Reference:6106: Difference between revisions

|description=Early-1950s Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6106 examples, with dated papers, several dial layouts, movement labels, and bracelet details.

The 6106 is a stainless-steel Oyster Perpetual documented in watches dated 1951 and 1952. A Hodinkee account of one example reports a chronometer certificate dated 1952 and a purchase receipt from 1953. Auction catalogues show several dial layouts and use both A260 and Cal. 645 for individual movements.

| One auction names Cal. 645; another uses A260, Rolex’s size-family code

| Auction catalogues use Oyster Perpetual as the model name; “Big Bubbleback” appears in collector and dealer coverage

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists the 6106/0 as a stainless-steel Oyster Perpetual chronometer with a smooth polished bezel. The reference also appears in the early-1950s auction record as a 34 mm center-seconds watch. Antiquorum and Monaco Legend title their examples Oyster Perpetual. “Big Bubbleback” appears in collector and dealer coverage; [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-bubbleback-and-why-it-still-matters Hodinkee’s overview] discusses the nickname across the broader family.

The surviving dated examples cluster in 1951–52. Monaco Legend dates cases 803115 and 803400 to 1951 and 1952; Tennants dates case 803117 to 1952, and Burstow & Hewett dates case 802568 to about 1952. Hodinkee reports that a 6106’s serial and papers date its watch to 1952. A Vintage Rolex Forum owner gives case 803027 and an approximate 1951 date for another watch. Laurent Fine Watches lists a 6106 as 1962 but masks the case number as “802…”. Treat it as an unverified date outlier; the full serial cannot be checked against the dated examples. The dated examples establish early-1950s use; the production limits remain unsettled.

Across the auction records, the listed steel examples measure 34 mm. The Field Manual also identifies the 6106/0 in stainless steel.

[https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-43-374 Antiquorum’s 2003 catalogue] identifies Cal. 645 in its 6106, with 20 jewels and a 10½-ligne movement. Monaco Legend labels the movement in case 803400 A260. The [[Reference:Movements|Movements page]] describes A.260 as a size-family code shared by Cal. 635 and Cal. 645; the two 6106 catalogue labels are therefore compatible, though they remain attributions to separate watches. A [https://www.1stdibs.com/jewelry/watches/wrist-watches/rolex-stainless-steel-oyster-perpetual-wristwatch-from-1952/id-j_10216632/ 1stDibs listing] also assigns Cal. 645 and 20 jewels to its example.

The records give 17, 19, or 20 jewels on individual watches. Antiquorum’s 1998–2000 lots report 19; its 2003 lot and the 1stDibs seller report 20. Burstow & Hewett’s text says “2 jewel movement with calibre 76296,” while its photograph shows a rotor engraved “17 Jewels.” Tennants records movement number 41268 without naming a caliber. These descriptions stay attached to their own examples.

Auction photographs and descriptions show silver matte, black with applied yellow-gold indexes, silvered with dart markers, and white with arrowhead markers. Monaco Legend and Burstow & Hewett also record red “Officially” dial text on their respective examples.

Monaco Legend catalogued a 1951 example with a 3-6-9 layout and described it as Explorer-style. The records document these individual configurations but do not date their introduction or establish the originality of every dial.

The Field Manual lists a smooth polished bezel, and Monaco Legend’s photographs of case 803400 show its bezel and case flank. Monaco Legend and Hodinkee describe Super Oyster patented crowns on two individual watches; a Vintage Rolex Forum owner also posted photographs showing one. Those records document the crown on specific examples. The reviewed material gives no crystal specification.

The auction records give case numbers 802568, 803115, 803117, and 803400. The forum owner reports 803027 for a separate watch. The [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial-number guide]] keeps each source’s date beside its case number; these entries are specimen dates, not a 6106 serial-year chart.

 

The catalogued watches appear on Oyster expansion and riveted bracelets. Hodinkee describes spring-loaded links on its 1952 example and notes that one spring was missing. The linked sale listing shows the watch with papers and a bracelet. The published records do not identify bracelet references or end links, so those associations remain at specimen level.

 

[[File:Ref 6106 papers and bracelet.webp|thumb|right|220px|Hodinkee’s 2017 feature shows the watch, chronometer certificate, and purchase receipt — Hodinkee|alt=Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6106 with its chronometer certificate and purchase receipt]]

* [https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/0b5fdf83/files/uploaded/1.0%20RolexBook-23Mar.pdf ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra]

* [https://rolexopedia.net/wiki/Reference:Movements "Rolexopedia, Reference:Movements, revision 12758", Rolexopedia, 2026-10-19]