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<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] -&gt; '''3548'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] › '''3548'''</small>


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The 3548 is one of two standard references — alongside the sub-seconds 3716 — built in the case style collectors call the "Empire" Oyster: classically round, 32mm, but with elongated, rectangular, sloped lugs distinct from the hooded-lug treatment most Bubblebacks of the period carry. Specialist research on Rolex's early Oyster case history documents the type as chronometer-certified and automatic throughout, placing it firmly inside the Bubbleback family despite the case's unusual silhouette.
The 3548 is documented alongside the sub-seconds 3716 in the case style collectors call the “Empire” Oyster. The cited examples are round, about 32 mm, with elongated sloped lugs rather than the hooded-lug profile common on many Bubblebacks. Specialist case-history research describes the group as automatic and chronometer-marked; the auction records here establish those details only for the individual lots.


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| movement
| movement
| self-winding, chronometer-certified
| self-winding; chronometer wording documented on cited lots
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| dial (documented)
| dial (documented)
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== Where it sits in the line ==
== Where it sits in the line ==


"Empire" is a collector name, not a Rolex one, for a specific case profile: round rather than tonneau, but with distinctively elongated, sloped, rectangular lugs in place of the hooded-lug style common across the rest of the Bubbleback range. The 3548 is documented as the centre-seconds standard reference in this case style, paired with the sub-seconds 3716; a rose gold variant of the same case appears on the related 3877. All are documented as 32mm, round, and automatic — the "bubble" in Bubbleback refers to the domed caseback the automatic rotor required, present regardless of the lug treatment.
"Empire" is a collector name, not a Rolex one, for a specific case profile: round rather than tonneau, but with distinctively elongated, sloped, rectangular lugs in place of the hooded-lug style common across the rest of the Bubbleback range. The 3548 is documented as the centre-seconds reference in this case style, paired with the sub-seconds 3716; a rose-gold variant of the case appears on related ref. 3877. The cited records describe these examples as round, about 32mm, and automatic. The “bubble” in Bubbleback refers to the domed caseback used for the rotor.


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


A steel example sold at Antiquorum for CHF 9,375 (lot 477); a second steel example, movement no. 93792, dated circa 1943 by Bonhams, sold at the house's Paris sale on 24 May 2022 (sale 27810, lot 268) for &euro;3,570. A rose gold example of the sibling case style (ref. 3877) sold at Antiquorum for over 50,000 CHF against a 6,000&ndash;10,000 CHF estimate — more than five times its high estimate — underscoring how sharply the market has moved on well-documented "Empire" case examples in recent years.
A steel example sold at Antiquorum for CHF 9,375 (lot 477); a second steel example, movement no. 93792, dated circa 1943 by Bonhams, sold at the house's Paris sale on 24 May 2022 (sale 27810, lot 268) for &euro;3,570. A rose-gold example of the sibling case style, ref. 3877, is documented separately in the auction record. Its sale does not establish a price rule for steel 3548 watches.


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


Self-winding, chronometer-certified. The Bonhams-catalogued example specifies a jewelled automatic movement, numbered 93792.
The cited auction records describe automatic movements, and Bonhams records movement number 93792. The chronometer wording belongs to the individual dial or catalogue description; no caliber number is published for the lot.


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


[[File:Ref 3548 dial.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex 3548 salmon dial, Antiquorum lot 477|Rolex 3548, Antiquorum lot 477, sold CHF 9,375 — a second documented steel example]]
The Bonhams-documented example carries a salmon or orange-toned dial with black Arabic numerals, a black outer fifth-second track with Arabic five-minute markers, blued pointed baton hands, and gilt centre seconds. Those details describe that lot; they do not establish a complete 3548 dial inventory.
[[File:Ref 3548 dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex 3548 dial detail showing coronet and Chronometre signature|Dial detail: coronet signature, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" and "Chronometre" text, Arabic numerals]]
 
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 3548 dial.webp|Rolex 3548, Antiquorum lot 477, sold CHF 9,375 — a second documented steel example
File:Ref 3548 dial-detail.webp|Dial detail: coronet signature, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" and "Chronometre" text, Arabic numerals
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The Bonhams-documented example carries a salmon (orange-toned) dial: black Arabic numerals for the hour markers, a black outer track dividing fifths of a second with Arabic 5-minute markers, blued steel pointed baton hands, and gilt centre seconds — a notably colorful dial treatment next to the silver and black dials more common across the wider Bubbleback range.


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== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==
32mm round stainless steel case, brushed and polished finish, screw-down case back and crown, and the elongated rectangular sloped lugs that define the "Empire" style. The cited 3548 examples share the round case and elongated sloped-lug profile. Other Oyster references from the period should be compared from their own case records rather than assumed to share this silhouette.


[[File:Ref 3548 crown.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex 3548 case flank and screw-down crown|Case flank and screw-down crown, Bonhams sale 27810, lot 268 example]]
[[File:Ref 3548 crown.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex 3548 case flank and screw-down crown|Case flank and screw-down crown, Bonhams sale 27810, lot 268 example]]
32mm round stainless steel case, brushed and polished finish, screw-down case back and crown, and the elongated rectangular sloped lugs that define the "Empire" style. Rolex's earlier manually-wound Oyster cases of this general period showed considerable variability in shape; the automatic "Empire" Bubblebacks were built to this one consistent silhouette.


== Related references ==
== Related references ==


* [[Reference:3353|Bubbleback 3353]] — same broader generation, tonneau case
* [[Reference:3353|Bubbleback 3353]]: same broader generation, tonneau case.
* [[Reference:3131|Bubbleback 3131]] — earliest automatic reference, same family
* [[Reference:3131|Bubbleback 3131]]: earliest automatic reference, same family.
* [[Reference:3133|Bubbleback 3133]] — same era, pink gold and steel
* [[Reference:3133|Bubbleback 3133]]: same era, pink gold and steel.


See also the [[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
See also the [[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
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| Bonhams, Paris, 24 May 2022 || 268 || movement 93792 || Steel, salmon dial, centre seconds, date, folding clasp || &mdash; || &euro;3,570
| Bonhams, Paris, 24 May 2022 || 268 || movement 93792 || Steel, salmon dial, centre seconds, date, folding clasp || &mdash; || &euro;3,570
|}
|}
== Gallery ==


<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">

Latest revision as of 04:08, 29 September 2026


Bubbleback › 3548

Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, Empire case, salmon dial
Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, "Empire" case style, salmon dial, centre seconds

The 3548 is documented alongside the sub-seconds 3716 in the case style collectors call the “Empire” Oyster. The cited examples are round, about 32 mm, with elongated sloped lugs rather than the hooded-lug profile common on many Bubblebacks. Specialist case-history research describes the group as automatic and chronometer-marked; the auction records here establish those details only for the individual lots.

Core facts

detail value
reference 3548
family Oyster Perpetual (Bubbleback)
common name "Bubbleback"; collector name "Empire" for this case style (shared with the sub-seconds 3716)
production documented examples span circa 1941 to circa 1943
case 32mm, round, elongated rectangular sloped lugs ("Empire" style), stainless steel, brushed and polished, screw-down back and crown
movement self-winding; chronometer wording documented on cited lots
dial (documented) salmon/orange, black Arabic numerals, black outer 1/5th-second divisions with Arabic 5-minute markers, blued steel pointed baton hands, gilt centre seconds
documented examples Antiquorum (steel, sold CHF 9,375, lot 477); Bonhams Paris, 24 May 2022, sale 27810, lot 268, movement no. 93792

Where it sits in the line

"Empire" is a collector name, not a Rolex one, for a specific case profile: round rather than tonneau, but with distinctively elongated, sloped, rectangular lugs in place of the hooded-lug style common across the rest of the Bubbleback range. The 3548 is documented as the centre-seconds reference in this case style, paired with the sub-seconds 3716; a rose-gold variant of the case appears on related ref. 3877. The cited records describe these examples as round, about 32mm, and automatic. The “bubble” in Bubbleback refers to the domed caseback used for the rotor.

Production outline

A steel example sold at Antiquorum for CHF 9,375 (lot 477); a second steel example, movement no. 93792, dated circa 1943 by Bonhams, sold at the house's Paris sale on 24 May 2022 (sale 27810, lot 268) for €3,570. A rose-gold example of the sibling case style, ref. 3877, is documented separately in the auction record. Its sale does not establish a price rule for steel 3548 watches.

Movement notes

The cited auction records describe automatic movements, and Bonhams records movement number 93792. The chronometer wording belongs to the individual dial or catalogue description; no caliber number is published for the lot.

Dial map

The Bonhams-documented example carries a salmon or orange-toned dial with black Arabic numerals, a black outer fifth-second track with Arabic five-minute markers, blued pointed baton hands, and gilt centre seconds. Those details describe that lot; they do not establish a complete 3548 dial inventory.

  • Rolex 3548, Antiquorum lot 477, sold CHF 9,375 — a second documented steel example
    Rolex 3548, Antiquorum lot 477, sold CHF 9,375 — a second documented steel example
  • Dial detail: coronet signature, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" and "Chronometre" text, Arabic numerals
    Dial detail: coronet signature, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual" and "Chronometre" text, Arabic numerals


Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

32mm round stainless steel case, brushed and polished finish, screw-down case back and crown, and the elongated rectangular sloped lugs that define the "Empire" style. The cited 3548 examples share the round case and elongated sloped-lug profile. Other Oyster references from the period should be compared from their own case records rather than assumed to share this silhouette.

Rolex 3548 case flank and screw-down crown
Case flank and screw-down crown, Bonhams sale 27810, lot 268 example

Related references

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

Auction record

Sale Lot Case/movement no. Configuration Estimate Result
Antiquorum 477 — Steel, "Empire" case — CHF 9,375
Bonhams, Paris, 24 May 2022 268 movement 93792 Steel, salmon dial, centre seconds, date, folding clasp — €3,570
  • Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, "Empire" case, salmon dial, centre seconds
    Rolex 3548 Bubbleback, "Empire" case, salmon dial, centre seconds
  • Antiquorum lot 477, sold CHF 9,375
    Antiquorum lot 477, sold CHF 9,375
  • Dial detail: coronet, signature, Chronometre text
    Dial detail: coronet, signature, Chronometre text
  • Case flank and screw-down crown, Bonhams lot 268 example
    Case flank and screw-down crown, Bonhams lot 268 example

Sources

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