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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 1873 Oyster Royal}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Royal 1873}}
 
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Oyster Royal 1873 — Salmon "Scientifical" Dial & Auction Record | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex Oyster Royal 1873 | Rolexopedia
|description=Rolex reference 1873: four manual-wind Oyster Royal auction examples in steel and 9K gold, including the salmon "Scientifical" dial.
|description=Collector guide to the hand-wound Rolex Oyster Royal 1873: movement grades, dial examples, case details and auction records.
|keywords=Rolex, Oyster Royal, reference 1873, Extra Prima, Ultra Prima, flat back
|image=Ref 1873 hero.webp
|image=Ref 1873 hero.webp
|type=article
|image_alt=Steel Rolex Oyster Royal 1873, case 100498, with salmon dial
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


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<div class="rp-lead">
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 1873 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex 1873 Oyster Royal|Rolex 1873 Oyster Royal]]
[[File:Ref 1873 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Steel Rolex Oyster Royal 1873, case 100498, salmon dial, Antiquorum Geneva 2024|Rolex Oyster Royal 1873, case 100498. Antiquorum, Geneva 2024.]]
</div>
</div>


The 1873 is a manual-wind Oyster Royal represented by four auctioned watches: three in steel and
Reference 1873 is a hand-wound Oyster Royal. Auction catalogues also call it Oyster Royal Chronometre or Oyster Royal Extra Precision. Eight catalogue entries describe manual-wind watches, mostly dated to the 1930s or around 1940. The Cambi auction catalogue's 2022 entry gives one steel example a date of circa 1954 and describes central seconds; that entry differs from the other records and is treated separately below.
one in 9K gold. Some collector lists place it among the Bubblebacks, but all four catalogue
descriptions identify manually wound movements. Antiquorum's 2021 title also calls its example
a flat back.
 
Antiquorum wrote in 2024 that only a handful had appeared publicly in thirty years and that it
had previously offered one other example. Bonhams catalogued two more at Knightsbridge in 2021
and 2023. The 2021 Bonhams watch carries a London import mark for 1937 and documents the 9K-gold case.


Hodinkee distinguishes the early automatic “Bubbleback” from Rolex's parallel manual-wind “flatback” line. The [[Reference:bubbleback|family guide]] lists 1873 with the manual-wind Oyster references, in keeping with the auction descriptions.


==Core facts==
==Core facts==
Line 32: Line 29:
|-
|-
| reference
| reference
| 1873
| <code>1873</code>
|-
|-
| family
| model names in catalogues
| Oyster (manual-wind)
| Oyster Royal; Oyster Royal Chronometre; Oyster Royal Extra Precision
|-
|-
| production
| movement
| no documented range; one 9K-gold example has a London import mark for 1937
| hand-wound; catalogues report 15–18 jewels and Prima grades, identified by grade and jewel count
|-
| case diameter
| 31–32mm across four catalogued examples
|-
| case shape
| tonneau
|-
| caseback
| screw-down; one Antiquorum title explicitly says flat back
|-
| bezel
| smooth, polished
|-
| crystal
| material not established by the cited catalogues
|-
| crown
| screw-down
|-
|-
| winding
| case material
| manual
| stainless steel in seven entries; one 9K-gold example
|-
|-
| movement
| case size
| 17-jewel Extra Prima; 18-jewel chronometer or manual (4 documented movements, one numbered 11250). No caliber number published
| 31–32mm in the catalogued examples with measurements
|-
|-
| case materials
| case form
| stainless steel (3 of 4 documented examples); 9K gold (Bonhams 2021, London import mark for 1937)
| Tonneau in Bonhams' 2021 and 2023 descriptions; other catalogues call it an Oyster case
|-
|-
| dial designations
| caseback and crown
| Oyster Royal; Oyster Royal Chronometre
| screw-down on several documented examples; Antiquorum's 2021 title calls its watch a flat back
|-
|-
| notable dial
| seconds
| salmon dial catalogued by Antiquorum as "Scientifical," with black round indexes
| subsidiary seconds at 6 in most descriptions; The Cambi catalogue records central seconds on its circa-1954 entry
|-
|-
| documented case numbers
| documented case numbers
| 48634; 37029; 81343; 100498
| 30,967; 37,029; 48,xxx; 48,634; 81,343; 100,459; 100,498; one Watches of Knightsbridge entry gives no number
|}
|}


==Where it sits in the line==
==Place in the line==


Rolex continued making hand-wound Oysters alongside the automatic Perpetual line. Hodinkee's
Rolex sold hand-wound Oysters alongside the automatic Oyster Perpetual line. Hodinkee describes these as parallel “flatback” watches and uses Bubbleback for a loose group of early automatic references. The 1873 auction descriptions identify manual movements, placing it in the hand-wound Oyster branch.
Bubbleback collecting guide calls these parallel manual-wind watches “flatbacks.” Ref. 1873
belongs to the manual branch; none of its four auction descriptions identifies an automatic movement.


The catalogues use Oyster Royal and Oyster Royal Chronometre. The Hong Kong watch has a
Auctioneers use Oyster Royal, Oyster Royal Chronometre and Oyster Royal Extra Precision for the model. The movement descriptions use grades and jewel counts rather than a caliber designation.
17-jewel Extra Prima movement; Antiquorum describes the Geneva watch as an 18-jewel ultra prima
chronometer. Bonhams also calls the 9K-gold watch Oyster Royal Chronometre.


Its numerical proximity to ref. 1858 does not establish shared case construction or movement.
==Production outline==
The movement descriptions provide the useful distinction: ref. 1858 is automatic, while every
catalogued ref. 1873 in this record is manual.


==Production outline==
Auctioneers date most 1873 examples from circa 1930 through circa 1940. Sotheby's dates case 30,967 to circa 1930; Antiquorum dates cases 48,634 and 100,498 to the 1930s; Bonhams dates case 81,343 to circa 1939; and Christie's dates case 100,459 to circa 1940. Watches of Knightsbridge also catalogued a 1930s example. Together, the lot estimates cluster around 1930–1940.


Antiquorum dated both of its examples only to "circa 1930s". Bonhams is more useful. It dated
Bonhams records a London import mark dated 1937 on the 9K-gold case 37,029. The mark records assay/import in 1937; the case and movement may have been made earlier. Read the hallmark date separately from the case number and movement.
its steel example circa 1939, and it dated the gold one by a London import mark for 1937,
which is a hallmark rather than a catalogue estimate and puts at least one 1873 in a named
year. The 1933 start year that circulates for this reference comes from the same collector
list that assigns it to the wrong family, and carries no independent support.


Four case numbers are on record: 37029 on the gold Bonhams example, 48634 on the 2021 Hong
The Cambi auction catalogue's 2022 entry lists a steel Oyster Precision Royal, case 48,xxx, as circa 1954. It describes a 17-jewel manual movement and central seconds. This entry gives a later date and a different seconds layout from the other records, which cluster around 1930–1940 and mostly describe subsidiary seconds. Treat the Cambi date and configuration as claims for that lot.
Kong example, 81343 on the 2023 Bonhams steel example and 100498 on the 2024 Geneva example.
Bonhams also published movement number 11250 on the gold watch. Four case numbers do not define
a production range, and no production total has been published.


Three documented watches are steel. The fourth is 9K gold, with a presentation inscription and
The case numbers published across these lots are 30,967, 37,029, 48,xxx, 48,634, 81,343, 100,459 and 100,498. These numbers offer individual comparison points; Rolex production limits and a serial-to-year mapping remain unestablished.
a London import mark for 1937. No two-tone example has been documented.


==Movement notes==
==Movement notes==


All four documented movements are manually wound, and the catalogues describe different
All eight catalogue entries describe hand-wound movements. The records give different grades and jewel counts: Sotheby's, Antiquorum's Hong Kong lot and Watches of Knightsbridge list 17-jewel Extra Prima movements; Christie's lists a 15-jewel Extra Prima; Antiquorum's Geneva lot calls its 18-jewel movement an Ultra Prima chronometer; The Cambi catalogue gives 17 jewels without a grade; and Bonhams records an 18-jewel manual movement numbered 11,250 on the gold watch. The 2023 Bonhams entry describes a jewelled manual movement without a jewel count.
grades.


The Hong Kong 2021 example carried an Extra Prima with 17 jewels. The Geneva 2024 example
Prima, Extra Prima and Ultra Prima are movement grades, not caliber designations. David Boettcher's review of the surviving examples says Extra Prima commonly appears with 18 jewels while Prima commonly appears with 15; the 17-jewel catalogue descriptions and Christie's 15-jewel Extra Prima entry show why each grade and jewel count should stay tied to its own lot. Boettcher dates the first located Ultra Prima registration to 9 December 1930 and says surviving evidence leaves the distinction between Extra Prima and Ultra Prima unclear.
carried an 18-jewel chronometer movement that Antiquorum's catalogue note identifies as an
ultra prima, which puts both of the hierarchy's upper grades on this one reference. Bonhams
adds two more movements. Its 1939-dated steel example is described only as a jewelled manual
wind. The 9K gold Oyster Royal Chronometre carries an 18-jewel manual wind with a screwed
balance, timed to six positions, numbered 11250. None of the four catalogues names a caliber
number, and no other published source supplies one.
 
“Extra Prima” and “Ultra Prima” are movement grades, not caliber numbers. David Boettcher's
history of the Rolex and Aegler grade hierarchy dates Wilsdorf's Ultra Prima registration to
9 December 1930 and notes that the distinction between the top grades is unclear. None of the
four 1873 catalogues names a caliber, so the attribution remains open.


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


Four dials are documented. Two come from Antiquorum, one described at length in the catalogue
The records show several dial layouts. Sotheby's describes a black lacquer dial with luminous indexes and hands, signed for Beyer. Christie's records a black dial with raised baton markers, luminous hands and subsidiary seconds. Watches of Knightsbridge describes a sector dial. Bonhams' 2021 gold watch has a silvered dial with an applied gilt minute track and luminous Arabic numerals; its 2023 steel example has alternating baton and Arabic markers. Antiquorum's Hong Kong example has a patinated dial with original hands, while its Geneva example has a salmon dial with black round indexes. The Cambi catalogue's circa-1954 entry describes a silvered sector dial and central seconds.
and one legible only from the lot photography, and two more from Bonhams.
 
[[File:Ref 1873 dial-detail-salmon.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex 1873 salmon dial detail showing Oyster Royal and Chronometre text|The salmon dial in detail: ROLEX OYSTER ROYAL over CHRONOMETRE, black round indexes, blued steel hands and a sunk subsidiary seconds register at 6.]]
 
Antiquorum put “Scientifical” in the Geneva 2024 lot title and described the salmon dial as an
extremely rare original, with black round indexes and original hands. That originality claim is
the auction house's assessment, not independent proof.
 
The catalogue photography settles what the word is doing there. The dial reads ROLEX OYSTER
ROYAL over a CHRONOMETRE marking above the subsidiary seconds, and nothing else. "Scientifical"
appears in Antiquorum's lot title and in quotation marks, never on the dial. The house hedges
it in the note as well, calling the dial a "so called" scientifical and tying the name to the
black round indexes, and its own subtitle for the lot calls the watch a salmon "dot" index
dial. The term is a descriptor the trade has attached to this layout, not period Rolex dial
text.


Bonhams also catalogued ref. 2765 watches as Oyster Scientific. That is a catalogue model label,
Antiquorum's Geneva title and note use “Scientifical” for the salmon dial's black round indexes. The photographed dial reads ROLEX OYSTER ROYAL over CHRONOMETRE; “Scientifical” is Antiquorum's catalogue term, not visible dial wording. Antiquorum also calls the dial original, which remains its assessment of that individual watch.
not proof that Rolex printed Scientific or Scientifical on those dials. The photographed 1873
dial does not carry either word.


[[File:Ref 1873 dial-variant-two-tone.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Oyster Royal 1873 two-tone silvered dial, case 48634|Two-tone silvered dial with gold Arabic 12, 3 and 9, applied gold indexes and subsidiary seconds at 6, on a riveted Oyster bracelet. Antiquorum Hong Kong, April 2021, case 48634.]]
The two Antiquorum images below show the salmon dial and the two-tone silvered dial on case 48,634. The latter's catalogue description calls the dial patinated and the hands original; the layout details are visible in the photograph.


The Hong Kong 2021 example carried a patinated dial that Antiquorum described as having original hands. The catalogue
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
says no more than that. The lot photography fills in the layout: a two-tone silvered dial with
File:Ref 1873 dial-detail-salmon.webp|Case 100,498: salmon dial with black round indexes; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024
a sunk outer track, gold-toned Arabic numerals at 12, 3 and 9, applied bâton indexes at the
File:Ref 1873 dial-variant-two-tone.webp|Case 48,634: two-tone silvered dial with Arabic 12, 3 and 9; Antiquorum, Hong Kong 2021
remaining hours, luminous plots around the chapter ring, and a subsidiary seconds register at
</gallery>
6, with blued steel hands carrying luminous inserts.


The two Bonhams dials extend the range without breaking it. The 1939 steel example carries a
==Case, bezel, crystal and crown==
silvered dial with black alternating baton and Arabic numeral hour markers, subsidiary seconds
at 6, and blued steel dagger hands with luminous inserts. The gold Oyster Royal Chronometre is
silvered with an applied gilt minute track, applied luminous Arabic numerals, subsidiary
seconds and blued leaf-form hands with luminous inserts. Subsidiary seconds at 6 is the one
constant across all four.


That is the whole documented dial range for the reference. Anything more specific about 1873
Catalogue measurements range from 31 to 32mm. Bonhams describes tonneau-form cases for its two examples; Sotheby's, Christie's and other catalogues describe Oyster cases. Antiquorum's Hong Kong entry and several other descriptions specify screw-down casebacks, while its title identifies case 48,634 as a flat back. The Geneva photographs show the crown and case flank; its catalogue does not specify the crown's construction. Check case and crown details on each watch.
dial configurations would be extrapolation from sibling references.


==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
[[File:Ref 1873 case-profile.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Oyster Royal 1873 case 100498 viewed three-quarter, showing tonneau flank and crown|Case 100,498, three-quarter view. Antiquorum, Geneva 2024.]]


[[File:Ref 1873 case-profile.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex Oyster Royal 1873 three-quarter view of case 100498|Three-quarter view of case 100498, showing the tonneau flank and the screw-down crown.]]
Crystal and bezel descriptions vary in detail across the catalogues; this set records no distinct bezel variant.


The four catalogued watches have tonneau cases with screw-down backs and crowns. Three are steel
==Bracelet and strap==
and one is 9K gold. The cited catalogues do not establish the crystal material.
Measured at 31mm in the 2024 catalogue, 31.5mm in the 2021 catalogue, 31mm on the gold Bonhams
example and 32mm on the steel one. The catalogues therefore support a 31–32mm observed range.


Antiquorum's 2021 Hong Kong title explicitly says “FLAT BACK.” The other three catalogue records
The Sotheby's 2020 watch has a Gay Frères bamboo bracelet with a steel case; the catalogue title and Chinese description identify a two-tone bracelet. Antiquorum's 2021 lot came on a Rolex steel rivet bracelet measuring about 170mm. Its 2024 lot came on a steel bracelet it called “Private Eyes,” about 175mm long. Bonhams lists associated leather straps and gilt buckles on both of its watches. These catalogue descriptions document the accessories supplied with each lot. Original bracelet fitment remains specific to the individual watch.
describe manual movements but do not explicitly state the back profile. The evidence supports
a manual-wind Oyster classification and one documented flat-back example; it does not prove
that every ref. 1873 used the same back.
 
==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==
 
The 2021 Hong Kong example was accompanied by a Rolex stainless steel rivet bracelet measuring
roughly 170mm overall. Antiquorum did not present it as original delivery. The Geneva
2024 example came on a beaded steel bracelet of roughly 175mm, catalogued as a "Private Eyes"
bracelet. Antiquorum did not put the Rolex name on that one, and whether it left the factory
on the watch is not established. Neither Bonhams
example came on a bracelet at all: the 1939 steel watch was on an associated brown leather
strap with an associated gilt buckle, the gold one on brown leather, again with an associated
gilt buckle. No end-link or clasp reference is documented for the 1873 anywhere in the
published record.


==Auction record==
==Auction record==
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{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! Venue
! Auction entry
! Date
! Case number
! Lot
! Catalogue details
! Case No
! Published result
! Dial
! Movement
! Result
|-
|-
| Antiquorum, Hong Kong
| Watches of Knightsbridge, 24 June 2017, lot 339
| 2021-04-25
| not stated
| 233
| 1930s; stainless steel Oyster; sector dial; 17-jewel manual Extra Prima, timed to six positions
| 48634
| 2,600 in the result sheet; currency not stated
| Patinated, original hands
| Extra Prima, 17 jewels
| Est. HKD 40,000–60,000; result not published
|-
|-
| Bonhams, London Knightsbridge
| Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 11 July 2020, lot 2174
| 2021-09-07
| 30,967
| 51
| circa 1930; steel case; 17-jewel Extra Prima; Beyer-signed black dial; Gay Frères bamboo bracelet
| 37029
| Estimate HKD 20,000–28,000; result not shown on the public lot page
| Silvered, applied gilt minute track, luminous Arabic (9K gold)
| 18-jewel, screwed balance, 6 positions, No. 11250
| GBP 2,167.50 incl. premium
|-
|-
| Bonhams, London Knightsbridge
| Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 25 April 2021, lot 233
| 2023-11-22
| 48,634
| 54
| circa 1930s; 31.5mm steel case; 17-jewel Extra Prima; flat-back title; Rolex rivet bracelet
| 81343
| Estimate HKD 40,000–60,000; result not shown on the lot page
| Silvered, alternating baton and Arabic, dagger hands
| Jewelled manual wind
| GBP 1,280 incl. premium
|-
|-
| Antiquorum, Geneva
| Bonhams, London, 7 September 2021, lot 51
| 2024-11-09
| 37,029
| 282
| 9K gold; London import mark for 1937; 18-jewel manual movement No. 11,250
| 100498
| GBP 2,167.50 including premium
| Salmon "Scientifical", black round indexes
|-
| 18-jewel chronometer
| Cambi auction catalogue, Milan, 30 November 2022, lot 129
| CHF 10,625 (est. CHF 8,000–12,000)
| 48,xxx
| circa 1954; steel; silvered sector dial; central seconds; 17 jewels, manual wind
| Estimate EUR 1,300–2,200; catalogued as sold
|-
| Bonhams, London, 22 November 2023, lot 54
| 81,343
| circa 1939; 32mm steel case; silvered dial; jewelled manual movement
| GBP 1,280 including premium
|-
| Antiquorum, Geneva, 9 November 2024, lot 282
| 100,498
| circa 1930s; 31mm steel case; salmon “Scientifical” dial; 18-jewel Ultra Prima chronometer
| CHF 10,625 (estimate CHF 8,000–12,000)
|-
| Christie's, archived lot 782241
| 100,459
| circa 1940; 31mm steel case; black dial; 15-jewel Extra Prima; subsidiary seconds
| Sale date and result are absent from the archived listing
|}
|}


Three realised prices are on record. The Geneva 2024 salmon-dial chronometer took CHF 10,625
==Related references==
against a CHF 8,000–12,000 estimate. Bonhams sold the 9K gold example
for GBP 2,167.50 including premium in September 2021 and the 1939 steel one for GBP 1,280
including premium in November 2023. The Hong Kong 2021 estimate of HKD 40,000–60,000, which
the catalogue itself converts to CHF 4,800–7,200, did not produce a published result. Different
currencies, dial conditions, case materials and sale dates make the three results unsuitable as
a price series.
 
Antiquorum states that only a handful of ref. 1873 watches had appeared publicly in thirty years
and that it had offered one other example. The Geneva watch came from a Japanese collection.


== Related references ==
* [[Reference:1858|Oyster Perpetual 1858]] , an automatic Oyster Perpetual
* [[Reference:2574|Oyster Royal 2574]] , a manual-wind Oyster Royal
* [[Reference:2765|Oyster Chronometer 2765]] , a manual-wind Oyster
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback family guide]] , which separates automatic Bubblebacks from manual-wind Oyster references


* [[Reference:2765|Oyster Chronometer 2765]] — manual-wind contemporary catalogued under several model names
See also [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]] and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]].
* [[Reference:2574|Oyster Royal 2574]] — pre-war manual Oyster, boy's size
* [[Reference:1858|Bubbleback 1858]] — the first Oyster Perpetual, 1933
* [[Reference:2240|Oyster Perpetual 2240]] — self-winding contemporary with provisional Bubbleback classification
* [[Reference:2764|Bubbleback 2764]] — Cal. 620N "Super Precision"


See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1873 hero.webp|Case 100,498, salmon dial; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024
File:Ref 1873 dial-detail-salmon.webp|Salmon dial detail; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024
File:Ref 1873 dial-variant-two-tone.webp|Two-tone silvered dial; Antiquorum, Hong Kong 2021
File:Ref 1873 case-profile.webp|Tonneau case and screw-down crown; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024
</gallery>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
Line 266: Line 177:
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/blogprima.php David Boettcher, "Prima, Extra Prima and Ultra Prima", vintagewatchstraps.com]
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/blogprima.php David Boettcher, "Prima, Extra Prima and Ultra Prima", vintagewatchstraps.com]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-bubbleback-and-why-it-still-matters "Buying, Selling, & Collecting: The Rolex Bubbleback And Why It Still Matters", Hodinkee]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-bubbleback-and-why-it-still-matters "Buying, Selling, & Collecting: The Rolex Bubbleback And Why It Still Matters", Hodinkee]
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-bubbleback-watches-collector-guide-1931-1950s-1235893131/ "A Collector's Guide to Rolex Bubbleback Watches, From 1931 to the 1950s", Robb Report]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/important-watches/rolex-oyster-royal-extra-precision-reference-1873 "Sotheby’s Oyster Royal Extra Precision ref. 1873, lot 2174", Sotheby’s, 2020-07-11]
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/blogoystercase.php David Boettcher, "VintageWatchStraps (David Boettcher) — Rolex Oyster Case, Hermetic, Submarine research", vintagewatchstraps.com, current]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-782241 "Christie’s Oyster ref. 1873, case 100,459", Christie’s]
* [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/2022/9/7/the-oyster-story Owen Lawton / Wind Vintage, "Wind Vintage — The Oyster Story (Part 1)", Wind Vintage, 2022-09-07]
* [https://watchesofknightsbridge.com/auctions/wp-content/uploads/24th-June-2017-SaleResults-1.pdf "Watches of Knightsbridge Rolex ref. 1873 sector dial, lot 339", Watches of Knightsbridge, 2017-06-24]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-223-217 "Rolex Oyster Chronometer, Ref. 2765, retailed by Murdock's, Cape Town", Antiquorum, 2009-12-09]
* [https://www.cambiaste.com/uploads/auctions/868-cambi_orologi_795_2022_11_eb.pdf "Cambi Oyster Precision Royal ref. 1873, lot 129", Cambi Casa d’Aste, 2022-11-30]


[[Category:Oyster]]
[[Category:Oyster]]

Latest revision as of 22:28, 27 September 2026


Oyster → 1873

Steel Rolex Oyster Royal 1873, case 100498, salmon dial, Antiquorum Geneva 2024
Rolex Oyster Royal 1873, case 100498. Antiquorum, Geneva 2024.

Reference 1873 is a hand-wound Oyster Royal. Auction catalogues also call it Oyster Royal Chronometre or Oyster Royal Extra Precision. Eight catalogue entries describe manual-wind watches, mostly dated to the 1930s or around 1940. The Cambi auction catalogue's 2022 entry gives one steel example a date of circa 1954 and describes central seconds; that entry differs from the other records and is treated separately below.

Hodinkee distinguishes the early automatic “Bubbleback” from Rolex's parallel manual-wind “flatback” line. The family guide lists 1873 with the manual-wind Oyster references, in keeping with the auction descriptions.

Core facts

detail value
reference 1873
model names in catalogues Oyster Royal; Oyster Royal Chronometre; Oyster Royal Extra Precision
movement hand-wound; catalogues report 15–18 jewels and Prima grades, identified by grade and jewel count
case material stainless steel in seven entries; one 9K-gold example
case size 31–32mm in the catalogued examples with measurements
case form Tonneau in Bonhams' 2021 and 2023 descriptions; other catalogues call it an Oyster case
caseback and crown screw-down on several documented examples; Antiquorum's 2021 title calls its watch a flat back
seconds subsidiary seconds at 6 in most descriptions; The Cambi catalogue records central seconds on its circa-1954 entry
documented case numbers 30,967; 37,029; 48,xxx; 48,634; 81,343; 100,459; 100,498; one Watches of Knightsbridge entry gives no number

Place in the line

Rolex sold hand-wound Oysters alongside the automatic Oyster Perpetual line. Hodinkee describes these as parallel “flatback” watches and uses Bubbleback for a loose group of early automatic references. The 1873 auction descriptions identify manual movements, placing it in the hand-wound Oyster branch.

Auctioneers use Oyster Royal, Oyster Royal Chronometre and Oyster Royal Extra Precision for the model. The movement descriptions use grades and jewel counts rather than a caliber designation.

Production outline

Auctioneers date most 1873 examples from circa 1930 through circa 1940. Sotheby's dates case 30,967 to circa 1930; Antiquorum dates cases 48,634 and 100,498 to the 1930s; Bonhams dates case 81,343 to circa 1939; and Christie's dates case 100,459 to circa 1940. Watches of Knightsbridge also catalogued a 1930s example. Together, the lot estimates cluster around 1930–1940.

Bonhams records a London import mark dated 1937 on the 9K-gold case 37,029. The mark records assay/import in 1937; the case and movement may have been made earlier. Read the hallmark date separately from the case number and movement.

The Cambi auction catalogue's 2022 entry lists a steel Oyster Precision Royal, case 48,xxx, as circa 1954. It describes a 17-jewel manual movement and central seconds. This entry gives a later date and a different seconds layout from the other records, which cluster around 1930–1940 and mostly describe subsidiary seconds. Treat the Cambi date and configuration as claims for that lot.

The case numbers published across these lots are 30,967, 37,029, 48,xxx, 48,634, 81,343, 100,459 and 100,498. These numbers offer individual comparison points; Rolex production limits and a serial-to-year mapping remain unestablished.

Movement notes

All eight catalogue entries describe hand-wound movements. The records give different grades and jewel counts: Sotheby's, Antiquorum's Hong Kong lot and Watches of Knightsbridge list 17-jewel Extra Prima movements; Christie's lists a 15-jewel Extra Prima; Antiquorum's Geneva lot calls its 18-jewel movement an Ultra Prima chronometer; The Cambi catalogue gives 17 jewels without a grade; and Bonhams records an 18-jewel manual movement numbered 11,250 on the gold watch. The 2023 Bonhams entry describes a jewelled manual movement without a jewel count.

Prima, Extra Prima and Ultra Prima are movement grades, not caliber designations. David Boettcher's review of the surviving examples says Extra Prima commonly appears with 18 jewels while Prima commonly appears with 15; the 17-jewel catalogue descriptions and Christie's 15-jewel Extra Prima entry show why each grade and jewel count should stay tied to its own lot. Boettcher dates the first located Ultra Prima registration to 9 December 1930 and says surviving evidence leaves the distinction between Extra Prima and Ultra Prima unclear.

Dial map

The records show several dial layouts. Sotheby's describes a black lacquer dial with luminous indexes and hands, signed for Beyer. Christie's records a black dial with raised baton markers, luminous hands and subsidiary seconds. Watches of Knightsbridge describes a sector dial. Bonhams' 2021 gold watch has a silvered dial with an applied gilt minute track and luminous Arabic numerals; its 2023 steel example has alternating baton and Arabic markers. Antiquorum's Hong Kong example has a patinated dial with original hands, while its Geneva example has a salmon dial with black round indexes. The Cambi catalogue's circa-1954 entry describes a silvered sector dial and central seconds.

Antiquorum's Geneva title and note use “Scientifical” for the salmon dial's black round indexes. The photographed dial reads ROLEX OYSTER ROYAL over CHRONOMETRE; “Scientifical” is Antiquorum's catalogue term, not visible dial wording. Antiquorum also calls the dial original, which remains its assessment of that individual watch.

The two Antiquorum images below show the salmon dial and the two-tone silvered dial on case 48,634. The latter's catalogue description calls the dial patinated and the hands original; the layout details are visible in the photograph.

  • Case 100,498: salmon dial with black round indexes; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024
    Case 100,498: salmon dial with black round indexes; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024
  • Case 48,634: two-tone silvered dial with Arabic 12, 3 and 9; Antiquorum, Hong Kong 2021
    Case 48,634: two-tone silvered dial with Arabic 12, 3 and 9; Antiquorum, Hong Kong 2021

Case, bezel, crystal and crown

Catalogue measurements range from 31 to 32mm. Bonhams describes tonneau-form cases for its two examples; Sotheby's, Christie's and other catalogues describe Oyster cases. Antiquorum's Hong Kong entry and several other descriptions specify screw-down casebacks, while its title identifies case 48,634 as a flat back. The Geneva photographs show the crown and case flank; its catalogue does not specify the crown's construction. Check case and crown details on each watch.

Rolex Oyster Royal 1873 case 100498 viewed three-quarter, showing tonneau flank and crown
Case 100,498, three-quarter view. Antiquorum, Geneva 2024.

Crystal and bezel descriptions vary in detail across the catalogues; this set records no distinct bezel variant.

Bracelet and strap

The Sotheby's 2020 watch has a Gay Frères bamboo bracelet with a steel case; the catalogue title and Chinese description identify a two-tone bracelet. Antiquorum's 2021 lot came on a Rolex steel rivet bracelet measuring about 170mm. Its 2024 lot came on a steel bracelet it called “Private Eyes,” about 175mm long. Bonhams lists associated leather straps and gilt buckles on both of its watches. These catalogue descriptions document the accessories supplied with each lot. Original bracelet fitment remains specific to the individual watch.

Auction record

Auction entry Case number Catalogue details Published result
Watches of Knightsbridge, 24 June 2017, lot 339 not stated 1930s; stainless steel Oyster; sector dial; 17-jewel manual Extra Prima, timed to six positions 2,600 in the result sheet; currency not stated
Sotheby's, Hong Kong, 11 July 2020, lot 2174 30,967 circa 1930; steel case; 17-jewel Extra Prima; Beyer-signed black dial; Gay Frères bamboo bracelet Estimate HKD 20,000–28,000; result not shown on the public lot page
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 25 April 2021, lot 233 48,634 circa 1930s; 31.5mm steel case; 17-jewel Extra Prima; flat-back title; Rolex rivet bracelet Estimate HKD 40,000–60,000; result not shown on the lot page
Bonhams, London, 7 September 2021, lot 51 37,029 9K gold; London import mark for 1937; 18-jewel manual movement No. 11,250 GBP 2,167.50 including premium
Cambi auction catalogue, Milan, 30 November 2022, lot 129 48,xxx circa 1954; steel; silvered sector dial; central seconds; 17 jewels, manual wind Estimate EUR 1,300–2,200; catalogued as sold
Bonhams, London, 22 November 2023, lot 54 81,343 circa 1939; 32mm steel case; silvered dial; jewelled manual movement GBP 1,280 including premium
Antiquorum, Geneva, 9 November 2024, lot 282 100,498 circa 1930s; 31mm steel case; salmon “Scientifical” dial; 18-jewel Ultra Prima chronometer CHF 10,625 (estimate CHF 8,000–12,000)
Christie's, archived lot 782241 100,459 circa 1940; 31mm steel case; black dial; 15-jewel Extra Prima; subsidiary seconds Sale date and result are absent from the archived listing

Related references

See also Movement reference and Serial numbers.

  • Case 100,498, salmon dial; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024
    Case 100,498, salmon dial; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024
  • Salmon dial detail; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024
    Salmon dial detail; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024
  • Two-tone silvered dial; Antiquorum, Hong Kong 2021
    Two-tone silvered dial; Antiquorum, Hong Kong 2021
  • Tonneau case and screw-down crown; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024
    Tonneau case and screw-down crown; Antiquorum, Geneva 2024

Sources

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