Reference:6244: Difference between revisions

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{{#seo:

|title=Rolex Oyster Royal 6244 — Star & Honeycomb Dials, Cal. 710, Auction Record | Rolexopedia

|description=Rolex reference 6244: a manual-wind Oyster Royal with Cal. 710, star and honeycomb dial variants, and a twelve-lot auction record across five ~~major~~ houses.

|description=Rolex reference 6244: a manual-wind Oyster Royal with Cal. 710, star and honeycomb dial variants, and a twelve-lot auction record across five houses.

|image=Ref 6244 hero.webp

|type=article

}}

<small>Oyster → '''6244'''</small>

<small>Oyster › '''6244'''</small>

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The 6244 is a manual-wind steel Oyster from the 1950s and early 1960s, sold under the Oyster

Royal name alongside plainer "Oyster" catalogue titles. Twelve auctioned examples across five

~~major~~ houses document the reference: three at Bonhams, four at Antiquorum, three at Christie's,

houses document the reference: three at Bonhams, four at Antiquorum, three at Christie's,

one at Heritage, and one at Phillips. ~~Every~~ catalogued movement is hand-wound~~; nothing in the~~

one at Heritage, and one at Phillips. One thin Antiquorum listing calls a single example self-winding; every other catalogued movement is hand-wound, and Cal. 710 is a manual-wind caliber.

~~record supports the "self~~-~~winding" wording one thin Antiquorum lot used for a single example~~.

Case numbers split into two bands roughly 90,000 apart, and the two bands date very differently.

~~The reference's own~~ Cal. 710 is confirmed by name at four of the five houses. ~~That makes 6244~~ the

Cal. 710 is confirmed by name at four of the five houses. Its siblings in the

~~first reference in Rolex's~~ 10½-ligne hand-wound Hunter family ~~with an unambiguous caliber stamp;~~

10½-ligne hand-wound Hunter family carry only plausible, unconfirmed caliber assignments in the

~~its siblings~~ carry only a plausible, unconfirmed ~~assignment~~.

auction record.

==Core facts==

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text) to circa 1952 as well. Christie's catalogued two more watches in this same band: case

836'438, dated circa 1959, and case 836447, dated 1962. The two Christie's cases sit only nine

digits apart yet carry dates three years apart from the same house. The ~~reference's own~~ Serial-numbers ~~page~~

digits apart yet carry dates three years apart from the same house. The [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial-number guide]] explains the mechanism: Rolex restarted its numeric case sequence in the mid-1950s, so a number in

explains the mechanism: Rolex restarted its numeric case sequence in the mid-1950s, so a number in

the low-to-mid 830,000s can fall in either the early-1950s pre-reset sequence or the early-1960s

post-reset one, and the digits alone cannot settle which.

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That level of agreement makes 6244 the exception in its own movement family.

The ~~reference's own~~ Movements ~~page~~ groups Cal. 700 and 710 as a shared 10½-ligne hand-wound Hunter architecture.

The [[Reference:Movements|movement guide]] groups Cal. 700 and 710 as a shared 10½-ligne hand-wound Hunter architecture.

Its siblings 2765, 2595 and 3009 carry only a plausible caliber assignment, since none of their

surfaced auction descriptions names one. The 6244 record names it, repeatedly and across houses.

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Six distinct dial treatments are documented across the twelve catalogued watches, and no two

houses describe the same layout in identical terms.

[[File:Ref 6244 dial-tropical.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Rolex 6244 tropical dial with gilt baton markers, case 921954|Tropical (brown-toned) dial with applied luminous-tipped gilt baton hour markers and dagger hands. Bonhams London, case 921,954, catalogued circa 1960.]]

Bonhams catalogued three: a silvered textured dial with applied polished pointed baton markers

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dial with applied gilt Arabic numerals, luminous dots, and a red centre seconds hand, on an

undocumented case number catalogued only as "1950's."

Antiquorum's fullest description covers a white dial with applied yellow gold indexes and

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circa-1952 dating on this particular case. Stern Frères is believed to have been Rolex's sole

supplier of the star-dial component.

[[File:Ref 6244 dial-honeycomb.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Rolex 6244 honeycomb dial with coronet hour markers, case 836438|Honeycomb-textured dial with applied baton and Rolex coronet hour markers. Christie's Geneva, case 836'438, catalogued circa 1959, sold for more than three times its estimate.]]

A honeycomb, or chequered, textured dial with applied baton or coronet (crown-logo) hour markers

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Bracelet and strap presentation varies watch to watch. The Phillips example, case 834'991, came on

a stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, 175mm maximum length, with an end link stamped 63 and a

stainless steel Rolex folding deployant clasp stamped 3.55. The ~~wiki's own~~ bracelet and clasp

stainless steel Rolex folding deployant clasp stamped 3.55. The [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet and clasp guide]] documents clasp date stamps in a Roman-numeral quarter format (for example, I.65 for the

guide documents clasp date stamps in a Roman-numeral quarter format (for example, I.65 for the

first quarter of 1965); Phillips' Arabic "3.55" does not match that format cleanly enough to read

with confidence as a quarter-and-year code, so it is recorded here as a stamped reference rather

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| not published

| Silver, applied hour indices

| Not ~~recovered (listing behind a bot-check)~~

| Not stated in the cited record

|-

| Antiquorum, Geneva

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|}

The ~~Christie's Geneva result for case 836'438 is the strongest in the record relative to its own~~

The currencies, sale years, and dial conditions differ enough across the twelve results that they do not form a price series. The table records which lots have published case and dial details and which remain thinly described.

~~estimate, closing at more than three times its CHF 3,000–5,000 low end. Currencies~~, sale years,

and dial conditions differ enough across the twelve results that they do not form a price series;

~~what the~~ table ~~does show is that honeycomb-~~dial and ~~star-dial examples with published case detail~~

~~consistently outsell the~~ thinly ~~catalogued, undescribed lots~~.

== Related references ==

==Related references==

* [[Reference:2765|Oyster Chronometer 2765]], manual-wind contemporary, several catalogue names for one reference

* [[Reference:1873|Oyster Royal 1873]], earlier manual flat-back Oyster, same catalogue-naming inconsistency

* [[Reference:2784|Oyster Junior Sport 2784]], manual-wind promotional Oyster of the same general era

* [[Reference:3009|Oyster Chronometre Scientific 3009]], manual-wind Oyster with a comparably thin auction record

* [[Reference:2574|Oyster Royal 2574]], pre-war manual Oyster, boy's size

* [[Reference:~~2765~~|Oyster ~~Chronometer 2765~~]] ~~— manual-wind contemporary~~, ~~several catalogue names for one reference~~

See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|early Oyster and Bubbleback index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].

* [[Reference:~~1873~~|~~Oyster Royal 1873~~]] ~~— earlier manual flat-back Oyster~~, ~~same catalogue-naming inconsistency~~

* [[Reference:~~2784~~|~~Oyster Junior Sport 2784~~]] ~~— manual-wind promotional Oyster of the same general era~~

* [[Reference:~~3009|Oyster Chronometre Scientific 3009]] — manual~~-~~wind Oyster with a comparably thin auction record~~

* [[Reference:2574|~~Oyster Royal 2574~~]] ~~— pre-war manual Oyster, boy's size~~

~~See also the [[Reference~~:~~bubbleback~~|~~early~~ Oyster ~~and Bubbleback index]], [[Reference~~:~~Movements~~|~~movement reference]], [[Reference~~:~~Bracelets~~|~~bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference~~:~~Serial~~-~~numbers~~|~~serial numbers by year]].~~

File:Ref 6244 hero.webp|alt=Rolex 6244 Oyster Royal|Hero watch

File:Ref 6244 dial-tropical.webp|alt=Rolex 6244 tropical dial|Tropical dial

File:Ref 6244 dial-1962.webp|alt=Rolex 6244 white dial|1962 dial

File:Ref 6244 dial-honeycomb.webp|alt=Rolex 6244 honeycomb dial|Honeycomb dial

</gallery>

== Sources ==

* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/25398/lot/66/rolex-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-royal-ref-6244-circa-1952/ "Rolex. A stainless steel manual wind wristwatch, Oyster Royal, Ref: 6244, Circa 1952", Bonhams, London Knightsbridge, 2019-11-19]

* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/24628/lot/190/rolex-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-bracelet-watch-oyster-royal-ref-6244-circa-1960/ "Rolex. A stainless steel manual wind bracelet watch, Oyster Royal, Ref: 6244, Circa 1960", Bonhams, London Knightsbridge, 2018-05-22]

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{#seo:
 |title=Rolex Oyster Royal 6244 — Star & Honeycomb Dials, Cal. 710, Auction Record &#124; Rolexopedia
-|description=Rolex reference 6244: a manual-wind Oyster Royal with Cal. 710, star and honeycomb dial variants, and a twelve-lot auction record across five major houses.
+|description=Rolex reference 6244: a manual-wind Oyster Royal with Cal. 710, star and honeycomb dial variants, and a twelve-lot auction record across five houses.
 |image=Ref 6244 hero.webp
 |type=article
 }}
-<small>Oyster → '''6244'''</small>
+<small>Oyster › '''6244'''</small>
 <div class="rp-lead">
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 The 6244 is a manual-wind steel Oyster from the 1950s and early 1960s, sold under the Oyster
 Royal name alongside plainer "Oyster" catalogue titles. Twelve auctioned examples across five
-major houses document the reference: three at Bonhams, four at Antiquorum, three at Christie's,
+houses document the reference: three at Bonhams, four at Antiquorum, three at Christie's,
-one at Heritage, and one at Phillips. Every catalogued movement is hand-wound; nothing in the
+one at Heritage, and one at Phillips. One thin Antiquorum listing calls a single example self-winding; every other catalogued movement is hand-wound, and Cal. 710 is a manual-wind caliber.
-record supports the "self-winding" wording one thin Antiquorum lot used for a single example.
 Case numbers split into two bands roughly 90,000 apart, and the two bands date very differently.
-The reference's own Cal. 710 is confirmed by name at four of the five houses. That makes 6244 the
+Cal. 710 is confirmed by name at four of the five houses. Its siblings in the
-first reference in Rolex's 10½-ligne hand-wound Hunter family with an unambiguous caliber stamp;
+½-ligne hand-wound Hunter family carry only plausible, unconfirmed caliber assignments in the
-its siblings carry only a plausible, unconfirmed assignment.
+auction record.
 ==Core facts==
@@ Line 106: / Line 105: @@
 text) to circa 1952 as well. Christie's catalogued two more watches in this same band: case
 '438, dated circa 1959, and case 836447, dated 1962. The two Christie's cases sit only nine
-digits apart yet carry dates three years apart from the same house. The reference's own Serial-numbers page
+digits apart yet carry dates three years apart from the same house. The [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial-number guide]] explains the mechanism: Rolex restarted its numeric case sequence in the mid-1950s, so a number in
-explains the mechanism: Rolex restarted its numeric case sequence in the mid-1950s, so a number in
 the low-to-mid 830,000s can fall in either the early-1950s pre-reset sequence or the early-1960s
 post-reset one, and the digits alone cannot settle which.
@@ Line 133: / Line 131: @@
 That level of agreement makes 6244 the exception in its own movement family.
-The reference's own Movements page groups Cal. 700 and 710 as a shared 10½-ligne hand-wound Hunter architecture.
+The [[Reference:Movements|movement guide]] groups Cal. 700 and 710 as a shared 10½-ligne hand-wound Hunter architecture.
 Its siblings 2765, 2595 and 3009 carry only a plausible caliber assignment, since none of their
 surfaced auction descriptions names one. The 6244 record names it, repeatedly and across houses.
@@ Line 150: / Line 148: @@
 Six distinct dial treatments are documented across the twelve catalogued watches, and no two
 houses describe the same layout in identical terms.
-[[File:Ref 6244 dial-tropical.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Rolex 6244 tropical dial with gilt baton markers, case 921954|Tropical (brown-toned) dial with applied luminous-tipped gilt baton hour markers and dagger hands. Bonhams London, case 921,954, catalogued circa 1960.]]
 Bonhams catalogued three: a silvered textured dial with applied polished pointed baton markers
@@ Line 158: / Line 154: @@
 dial with applied gilt Arabic numerals, luminous dots, and a red centre seconds hand, on an
 undocumented case number catalogued only as "1950's."
-[[File:Ref 6244 dial-1962.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Rolex 6244 white dial with applied yellow gold indexes, case 921962|White dial with applied yellow gold indexes and radium-coated "alpha" hands. Antiquorum Geneva, case 921,962, "made in 1962."]]
 Antiquorum's fullest description covers a white dial with applied yellow gold indexes and
@@ Line 172: / Line 166: @@
 circa-1952 dating on this particular case. Stern Frères is believed to have been Rolex's sole
 supplier of the star-dial component.
-[[File:Ref 6244 dial-honeycomb.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Rolex 6244 honeycomb dial with coronet hour markers, case 836438|Honeycomb-textured dial with applied baton and Rolex coronet hour markers. Christie's Geneva, case 836'438, catalogued circa 1959, sold for more than three times its estimate.]]
 A honeycomb, or chequered, textured dial with applied baton or coronet (crown-logo) hour markers
@@ Line 200: / Line 192: @@
 Bracelet and strap presentation varies watch to watch. The Phillips example, case 834'991, came on
 a stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, 175mm maximum length, with an end link stamped 63 and a
-stainless steel Rolex folding deployant clasp stamped 3.55. The wiki's own bracelet and clasp
+stainless steel Rolex folding deployant clasp stamped 3.55. The [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet and clasp guide]] documents clasp date stamps in a Roman-numeral quarter format (for example, I.65 for the
-guide documents clasp date stamps in a Roman-numeral quarter format (for example, I.65 for the
 first quarter of 1965); Phillips' Arabic "3.55" does not match that format cleanly enough to read
 with confidence as a quarter-and-year code, so it is recorded here as a stamped reference rather
@@ Line 274: / Line 265: @@
 | not published
 | Silver, applied hour indices
-| Not recovered (listing behind a bot-check)
+| Not stated in the cited record
 |-
 | Antiquorum, Geneva
@@ Line 295: / Line 286: @@
 |}
-The Christie's Geneva result for case 836'438 is the strongest in the record relative to its own
+The currencies, sale years, and dial conditions differ enough across the twelve results that they do not form a price series. The table records which lots have published case and dial details and which remain thinly described.
-estimate, closing at more than three times its CHF 3,000–5,000 low end. Currencies, sale years,
-and dial conditions differ enough across the twelve results that they do not form a price series;
-what the table does show is that honeycomb-dial and star-dial examples with published case detail
-consistently outsell the thinly catalogued, undescribed lots.
-== Related references ==
+==Related references==
+* [[Reference:2765|Oyster Chronometer 2765]], manual-wind contemporary, several catalogue names for one reference
+* [[Reference:1873|Oyster Royal 1873]], earlier manual flat-back Oyster, same catalogue-naming inconsistency
+* [[Reference:2784|Oyster Junior Sport 2784]], manual-wind promotional Oyster of the same general era
+* [[Reference:3009|Oyster Chronometre Scientific 3009]], manual-wind Oyster with a comparably thin auction record
+* [[Reference:2574|Oyster Royal 2574]], pre-war manual Oyster, boy's size
-* [[Reference:2765|Oyster Chronometer 2765]] — manual-wind contemporary, several catalogue names for one reference
+See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|early Oyster and Bubbleback index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
-* [[Reference:1873|Oyster Royal 1873]] — earlier manual flat-back Oyster, same catalogue-naming inconsistency
-* [[Reference:2784|Oyster Junior Sport 2784]] — manual-wind promotional Oyster of the same general era
-* [[Reference:3009|Oyster Chronometre Scientific 3009]] — manual-wind Oyster with a comparably thin auction record
-* [[Reference:2574|Oyster Royal 2574]] — pre-war manual Oyster, boy's size
-See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|early Oyster and Bubbleback index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
+<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
+File:Ref 6244 hero.webp|alt=Rolex 6244 Oyster Royal|Hero watch
+File:Ref 6244 dial-tropical.webp|alt=Rolex 6244 tropical dial|Tropical dial
+File:Ref 6244 dial-1962.webp|alt=Rolex 6244 white dial|1962 dial
+File:Ref 6244 dial-honeycomb.webp|alt=Rolex 6244 honeycomb dial|Honeycomb dial
+</gallery>
 == Sources ==
 * [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/25398/lot/66/rolex-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-wristwatch-oyster-royal-ref-6244-circa-1952/ "Rolex. A stainless steel manual wind wristwatch, Oyster Royal, Ref: 6244, Circa 1952", Bonhams, London Knightsbridge, 2019-11-19]
 * [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/24628/lot/190/rolex-a-stainless-steel-manual-wind-bracelet-watch-oyster-royal-ref-6244-circa-1960/ "Rolex. A stainless steel manual wind bracelet watch, Oyster Royal, Ref: 6244, Circa 1960", Bonhams, London Knightsbridge, 2018-05-22]