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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3134 Bubbleback}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3134 Bubbleback}}
The 3134 is a sweep-seconds Bubbleback of the war and early post-war years, built on the 32 mm tonneau Oyster case around a 9¾-ligne Rolex automatic of 17 jewels. It is one of the quieter numbers in the family. Where the 3130, 3133 and 3372 turn up at auction regularly enough to support a market read, the 3134 surfaces rarely, and the handful of documented examples are almost all stainless steel. What the reference does have is a well-attested California dial branch, on two separate examples catalogued c.1941 and c.1945. That is scarce enough at this reference number to be the main reason a collector goes looking for one.
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 3134 Bubbleback Reference Guide | Rolexopedia
|description=Rolex reference 3134 Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback: documented cases, subsidiary and centre-seconds movements, dial variants, case construction and auction records.
|image=Ref 3134 hero.webp
|type=article
}}


[[File:Ref 3134 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Bubbleback 3134 with pink California dial|Steel 3134 with pink California dial, circa 1941]]
<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] → '''3134'''</small>
 
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 3134 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Steel 3134 with a pink California-style dial|Steel 3134 with a pink California-style dial]]
</div>
 
The 3134 is a tonneau Oyster Perpetual documented with both subsidiary and centre seconds. Auction descriptions give movement sizes of 9½ and 9¾ lignes. Most listed cases are steel; steel-and-gold examples also appear. Auctioneers date individual watches from about 1939 to 1957; those estimates do not establish the factory production span.


==Core facts==
==Core facts==


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
|-
! detail
! detail
Line 15: Line 26:
|-
|-
| family
| family
| Bubbleback (collector name; never official Rolex usage)
| Bubbleback (collector term; Rolex called it Oyster Perpetual)
|-
|-
| documented examples
| documented examples
| c.1941 to 1957 by catalogue dating (see production outline)
| auction records include repeat offerings; catalogued dates run from about 1939 to 1957
|-
|-
| case diameter
| case diameter
| 32 mm
| 32 mm in most records; other catalogues give 30, 32.5, and 33 mm
|-
|-
| case thickness
| case thickness
| about 14 mm
| 14 mm on Antiquorum’s 2013 example; not a reference-wide figure
|-
|-
| case shape
| case shape
Line 30: Line 41:
|-
|-
| case construction
| case construction
| contested — three parts per one catalogue, two-piece per the family standard
| three-body / three-part in two catalogues
|-
|-
| bezel
| bezel
Line 42: Line 53:
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| 9¾-ligne Rolex automatic, 17 jewels, rhodium plated
| automatic; auction descriptions give 9½ and 9¾ lignes
|-
|-
| escapement
| escapement
| straight-line lever
| lever; described as straight-line in the 2013 catalogue
|-
|-
| balance
| balance
| monometallic, self-compensating Breguet balance-spring
| monometallic with a self-compensating Breguet balance spring in 1992; Superbalance in 2013
|-
|-
| seconds
| seconds
| centre sweep
| subsidiary and centre sweep both documented
|-
|-
| case materials
| case materials
| stainless steel; stainless steel with yellow gold
| stainless steel; steel and yellow gold; two steel-and-gold listings with alloy unspecified
|}
|}


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


The 3134 belongs to the run of two-digit-suffixed references — 3130, 3131, 3132, 3133, 3134, 3135 — that Rolex issued on the mature Oyster Perpetual platform from the late 1930s. Within that block the split is functional rather than hierarchical. The 3130 and 3131 carry subsidiary seconds at six; the 3132, 3133 and, on the evidence of its one explicit catalogue description, the 3134 carry centre sweep seconds. A buyer chose a register layout and a case metal, not a grade.
The 3134 belongs to the two-digit-suffixed Oyster Perpetual references 3130 through 3135. The group includes different seconds layouts and case metals. Antiquorum's 1992 and 2013 examples have subsidiary seconds. Exclusive Timepieces lot 227 and the Luxe Auctioneers example have centre seconds.


Where the 3134 separates from its immediate neighbours is in the market rather than the metal. The 3131 was a precious-metal-only reference. The 3130 was likewise gold-only, and the 3133 spans steel, two-tone and solid gold with a deep enough auction record to map. The 3134's documented population runs the other way: three of four surfaced examples are plain stainless steel, with a single steel-and-yellow-gold example from a 1992 sale. No solid-gold 3134 has surfaced in the indexed auction record at all.
Auction records document steel, one steel-and-yellow-gold case, and two steel-and-gold listings whose alloy is unspecified.
 
That thinness is measurable. A price index that carries seventeen results for the 3130 and twenty-three for the 3133 carries two for the 3134. Both of those indexed lots, Antiquorum Geneva in 1992 and again in 2013, failed to sell. A reference this lightly traded does not support the kind of variant mapping the 3133 does, and much of what a collector would want to know about the 3134 is not answerable from public records at all.


==Production outline==
==Production outline==


Catalogue datings for documented 3134 examples spread across sixteen years: c.1941, c.1945, "1940s", "1950s" and 1957. No source states a production start or end for the reference, and the band above is the span of surfaced watches rather than a documented window.
Auction catalogues date individual 3134 examples from about 1939 to 1957. The early end comes from Bruun Rasmussen's 2022 listing; Antiquorum and other catalogues place examples in the 1940s and 1950s. These estimates describe individual watches and leave the factory endpoints open.


The 1957 dating deserves scepticism. It sits well past the point where Rolex's slimmer automatic calibers had made the domed caseback unnecessary, and the Bubbleback family is generally taken to close in the early 1950s. Unpapered Rolex of this era is routinely given approximate dates at auction, and a single late catalogue entry is not enough to extend a family's production run. The honest reading is that the 3134 is a 1940s reference whose latest catalogued example carries a date that does not fit.
Exclusive Timepieces dates case 168751 to 1957, while Anthony Traina's 2024 Hodinkee guide places the end of Bubbleback production in the mid-1950s. That 1957 date falls after Traina's family endpoint; the available records leave 3134's closing year unsettled.


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


Every documented 3134 carries a 9¾-ligne Rolex automatic. Antiquorum's 1992 catalogue is the most specific: seventeen jewels, lever escapement, monometallic balance, self-compensating Breguet balance-spring, and the detail that settles the reference's family placement: "self winding." A separate lot describes the movement simply as automatic, caliber 9¾. The 2013 Antiquorum entry adds rhodium plating and a straight-line lever escapement but omits the winding type entirely.
The cited auction lots give two movement sizes. Antiquorum's 1992 lot 181 and Exclusive Timepieces lot 227 give 9¾ lignes. Antiquorum's 1995 Milan lot 161 gives 9½ lignes and describes an automatic, 17-jewel movement with a Superbalance and Breguet spring. Klöter describes the movement in lot 443 as an intact anchor movement, without naming a caliber or winding type. The 1992 lot describes a self-winding, 17-jewel movement with lever escapement, monometallic balance and a self-compensating Breguet spring. Dr. Crott's 2015 lot describes a rotor-wind movement with a "patented super balance." Its 2019 lot gives movement number 94767 but no caliber. Pestel-Debord calls its circa-1950 example automatic and chronometer-certified. Antiquorum's 2013 lot 143 reports rhodium plating, a straight-line lever escapement and a Superbalance; its entry gives no movement size or jewel count.


No documented lot names a caliber number. The 9¾-ligne size and the period place the movement in the cal. 620 and 630 family, and the one catalogue explicit about the seconds layout describes centre sweep seconds, which within that pair points to the 630 rather than the sub-seconds 620. That is an inference from a single description, not a documented fitment, and a later 635 or 645 is not excluded. Anyone matching a movement to a specific 3134 should go by what is under the rotor, not by the number on the case.
Use the movement marking to identify the caliber. The cited auction catalogues give movement sizes and construction details but no caliber number; seconds layout alone cannot distinguish Cal. 620 from 635 in a subsidiary-seconds watch or Cal. 630 from 645 in a centre-seconds watch. See [[Reference:Movements#cal-620|Cal. 620]], [[Reference:Movements#cal-630|Cal. 630]], [[Reference:Movements#cal-635|Cal. 635]], and [[Reference:Movements#cal-645|Cal. 645]].


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


[[File:Ref 3134 dial-matte-silver.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3134 matte silver dial with luminous Arabic numerals|Matte silver dial, applied luminous Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds, case 104396]]
The auction record includes several dial layouts. These are catalogue descriptions; original dial fitment remains unverified.
[[File:Ref 3134 dial-california.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3134 pink California dial|California dial in pink, half Roman and half Arabic, circa 1941]]
[[File:Ref 3134 dial-california-chronometer.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3134 California dial marked Chronometer with centre seconds|The second California example, marked Chronometer and running centre sweep seconds, circa 1945]]


Four dial configurations are documented across the surfaced examples.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Dial
! Catalogue example
! Seconds
! Notes
|-
| Black
| [https://www.collectorssquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-3134/lpi Antiquorum Geneva 1992, steel and yellow gold]
| Subsidiary
| The catalogue describes the case as having hooded fluted lugs.
|-
| Silvered, printed Roman numerals
| [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-117-161 Antiquorum Milan 1995]
| Centre
| Steel, 32 mm; 9½-ligne automatic.
|-
| Matte silver with applied luminous Arabic numerals
| [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-3134-lot-272-143 Antiquorum Geneva 2013, case 104396]
| Subsidiary
| Outer minutes track.
|-
| Pink, luminous Arabic and squared numerals
| [https://everywatch.com/rolex/oyster-perpetual/watch-9107818 Exclusive Timepieces, case 168751]
| Centre
| Patinated dial; outer minutes track.
|-
| Silvered with Arabic numerals
| [https://www.kloeter-auktionen.de/Katalog_185.pdf Galerie + Auktionshaus Peter Klöter, Auction 185, lot 443]
| Subsidiary
| Catalogue gives 30 mm and dates the watch to circa 1955; the listed alloy and case construction are not specified beyond steel/gold.
|-
| Silvered with applied indexes
| [https://uhren-muser.de/catalogues/en/Crott_91_US.pdf Dr. Crott 2015, case 529380]
| Centre
| Silver and gold case; luminous alpha hands.
|-
| Two-colour silvered, signed Beyer
| [https://uhren-muser.de/en/archives/101/50620 Dr. Crott 2019, case 126947]
| Centre, visible in catalogue photograph
| Dr. Crott calls it "Double Name"; the record gives movement no. 94767 and delivery to Beyer in Zurich with original box.
|-
| California-style, half Roman and half Arabic
| [https://www.sothebys.com/en/slideshows/10-watches-under-10000-watches-online Sotheby's 2018]; [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-3134-STEEL-BUBBLE-BACK-WITH-CALIFORNIA-DIAL-CIRCA-1945/118-rolex_3134_steel_3134-15.1.26-luxe Luxe 2026]
| Centre
| The photographs appear to show one watch offered twice. Luxe notes toning and spotting; dial originality is unverified.
|-
| Cream with railway track, applied arrowhead indexes and numerals
| [https://www.gazette-drouot.com/en/lots/8352267-rolex-vers-1950-modele-oyster--- Pestel-Debord 2018]
| Not stated
| Gold lance hands; catalogue gives 33 mm.
|-
| Black with pale markers
| [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/Rolex-A-wristwatch-of-steel-Model-Oyster-Perpetual-Bubbleback-ref-3134-Mechanical/2009-rolex_wristwatch_steel_3134-30.11.22-bruun Bruun Rasmussen 2022]
| Not stated
| The catalogue says the dial and hands were relumed; operation was not guaranteed.
|}


The matte silver dial with applied luminous Arabic numerals appears on the 2013 Antiquorum example, case 104396. The pink dial on case 168751 has aged to a patina and carries luminous Arabic and squared numerals with an outer minutes track. It is the most visually distinctive of the surfaced dials and the one attached to the reference's only confirmed sale result. A black dial sits on the 1992 steel-and-yellow-gold example.
Rolex filed Swiss patent CH221643 for the California-style dial design in May 1941; it was issued in June 1942. The patent dates the design; individual dials need separate provenance.


The fourth is the California dial, the half-Roman, half-Arabic layout Rolex patented as "Error Proof." Two separate 3134 examples carry it, one catalogued c.1945 and one c.1941, which lifts it out of one-off territory into a real configuration. The c.1941 dating is the awkward one. The layout is generally dated to a 1942 introduction, so a 1941 California dial either pushes that date earlier or reflects loose dealer dating. Loose dating is the likelier explanation given the source, but the question is open.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 3134 dial-matte-silver.webp|alt=3134 matte silver dial with luminous Arabic numerals|Matte silver dial, applied luminous Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds, case 104396
File:Ref 3134 dial-california.webp|alt=3134 pink California dial|California-style dial in pink, half Roman and half Arabic
File:Ref 3134 dial-california-chronometer.webp|alt=3134 California dial marked Chronometer with centre seconds|The second California example, marked Chronometer and running centre sweep seconds, circa 1945
</gallery>


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


[[File:Ref 3134 case-profile.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3134 case profile showing the domed caseback|Case profile: curved lugs, inclined bezel, screw-down crown and the domed back the family is named for]]
Most auction descriptions give a 32 mm diameter. Klöter's 2019 catalogue gives 30 mm; Bruun Rasmussen gives 32.5 mm; Pestel-Debord's 2018 lot gives 33 mm. These are lot measurements, not a confirmed reference-wide dimension. Antiquorum's 2013 lot 143 is 14 mm thick; it is the only source reviewed with a thickness figure. The cases are tonneau-shaped, with an inclined smooth bezel, acrylic crystal and screw-down crown.
[[File:Ref 3134 caseback.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=3134 screw-down caseback|Screw-down caseback with milled edge]]
 
The case is a 32 mm tonneau of roughly 14 mm thickness, with an inclined smooth bezel, an acrylic crystal and a screw-down crown. The 32 mm figure is unusually consistent for a Bubbleback. Records for the 3130 and 3131 scatter across 31, 32 and 33 mm depending on where the tonneau is measured, yet all four documented 3134 examples agree on 32.
 
Two case questions are unresolved, and both matter.


The first is construction. The catalogue for case 168751 describes a case "composed of three parts with curved lugs, inclined bezel, screwed down case back." That conflicts with the surrounding cohort: Rolex moved to a two-piece Oyster case in 1936 with the 3131 and 3132, and every later reference in the block is understood to sit on that platform. Either the catalogue counts bezel, mid-case and caseback by a convention of its own, or the 3134 retained an older construction. Both readings stand; neither is settled.
Antiquorum's 2013 lot 143 calls the case "three body," and Exclusive Timepieces describes case 168751 as "composed of three parts." Both catalogue descriptions identify a three-part case.


The second is the lugs. The 1992 steel-and-yellow-gold example is described as having "hooded fluted lugs," while case 168751 has plain curved lugs. Those are different case architectures, not two phrasings of one. Hooded lugs are the most sought-after Bubbleback case design, the trait that makes the 3065, 3595 and 3599 desirable, so a genuine hooded-lug 3134 sub-variant would be the most collectible branch of the reference. One example is a lead rather than a rule, and no second hooded 3134 has surfaced to confirm it.
Antiquorum's 1992 catalogue describes its steel-and-yellow-gold example as having "hooded fluted lugs," while case 168751 has curved lugs. The hooded-lug distinction remains catalogue evidence because no photograph of the 1992 watch has been located. Pestel-Debord describes a domed screw-down back and an era crown; Dr. Crott's 2019 catalogue specifies a screw-down "Oyster Patent" crown on case 126947. Collectors use “Bubbleback” for this family; Rolex called the model Oyster Perpetual.


One point of honesty about the family label: no documented lot describes the 3134's caseback as domed. The catalogues say "screwed down case back" and "screwed back and crown, waterproof," and neither Antiquorum entry uses the word Perpetual. The reference sits in the Bubbleback family because its movement is a confirmed self-winding 9¾-ligne of the rotor era and because two auction houses catalogue it under that name in their own lot titles — not because any surfaced description records the caseback profile.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 3134 case-profile.webp|alt=3134 case profile showing the domed caseback|Case profile: curved lugs, inclined bezel, screw-down crown and the domed back the family is named for
File:Ref 3134 caseback.webp|alt=3134 screw-down caseback|Screw-down caseback with milled edge
</gallery>


==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==
==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==


Only one documented example carries a bracelet: case 168751, on a riveted steel Oyster. That is period-correct for a 1940s steel Bubbleback and nothing more. A bracelet dates itself, not the watch head, and no documentation ties this one to original delivery. The Luxe example came on an associated leather strap with a Rolex steel tang buckle, which is to say on nothing original at all.
Two catalogued examples carry riveted steel bracelets. Exclusive Timepieces lists one on case 168751, but its fitting date is unstated. Dr. Crott describes the bracelet on case 126947 as later. The Luxe example has an associated leather strap and a Rolex steel tang buckle; Pestel-Debord describes its leather strap as added. Treat these bracelet associations as object-specific; original fitment remains unproved.


==The suffix question==
==Case-metal suffixes==


Rolex used slash suffixes on Bubbleback references through this period to encode case metal, and the system is real: Colin A. White's ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' documents 172 distinct Bubblebacks, including slash variants of otherwise identical reference numbers, with 1578/7 and 1578/8 as worked examples.
Rolex used slash suffixes on Bubbleback references to distinguish case metals. Colin A. White's ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' gives 1578/7 and 1578/8 as examples. Auction catalogues describe steel, steel-and-yellow-gold, and steel/gold 3134 cases. The two steel/gold descriptions do not specify the alloy or connect the material to a reference suffix, so the 3134 suffix map remains unconfirmed.
 
A specific five-rung ladder for the 3134 — steel, rolled-gold cap, gold bezel, pink gold, yellow gold — circulates in secondary compilations. It is not reproduced here, because no documented source ties that ladder to this reference, and the compilations carrying it attribute it to an author who does not exist. The general system is documented. The per-reference ladder, for the 3134 specifically, is not. What the auction record actually shows is two case materials: steel, and steel with yellow gold.


==Auction record==
==Auction record==
Line 130: Line 193:
| 1992-10-17
| 1992-10-17
| 181
| 181
| —
| Not stated
| Steel and yellow gold
| Steel and yellow gold
| Black
| Black
| EUR 15,000–18,000
| Not stated
| Unsold
| Unsold
|-
| Antiquorum Milan
| 1995-05-22
| 161
| Not stated
| Steel
| Silvered, printed Roman numerals, centre seconds
| ITL 3,800–4,200
| Result not located
|-
|-
| Antiquorum Geneva #272
| Antiquorum Geneva #272
Line 142: Line 214:
| Steel
| Steel
| Matte silver, applied luminous Arabics
| Matte silver, applied luminous Arabics
| EUR 4,000–6,000
| CHF 4,000–6,000
| Unsold
| Unsold
|-
| Dr. Crott 91st auction
| 2015-05-16
| 41059
| 529380
| Steel and gold
| Silvered, applied indexes, centre seconds
| EUR 2,700–3,500
| Result not located
|-
| Pestel-Debord
| 2018-01-19
| 13
| Not stated
| Steel
| Cream, railway track, applied numerals and arrowhead indexes
| Not stated
| Result not located
|-
| Sotheby's Watches Online
| 2018-10-05
| Not stated
| Not stated
| Steel
| California-style, centre seconds
| USD 4,000–6,000
| Result not located; photograph appears to match Luxe 2026
|-
|-
| Exclusive Timepieces
| Exclusive Timepieces
| —
| Not stated
| 227
| 227
| 168751
| 168751
Line 153: Line 252:
| EUR 6,000–12,000
| EUR 6,000–12,000
| EUR 13,650
| EUR 13,650
|-
| Dr. Crott 101st auction
| 2019-11-16
| 329
| 126947
| Steel
| Two-colour silvered, Beyer-signed
| EUR 4,000–6,000
| EUR 7,300
|-
| Galerie + Auktionshaus Peter Klöter, Auction 185
| 2019-11-30
| 443
| Not stated
| Steel/gold; alloy and case layout not detailed
| Silvered Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds
| Not stated
| Result not located
|-
| Bruun Rasmussen
| 2022-11-30
| 2009
| Not stated
| Steel
| Black; dial and hands relumed
| Not stated
| Result not located
|-
|-
| Luxe Auctioneers
| Luxe Auctioneers
| 2026-01-15
| 2026-01-15
| —
| 118
| —
| Not stated
| Steel
| Steel
| California
| California
| —
| Not stated
| USD 3,250
| USD 3,250 hammer; USD 4,063 total reported by EveryWatch
|}
|}


The record is four lots deep and internally strange. Case 168751 sold at EUR 13,650 against a EUR 6,000–12,000 estimate, a clear over-estimate result on a steel Bubbleback with a patinated pink dial. The California-dial example sold for USD 3,250 in early 2026, roughly a quarter of that, despite carrying the configuration most collectors would name as the reference's draw. Condition explains part of the gap: the Luxe dial was catalogued with toning and minor spotting, and the watch came on an associated strap.
Case 168751 sold for EUR 13,650 against a EUR 6,000–12,000 estimate. Dr. Crott reports EUR 7,300 for case 126947 against a EUR 4,000–6,000 estimate. Luxe Auctioneers reported a USD 3,250 hammer for its California-dial example; EveryWatch reports USD 4,063 including fees.


The two Antiquorum lots both failed to sell, and the 1992 estimate of EUR 15,000–18,000 for a steel-and-gold example reads as a relic of the period when Bubblebacks were the most sought-after vintage Rolex on the market. That estimate has not been approached since.
Antiquorum's 1992 and 2013 lots were unsold; cases 168751 and 126947 sold for the prices above. Results remain missing for several listings, so the table is incomplete as a market sample.


Four lots across thirty-four years is not enough to state a market level for this reference. It is enough to say that the 3134 does not trade at 3130 or 3133 money, and that the two occasions it was offered with a serious estimate, it did not find a buyer.
==Related references==


== Related references ==
* [[Reference:3131|Bubbleback 3131]] (1936–c.1948)
 
* [[Reference:3131|Bubbleback 3131]] — 1936–c.1948
* [[Reference:3132|Bubbleback 3132]]
* [[Reference:3132|Bubbleback 3132]]
* [[Reference:3372|Bubbleback 3372]]
* [[Reference:3372|Bubbleback 3372]]
* [[Reference:3065|Bubbleback 3065]] — 1937–1950
* [[Reference:3065|Bubbleback 3065]] (1937–1950)
* [[Reference:3595|Bubbleback 3595]] — 1941–1949
* [[Reference:3595|Bubbleback 3595]] (1941–1949)
* [[Reference:2940|Bubbleback 2940]] — 1940–1949
* [[Reference:2940|Bubbleback 2940]] (1940–1949)


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]].
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 ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 3134 hero.webp|alt=Steel Rolex 3134 with pink California-style dial|Steel 3134 with California-style dial
File:Ref 3134 dial-matte-silver.webp|alt=3134 matte silver dial with luminous Arabic numerals|Matte silver dial and subsidiary seconds
File:Ref 3134 dial-california.webp|alt=3134 pink California dial|Pink California-style dial
File:Ref 3134 dial-california-chronometer.webp|alt=3134 California dial marked Chronometer with centre seconds|California-style dial with centre seconds
File:Ref 3134 case-profile.webp|alt=3134 case profile showing the domed caseback|Case profile
File:Ref 3134 caseback.webp|alt=3134 screw-down caseback|Caseback
</gallery>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==


* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-3134/lpi Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva #140 Lot 181 — Rolex ref 3134 steel and yellow gold, black dial, 1940s", Antiquorum, 1992-10-17]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-3134/lpi Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva #140 Lot 181 — Rolex ref 3134 steel and yellow gold, black dial, 1940s", Antiquorum, 1992-10-17]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-3134/lpi Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva #272 Lot 143 — Rolex ref 3134 steel, matte silver dial, case 104396", Antiquorum, 2013-05-12]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-3134-lot-272-143 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva #272 Lot 143 — Rolex ref 3134 steel, matte silver dial, case 104396", Antiquorum, 2013-05-12]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-117-161 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Milan, 22 May 1995, lot 161 — Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer ref. 3134", Antiquorum, 1995-05-22]
* [https://uhren-muser.de/catalogues/en/Crott_91_US.pdf Dr. Crott Auctioneers, "Dr. Crott 91st Auction, lot 41059 — Rolex ref. 3134, case 529380", Dr. Crott Auctioneers, 2015-05-16]
* [https://www.gazette-drouot.com/en/lots/8352267-rolex-vers-1950-modele-oyster--- Pestel-Debord, "Pestel-Debord, 19 January 2018, lot 13 — Rolex ref. 3134", Pestel-Debord / Gazette Drouot, 2018-01-19]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/slideshows/10-watches-under-10000-watches-online Sotheby's, "Sotheby's Watches Online slideshow, October 2018 — Rolex ref. 3134", Sotheby's, 2018-10-05]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/oyster-perpetual/watch-9107818 EveryWatch, "Exclusive Timepieces Lot 227 — Rolex ref 3134 Bubbleback steel, pink dial, case 168751", EveryWatch]
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/oyster-perpetual/watch-9107818 EveryWatch, "Exclusive Timepieces Lot 227 — Rolex ref 3134 Bubbleback steel, pink dial, case 168751", EveryWatch]
* [https://uhren-muser.de/en/archives/101/50620 Dr. Crott Auctioneers, "Dr. Crott 101st Auction, lot 329 — Rolex ref. 3134, case 126947", Dr. Crott Auctioneers, 2019-11-16]
* [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/Rolex-A-wristwatch-of-steel-Model-Oyster-Perpetual-Bubbleback-ref-3134-Mechanical/2009-rolex_wristwatch_steel_3134-30.11.22-bruun Bruun Rasmussen, "Bruun Rasmussen, 30 November 2022, lot 2009 — Rolex ref. 3134", Bruun Rasmussen, 2022-11-30]
* [https://www.kloeter-auktionen.de/Katalog_185.pdf Galerie + Auktionshaus Peter Klöter, "Galerie + Auktionshaus Peter Klöter, Auction 185, lot 443 — Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 3134", Galerie + Auktionshaus Peter Klöter, 2019-11-30]
* [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-3134-STEEL-BUBBLE-BACK-WITH-CALIFORNIA-DIAL-CIRCA-1945/118-rolex_3134_steel_3134-15.1.26-luxe Luxe Auctioneers, "Luxe Auctioneers — Rolex ref 3134 steel Bubble Back with California dial, circa 1945", Luxe Auctioneers, 2026-01-15]
* [https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/ROLEX-REF-3134-STEEL-BUBBLE-BACK-WITH-CALIFORNIA-DIAL-CIRCA-1945/118-rolex_3134_steel_3134-15.1.26-luxe Luxe Auctioneers, "Luxe Auctioneers — Rolex ref 3134 steel Bubble Back with California dial, circa 1945", Luxe Auctioneers, 2026-01-15]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-3134/lpi Collectors Square, "Collectors Square price index — Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref 3134", Collectors Square]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-3134/lpi Collectors Square, "Collectors Square price index — Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref 3134", Collectors Square]
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-bubbleback-watches-collector-guide-1931-1950s-1235893131/ Robb Report, "Robb Report — A Collector's Guide to Rolex Bubbleback Watches 1931-1950s", Robb Report, current]
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-bubbleback-watches-collector-guide-1931-1950s-1235893131/ Robb Report, "Robb Report — A Collector's Guide to Rolex Bubbleback Watches 1931-1950s", Robb Report, current]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-bubbleback-and-why-it-still-matters Hodinkee, "Everything You Need To Know About The Vintage Rolex Bubbleback", Hodinkee]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-bubbleback-and-why-it-still-matters Anthony Traina, "The Rolex Bubbleback And Why It Still Matters", Hodinkee, 2024-10-07]
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://calibercorner.com/rolex-caliber-620/ Caliber Corner, "Caliber Corner — Rolex Caliber 620", Caliber Corner, current]
* [https://calibercorner.com/rolex-caliber-620/ Caliber Corner, "Caliber Corner — Rolex Caliber 620", Caliber Corner, current]
* [https://calibercorner.com/ "Caliber Corner — 630"]
* [https://www.matthewbaininc.com/product-page/rolex-stainless-steel-bubbleback-ref-3134 Matthew Bain Inc, "Matthew Bain Inc — Rolex stainless steel Bubbleback ref 3134 with California dial, circa 1941", Matthew Bain Inc]
* [https://www.matthewbaininc.com/product-page/rolex-stainless-steel-bubbleback-ref-3134 Matthew Bain Inc, "Matthew Bain Inc — Rolex stainless steel Bubbleback ref 3134 with California dial, circa 1941", Matthew Bain Inc]
* [https://perezcope.com/dials/ Jose Pereztroika, "Dials — California dial patent chronology", Perezcope]
[[Category:Bubbleback]]
[[Category:Bubbleback]]
[[Category:References]]

Latest revision as of 19:20, 8 October 2026


Bubbleback → 3134

Steel 3134 with a pink California-style dial
Steel 3134 with a pink California-style dial

The 3134 is a tonneau Oyster Perpetual documented with both subsidiary and centre seconds. Auction descriptions give movement sizes of 9½ and 9¾ lignes. Most listed cases are steel; steel-and-gold examples also appear. Auctioneers date individual watches from about 1939 to 1957; those estimates do not establish the factory production span.

Core facts

detail value
reference 3134
family Bubbleback (collector term; Rolex called it Oyster Perpetual)
documented examples auction records include repeat offerings; catalogued dates run from about 1939 to 1957
case diameter 32 mm in most records; other catalogues give 30, 32.5, and 33 mm
case thickness 14 mm on Antiquorum’s 2013 example; not a reference-wide figure
case shape tonneau
case construction three-body / three-part in two catalogues
bezel inclined, smooth
crystal acrylic
crown screw-down
movement automatic; auction descriptions give 9½ and 9¾ lignes
escapement lever; described as straight-line in the 2013 catalogue
balance monometallic with a self-compensating Breguet balance spring in 1992; Superbalance in 2013
seconds subsidiary and centre sweep both documented
case materials stainless steel; steel and yellow gold; two steel-and-gold listings with alloy unspecified

Where it sits in the line

The 3134 belongs to the two-digit-suffixed Oyster Perpetual references 3130 through 3135. The group includes different seconds layouts and case metals. Antiquorum's 1992 and 2013 examples have subsidiary seconds. Exclusive Timepieces lot 227 and the Luxe Auctioneers example have centre seconds.

Auction records document steel, one steel-and-yellow-gold case, and two steel-and-gold listings whose alloy is unspecified.

Production outline

Auction catalogues date individual 3134 examples from about 1939 to 1957. The early end comes from Bruun Rasmussen's 2022 listing; Antiquorum and other catalogues place examples in the 1940s and 1950s. These estimates describe individual watches and leave the factory endpoints open.

Exclusive Timepieces dates case 168751 to 1957, while Anthony Traina's 2024 Hodinkee guide places the end of Bubbleback production in the mid-1950s. That 1957 date falls after Traina's family endpoint; the available records leave 3134's closing year unsettled.

Movement notes

The cited auction lots give two movement sizes. Antiquorum's 1992 lot 181 and Exclusive Timepieces lot 227 give 9¾ lignes. Antiquorum's 1995 Milan lot 161 gives 9½ lignes and describes an automatic, 17-jewel movement with a Superbalance and Breguet spring. Klöter describes the movement in lot 443 as an intact anchor movement, without naming a caliber or winding type. The 1992 lot describes a self-winding, 17-jewel movement with lever escapement, monometallic balance and a self-compensating Breguet spring. Dr. Crott's 2015 lot describes a rotor-wind movement with a "patented super balance." Its 2019 lot gives movement number 94767 but no caliber. Pestel-Debord calls its circa-1950 example automatic and chronometer-certified. Antiquorum's 2013 lot 143 reports rhodium plating, a straight-line lever escapement and a Superbalance; its entry gives no movement size or jewel count.

Use the movement marking to identify the caliber. The cited auction catalogues give movement sizes and construction details but no caliber number; seconds layout alone cannot distinguish Cal. 620 from 635 in a subsidiary-seconds watch or Cal. 630 from 645 in a centre-seconds watch. See Cal. 620, Cal. 630, Cal. 635, and Cal. 645.

Dial map

The auction record includes several dial layouts. These are catalogue descriptions; original dial fitment remains unverified.

Dial Catalogue example Seconds Notes
Black Antiquorum Geneva 1992, steel and yellow gold Subsidiary The catalogue describes the case as having hooded fluted lugs.
Silvered, printed Roman numerals Antiquorum Milan 1995 Centre Steel, 32 mm; 9½-ligne automatic.
Matte silver with applied luminous Arabic numerals Antiquorum Geneva 2013, case 104396 Subsidiary Outer minutes track.
Pink, luminous Arabic and squared numerals Exclusive Timepieces, case 168751 Centre Patinated dial; outer minutes track.
Silvered with Arabic numerals Galerie + Auktionshaus Peter Klöter, Auction 185, lot 443 Subsidiary Catalogue gives 30 mm and dates the watch to circa 1955; the listed alloy and case construction are not specified beyond steel/gold.
Silvered with applied indexes Dr. Crott 2015, case 529380 Centre Silver and gold case; luminous alpha hands.
Two-colour silvered, signed Beyer Dr. Crott 2019, case 126947 Centre, visible in catalogue photograph Dr. Crott calls it "Double Name"; the record gives movement no. 94767 and delivery to Beyer in Zurich with original box.
California-style, half Roman and half Arabic Sotheby's 2018; Luxe 2026 Centre The photographs appear to show one watch offered twice. Luxe notes toning and spotting; dial originality is unverified.
Cream with railway track, applied arrowhead indexes and numerals Pestel-Debord 2018 Not stated Gold lance hands; catalogue gives 33 mm.
Black with pale markers Bruun Rasmussen 2022 Not stated The catalogue says the dial and hands were relumed; operation was not guaranteed.

Rolex filed Swiss patent CH221643 for the California-style dial design in May 1941; it was issued in June 1942. The patent dates the design; individual dials need separate provenance.

  • 3134 matte silver dial with luminous Arabic numerals
    Matte silver dial, applied luminous Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds, case 104396
  • 3134 pink California dial
    California-style dial in pink, half Roman and half Arabic
  • 3134 California dial marked Chronometer with centre seconds
    The second California example, marked Chronometer and running centre sweep seconds, circa 1945

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Most auction descriptions give a 32 mm diameter. Klöter's 2019 catalogue gives 30 mm; Bruun Rasmussen gives 32.5 mm; Pestel-Debord's 2018 lot gives 33 mm. These are lot measurements, not a confirmed reference-wide dimension. Antiquorum's 2013 lot 143 is 14 mm thick; it is the only source reviewed with a thickness figure. The cases are tonneau-shaped, with an inclined smooth bezel, acrylic crystal and screw-down crown.

Antiquorum's 2013 lot 143 calls the case "three body," and Exclusive Timepieces describes case 168751 as "composed of three parts." Both catalogue descriptions identify a three-part case.

Antiquorum's 1992 catalogue describes its steel-and-yellow-gold example as having "hooded fluted lugs," while case 168751 has curved lugs. The hooded-lug distinction remains catalogue evidence because no photograph of the 1992 watch has been located. Pestel-Debord describes a domed screw-down back and an era crown; Dr. Crott's 2019 catalogue specifies a screw-down "Oyster Patent" crown on case 126947. Collectors use “Bubbleback” for this family; Rolex called the model Oyster Perpetual.

  • 3134 case profile showing the domed caseback
    Case profile: curved lugs, inclined bezel, screw-down crown and the domed back the family is named for
  • 3134 screw-down caseback
    Screw-down caseback with milled edge

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

Two catalogued examples carry riveted steel bracelets. Exclusive Timepieces lists one on case 168751, but its fitting date is unstated. Dr. Crott describes the bracelet on case 126947 as later. The Luxe example has an associated leather strap and a Rolex steel tang buckle; Pestel-Debord describes its leather strap as added. Treat these bracelet associations as object-specific; original fitment remains unproved.

Case-metal suffixes

Rolex used slash suffixes on Bubbleback references to distinguish case metals. Colin A. White's The Vintage Rolex Field Manual gives 1578/7 and 1578/8 as examples. Auction catalogues describe steel, steel-and-yellow-gold, and steel/gold 3134 cases. The two steel/gold descriptions do not specify the alloy or connect the material to a reference suffix, so the 3134 suffix map remains unconfirmed.

Auction record

Venue Date Lot Case no. Material Dial Estimate Result
Antiquorum Geneva #140 1992-10-17 181 Not stated Steel and yellow gold Black Not stated Unsold
Antiquorum Milan 1995-05-22 161 Not stated Steel Silvered, printed Roman numerals, centre seconds ITL 3,800–4,200 Result not located
Antiquorum Geneva #272 2013-05-12 143 104396 Steel Matte silver, applied luminous Arabics CHF 4,000–6,000 Unsold
Dr. Crott 91st auction 2015-05-16 41059 529380 Steel and gold Silvered, applied indexes, centre seconds EUR 2,700–3,500 Result not located
Pestel-Debord 2018-01-19 13 Not stated Steel Cream, railway track, applied numerals and arrowhead indexes Not stated Result not located
Sotheby's Watches Online 2018-10-05 Not stated Not stated Steel California-style, centre seconds USD 4,000–6,000 Result not located; photograph appears to match Luxe 2026
Exclusive Timepieces Not stated 227 168751 Steel Pink with patina EUR 6,000–12,000 EUR 13,650
Dr. Crott 101st auction 2019-11-16 329 126947 Steel Two-colour silvered, Beyer-signed EUR 4,000–6,000 EUR 7,300
Galerie + Auktionshaus Peter Klöter, Auction 185 2019-11-30 443 Not stated Steel/gold; alloy and case layout not detailed Silvered Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds Not stated Result not located
Bruun Rasmussen 2022-11-30 2009 Not stated Steel Black; dial and hands relumed Not stated Result not located
Luxe Auctioneers 2026-01-15 118 Not stated Steel California Not stated USD 3,250 hammer; USD 4,063 total reported by EveryWatch

Case 168751 sold for EUR 13,650 against a EUR 6,000–12,000 estimate. Dr. Crott reports EUR 7,300 for case 126947 against a EUR 4,000–6,000 estimate. Luxe Auctioneers reported a USD 3,250 hammer for its California-dial example; EveryWatch reports USD 4,063 including fees.

Antiquorum's 1992 and 2013 lots were unsold; cases 168751 and 126947 sold for the prices above. Results remain missing for several listings, so the table is incomplete as a market sample.

Related references

See also the Bubbleback family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

Gallery

  • Steel Rolex 3134 with pink California-style dial
    Steel 3134 with California-style dial
  • 3134 matte silver dial with luminous Arabic numerals
    Matte silver dial and subsidiary seconds
  • 3134 pink California dial
    Pink California-style dial
  • 3134 California dial marked Chronometer with centre seconds
    California-style dial with centre seconds
  • 3134 case profile showing the domed caseback
    Case profile
  • 3134 screw-down caseback
    Caseback

Sources

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