Reference:3009

Oyster -> 3009

Rolex Oyster Chronometre “Scientific” 3009 in 18K pink gold, on a black leather strap, Christie's Watches Online: Swiss Icons 2018

The most distinctive 3009 dial is white vitreous enamel, with separate hour and minute tracks, an outer fifths-of-a-second scale and a red centre-seconds hand. Auction records also show champagne, silvered, 24-hour, California and silvered sector dials; one Observatory example has subsidiary seconds.

Most auction descriptions identify manual movements. Sotheby’s June 2026 lot is titled “Bubbleback Flatback”; Antiquorum has also used Bubbleback and Oyster Perpetual headings while describing manual winding in the lot text. Two Lacy Scott & Knight entries repeat the same “automatic” description. Their catalogues do not identify the movement caliber, and the repeated wording remains unresolved. Hodinkee describes its pictured 3009 as a manual-wind flatback.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	3009
model designations	Oyster Chronometre "Scientific"; also catalogued as Oyster Royal, Observatory, and Oyster Chronometer
production	no documented range; Glasgow import mark for 1937 and a presentation inscription dated 1947 are the firm dated observations
case diameter	30–33mm in catalogues, most often 31mm
observed dimensions	10mm thick on several catalogue records; 17mm lug width and 27.3g on one LSK example
case shape	tonneau / barrel
case construction	catalogued as two- or three-body; screw-down back and crown
case materials	9ct gold, 14K yellow gold, 14K pink gold, 18K yellow gold, 18K pink gold
crystal	material not established across the cited catalogues
movement	manual 10½-ligne movements documented; Aegler Hunter / Cal. 700 is a probable family attribution, not a visible caliber marking
jewels	17 or 18
adjustment	variously "timed to 6 positions", "adjusted to seven positions", "adjusted in eight ways"
seconds	centre seconds on most catalogued watches; subsidiary seconds on the Observatory example
signature dial	two-piece white vitreous enamel, three tracks, fifths-of-a-second outer scale

Where it sits in the line

Antiquorum records several names on ref. 3116, including Royal, Viceroy and Imperial, as well as chronometer-labelled Imperial and Observatory variants.

Ref. 3009 follows the same pattern. Auction catalogues use Chronometre Scientific, Oyster Royal, Observatory, Oyster Chronometer and Speedking Precision. “Scientific” appears on the white enamel dial, but it does not identify a single case material, movement grade or seconds layout.

David Boettcher describes Prima, Extra Prima and Ultra Prima as movement grades separate from calibers. The documented 3009 jewel counts and adjustment descriptions do not map cleanly onto that broader ladder, so the dial wording should not be used to infer a grade.

Case 37845, the example whose Glasgow import mark for 1937 is the only compulsory-dated anchor in the reference's record.

Production outline

Auction catalogues date individual 3009s from circa 1930 to circa 1944, but those estimates do not form a consistent case-number sequence. Bonhams records a Glasgow import mark for 1937 on case 37845. That dates its assay or import, not the watch’s manufacture. A separate 1947 presentation inscription documents the date of the presentation; Antiquorum’s circa-1959 estimate for that watch remains unresolved.

The observed case numbers include 12818, 37791, 37840, 37845, 39218, 39250, 39251, 46704, 56568 and 474700. The last belongs to the watch Antiquorum dated circa 1959 and titled Oyster Perpetual despite describing manual winding. Its outer caseback has a presentation inscription dated 1947, which also conflicts with the catalogue date. Neither date establishes the production run.

Lacy Scott & Knight sold consecutive cases 39251 and 39250 four weeks apart in 2025. Both are 9ct-gold watches with later monograms. The records suggest a relationship but do not prove shared delivery or continuous paired ownership.

Movement notes

The 3009 catalogues describe 10½-ligne movements but show no Cal. 700 marking. Boettcher identifies the 10½-ligne Aegler Hunter family as Rolex Cal. 700. For ref. 6210, Christie’s calls the Kew A movement Cal. 10.5; Uhrenkosmos calls it Cal. 700. Vetroplastica describes a Cal. 700 base with Cal. 720 parts, while Bonhams says the base was reworked into what Rolex called Cal. 720. These labels refer to the hand-wound Kew A movement; the generic Cal. 720 entry on the Movements page describes the automatic branch. Cal. 700 remains plausible for the 3009 family, but no cited 3009 catalogue identifies its movement by that caliber number.

That base was not exclusive to Rolex. Aegler supplied it to Gruen as the calibres 825, 826 and 827, and Boettcher documents a Gruen 826 with indirect centre seconds. Catalogues record both 17- and 18-jewel movements, with varying adjustment language. No source explains the split, and the records do not map cleanly onto Boettcher's general grade hierarchy. Bridge wording such as “Timed 6 Positions” documents one movement’s marking; it does not date the watch.

The 10½-ligne calibre in a 14K case, bridges engraved TIMED 6 POSITIONS and 18 RUBIES over the Patented Superbalance.

Indirect centre seconds

Boettcher describes this Aegler family's centre-seconds option as indirect: an extra wheel on an extended third-wheel arbor drives the centre pinion. This mechanism applies to the centre-seconds 3009 configurations; the subsidiary-seconds Observatory watch uses a different arrangement.

The indirect seconds pinion can flutter because it sits outside the main gear train. A friction spring damps that motion; Jack Forster notes that poor adjustment can add load and reduce balance amplitude.

Dial map

• 
  The Scientific dial at close range, from the 9K gold example sold at Antiquorum Hong Kong, 2019, case 39218: hours on the inner ring, minutes outside them, an outer scale to fifths of a second, and the red centre seconds hand. Hairlines run through the enamel and the word SCIENTIFIC has begun to lose paint.
• 
  The plain silvered configuration in 18K yellow gold, applied gold Arabic numerals and a blued centre seconds hand, catalogued simply as an Oyster Chronomètre.
• 
  A 24-hour dial on the same case reference: luminous Arabic hours with the 13 to 24 numerals printed in red inside them, case 46704.
• 
  The champagne dial signed ROLEX OYSTER ROYAL over OBSERVATORY, case 37840, here with subsidiary seconds at 6 rather than the centre seconds of the Scientific.
• 
  The California dial, case 12818: painted luminous Arabic and Roman numerals with baton indexes. One documented lot, not a production configuration on this evidence.

Seven dial configurations appear in the auction and photographed record reviewed here.

The white enamel Scientific dial is the most recognizable configuration. Antiquorum’s 2019 Hong Kong catalogue describes inner Arabic numerals, separate hour and minute tracks, and an outer scale marked in fifths of a second. Several catalogues call the dial two-piece. The available descriptions do not establish how its inner disc is mounted.

Other catalogued examples include champagne Oyster Royal/Observatory, restored two-tone silvered centre-seconds, 24-hour, copper-coloured California, silvered baton and silvered sector dials. The California layout is supported by one lot; the records do not establish a factory dial list.

How the enamel dial is made

The dials are vitreous enamel, easily mistaken for porcelain at a glance. Boettcher describes powdered glass fired onto a copper base, with numerals and tracks added in vitreous painting enamel. The fired substrate resists fading, while impacts, flexing and later painted text can still leave visible damage.

Hairline cracks do not prove originality. Boettcher identifies flexing during removal or tightening as common causes, although the photographs cannot establish when each crack occurred. Christie's records five separate cracks on its pink-gold example.

Boettcher separates fired numerals and tracks from names painted onto the finished enamel surface. He treats unnaturally fresh painted wording as a flag for closer inspection; it doesn't by itself confirm the work happened later. Christie's records paint loss on “chronometre” and “scientific,” and Lacy Scott & Knight records red loss from a seconds hand.

Paint loss in the model wording and hairline cracks through the enamel on the Christie's example

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

• 
  Inner caseback of a 14K example: the 31 Victoires legend, the R.W.C. LTD sponsor's mark in its oval, the 0.585-14K fineness mark, and the reference number stamped down the left edge.
• 
  The same case in 18K, marked 0.750-18K under the coronet with the reference number below.
• 
  The 18K pink gold example, catalogued at 33mm and the only one in the record above 31mm.

The catalogued tonneau cases have screw-down backs and crowns. Auction descriptions vary between two- and three-body construction. No steel example appears in the sourced record; documented materials include 9ct, 14K and 18K yellow or pink gold.

Catalogued diameters range from 30 to 33mm and most are 31mm. The records do not establish whether the spread comes from measurement method or a larger case variant.

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

No original-delivery bracelet is established. The Antiquorum Hong Kong example had a GEMEX integrated bracelet; another wore a 9ct Rolex expandable bracelet stamped 4.67, a clasp code that dates only the bracelet. Other examples appear on leather straps.

Dreweatts records the 18ct gold indirect-centre-seconds watch, case 37791, with a Manchester retailer’s presentation box.

Retailer and provenance branches

One pink-gold example sold by Antiquorum in 2006 has a caseback engraving reading “Officers of the 107th Cavalry to Col. Woods King, Nov. 29, 1943.” The engraving documents a presentation; it does not establish military issue.

The Dreweatts 3009 came with a Manchester retailer’s presentation box. The Asprey-retailed Imperial Chronometre Scientific is reference 3116, a separate case reference from the 3009.

Auction record

Fifteen sourced auction appearances across seven houses.

Sale	Date	Configuration	Case	Result
Sotheby's, Hong Kong HK0206	27 Apr 2004	pink gold, centre seconds	not recorded	not sold
Antiquorum, New York 151	7 Dec 2006	pink gold, brown dial, 17j; Woods King presentation	not recorded	USD 3,776
Bonhams, New York 15422	6 Dec 2007	9ct, restored two-tone silvered, 18j, 30mm	not recorded	USD 1,080
Antiquorum, Hong Kong 252	25 Jun 2011	9ct, champagne, Oyster Royal / Observatory, 17j	37840	HKD 35,000
Antiquorum, New York 271	10 Apr 2013	14K yellow gold, California dial, 17j	12818	USD 2,500
Dreweatts, Donnington Priory	26 Mar 2015	18ct, enamel, indirect centre seconds, retailer box	37791	est. GBP 4,000–6,000
Heritage, sale 5309	24 Oct 2017	14K pink gold, silvered baton, 17j, Speedking Precision heading	56568	result not published
Christie's, Swiss Icons	8 May 2018	18K pink gold, white enamel, 33mm	—	est. USD 4,000–6,000
Antiquorum, Hong Kong	28 Apr 2019	9K, white enamel Scientific, 31mm	39218	HKD 42,500
Bonhams, London 25397	19 Sep 2019	9K, enamel, Glasgow import mark 1937	37845	withdrawn
Antiquorum, Hong Kong 351	29 May 2022	18K yellow gold, silvered, centre seconds, catalogued Oyster Perpetual	474700	est. HKD 30,000–40,000
Antiquorum, Hong Kong 361	13 Jun 2023	14K yellow gold, 24-hour dial, centre seconds, catalogued Bubbleback	46704	est. HKD 35,000–50,000
Lacy Scott & Knight	20 May 2025	9ct, white enamel Scientific, 31mm	39251	GBP 5,200
Lacy Scott & Knight	14 Jun 2025	9ct, white enamel Scientific	39250	GBP 4,000
Sotheby’s, Fine Watches	17 Jun 2026	18K pink gold, silvered sector, 18 jewels, titled “Bubbleback Flatback”	278072	result not published Lacy Scott & Knight sold the consecutive-numbered 9ct enamel examples, cases 39251 and 39250, for GBP 5,200 and GBP 4,000. The auction sample mixes metals and dial condition, so it does not isolate an enamel-dial premium. Two Lacy Scott & Knight entries describe an “automatic 18-jewel movement,” using the same catalogue paragraph. Indirect centre seconds does not contradict automatic winding, so that line cannot be dismissed on mechanical grounds alone. The wider auction record describes manual movements, including Antiquorum's lots titled Bubbleback and Oyster Perpetual. Without a clear movement identification for the LSK watches, the repeated automatic wording remains an open catalogue discrepancy — neither a confirmed variant nor a disproved claim. Related references Oyster Junior Sport 2784 — manual-wind Oyster of the same era Oyster Precision 3003 See also the early Oyster and Bubbleback index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year. Rolex Oyster Chronometre Scientific 3009 in 18K pink gold White enamel Scientific dial, case 39218 Silvered centre-seconds dial 24-hour dial, case 46704 Oyster Royal Observatory dial, case 37840 California dial, case 12818 Paint loss and hairline cracks in enamel dial Movement bridge markings 14K caseback and sponsor mark 18K caseback fineness mark 18K pink-gold case Case 37845 with Glasgow 1937 import mark Sources Sotheby’s, Fine Watches 2026, Lot 404 — Rolex ref. 3009 “Bubbleback Flatback”, 18K pink gold, silvered sector dial, case 278072, circa 1944 Christie's, "Christie's Watches Online: Swiss Icons, Lot 174 — Rolex 18K Oyster Chronometer Scientific with enamel dial, ref. 3009", Christie's, 2018-05-08 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Hong Kong, Lot 320 — Rolex ref. 3009, 9K Oyster Chronometer Scientific with enamel dial, mechanical", Antiquorum, 2019-04-28 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Hong Kong, Lot 361-48 — Rolex ref. 3009, 14K yellow gold, 24-hour dial, case 46704, movement E12593", Antiquorum, 2023-06-13 Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Hong Kong, Lot 351-250 — Rolex ref. 3009, 18K yellow gold, catalogued Oyster Perpetual, case 474700, movement E34204, circa 1959", Antiquorum, 2022-05-29 Heritage Auctions, "Heritage sale 5309, Lot 54137 — Rolex ref. 3009 Pink Gold Oyster Speedking Precision, circa 1935, case 56568, movement 15204", Heritage Auctions, 2017-10-24 Bonhams, "Bonhams sale 25397, Lot 41 — Rolex 9K gold manual wind chronometer wristwatch, Oyster ref. 3009, Glasgow import mark for 1937", Bonhams, 2019-09-10 Lacy Scott & Knight, "Lacy Scott & Knight, Lot 2595 — Rolex 9ct gold Oyster Chronometer Scientific, ref. 3009, case 39251", Lacy Scott & Knight, 2025-05-20 Lacy Scott & Knight, "Lacy Scott & Knight, Lot 2150 — Rolex 9ct gold Oyster Chronometer Scientific, ref. 3009, case 39250", Lacy Scott & Knight, 2025-06-14 Collector Square, "Rolex Oyster reference 3009 auction index", Collector Square Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva, The Mondani Collection, Lot 7 — Rolex ref. 3116 'Royal', case 148000, made 1940", Antiquorum, 2006-05-14 Bonhams, "Bonhams sale 29155, Lot 19 — Rolex 18K gold Kew A manual wind wristwatch, Oyster Observatory Chronometer, ref. 6210, circa 1955", Bonhams, 2024-12-12 "Rolex ref. 6210 Oyster Observatory Chronometer "Kew A Certificate", 18K gold — Christie's Geneva, 16 Nov 2009, lot 188", Christie's, 2009-11-16 Vetroplastica, "Vetroplastica — Rolex Kew A reference and movement overview", Vetroplastica Uhrenkosmos editorial, "Rolex milestones 1952–1955 — Kew A Observatory Chronometer", Uhrenkosmos, 2026-01-02 David Boettcher, "Aegler, Fabrique Rebberg — vintagewatchstraps.com", vintagewatchstraps.com, 2026-03-31 David Boettcher, "Prima, Extra Prima and Ultra Prima", vintagewatchstraps.com David Boettcher, "Enamel Dials — vintagewatchstraps.com", vintagewatchstraps.com, 2026-03-31 David Boettcher, "Names on Dials — vintagewatchstraps.com", vintagewatchstraps.com, 2026-03-31 David Boettcher, "About Watch Movements — vintagewatchstraps.com", vintagewatchstraps.com, 2026-03-31 "Buying, Selling, & Collecting: The Rolex Bubbleback And Why It Still Matters", Hodinkee Jack Forster, "Center Seconds, Small Seconds, And Mechanical Fauxtina", Hodinkee, 2018-01-01 James Mulvale, "Meet the Precursor of the Rolex Milgauss — the Rolex Scientific Chronometer", Waecce, 2023-01-01 NAWCC members including doug sinclair, "Indirect centre seconds — why drive off the third wheel? (NAWCC Message Board)", NAWCC, 2020-01-01 NAWCC members, "1930s Rolex Oyster questions (NAWCC Message Board)", NAWCC, 2015-01-01