Reference:3548: Difference between revisions

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Latest revision as of 04:08, 29 September 2026

Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, Empire case, salmon dial — Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, "Empire" case style, salmon dial, centre seconds

The 3548 is documented alongside the sub-seconds 3716 in the case style collectors call the “Empire” Oyster. The cited examples are round, about 32 mm, with elongated sloped lugs rather than the hooded-lug profile common on many Bubblebacks. Specialist case-history research describes the group as automatic and chronometer-marked; the auction records here establish those details only for the individual lots.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	3548
family	Oyster Perpetual (Bubbleback)
common name	"Bubbleback"; collector name "Empire" for this case style (shared with the sub-seconds 3716)
production	documented examples span circa 1941 to circa 1943
case	32mm, round, elongated rectangular sloped lugs ("Empire" style), stainless steel, brushed and polished, screw-down back and crown
movement	self-winding; chronometer wording documented on cited lots
dial (documented)	salmon/orange, black Arabic numerals, black outer 1/5th-second divisions with Arabic 5-minute markers, blued steel pointed baton hands, gilt centre seconds
documented examples	Antiquorum (steel, sold CHF 9,375, lot 477); Bonhams Paris, 24 May 2022, sale 27810, lot 268, movement no. 93792

Where it sits in the line

"Empire" is a collector name, not a Rolex one, for a specific case profile: round rather than tonneau, but with distinctively elongated, sloped, rectangular lugs in place of the hooded-lug style common across the rest of the Bubbleback range. The 3548 is documented as the centre-seconds reference in this case style, paired with the sub-seconds 3716; a rose-gold variant of the case appears on related ref. 3877. The cited records describe these examples as round, about 32mm, and automatic. The “bubble” in Bubbleback refers to the domed caseback used for the rotor.

Production outline

A steel example sold at Antiquorum for CHF 9,375 (lot 477); a second steel example, movement no. 93792, dated circa 1943 by Bonhams, sold at the house's Paris sale on 24 May 2022 (sale 27810, lot 268) for €3,570. A rose-gold example of the sibling case style, ref. 3877, is documented separately in the auction record. Its sale does not establish a price rule for steel 3548 watches.

Movement notes

The cited auction records describe automatic movements, and Bonhams records movement number 93792. The chronometer wording belongs to the individual dial or catalogue description; no caliber number is published for the lot.

Dial map

The Bonhams-documented example carries a salmon or orange-toned dial with black Arabic numerals, a black outer fifth-second track with Arabic five-minute markers, blued pointed baton hands, and gilt centre seconds. Those details describe that lot; they do not establish a complete 3548 dial inventory.

Rolex 3548, Antiquorum lot 477, sold CHF 9,375 — a second documented steel example
Dial detail: coronet signature, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" and "Chronometre" text, Arabic numerals

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

32mm round stainless steel case, brushed and polished finish, screw-down case back and crown, and the elongated rectangular sloped lugs that define the "Empire" style. The cited 3548 examples share the round case and elongated sloped-lug profile. Other Oyster references from the period should be compared from their own case records rather than assumed to share this silhouette.

Rolex 3548 case flank and screw-down crown — Case flank and screw-down crown, Bonhams sale 27810, lot 268 example

Related references

Bubbleback 3353: same broader generation, tonneau case.
Bubbleback 3131: earliest automatic reference, same family.
Bubbleback 3133: same era, pink gold and steel.

Auction record

Sale	Lot	Case/movement no.	Configuration	Estimate	Result
Antiquorum	477	—	Steel, "Empire" case	—	CHF 9,375
Bonhams, Paris, 24 May 2022	268	movement 93792	Steel, salmon dial, centre seconds, date, folding clasp	—	€3,570

Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, "Empire" case, salmon dial, centre seconds
Antiquorum lot 477, sold CHF 9,375
Dial detail: coronet, signature, Chronometre text
Case flank and screw-down crown, Bonhams lot 268 example

Sources

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3548 Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback "Empire"}}
 {{#seo:
-|title=Rolex 3548 Bubbleback "Empire" — Round Case, Salmon Dial, 1943 &#124; BezelBase
+|title=Rolex 3548 Bubbleback "Empire" — Round Case, Salmon Dial, 1943 &#124; Rolexopedia
 |description=The Rolex 3548 is a round-cased Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback with elongated sloped lugs, part of the collector-named "Empire" case style. The documented example carries a salmon dial with centre seconds, sold at Bonhams Paris in 2022.
 |keywords=Rolex, 3548, Bubbleback, Oyster Perpetual, vintage Rolex, Empire case, salmon dial
@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 }}
-<small>[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]] -&gt; '''3548'''</small>
+<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] › '''3548'''</small>
-The 3548 is one of two standard references — alongside the sub-seconds [[Reference:3716|3716]] — built in the case style collectors call the "Empire" Oyster: classically round, 32mm, but with elongated, rectangular, sloped lugs distinct from the hooded-lug treatment most Bubblebacks of the period carry. Rolex historian and dealer research (via Goldammer) documents the type as chronometer-certified and automatic throughout, placing it firmly inside the Bubbleback family despite the case's unusual silhouette.
+<div class="rp-lead">
+[[File:Ref 3548 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, Empire case, salmon dial|Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, "Empire" case style, salmon dial, centre seconds]]
+</div>
+The 3548 is documented alongside the sub-seconds 3716 in the case style collectors call the “Empire” Oyster. The cited examples are round, about 32 mm, with elongated sloped lugs rather than the hooded-lug profile common on many Bubblebacks. Specialist case-history research describes the group as automatic and chronometer-marked; the auction records here establish those details only for the individual lots.
 <span id="core-facts"></span>
-[[File:Ref 3548 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, Empire case, salmon dial|Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, "Empire" case style, salmon dial, centre seconds]]
 == Core facts ==
-{| class="wikitable"
+{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
 |-
 ! detail
@@ Line 42: / Line 44: @@
 |-
 | movement
-| self-winding, chronometer-certified
+| self-winding; chronometer wording documented on cited lots
 |-
 | dial (documented)
@@ Line 54: / Line 56: @@
 == Where it sits in the line ==
-"Empire" is a collector name, not a Rolex one, for a specific case profile: round rather than tonneau, but with distinctively elongated, sloped, rectangular lugs in place of the hooded-lug style common across the rest of the Bubbleback range. Goldammer's research identifies the 3548 as the centre-seconds standard reference in this case style, paired with the sub-seconds 3716; a rose gold variant of the same case appears on the related 3877. All are documented as 32mm, round, and automatic — the "bubble" in Bubbleback refers to the domed caseback the automatic rotor required, present regardless of the lug treatment.
+"Empire" is a collector name, not a Rolex one, for a specific case profile: round rather than tonneau, but with distinctively elongated, sloped, rectangular lugs in place of the hooded-lug style common across the rest of the Bubbleback range. The 3548 is documented as the centre-seconds reference in this case style, paired with the sub-seconds 3716; a rose-gold variant of the case appears on related ref. 3877. The cited records describe these examples as round, about 32mm, and automatic. The “bubble” in Bubbleback refers to the domed caseback used for the rotor.
 <span id="production-outline"></span>
 == Production outline ==
-A steel example sold at Antiquorum for CHF 9,375 (lot 477); a second steel example, movement no. 93792, dated circa 1943 by Bonhams, sold at the house's Paris sale on 24 May 2022 (sale 27810, lot 268) for &euro;3,570. A rose gold example of the sibling case style (ref. 3877) sold at Antiquorum for over 50,000 CHF against a 6,000&ndash;10,000 CHF estimate — more than five times its high estimate — underscoring how sharply the market has moved on well-documented "Empire" case examples in recent years.
+A steel example sold at Antiquorum for CHF 9,375 (lot 477); a second steel example, movement no. 93792, dated circa 1943 by Bonhams, sold at the house's Paris sale on 24 May 2022 (sale 27810, lot 268) for &euro;3,570. A rose-gold example of the sibling case style, ref. 3877, is documented separately in the auction record. Its sale does not establish a price rule for steel 3548 watches.
 <span id="movement-notes"></span>
 == Movement notes ==
-Self-winding, chronometer-certified. The Bonhams-catalogued example specifies a jewelled automatic movement, numbered 93792.
+The cited auction records describe automatic movements, and Bonhams records movement number 93792. The chronometer wording belongs to the individual dial or catalogue description; no caliber number is published for the lot.
 <span id="dial-map"></span>
 == Dial map ==
-The Bonhams-documented example carries a salmon (orange-toned) dial: black Arabic numerals for the hour markers, a black outer track dividing fifths of a second with Arabic 5-minute markers, blued steel pointed baton hands, and gilt centre seconds — a notably colorful dial treatment next to the silver and black dials more common across the wider Bubbleback range.
+The Bonhams-documented example carries a salmon or orange-toned dial with black Arabic numerals, a black outer fifth-second track with Arabic five-minute markers, blued pointed baton hands, and gilt centre seconds. Those details describe that lot; they do not establish a complete 3548 dial inventory.
+<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
+File:Ref 3548 dial.webp|Rolex 3548, Antiquorum lot 477, sold CHF 9,375 — a second documented steel example
+File:Ref 3548 dial-detail.webp|Dial detail: coronet signature, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" and "Chronometre" text, Arabic numerals
+</gallery>
 <span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
 == Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==
-mm round stainless steel case, brushed and polished finish, screw-down case back and crown, and the elongated rectangular sloped lugs that define the "Empire" style. Rolex's earlier manually-wound Oyster cases of this general period showed considerable variability in shape; the automatic "Empire" Bubblebacks were built to this one consistent silhouette.
+mm round stainless steel case, brushed and polished finish, screw-down case back and crown, and the elongated rectangular sloped lugs that define the "Empire" style. The cited 3548 examples share the round case and elongated sloped-lug profile. Other Oyster references from the period should be compared from their own case records rather than assumed to share this silhouette.
+[[File:Ref 3548 crown.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex 3548 case flank and screw-down crown|Case flank and screw-down crown, Bonhams sale 27810, lot 268 example]]
 == Related references ==
-* [[Reference:3353|Bubbleback 3353]] — same broader generation, tonneau case
+* [[Reference:3353|Bubbleback 3353]]: same broader generation, tonneau case.
-* [[Reference:3131|Bubbleback 3131]] — earliest automatic reference, same family
+* [[Reference:3131|Bubbleback 3131]]: earliest automatic reference, same family.
-* [[Reference:3133|Bubbleback 3133]] — same era, pink gold and steel
+* [[Reference:3133|Bubbleback 3133]]: same era, pink gold and steel.
 See also the [[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
@@ Line 95: / Line 106: @@
 | Bonhams, Paris, 24 May 2022 || 268 || movement 93792 || Steel, salmon dial, centre seconds, date, folding clasp || &mdash; || &euro;3,570
 |}
+<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
+File:Ref 3548 hero.webp|Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, "Empire" case, salmon dial, centre seconds
+File:Ref 3548 dial.webp|Antiquorum lot 477, sold CHF 9,375
+File:Ref 3548 dial-detail.webp|Dial detail: coronet, signature, Chronometre text
+File:Ref 3548 crown.webp|Case flank and screw-down crown, Bonhams lot 268 example
+</gallery>
 == Sources ==
+* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-3548-empire-lot-368-477 "Rolex, Switzerland, ref. 3548, Empire, salmon dial, stainless steel", Antiquorum, Geneva, 12 May 2024, lot 477, sold CHF 9,375]
+* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/27810/lot/268/rolex-montre-bracelet-en-acier-mouvement-automatique-rolex-a-stainless-steel-automatic-wristwatch-oyster-perpetual-ref-3548-circa-1943/ "Rolex, A stainless steel automatic wristwatch", Bonhams, Paris, 24 May 2022, sale 27810, lot 268]
 * [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-3548/lpi "Rolex, A stainless steel automatic wristwatch", ref. 3548, Bonhams Paris, sale 27810, lot 268, 2022, via CollectorSquare Luxprice Index]
 * [https://goldammer.me/blogs/articles/rolex-empire-oyster-guide "The Deceptive Oyster: Meet the Rolex 'Empire'", Goldammer]
 * [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]
-[[Category:Oyster Perpetual]]
+[[Category:Bubbleback]]