Reference:Movements: Difference between revisions

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For [[Reference:1072|ref. 1072]], Antiquorum describes 10-ligne, 18-jewel movements in two examples. Bonhams calls a separate example a 15-jewel Prima. Cool Auction labels the movement Cal. 10½ and reports 15 jewels, 18,000 beats per hour and a maximum 38-hour reserve on a Bucherer-signed watch. The same dealer attributes a Superbalance and Breguet hairspring to that movement. Hess Fine Auctions reports a manual 15-jewel movement in its 2023 lot. Watch Collecting describes another example as manual-wind but gives no caliber or jewel count. Toovey’s title calls its circa-1938 example Ultra Prima but gives no movement specification. The Cool Auction caliber label has no corroboration in the other records; the lots do not establish a single movement assignment or grade across the reference. [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-96-82 Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 1997]; [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/prima/lpi Antiquorum and Bonhams archive]; [https://www.cool-auction.net/gallery/23866/ Cool Auction]; [https://www.hessfineauctions.com/auction-lot/superior-rolex-oyster-1072-large-cushion-vintage_98542e8bd8 Hess Fine Auctions, lot 3211]; [https://collecting.com/for-sale/1938-rolex-oyster-2 Watch Collecting]; [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/613066/a-rolex-oyster-ultra-prima-chrome-cushion-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey’s]

For [[Reference:1073|ref. 1073]], Antiquorum names a 10½-ligne Extra Prima movement with 15 jewels. ~~Christie’s calls~~ its 15-jewel ~~movement~~ Prima; Bonhams calls another ~~example~~ Ultra Prima. ~~These~~ lot descriptions ~~do not establish a~~ shared caliber number or grade ~~across the reference~~. [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-15-258 Antiquorum]; [https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-811717 ~~Christie’s~~]; [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster/ref-rolex-1073/lpi Bonhams archive]

For [[Reference:1073|ref. 1073]], Antiquorum names a 10½-ligne Extra Prima movement with 15 jewels. David Boettcher reports that Prima movements he has examined are generally 15-jewel, while the Extra Prima and Ultra Prima examples he has examined have 18 jewels. Antiquorum’s description is an exception to that pattern; its catalogue does not explain the mismatch. Christie's describes a 15-jewel Prima, and Bonhams calls another 15-jewel movement Ultra Prima. The lot descriptions give no shared caliber number or reference-wide grade. [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-15-258 Antiquorum]; [https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-811717 Christie's]; [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster/ref-rolex-1073/lpi Bonhams archive]; [https://vintagewatchstraps.com/blogprima.php David Boettcher, movement-grade survey]

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Unlike the Aegler-built 10½-ligne Hunter family above, Cal. 59 is a bought-in movement: David Boettcher's research on Oyster Watch Co. identifies it as a rebadged Fontainemelon FHF 30 ébauche, the same base Rolex carried over to Tudor as its own Cal. 59 after Tudor's 1946 incorporation. Four auction-catalogued [[Reference:3478|3478]] watches, three from Bonhams and one from Antiquorum, name Cal. 59 directly. Two ref. [[Reference:3136|3136]] lots also identify it: [https://jewelry.ha.com/itm/timepieces/rare-oyster-junior-sport-by-rolex-retailed-by-beyer-stainless-steel-manual-wind-ref-3136-circa-1940/a/5408-54065.s Heritage says the FHF 30 in case 105063 was later called Rolex Cal. 59], and [https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/wrist-pocket-watches-dec-12-2024/gallery/lot/85/ Waddington's names Cal. 59 for case 147396]. These descriptions apply to those auction lots and do not establish universal fitment in ref. 3136. The Cal. 700/710 assignments below remain family-level matches rather than photographed or catalogued stamps.

Unlike the Aegler-built 10½-ligne Hunter family above, Cal. 59 is a bought-in movement: David Boettcher's research on Oyster Watch Co. identifies it as a rebadged Fontainemelon FHF 30 ébauche, the same base Rolex carried over to Tudor as its own Cal. 59 after Tudor's 1946 incorporation. Four auction-catalogued [[Reference:3478|3478]] watches, three from Bonhams and one from Antiquorum, name Cal. 59 directly. Antiquorum names it on one [[Reference:3121|3121]] Grenfell (case 43,475, 17 jewels). Its structured year field says circa 1938, while the notes call it a 1940s watch and attribute 1938 to the caseback. That is a lot-specific attribution, not evidence that every 3121 used Cal. 59. Two ref. [[Reference:3136|3136]] lots also identify it: [https://jewelry.ha.com/itm/timepieces/rare-oyster-junior-sport-by-rolex-retailed-by-beyer-stainless-steel-manual-wind-ref-3136-circa-1940/a/5408-54065.s Heritage says the FHF 30 in case 105063 was later called Rolex Cal. 59], and [https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/wrist-pocket-watches-dec-12-2024/gallery/lot/85/ Waddington's names Cal. 59 for case 147396]. These descriptions apply to those auction lots and do not establish universal fitment in ref. 3136. The Cal. 700/710 assignments below remain family-level matches rather than photographed or catalogued stamps.

Jewel count splits 15 and 17 across the four directly-named 3478 watches; the cited 3136 lots give 15 jewels. The 3478 sample does not track cleanly with any other documented variable. [[Reference:2784|2784]] carries the same family attribution, but only at the family level: no auction catalogue names Cal. 59 outright for that reference, and the one movement image tied to a visibly stamped 2784 case has a Tudor-signed bridge that may be a later replacement.

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Cal. 722 powered the refs. 6239, 6240 and 6241, including examples with "Paul Newman" dials. Its column wheel controls a horizontal clutch through a coupling yoke. Engagement can make the chronograph hand jump slightly forward or back at the start, a trait later removed by the vertical clutch in Cal. 4130.

The position of the "Rolex Genève" inscription on the dial-side plate distinguishes Cal. 722 from the 722-1 that followed. The designations otherwise overlap: Christie's records Cal. 72B, 722 and 722-1 across ref. 6241 production. The engraving on the movement is more reliable than a date-based attribution.

The position of the "Rolex Genève" inscription on the dial-side plate distinguishes Cal. 722 from the 722-1 that followed. The designations otherwise overlap: Christie's records Cal. 72B, 722 and 722-1 across ref. 6241 production. The engraving on the movement is more reliable than a date-based attribution. Phillips and Sotheby’s catalogues also assign 72B, 722 and 722-1 to individual ref. 6240 watches dated circa 1965–1966. Those lot labels do not establish a serial-number changeover; read the movement engraving.

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~~Introduced in~~ 1967, Cal. 722-1 was the last 18,000 vph Daytona caliber before Cal. 727 raised the frequency. Rolex described it as a Valjoux 72A-based mechanism with the same dimensions as its predecessor; the changes were internal.

Often dated to 1967, Cal. 722-1 was the last 18,000 vph Daytona caliber before Cal. 727 raised the frequency. Sotheby’s catalogues a circa-1965 ref. 6240 with 722-1; that lot attribution does not establish when Rolex first used the caliber. Rolex described it as a Valjoux 72A-based mechanism with the same dimensions as its predecessor; the changes were internal.

The hour-recorder conveyor gained an eccentric pivot and wing-shaped spring, allowing more precise engagement with the hour wheel. A guard spring above the balance was intended to keep the hairspring on its stud support under shock. Giussani records that the guard had already appeared inconsistently on Cal. 722 and caused problems of its own, so many surviving examples of both calibers lack it.

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* [https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vintagerolexforum/history-of-1530-movement-t23616.html Vintage Rolex Forum — History of the 1530 movement] (introduction c.1957, butterfly rotor, chronometer status)

* [https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/28412-rolex-3135-510-drive-wheel-for-ratchet-appears-to-be-worn-not-winding-watch-enough/ Watch Repair Talk — Rolex 3135-510 ratchet drive wheel wear]

* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-3121-oyster-grenfell-lot-376-219 Antiquorum Geneva, 3 April 2025, lot 219]: ref. 3121 Oyster Grenfell, case 43,475, circa 1938, Cal. 59, 17 jewels.

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

@@ Line 302: / Line 302: @@
 For [[Reference:1072|ref. 1072]], Antiquorum describes 10-ligne, 18-jewel movements in two examples. Bonhams calls a separate example a 15-jewel Prima. Cool Auction labels the movement Cal. 10½ and reports 15 jewels, 18,000 beats per hour and a maximum 38-hour reserve on a Bucherer-signed watch. The same dealer attributes a Superbalance and Breguet hairspring to that movement. Hess Fine Auctions reports a manual 15-jewel movement in its 2023 lot. Watch Collecting describes another example as manual-wind but gives no caliber or jewel count. Toovey’s title calls its circa-1938 example Ultra Prima but gives no movement specification. The Cool Auction caliber label has no corroboration in the other records; the lots do not establish a single movement assignment or grade across the reference. [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-96-82 Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 1997]; [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/prima/lpi Antiquorum and Bonhams archive]; [https://www.cool-auction.net/gallery/23866/ Cool Auction]; [https://www.hessfineauctions.com/auction-lot/superior-rolex-oyster-1072-large-cushion-vintage_98542e8bd8 Hess Fine Auctions, lot 3211]; [https://collecting.com/for-sale/1938-rolex-oyster-2 Watch Collecting]; [https://www.tooveys.com/lots/613066/a-rolex-oyster-ultra-prima-chrome-cushion-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch Toovey’s]
-For [[Reference:1073|ref. 1073]], Antiquorum names a 10½-ligne Extra Prima movement with 15 jewels. Christie’s calls its 15-jewel movement Prima; Bonhams calls another example Ultra Prima. These lot descriptions do not establish a shared caliber number or grade across the reference. [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-15-258 Antiquorum]; [https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-811717 Christie’s]; [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster/ref-rolex-1073/lpi Bonhams archive]
+For [[Reference:1073|ref. 1073]], Antiquorum names a 10½-ligne Extra Prima movement with 15 jewels. David Boettcher reports that Prima movements he has examined are generally 15-jewel, while the Extra Prima and Ultra Prima examples he has examined have 18 jewels. Antiquorum’s description is an exception to that pattern; its catalogue does not explain the mismatch. Christie's describes a 15-jewel Prima, and Bonhams calls another 15-jewel movement Ultra Prima. The lot descriptions give no shared caliber number or reference-wide grade. [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-15-258 Antiquorum]; [https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-811717 Christie's]; [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster/ref-rolex-1073/lpi Bonhams archive]; [https://vintagewatchstraps.com/blogprima.php David Boettcher, movement-grade survey]
 <span id="cal-2849-note"></span>
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 |}
-Unlike the Aegler-built 10½-ligne Hunter family above, Cal. 59 is a bought-in movement: David Boettcher's research on Oyster Watch Co. identifies it as a rebadged Fontainemelon FHF 30 ébauche, the same base Rolex carried over to Tudor as its own Cal. 59 after Tudor's 1946 incorporation. Four auction-catalogued [[Reference:3478|3478]] watches, three from Bonhams and one from Antiquorum, name Cal. 59 directly. Two ref. [[Reference:3136|3136]] lots also identify it: [https://jewelry.ha.com/itm/timepieces/rare-oyster-junior-sport-by-rolex-retailed-by-beyer-stainless-steel-manual-wind-ref-3136-circa-1940/a/5408-54065.s Heritage says the FHF 30 in case 105063 was later called Rolex Cal. 59], and [https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/wrist-pocket-watches-dec-12-2024/gallery/lot/85/ Waddington's names Cal. 59 for case 147396]. These descriptions apply to those auction lots and do not establish universal fitment in ref. 3136. The Cal. 700/710 assignments below remain family-level matches rather than photographed or catalogued stamps.
+Unlike the Aegler-built 10½-ligne Hunter family above, Cal. 59 is a bought-in movement: David Boettcher's research on Oyster Watch Co. identifies it as a rebadged Fontainemelon FHF 30 ébauche, the same base Rolex carried over to Tudor as its own Cal. 59 after Tudor's 1946 incorporation. Four auction-catalogued [[Reference:3478|3478]] watches, three from Bonhams and one from Antiquorum, name Cal. 59 directly. Antiquorum names it on one [[Reference:3121|3121]] Grenfell (case 43,475, 17 jewels). Its structured year field says circa 1938, while the notes call it a 1940s watch and attribute 1938 to the caseback. That is a lot-specific attribution, not evidence that every 3121 used Cal. 59. Two ref. [[Reference:3136|3136]] lots also identify it: [https://jewelry.ha.com/itm/timepieces/rare-oyster-junior-sport-by-rolex-retailed-by-beyer-stainless-steel-manual-wind-ref-3136-circa-1940/a/5408-54065.s Heritage says the FHF 30 in case 105063 was later called Rolex Cal. 59], and [https://www.waddingtons.ca/auction/wrist-pocket-watches-dec-12-2024/gallery/lot/85/ Waddington's names Cal. 59 for case 147396]. These descriptions apply to those auction lots and do not establish universal fitment in ref. 3136. The Cal. 700/710 assignments below remain family-level matches rather than photographed or catalogued stamps.
 Jewel count splits 15 and 17 across the four directly-named 3478 watches; the cited 3136 lots give 15 jewels. The 3478 sample does not track cleanly with any other documented variable. [[Reference:2784|2784]] carries the same family attribution, but only at the family level: no auction catalogue names Cal. 59 outright for that reference, and the one movement image tied to a visibly stamped 2784 case has a Tudor-signed bridge that may be a later replacement.
@@ Line 2,232: / Line 2,232: @@
 Cal. 722 powered the refs. 6239, 6240 and 6241, including examples with "Paul Newman" dials. Its column wheel controls a horizontal clutch through a coupling yoke. Engagement can make the chronograph hand jump slightly forward or back at the start, a trait later removed by the vertical clutch in Cal. 4130.
-The position of the "Rolex Genève" inscription on the dial-side plate distinguishes Cal. 722 from the 722-1 that followed. The designations otherwise overlap: Christie's records Cal. 72B, 722 and 722-1 across ref. 6241 production. The engraving on the movement is more reliable than a date-based attribution.
+The position of the "Rolex Genève" inscription on the dial-side plate distinguishes Cal. 722 from the 722-1 that followed. The designations otherwise overlap: Christie's records Cal. 72B, 722 and 722-1 across ref. 6241 production. The engraving on the movement is more reliable than a date-based attribution. Phillips and Sotheby’s catalogues also assign 72B, 722 and 722-1 to individual ref. 6240 watches dated circa 1965–1966. Those lot labels do not establish a serial-number changeover; read the movement engraving.
 <span id="cal-722-1"></span>
@@ Line 2,263: / Line 2,263: @@
 |}
-Introduced in 1967, Cal. 722-1 was the last 18,000 vph Daytona caliber before Cal. 727 raised the frequency. Rolex described it as a Valjoux 72A-based mechanism with the same dimensions as its predecessor; the changes were internal.
+Often dated to 1967, Cal. 722-1 was the last 18,000 vph Daytona caliber before Cal. 727 raised the frequency. Sotheby’s catalogues a circa-1965 ref. 6240 with 722-1; that lot attribution does not establish when Rolex first used the caliber. Rolex described it as a Valjoux 72A-based mechanism with the same dimensions as its predecessor; the changes were internal.
 The hour-recorder conveyor gained an eccentric pivot and wing-shaped spring, allowing more precise engagement with the hour wheel. A guard spring above the balance was intended to keep the hairspring on its stud support under shock. Giussani records that the guard had already appeared inconsistently on Cal. 722 and caused problems of its own, so many surviving examples of both calibers lack it.
@@ Line 2,970: / Line 2,970: @@
 * [https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vintagerolexforum/history-of-1530-movement-t23616.html Vintage Rolex Forum — History of the 1530 movement] (introduction c.1957, butterfly rotor, chronometer status)
 * [https://www.watchrepairtalk.com/topic/28412-rolex-3135-510-drive-wheel-for-ratchet-appears-to-be-worn-not-winding-watch-enough/ Watch Repair Talk — Rolex 3135-510 ratchet drive wheel wear]
+* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-3121-oyster-grenfell-lot-376-219 Antiquorum Geneva, 3 April 2025, lot 219]: ref. 3121 Oyster Grenfell, case 43,475, circa 1938, Cal. 59, 17 jewels.
 * ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra