2014-04/30/S-21663-0-1.pdf "Bonhams, Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748, lot 174R", Bonhams]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-hong-kong-13/rolex-oyster-perpetual-reference-6748-a-yellow "Sotheby’s, Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748, lot 115", Sotheby’s]
* [https://www.dorotheum.com/en/l/8582551/ "Dorotheum, Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748, lot 145-051725/0001", Dorotheum]
* [https://www.pandolfini.it/it/asta-1223/rolex-perpetual-boysize-acciaio-e-oro-ref-6748-12023005574 "Pandolfini, Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748, lot 1303", Pandolfini Casa d’Aste]
* [https://www.pandolfini.it/uploads/auctions/Catalogo%20orologi%20dicembre%20alta.pdf "Pandolfini, Oyster Perpetual “Linen Dial” ref. 6748, lot 419", Pandolfini Casa d’Aste]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-102 "Antiquorum, Oyster Perpetual refs. 6748/6751, lot 102", Antiquorum]
* [https://www.cambiaste.com/uploads/auctions/918-841_Orologi_layout_RGB.pdf "Cambi Casa d’Aste, Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748, lot 168", Cambi Casa d’Aste]
* [https://wannenesgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/cssas/catalogo_pdf/WANNENES_MO_521_20_07_23.pdf "Wannenes, Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748, lot 422", Wannenes]
* [https://onebid.it/it/orologi-rolex-oyster-perpetual-31-referenza-6748-movimento-a-c/2744728 "Nomisma Auction 72, Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748, lot 3007", Nomisma S.p.A. via OneBid]
* [https://www.gazette-drouot.com/en/lots/12671726-rolex---a-mid-size-oyster "Gazette Drouot archive, Fellows lot 217, ref. 6748", Fellows / Gazette Drouot]
* [https://eguchi-store.jp/stocklist/e24060201/ "Eguchi Vintage, ref. 6748 listing", Eguchi Vintage]
* [https://eguchi-store.jp/stocklist/278680/ "Eguchi Vintage, Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748 with caseback marked 6749", Eguchi Vintage]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/oyster-perpetual/6748/watch-13136000 "EveryWatch archive of Leonard Auction lot 417, serial 4,180,498", Leonard Auction / EveryWatch archive]
* [https://www.vrfm.io/Scans/TECHNICAL-SERVICE-INFO-3RD-EDITION-1978.pdf Rolex, "Rolex Technical and Service Information, third edition (1978) — Cal. 2030/2035", Rolex Watch U.S.A., 1978]
* [https://www.watchpedia.jp/brands/rolex/%E3%82%AA%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%91%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9A%E3%83%81%E3%83%A5%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9C%E3%83%BC%E3%82%A4%E3%82%BA/ Watchpedia Japan, "Oyster Perpetual Boy: refs. 6748 and 6748/0", Watchpedia Japan]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-6748/lpi "Collector Square archive, Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748 auction records", Collector Square]
* [https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/0b5fdf83/files/uploaded/1.0%20RolexBook-23Mar.pdf ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra]

[[Category:Oyster-Perpetual]]

Reference:6748 - Revision history

Admin: Create researched Oyster Perpetual ref. 6748 article