Reference:2490: Difference between revisions

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 2490 Oyster Perpetual, "Army Dial" example}}

|title=Rolex 2490 Oyster Perpetual — 1945 “Army Dial” example | Rolexopedia

|description=The Rolex 2490 is an early self-winding Oyster Perpetual. Antiquorum catalogued a tonneau-shaped steel example in 1945 as an “Army Dial”; seller listings also report black mixed-numeral and copper-dial examples, but provide less evidence.

|image_alt=Rolex 2490 Oyster Perpetual, stainless steel, case no. 423682

<small>[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]] › '''2490'''</small>

[[File:Ref 2490 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex 2490 Oyster Perpetual, Army Dial, case no. 423682|Rolex 2490 Oyster Perpetual, “Army Dial,” case no. 423682]]

 

Antiquorum dated its steel, tonneau-shaped ref. 2490 to 1945 and called its black mixed-numeral dial “Army Dial.” That is the catalogue’s label; no Rolex source found here uses it as a model name. The lot also lists center seconds, an “Oyster Patent” crown and a petites-mailles bracelet with deployant clasp. The bracelet was catalogued with the watch; its original fitment is unverified.

==Core facts==

{| class="wikitable rp-facts"

| Oyster Perpetual; included in some collector Bubbleback lists

| Antiquorum called its 1945 example an “Army Dial” Rolex; collector charts group 2490 with Bubblebacks

| tonneau-shaped, stainless steel, water-resistant Oyster case; 32mm diameter and 14mm thick in the documented lot

| self-winding; Antiquorum gives no caliber number or jewel count

| black with luminous Arabic and Roman numerals, baton indexes and outer minute track; original hands noted by Antiquorum

| reported examples

| Antiquorum lot 218, Hong Kong, 8 June 2008, case no. 423682; a 2007 Vintage Rolex Forum seller described a steel 2490, serial prefix 249xxx, as a 1944 watch with a black California dial. Kikuya Camera & Watch later listed a steel 2490 with a copper dial. Neither listing has accessible case-marking evidence.

“Bubbleback” is a collector name for early automatic Oyster Perpetuals with a domed back to clear the rotor. A 2013 Rolex Forums chart places 2490 in its Bubbleback list. Antiquorum identifies the 1945 example as self-winding, but does not describe its caseback profile. The grouping is plausible; the auction record alone does not establish the domed caseback or caliber.

The best-documented example is case no. 423682, which Antiquorum dated to 1945 and sold in Hong Kong on 8 June 2008 as lot 218. The catalogue cites comparable watches in Franca and Guido Mondani’s 1908-2008, 100th Anniversary of Rolex (p. 15). It grades the case “good, scratched,” the movement “good, overhaul recommended, at buyer’s expense,” and the dial “good,” with original hands noted. A 2007 Vintage Rolex Forum sale post describes a steel example with serial prefix 249xxx, dated by the seller to 1944 and described with a black California dial. Kikuya Camera & Watch lists a steel ref. 2490 with a copper dial. The forum images could not be retrieved, and the Japanese listing’s image is a missing-image placeholder. These listings are leads; the dial labels and watch identities remain unverified.

Antiquorum describes a self-winding movement but gives no readable caliber number or jewel count. Its condition note recommends an overhaul at the buyer’s expense.

Antiquorum describes the dial on case 423682 as black, with luminous Arabic and Roman numerals, baton indexes and an outer minute track. It records the hands as original. The 2007 seller calls its dial “California”; Kikuya calls its dial copper. Both are seller descriptions, and neither listing provides accessible photographs for checking the dial.

Antiquorum describes case 423682 as a two-body steel case with a domed polished bezel, concave lugs, screwed caseback and crown. It measures 32 mm across and 14 mm thick. The lot included a Rolex petites-mailles bracelet, deployant clasp and box. Those accessories were sold with the watch; the catalogue does not establish original delivery.

The cited sources include one auction catalogue record for ref. 2490. Forum and dealer listings add leads, but do not establish the reference’s production span or dial range.