Reference:3064: Difference between revisions

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{{#seo:

|title=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback — Pink Gold and Steel, Nairobi-Retailed | Rolexopedia

|description=The Rolex 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback in pink gold and steel, circa 1940, documented in a ~~single~~ Christie's example retailed by Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi ~~and sold for CHF 10,000 in 2014~~.

|description=The Rolex 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback in pink gold and steel, circa 1940, documented by a Christie's example retailed by Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi.

|keywords=Rolex, 3064, Bubbleback, Oyster Perpetual, vintage Rolex, chronometer, tonneau

|image=~~Ref 3064 hero~~.webp

|image=Ref_3064_hero.webp

|image_alt=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, pink dial

|type=Article

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}}

[[Reference:~~oyster-perpetual~~|~~Oyster Perpetual~~]] ~~->~~ '''3064'''

[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] › '''3064'''

The 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback from around 1940, built in pink gold and stainless steel with hooded lugs and a pink dial. ~~Its only publicly documented~~ example ~~carries an unusual retail history: sold new through~~ Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi~~, a Kenyan~~ retailer~~, and signed~~ on the dial ~~to prove it~~. ~~Colonial-era East African retail signatures are rare next to the Swiss and European names that dominate Bubbleback dial signatures, and this one survived on the watch through to a 2014 Christie's sale~~.

</div>

The 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback from around 1940, built in pink gold and stainless steel with hooded lugs and a pink dial. The cited example was retailed by Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi and carries the retailer name on the dial. No broader 3064 production or retailer census is established here.

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"

{| class="wikitable rp-facts"

|-

! detail

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== Where it sits in the line ==

The 3064 belongs to the same tonneau-cased, pink-gold-and-steel bi-metal group as the [[Reference:3130|3130]] and [[Reference:3133|3133]], sharing the 9¾-ligne movement class and hooded-lug case style common to Rolex's early automatic Oyster Perpetuals. ~~What distinguishes its one documented~~ example is ~~provenance rather than construction: a retailer signature from~~ Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi~~, placing the watch in Rolex's colonial East African retail network rather than~~ the ~~Swiss~~ or ~~London houses that~~ signed ~~most surviving Bubblebacks~~.

The 3064 belongs to the same tonneau-cased, pink-gold-and-steel bi-metal group as the [[Reference:3130|3130]] and [[Reference:3133|3133]], sharing the 9¾-ligne movement class and hooded-lug case style common to Rolex's early automatic Oyster Perpetuals. The cited example is distinguished by the Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi retailer signature. That lot-level provenance does not establish how widely the reference was sold or signed.

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== Dial map ==

The dial is pink with luminous Arabic and baton numerals and luminous hands, a subsidiary seconds sub-dial, and dual signatures: Rolex's own maker's signature alongside the retailer's mark for Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi. Retailer-signed Bubbleback dials are documented across several references from major houses like Serpico y Laino and Bucherer; a colonial East African retailer signature is a less common variant of the same practice.

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

32mm tonneau-shaped case in stainless steel, with an 18k pink gold bezel and hooded lugs, screw-down case back and crown, the crown itself in pink gold. The bi-metal construction — steel case body, gold bezel and lugs — is ~~a cost-tier choice~~ documented ~~across several~~ Bubbleback references of ~~this generation rather than unique to~~ the 3064.

32mm tonneau-shaped case in stainless steel, with an 18k pink gold bezel and hooded lugs, screw-down case back and crown, the crown itself in pink gold. The bi-metal construction, with a steel case body and gold bezel and lugs, is also documented on other Bubbleback references of the period.

== Related references ==

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Only one 3064 has a located auction result; no second case number or dial variant has surfaced to compare it against.

File:Ref_3064_hero.webp|Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, retailed by Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi

File:Ref_3064_dial.webp|Dial detail, case no. 282'453

File:Ref_3064_crown.webp|Hooded lug and pink gold crown, case no. 282'453

</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5790151 "Rolex. A fine and rare stainless steel and 18K pink gold automatic bubble back wristwatch with pink dial, hooded lugs and box", ref. 3064, case no. 282'453, Christie's Geneva, sale 1401, lot 240, 12 May 2014]

* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-3064/lpi "Rolex, A fine and rare stainless steel and 18K pink gold automatic bubble back wristwatch", ref. 3064, Christie's Geneva, sale 1401, lot 240, 2014, via CollectorSquare Luxprice Index]

* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-bubbleback-and-why-it-still-matters Anthony Traina, "The Rolex Bubbleback And Why It Still Matters", Hodinkee, 2024]

* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-bubbleback-watches-collector-guide-1931-1950s-1235893131/ Oren Hartov, "Rolex Bubbleback Watches: A Collector's Guide, From 1931 to the 1950s", Robb Report, 2024]

[[Category:~~Oyster Perpetual~~]]

[[Category:Bubbleback]]

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 {{#seo:
 |title=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback — Pink Gold and Steel, Nairobi-Retailed &#124; Rolexopedia
-|description=The Rolex 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback in pink gold and steel, circa 1940, documented in a single Christie's example retailed by Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi and sold for CHF 10,000 in 2014.
+|description=The Rolex 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback in pink gold and steel, circa 1940, documented by a Christie's example retailed by Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi.
 |keywords=Rolex, 3064, Bubbleback, Oyster Perpetual, vintage Rolex, chronometer, tonneau
-|image=Ref 3064 hero.webp
+|image=Ref_3064_hero.webp
 |image_alt=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, pink dial
 |type=Article
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 }}
-<small>[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]] -&gt; '''3064'''</small>
+<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] › '''3064'''</small>
-The 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback from around 1940, built in pink gold and stainless steel with hooded lugs and a pink dial. Its only publicly documented example carries an unusual retail history: sold new through Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi, a Kenyan retailer, and signed on the dial to prove it. Colonial-era East African retail signatures are rare next to the Swiss and European names that dominate Bubbleback dial signatures, and this one survived on the watch through to a 2014 Christie's sale.
+<div class="rp-lead">
+[[File:Ref_3064_hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, pink dial|Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, retailed by Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi]]
+</div>
+The 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback from around 1940, built in pink gold and stainless steel with hooded lugs and a pink dial. The cited example was retailed by Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi and carries the retailer name on the dial. No broader 3064 production or retailer census is established here.
 <span id="core-facts"></span>
-[[File:Ref 3064 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, pink dial|Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, retailed by Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi]]
 == Core facts ==
-{| class="wikitable"
+{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
 |-
 ! detail
@@ Line 54: / Line 56: @@
 == Where it sits in the line ==
-The 3064 belongs to the same tonneau-cased, pink-gold-and-steel bi-metal group as the [[Reference:3130|3130]] and [[Reference:3133|3133]], sharing the 9&frac34;-ligne movement class and hooded-lug case style common to Rolex's early automatic Oyster Perpetuals. What distinguishes its one documented example is provenance rather than construction: a retailer signature from Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi, placing the watch in Rolex's colonial East African retail network rather than the Swiss or London houses that signed most surviving Bubblebacks.
+The 3064 belongs to the same tonneau-cased, pink-gold-and-steel bi-metal group as the [[Reference:3130|3130]] and [[Reference:3133|3133]], sharing the 9&frac34;-ligne movement class and hooded-lug case style common to Rolex's early automatic Oyster Perpetuals. The cited example is distinguished by the Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi retailer signature. That lot-level provenance does not establish how widely the reference was sold or signed.
 <span id="production-outline"></span>
@@ Line 68: / Line 70: @@
 <span id="dial-map"></span>
 == Dial map ==
 The dial is pink with luminous Arabic and baton numerals and luminous hands, a subsidiary seconds sub-dial, and dual signatures: Rolex's own maker's signature alongside the retailer's mark for Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi. Retailer-signed Bubbleback dials are documented across several references from major houses like Serpico y Laino and Bucherer; a colonial East African retailer signature is a less common variant of the same practice.
+[[File:Ref_3064_dial.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex 3064 dial detail, pink dial with Dobbies Ltd. Nairobi retailer signature|Dial detail, case no. 282'453 — Rolex Oyster Perpetual signature above the retailer's mark for Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi]]
 <span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
 == Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==
-mm tonneau-shaped case in stainless steel, with an 18k pink gold bezel and hooded lugs, screw-down case back and crown, the crown itself in pink gold. The bi-metal construction — steel case body, gold bezel and lugs — is a cost-tier choice documented across several Bubbleback references of this generation rather than unique to the 3064.
+mm tonneau-shaped case in stainless steel, with an 18k pink gold bezel and hooded lugs, screw-down case back and crown, the crown itself in pink gold. The bi-metal construction, with a steel case body and gold bezel and lugs, is also documented on other Bubbleback references of the period.
+[[File:Ref_3064_crown.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex 3064 case flank and pink gold crown detail|Hooded lug and pink gold crown, case no. 282'453]]
 == Related references ==
@@ Line 95: / Line 103: @@
 Only one 3064 has a located auction result; no second case number or dial variant has surfaced to compare it against.
+<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
+File:Ref_3064_hero.webp|Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, retailed by Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi
+File:Ref_3064_dial.webp|Dial detail, case no. 282'453
+File:Ref_3064_crown.webp|Hooded lug and pink gold crown, case no. 282'453
+</gallery>
 == Sources ==
+* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5790151 "Rolex. A fine and rare stainless steel and 18K pink gold automatic bubble back wristwatch with pink dial, hooded lugs and box", ref. 3064, case no. 282'453, Christie's Geneva, sale 1401, lot 240, 12 May 2014]
 * [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-3064/lpi "Rolex, A fine and rare stainless steel and 18K pink gold automatic bubble back wristwatch", ref. 3064, Christie's Geneva, sale 1401, lot 240, 2014, via CollectorSquare Luxprice Index]
 * [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-bubbleback-and-why-it-still-matters Anthony Traina, "The Rolex Bubbleback And Why It Still Matters", Hodinkee, 2024]
 * [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-bubbleback-watches-collector-guide-1931-1950s-1235893131/ Oren Hartov, "Rolex Bubbleback Watches: A Collector's Guide, From 1931 to the 1950s", Robb Report, 2024]
-[[Category:Oyster Perpetual]]
+[[Category:Bubbleback]]