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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 6075}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 6075 "Ovettone" Last Big Bubbleback — BezelBase
|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 6075 — Auction Records & Variants | Rolexopedia
|description=The 6075 is the reference that closes a chapter. Produced from 1950 through 1953 in 36mm yellow gold (most common) and pink gold (rarer), it is the last…
|description=The 6075 is an early Oyster Perpetual Date. Auction records document gold and steel-and-gold cases, several dial variants, and conflicting A.295 and A.296 movement descriptions.
|keywords=Rolex, 6075, Bubbleback, specifications, reference guide
|keywords=Rolex, 6075, Datejust, Oyster Perpetual Date, Bubbleback, Ovettone
|image=Ref 6075 hero.jpg
|image=Ref 6075 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 6075 Datejust steel + pink gold
|image_alt=Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date reference 6075
|type=article
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-17T22:36:56Z
|published_time=2026-04-17T22:36:56Z
|modified_time=2026-04-23T04:35:03Z
|modified_time=2026-09-23T03:10:00Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
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<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] → '''6075'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] → '''6075'''</small>


The 6075 is the reference that closes a chapter. Produced from 1950 through 1953 in 36mm yellow gold (most common) and pink gold (rarer), it is the last Big Bubbleback Ovettone to leave the factory without the word “Datejust” on its dial. The successor is the 1953 ref 6105, which picks up the same case, the same family of movement, and adds the script word above six that gives the Datejust its name. Everything the 6105 introduces architecturally is already present on the 6075. The difference is three letters under the chapter ring.
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref_6075_hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date reference 6075|Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date reference 6075]]
</div>


[[File:Ref 6075 hero.jpg|thumb|right|340px|alt=Rolex 6075 Datejust steel + pink gold|Rolex 6075 Datejust steel + pink gold]]
The 6075 is a 35–36mm date-equipped Oyster Perpetual documented in auction catalogues around 1950–51. Auction catalogues describe yellow and pink gold cases as well as steel-and-gold examples. They also disagree on movement identification: some name A.295, while a Phillips 1951 example is catalogued with A.296.


<span id="core-facts"></span>
Most references place the 6075 before regular Datejust dial text. Antiquorum’s photograph of case 685082 shows the word, but the house graded the dial as restored. The image documents a dial fitted to a 6075 case; because it is restored, it cannot establish original factory fitment.
== Core facts ==


{| class="wikitable"
==Core facts==
 
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
|-
! detail
! detail
Line 30: Line 34:
|-
|-
| family
| family
| Datejust / Big Bubbleback / Ovettone
| Oyster Perpetual Date; grouped with the early Datejust, Big Bubbleback and Ovettone references
|-
|-
| production
| dating
| approximately 1950–1953
| Auction catalogues date examples to 1950 and circa 1951; these dates do not establish the full production run
|-
|-
| case diameter
| case
| 36mm (tonneau Oyster, Ovettone profile)
| Two-body tonneau-form Oyster case; screw-down back
|-
|-
| case construction
| diameter
| three-piece, screw-down caseback and crown
| 35–36mm in catalogues; measuring points differ
|-
|-
| case materials
| materials
| 18K yellow gold (most common); 18K pink/rose gold (rarer)
| 18K yellow gold, 18K pink gold and steel with yellow gold are documented; one Antiquorum listing describes 10K yellow gold
|-
|-
| bezel
| bezel
| fine milled/reeded gold (precursor to the Datejust fluted bezel)
| Reeded, faceted or graduated gold bezels appear in lot descriptions
|-
| crystal
| acrylic, domed
|-
|-
| crown
| crown
| screw-down Brevet
| “Super Oyster” appears in several catalogues. Phillips describes it as a non-screw-down waterproof crown. Left-hand examples put it at 9 o’clock.
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| Cal. A.295 (listed as Cal. 740 / Cal. 745 in parts catalogues)
| Catalogues identify A.295 and A.296; do not assign either to every 6075
|-
|-
| date complication
| date
| yes — date at 3 o’clock, gradual creep at midnight
| Aperture at 3; auction catalogues record alternating red-and-black, all-red and red/black date numerals. One calls the change half-instantaneous.
|-
|-
| Cyclops
| crystal
| no (introduced on ref 6305 in 1954)
| Heritage specifies acrylic on one 2026 lot
|-
| “Datejust” text on dial
| no — last pre-“Datejust”-text Ovettone; ref 6105 (1953) is first to carry it
|-
| coronet logo
| last reference to use the “cut-off” truncated coronet
|-
| scholarly status
| “true Ovettone” under both narrow (Le Monde Edmond) and broad readings
|}
|}


<span id="what-the-6075-is"></span>
==Place in the line==
== What the 6075 is ==


The 6075 is a 36mm Big Bubbleback Datejust made from 1950 into 1953, overlapping with the introduction of the 6105. Within the Ovettone line it is the settled form: curved case flanks, larger Brevet crown, fine milled bezel, A.295 automatic with slow-creep date at 3 o’clock, Jubilee bracelet option, no Cyclops. All of that carries forward unchanged into the 6105. The 6075’s specific status in collector literature is that it is the last Ovettone to which everyone agrees the pre-“Datejust”-text description applies cleanly. After the 6075, the next reference is one where the word appears.
Auction catalogues describe the 6075 as a successor to the 4467 and place it among the early date-equipped Oyster Perpetuals. Collectors also call it a Big Bubbleback or Ovettone, terms used for the larger, domed Bubbleback cases. The label covers more than one dial and movement configuration in the cited records.


The reference also carries the last generation of one specific dial detail: the “cut-off” truncated coronet logo. Earlier Ovettone references, and earlier Bubblebacks generally, use a coronet where the base of the crown appears truncated at the dial’s printed line. The 6305 and the modern Datejust line use a full coronet with a clear base. The 6075 is the last reference where the truncated form remains standard.
The 6075 sits near the 6105 in the early Datejust sequence. Antiquorum dates 6075 examples to 1950 and circa 1951; auction catalogues also place the 6105 in the early 1950s. A restored 6075 dial shows “Datejust,” so the reference should be described as usually pre-text while the factory timing remains unresolved. The restored example cannot establish when Rolex first printed the name on a factory-fitted dial.


<span id="placing-the-6075-in-the-ovettone-sequence"></span>
==Dating and case-number examples==
== Placing the 6075 in the Ovettone sequence ==


The full Ovettone arc runs: 4467 (1945) → 5028 / 5030 / 5031 (1947–48) → 6030 / 6031 (1949) → 6074 / 6075 (1950–1953) → 6105 (1953, first "Datejust" text) → 6305 (1954, first Cyclops) → 6604 / 6605 (1956–57, first instantaneous date via Cal. 1065). The 6075 is the closing reference of the pre-6105 era. The narrow dealer reading of "true Ovettone" names it as one of four (with 4467, 6031, 6074) that carry the term unambiguously, and the broader usage by Italian auction houses (Pandolfini, Aste Bolaffi) and [https://le-monde-edmond.com/datejust-a-closer-look-at-a-rolex-icon-2/ Le Monde Edmond] (Edmond Saran, 2022) covers the full 5028–6075 range. The 6075 sits inside both readings.
Auction catalogues date individual 6075 watches to 1950 or circa 1951. Examples include Antiquorum cases 685082 and 714441, both dated 1950, and Phillips case 714440, dated 1951. These are sale-house estimates for individual watches, not factory production records or a serial range. The [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial-number guide]] lists the underlying estimates separately from the watch reference.


Of the four “true Ovettone” references, 4467 is the founder, 6031 is the 1949 pink-gold entry, 6074 is the 1950 platinum rarity (only approximately two examples documented), and the 6075 is the yellow-gold and pink-gold production reference for 1950–1953. It is the Ovettone an ordinary collector is most likely to find. Surviving population is larger than the 4467 because production ran three years rather than one, and larger than the 6074 because platinum output was negligible. The 6075 is the accessible anchor of the narrow-definition Ovettone cluster.
==Case, bezel and crown==


<span id="the-36mm-big-bubbleback-case"></span>
Antiquorum describes the 6075 as a two-body case with a screwed back. Its lots record reeded, faceted and graduated bezels. Catalogued diameters range from 35 to 36mm. The 2022 Antiquorum entry gives both a 33.6mm bezel measurement and a 35.5mm case width, illustrating why the measurement should stay attached to its source.
== The 36mm Big Bubbleback case ==


Case architecture is the settled Ovettone form. Three-piece Oyster construction with a 36mm tonneau diameter, domed caseback housing the Perpetual rotor, fine milled or reeded bezel in matching gold, acrylic domed crystal, screw-down Brevet crown with cross-center and “Rolex + Oyster” marking. Curved case flanks between the lugs (the 50xx straight-flank experiment is in the past). Nothing architectural separates a 6075 from the incoming 6105 at the case level; the difference between the two references is not the case.
Several sale houses describe a Super Oyster crown. Phillips says this crown used a sealing mechanism without a screw-down action and was phased out after roughly three years. That is a source description of the crown system, not proof that every surviving 6075 retains its original crown. Antiquorum and Phillips also document left-hand watches with the crown at 9.


The fine milled or reeded bezel is the immediate precursor to the Rolex Datejust fluted bezel that becomes a signature element in the 1960s. The 6075’s bezel reads as a less pronounced version of that fluting, the same idea, executed with shallower cuts. By the 6305 (1954) and the 1601 family of the 1960s, Rolex sharpens the cut and the bezel takes its canonical form. The 6075 is in the lineage directly rather than as an outlier.
Auction houses have catalogued 18K yellow gold, 18K pink gold and yellow-gold/steel cases. Antiquorum uses “Rolesor” for a 2001 steel-and-gold example and records more two-tone cases in 2006 and 2022; Bonhams listed another in 2015. Antiquorum’s 2018 catalogue calls case 724412 10K yellow gold. That unusual purity description should be checked against the case marks on an individual watch.


<span id="precious-metal-and-configuration"></span>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
== Precious metal and configuration ==
File:Ref 6075 angle.webp|Case profile and bezel of a 6075
File:Ref 6075 caseback.webp|Caseback of the steel-and-gold Bonhams example, case 613452
</gallery>


The 6075 is precious metal only. 18K yellow gold is the common execution (surviving population is biased heavily toward yellow) with 18K pink/rose gold as a rarer variant. No steel or two-tone configurations of the 6075 are documented; the platinum Ovettone of the same generation carries a separate reference (6074).
==Movement==


Dial configurations follow late-Ovettone conventions. Silvered or eggshell dials with applied gold dagger markers dominate. The “cut-off” truncated coronet logo is the standard for this reference, and the 6075 is the last production reference where it is. Chronometer and Certified Chronometer text above six on chronometer-grade examples. Luminous and non-luminous variants both documented. Hands are gold alpha hands with radium inserts on lumed configurations, plain polished gold on dress configurations.
Caliber attribution varies by lot. Antiquorum identifies case 714441 as A.295; Christie’s also catalogues a 6075 as A.295. Phillips identifies its 1951 case 714440 as A.296, with 18 jewels. Other catalogues give movement numbers or ligne measurements without a caliber name. The available descriptions leave open whether the difference reflects production changes, cataloguing differences or replacement movements. Check the movement inside an individual watch directly.


Date wheels on 6075 examples are typically black on white. Roulette wheels (alternating red/black) persist from earlier Ovettone peers but are less common by 1950–1953 and give way to the standard black-on-white in the 6105 generation. Period-correct bracelets are the 18K gold Jubilee (introduced with 4467 in 1945) or a leather strap with gold buckle.
Published catalogue attributions include both A.295 and A.296. Do not reject an A.296 in a 6075 solely because another auction catalogue says A.295. A catalogued caliber does not establish the stamp in a watch that has not been inspected.


<span id="movement-cal.-a.295"></span>
==Dial map==
== Movement: Cal. A.295 ==


Cal. A.295, unchanged from the 4467 through the 5030/5031 transitional pair and the 6030/6031 pair. 29.5mm diameter (the “295”). Parts-catalogue cross-listings: Cal. 740 (base grade), Cal. 745 (Chronometer grade). The auction-house convention is A.295 and that form appears most often in sales catalogues. The parts-catalogue form (740 / 745) is what a watchmaker working on the movement would reference. Both name the same movement.
Catalogues and lot photographs show silver, off-white and black dials, usually with applied gold dart or dagger markers. Hands are described as alpha, dauphine or lozenge. Several catalogues mention luminous dots or hands. One 2003 Antiquorum entry describes tritium-coated markers on a circa-1950 watch; that description is not enough to establish the lume as factory-original.


Architecturally: self-winding Perpetual rotor, 18 jewels, Rolex Superbalance, Breguet overcoil hairspring, center seconds, date. No shock protection. No quickset. Slow creep at midnight rather than instantaneous snap-change. The movement does not change under the 6075; what changes is what comes after. The A.296 of the 6105 is a 29.6mm evolution of the same family, with different dial feet positions. A 6075 dial fits an A.295 movement and does not fit an A.296. The converse is true for the 6105.
Date-wheel descriptions include alternating red and black numerals, an all-red wheel and a black/red display. These are documented variants, not a production sequence. The 2022 Antiquorum catalogue calls the date “half-instantaneous”; that term is retained as the house’s description rather than generalized to every movement.


The instantaneous snap-change arrives with Cal. 1065 in refs 6604/6605 in 1956–57 and the Bubbleback silhouette ends with the flatter Cal. 1030 that precedes it. The 6075 is three generations of movement away from that ending, and four years away from the last Ovettone leaving the factory.
===“Datejust” dial wording===


<span id="the-dial-the-absence-of-datejust"></span>
An Antiquorum 2006 lot for case 685082 is titled “DateJust” and quotes “Oyster Perpetual, DateJust, Chronometer Officially Certified.” Its photograph visibly shows DATEJUST on the dial. The same catalogue grades the dial “restored.” A second 6075 lot from that sale year is catalogued as a Datejust, but its catalogue text does not by itself establish original dial wording.
== The dial: the absence of “Datejust” ==


Dial layout on a 6075 follows the period’s standard Rolex Oyster Perpetual arrangement. “ROLEX” centered under the coronet at twelve, “Oyster Perpetual” in a line below, the date window at three, Chronometer or Certified Chronometer designation above six on chronometer-grade examples. What is not there is the word “Datejust.” The line above six carries only the chronometer designation; it does not carry the model name. By the 1960s, “Datejust” above six is a recognizable signature element on every Datejust dial. Here, on the 6075, that line is silent.
These records include a catalogued 6075 with Datejust text, while the restored condition leaves factory printing unresolved. The 6105 is often described as the first dial-signed Datejust; the early factory use of the wording needs to be stated with that qualification.


That silence is the reference-defining feature. A 6075 is identifiable, relative to its immediate successor, by what the dial does not say. Collectors who encounter a 6075 and a 6105 in sequence see that the difference lives entirely in the three letters missing above six. The case, the movement family, the bezel, the bracelet, the markers, the coronet — all the same (allowing for the 6075’s truncated coronet versus the 6105’s tendency toward the full form). The text is the change.
==Bracelets and straps==


<span id="collecting-and-auction-context"></span>
Gold Jubilee bracelets are documented on yellow- and pink-gold examples, including a Phillips watch with a clasp stamped 2.51 and an Antiquorum pink-gold bracelet dated 1951. Other catalogued watches were sold on leather straps, sometimes with a Rolex gold buckle. These sale descriptions document observed combinations; original delivery remains a watch-level question. A bracelet or clasp date belongs to that component.
== Collecting and auction context ==


The 6075 trades in roughly the same range as other late-Ovettone yellow-gold references, approximately $8,000–$18,000 at auction for clean examples, with configuration, dial originality, bracelet provenance, and paperwork all moving the number. Pink gold 6075 examples carry a premium over yellow; their smaller surviving population supports pricing at the upper end of the range when they surface. Serpico y Laino co-signed dials, as with other mid-century Rolex references distributed through the Caracas retailer, command a further premium.
==Auction record==


Auction coverage is steady rather than dramatic. Phillips, Antiquorum, and Sotheby’s catalogue 6075 examples periodically under the “Big Bubbleback” or “early Datejust” umbrella; Italian houses use the ''ovettone'' term. Pandolfini in particular has handled documented 6075 lots under Italian auction terminology. The 6075 does not headline sales the way a numbered souscription 4467 or a type-specimen 6105 black gilt dial does, but it is a reference a serious Ovettone collection does not skip.
The table documents individual watches and is not a production census.


Market position is stable. Like the broader Ovettone segment, the 6075 has not been a speculative focus of the post-2018 vintage boom, which went to steel sport references. Gold Ovettone references have appreciated steadily. The 6075’s position as the last pre-“Datejust”-text Big Bubbleback and as one of the four “true Ovettone” under the narrow definition keeps it in view.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Sale record
! Catalogue description
|-
| Antiquorum Geneva, 31 March 2001, lot 533
| Steel and yellow gold; off-white dial; 36mm; two-body case; gold graduated bezel and Super Oyster crown.
|-
| Antiquorum Geneva, 11 October 2003, lot 520
| 18K pink gold; left-hand crown; black dial; 36mm.
|-
| Antiquorum Geneva, 15 October 2006, lot 278
| Steel and yellow gold; off-white dial with red date numerals; 36mm.
|-
| Antiquorum Geneva, 14 May 2006, lot 122
| 18K yellow gold; black dial and roulette date; 36mm; dial graded restored.
|-
| Antiquorum Geneva, 14 October 2007, lot 68
| 18K pink gold; silver dial and roulette date; 35mm; pink-gold Jubilee bracelet dated 1951.
|-
| Antiquorum Geneva, 11 May 2014, lot 107
| 18K yellow gold; matte silver dial, all-red date wheel; 36mm; caliber described as A.295.
|-
| Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: TWO, 2015, lot 284
| 18K yellow gold; red date; A.296, 18 jewels; 36mm; Jubilee bracelet with clasp dated 2.51.
|-
| Bonhams, 27 November 2015, lot 201
| Steel and gold; silver dial, red date and gold fluted bezel; 36mm.
|-
| Bonhams Knightsbridge, lot 52
| Steel and gold; case 613452, movement 15308, roulette date; catalogue dates it circa 1950.
|-
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, 27 October 2018, lot 222
| 10K yellow gold; 35mm; Super Oyster crown.
|-
| Antiquorum Hong Kong, 28 May 2022, lot 147
| Steel and yellow gold; silver dial; 35.5mm case width; movement described as 13½ lignes.
|-
| Cambi Aste, 2022, lot 96
| Steel and gold; 36mm; case 715.xxx; catalogue dates it circa 1961, unlike other estimates for nearby case numbers.
|-
| Heritage, 24 April 2026, lot 54107
| 18K yellow gold; 35mm; silver dial and roulette date; acrylic crystal; dial noted as refinished.
|}


<span id="authentication-priorities"></span>
==Checks on an individual watch==
== Authentication priorities ==


Authentication on the 6075 is straightforward. Movement should be A.295, dial should read "Oyster Perpetual" with chronometer text but not "Datejust," and the period coronet is the cut-off style. Cases are 18k yellow or pink gold only, with the early milled Datejust bezel and matching Jubilee or Oyster bracelets when bracelet-fitted. A 6075 with later Datejust dial text or a later caliber is a service swap or a misidentified watch.
Compare the reference, case and movement markings, case material, crown, dial and date wheel as separate parts. Catalogues give more than one movement identification and document steel-and-gold as well as solid-gold cases. Datejust wording alone does not establish a mismatch: the known 6075 example has a restored dial, so its appearance cannot settle factory fitment. Date the bracelet, buckle or strap separately from the watch head.


<span id="what-the-6075-established"></span>
==Related references==
== What the 6075 established ==
* [[Reference:4467|4467]] — earlier Datejust / Oyster Perpetual Date
* [[Reference:6105|6105]] — adjacent early Datejust reference; movement and dial text require example-level attribution
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback family index]]
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]]
* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial-number guide]]


The 6075 matters not for what it introduces but for what it ends. It is the last reference on which the dial does not say "Datejust"; the next reference, the 6105, puts the word on the dial and every Datejust since has kept it. The clarity with which collector literature can describe the 6105 as the first dial-signed Datejust is a clarity the 6075 provides by being the last one without.


The 6075 also closes the cut-off coronet era. The logo change is minor and easy to miss. The 6305 and the modern Datejust use a full coronet; the 6075 is the last production reference where the truncated form is standard.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 6075 hero.webp|Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 6075
File:Ref 6075 angle.webp|Case profile and bezel of a 6075
File:Ref 6075 caseback.webp|Caseback of the steel-and-gold Bonhams example, case 613452
</gallery>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Chevalier Edition — unknown, Morning Tundra
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-24-533 Antiquorum Geneva, 31 March 2001, lot 533] — steel and yellow gold; two-body case; bezel, crown and dial description.
* [https://le-monde-edmond.com/datejust-a-closer-look-at-a-rolex-icon-2/ Le Monde Edmond — Datejust: A Closer Look at a Rolex Icon] — Le Monde Edmond
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-44-520 Antiquorum Geneva, 11 October 2003, lot 520] — left-hand pink-gold example.
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-datejust-complete-history/ Monochrome Watches — The Evergreens: Complete History of the Rolex Datejust] — Monochrome
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-137-278 Antiquorum Geneva, 15 October 2006, lot 278] — steel-and-gold case, red date and 36mm measurement.
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-bubbleback-watches-collector-guide-1931-1950s-1235893131/ Robb Report — A Collector's Guide to Rolex Bubbleback Watches 1931-1950s] — Robb Report
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-108-122 Antiquorum Geneva, 14 May 2006, lot 122] — DateJust wording and image; dial graded restored.
* [https://www.pandolfini.it/ Pandolfini Casa d'Aste catalog usage — 'Ovetto' for 32mm Bubblebacks, 'Ovettone' for 36mm Big Bubblebacks] — Pandolfini Casa d'Aste, Pandolfini
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-171-68 Antiquorum Geneva, 14 October 2007, lot 68] — pink gold, Jubilee bracelet and 35mm measurement.
* [https://www.astebolaffi.it/ Aste Bolaffi catalog usage of 'Ovetto' for standard 32mm Bubblebacks] — Aste Bolaffi
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6075-lot-283-107 Antiquorum Geneva, 11 May 2014, lot 107] — A.295, all-red date wheel and 36mm case.
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080515/284 Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: TWO, 2015, lot 284] — A.296, 18K yellow gold, Jubilee bracelet and Super Oyster crown description.
* [https://images1.bonhams.com/original?src=Images/live/2015-11/27/S-22790-0-1.pdf Bonhams, 27 November 2015, lot 201] — steel-and-gold example.
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/30662/lot/52/rolex-a-stainless-steel-and-gold-automatic-calendar-wristwatch-with-roulette-date-wheel-oyster-perpetual-bubbleback-ref-6075-circa-1950/ Bonhams Knightsbridge, lot 52] — case 613452, a second steel-and-gold example.
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6075-oyster-perpetual-officially-certified-chronometer-year-lot-316-222 Antiquorum Hong Kong, 27 October 2018, lot 222] — 10K yellow-gold description and case number.
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-6075-oyster-perpetual-officially-certified-chronometer-lot-351-147 Antiquorum Hong Kong, 28 May 2022, lot 147] — two-tone case and measurements.
* [https://www.cambiaste.com/uploads/auctions/807-cambi_orologi_719_2022_05_eb.pdf Cambi Aste, 2022, lot 96] — two-tone case 715.xxx, dated circa 1961 by the catalogue.
* [https://jewelry.ha.com/itm/timepieces/wristwatch/rolex-ref-6075-ovettone-18k-gold-automatic-circa-1950/a/5581-54107.s Heritage Auctions, 24 April 2026, lot 54107] — case, crystal and refinished dial description.
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6042730 Christie’s, ref. 6075, case 699455] — A.295 and 36mm case description.
* Colin A. White, ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — reference/caliber cross-listings; not treated as proof of every individual movement fitment.
* [https://le-monde-edmond.com/datejust-a-closer-look-at-a-rolex-icon-2/ Le Monde Edmond, “Datejust: A Closer Look at a Rolex Icon”] — collector terminology for Ovettone.


[[Category:Bubbleback]]
[[Category:Bubbleback]]
[[Category:Drafted]]

Latest revision as of 08:13, 29 September 2026


Bubbleback → 6075

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date reference 6075
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date reference 6075

The 6075 is a 35–36mm date-equipped Oyster Perpetual documented in auction catalogues around 1950–51. Auction catalogues describe yellow and pink gold cases as well as steel-and-gold examples. They also disagree on movement identification: some name A.295, while a Phillips 1951 example is catalogued with A.296.

Most references place the 6075 before regular Datejust dial text. Antiquorum’s photograph of case 685082 shows the word, but the house graded the dial as restored. The image documents a dial fitted to a 6075 case; because it is restored, it cannot establish original factory fitment.

Core facts

detail value
reference 6075
family Oyster Perpetual Date; grouped with the early Datejust, Big Bubbleback and Ovettone references
dating Auction catalogues date examples to 1950 and circa 1951; these dates do not establish the full production run
case Two-body tonneau-form Oyster case; screw-down back
diameter 35–36mm in catalogues; measuring points differ
materials 18K yellow gold, 18K pink gold and steel with yellow gold are documented; one Antiquorum listing describes 10K yellow gold
bezel Reeded, faceted or graduated gold bezels appear in lot descriptions
crown “Super Oyster” appears in several catalogues. Phillips describes it as a non-screw-down waterproof crown. Left-hand examples put it at 9 o’clock.
movement Catalogues identify A.295 and A.296; do not assign either to every 6075
date Aperture at 3; auction catalogues record alternating red-and-black, all-red and red/black date numerals. One calls the change half-instantaneous.
crystal Heritage specifies acrylic on one 2026 lot

Place in the line

Auction catalogues describe the 6075 as a successor to the 4467 and place it among the early date-equipped Oyster Perpetuals. Collectors also call it a Big Bubbleback or Ovettone, terms used for the larger, domed Bubbleback cases. The label covers more than one dial and movement configuration in the cited records.

The 6075 sits near the 6105 in the early Datejust sequence. Antiquorum dates 6075 examples to 1950 and circa 1951; auction catalogues also place the 6105 in the early 1950s. A restored 6075 dial shows “Datejust,” so the reference should be described as usually pre-text while the factory timing remains unresolved. The restored example cannot establish when Rolex first printed the name on a factory-fitted dial.

Dating and case-number examples

Auction catalogues date individual 6075 watches to 1950 or circa 1951. Examples include Antiquorum cases 685082 and 714441, both dated 1950, and Phillips case 714440, dated 1951. These are sale-house estimates for individual watches, not factory production records or a serial range. The serial-number guide lists the underlying estimates separately from the watch reference.

Case, bezel and crown

Antiquorum describes the 6075 as a two-body case with a screwed back. Its lots record reeded, faceted and graduated bezels. Catalogued diameters range from 35 to 36mm. The 2022 Antiquorum entry gives both a 33.6mm bezel measurement and a 35.5mm case width, illustrating why the measurement should stay attached to its source.

Several sale houses describe a Super Oyster crown. Phillips says this crown used a sealing mechanism without a screw-down action and was phased out after roughly three years. That is a source description of the crown system, not proof that every surviving 6075 retains its original crown. Antiquorum and Phillips also document left-hand watches with the crown at 9.

Auction houses have catalogued 18K yellow gold, 18K pink gold and yellow-gold/steel cases. Antiquorum uses “Rolesor” for a 2001 steel-and-gold example and records more two-tone cases in 2006 and 2022; Bonhams listed another in 2015. Antiquorum’s 2018 catalogue calls case 724412 10K yellow gold. That unusual purity description should be checked against the case marks on an individual watch.

  • Case profile and bezel of a 6075
    Case profile and bezel of a 6075
  • Caseback of the steel-and-gold Bonhams example, case 613452
    Caseback of the steel-and-gold Bonhams example, case 613452

Movement

Caliber attribution varies by lot. Antiquorum identifies case 714441 as A.295; Christie’s also catalogues a 6075 as A.295. Phillips identifies its 1951 case 714440 as A.296, with 18 jewels. Other catalogues give movement numbers or ligne measurements without a caliber name. The available descriptions leave open whether the difference reflects production changes, cataloguing differences or replacement movements. Check the movement inside an individual watch directly.

Published catalogue attributions include both A.295 and A.296. Do not reject an A.296 in a 6075 solely because another auction catalogue says A.295. A catalogued caliber does not establish the stamp in a watch that has not been inspected.

Dial map

Catalogues and lot photographs show silver, off-white and black dials, usually with applied gold dart or dagger markers. Hands are described as alpha, dauphine or lozenge. Several catalogues mention luminous dots or hands. One 2003 Antiquorum entry describes tritium-coated markers on a circa-1950 watch; that description is not enough to establish the lume as factory-original.

Date-wheel descriptions include alternating red and black numerals, an all-red wheel and a black/red display. These are documented variants, not a production sequence. The 2022 Antiquorum catalogue calls the date “half-instantaneous”; that term is retained as the house’s description rather than generalized to every movement.

“Datejust” dial wording

An Antiquorum 2006 lot for case 685082 is titled “DateJust” and quotes “Oyster Perpetual, DateJust, Chronometer Officially Certified.” Its photograph visibly shows DATEJUST on the dial. The same catalogue grades the dial “restored.” A second 6075 lot from that sale year is catalogued as a Datejust, but its catalogue text does not by itself establish original dial wording.

These records include a catalogued 6075 with Datejust text, while the restored condition leaves factory printing unresolved. The 6105 is often described as the first dial-signed Datejust; the early factory use of the wording needs to be stated with that qualification.

Bracelets and straps

Gold Jubilee bracelets are documented on yellow- and pink-gold examples, including a Phillips watch with a clasp stamped 2.51 and an Antiquorum pink-gold bracelet dated 1951. Other catalogued watches were sold on leather straps, sometimes with a Rolex gold buckle. These sale descriptions document observed combinations; original delivery remains a watch-level question. A bracelet or clasp date belongs to that component.

Auction record

The table documents individual watches and is not a production census.

Sale record Catalogue description
Antiquorum Geneva, 31 March 2001, lot 533 Steel and yellow gold; off-white dial; 36mm; two-body case; gold graduated bezel and Super Oyster crown.
Antiquorum Geneva, 11 October 2003, lot 520 18K pink gold; left-hand crown; black dial; 36mm.
Antiquorum Geneva, 15 October 2006, lot 278 Steel and yellow gold; off-white dial with red date numerals; 36mm.
Antiquorum Geneva, 14 May 2006, lot 122 18K yellow gold; black dial and roulette date; 36mm; dial graded restored.
Antiquorum Geneva, 14 October 2007, lot 68 18K pink gold; silver dial and roulette date; 35mm; pink-gold Jubilee bracelet dated 1951.
Antiquorum Geneva, 11 May 2014, lot 107 18K yellow gold; matte silver dial, all-red date wheel; 36mm; caliber described as A.295.
Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: TWO, 2015, lot 284 18K yellow gold; red date; A.296, 18 jewels; 36mm; Jubilee bracelet with clasp dated 2.51.
Bonhams, 27 November 2015, lot 201 Steel and gold; silver dial, red date and gold fluted bezel; 36mm.
Bonhams Knightsbridge, lot 52 Steel and gold; case 613452, movement 15308, roulette date; catalogue dates it circa 1950.
Antiquorum Hong Kong, 27 October 2018, lot 222 10K yellow gold; 35mm; Super Oyster crown.
Antiquorum Hong Kong, 28 May 2022, lot 147 Steel and yellow gold; silver dial; 35.5mm case width; movement described as 13½ lignes.
Cambi Aste, 2022, lot 96 Steel and gold; 36mm; case 715.xxx; catalogue dates it circa 1961, unlike other estimates for nearby case numbers.
Heritage, 24 April 2026, lot 54107 18K yellow gold; 35mm; silver dial and roulette date; acrylic crystal; dial noted as refinished.

Checks on an individual watch

Compare the reference, case and movement markings, case material, crown, dial and date wheel as separate parts. Catalogues give more than one movement identification and document steel-and-gold as well as solid-gold cases. Datejust wording alone does not establish a mismatch: the known 6075 example has a restored dial, so its appearance cannot settle factory fitment. Date the bracelet, buckle or strap separately from the watch head.

Related references


  • Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 6075
    Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 6075
  • Case profile and bezel of a 6075
    Case profile and bezel of a 6075
  • Caseback of the steel-and-gold Bonhams example, case 613452
    Caseback of the steel-and-gold Bonhams example, case 613452

Sources

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