Reference:4467

Bubbleback › 4467

Rolex 4467 Datejust Bubbleback

Reference 4467 is the 36mm gold Bubbleback introduced in 1945. It is the first reference later called Datejust, with an automatic date display, a large Oyster case, and the early Jubilee bracelet. The dial does not say “Datejust”; that wording appears on later references. Published auction records cover yellow-gold watches and a small number of pink-gold examples, with differences in dials, date wheels, bracelets, and subscription numbering.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	4467
family	Big Bubbleback / early Datejust
production	Published examples date from circa 1945 to 1949; no factory production ledger located
total production	Roughly 1,000 is an external estimate, not a Rolex production total
case diameter	About 36mm
case construction	Large Oyster case with screw-down caseback and crown
case materials	Yellow gold is documented; pink-gold examples are also recorded in auction catalogues
bezel	Thin reeded or coin-edge gold bezel on documented examples
crystal	Domed acrylic or plastic crystal on documented examples
movement	Rolex A.295 automatic, 10½ ligne, 18 jewels in the cited auction records
date complication	Date at 3 o’clock; catalogue descriptions distinguish gradual and later instantaneous systems
Cyclops	No; it appears on later Datejust references
dial text	“Oyster Perpetual” with “Chronometer” or “Certified Chronometer”; “Datejust” is absent
bracelet	Early 18K Jubilee examples exist; later bracelets and leather straps are also documented
nickname	Ovettone (“big egg”) in Italian auction and collector usage

What the 4467 is

Rolex introduced the 4467 in 1945, the company’s 40th-anniversary year. Phillips and Antiquorum describe it as an early automatic chronometer wristwatch with a date aperture, and as the first reference associated with the Datejust line. The anniversary context is well documented; the exact launch advertising and production total are less complete.

The watch combines a 36mm Oyster case, a date aperture at 3 o’clock, and a 10½-line automatic movement. The dial uses “Oyster Perpetual” and a chronometer designation rather than the later model name. The case is larger than the 31–32mm Bubblebacks that preceded it because the A.295 movement and date mechanism need more room.

Ovetto versus Ovettone

Italian auction catalogues use ovetto (“little egg”) for standard Bubblebacks and ovettone (“big egg”) for the larger case group that includes the 4467. The terms are collector vocabulary, not Rolex model names. Reference lists vary on which adjacent 36mm references belong in the group, so the nickname should not be used as a substitute for the reference number.

The 4467’s large domed case explains the nickname. It shares the Bubbleback family’s rotor clearance with smaller references, but its case proportions are closer to the later 36mm Datejust format.

The 36mm case and the Big Bubbleback family

The 4467 has a cushion or tonneau-shaped Oyster case measuring about 36mm in the cited Phillips and Antiquorum records. The domed back clears the automatic rotor. The case, bezel, crown, and crystal should be assessed separately because later service parts are common.

Rolex 4467 pink-gold watch with black dial

The bezel on documented early watches is a thin reeded or coin-edge design. It predates the deeper fluted bezel associated with later Datejust references. The crown is a screw-down Rolex Oyster crown; case records identify both yellow- and pink-gold examples.

There is no Cyclops magnifier on the 4467 examples reviewed. Auction catalogues place the magnifier on later Datejust references, commonly dated to the 6305 generation in 1954. Treat that as a later family development, not a feature of the 4467.

Case materials

Yellow-gold 4467 cases are documented by Phillips, Bonhams, and Antiquorum. Antiquorum’s 2018 catalogue describes the reference as made in 18K yellow gold, while the same page records a pink-gold example; the auction record therefore proves that pink-gold watches exist, but does not establish their original production share. No steel or two-tone 4467 example was located in the sources reviewed.

A claimed steel or two-tone 4467 needs strong case and movement evidence. A gold caseback, bezel, or bracelet alone does not prove that all case components are original to the reference.

The souscription batch

The first 100 watches are described in the Antiquorum 2024 catalogue as a “souscription” issue sold after a newspaper advertisement. The lot is case number 46, with the number between the lugs, an 18K yellow-gold case, A.295 movement, and a leather strap with a gold buckle. Antiquorum identifies the newspaper as La Suisse and says buyers could order a coat of arms or initials.

Numbered Rolex 4467 souscription case

Numbering between the lugs is documented on the first series, but it should be checked on the watch itself. The Antiquorum lot is one record, not proof that every early watch has identical engraving or that every unnumbered watch is later. References to “Modèle Déposé” and other between-lug markings need image-backed verification.

The cited catalogue records the original subscription offer and its newspaper provenance. The auction result is recorded below; the original offer terms should not be confused with a modern market value.

The Jubilee bracelet

The 4467 is closely associated with the first Jubilee bracelets. Phillips documents an 18K yellow-gold bracelet on its circa-1947 example; the Antiquorum souscription lot has a leather strap and gold buckle. This difference is a reminder that the bracelet on a surviving watch may be a later replacement or a separately supplied period part.

Early gold Jubilee construction, end links, and clasp details vary in the surviving record. Date the bracelet and clasp from their own marks and construction. Do not use a clasp date as the date of the watch head.

The dial

The 4467 dial reads “ROLEX” and “Oyster Perpetual” below the coronet, with “Chronometer” or “Certified Chronometer” below 6 o’clock. “Datejust” is absent from the documented 4467 dials; Antiquorum notes that the wording appears on the later 6105 reference.

Rolex 4467 with roulette date wheel

Phillips lot 222 is an eggshell-dial yellow-gold watch with applied markers, center seconds, and a red-and-black roulette date wheel. Antiquorum’s 2018 lot 151 is a pink-gold watch with a black dial and red date numerals. These are documented examples, not a complete dial catalogue.

Dial layout, crown shape, lume, and hand style should be checked together. A black dial, red date wheel, or unusual crown can be genuine and still be a replacement from another watch.

Date wheel evolution

Published descriptions show both black-on-light and red-and-black date wheels. Some early examples are described with all-red numerals, while later watches carry roulette wheels; the sources do not establish hard changeover dates. Treat date-wheel color as one dating clue among several.

Movement: Cal. A.295

Phillips and Antiquorum identify the 4467 movement as Rolex A.295, 10½ ligne and 18 jewels. Parts references also use 740 and 745 labels in this movement family, but the sources reviewed do not justify presenting those labels as a single universal equivalence for every 4467. Read the movement plate and the period documentation together.

The cited A.295 records describe an automatic movement with center seconds, a Superbalance, a Breguet balance spring, and no quickset. The exact regulator, shock protection, and rotor wording should be taken from the individual movement and its catalogue entry; later service work can change visible parts.

A.295 is the movement associated with the 4467’s automatic date function. It is part of the early Datejust transition, before later calibres introduced instantaneous date change and quickset adjustment.

The date-change mechanism

Descriptions of the 4467 in the reviewed sources distinguish its date change from the instantaneous system used by later Datejust movements. The date advances gradually around midnight on the early mechanism; the later instantaneous system is associated with Cal. 1065 and references 6604/6605 in the mid-1950s. No quickset is expected on the original A.295 configuration.

A service movement or altered date mechanism can change that behavior. Test the watch only after confirming the movement and service history, and do not use a seller’s description of a “quick change” as proof of an original 4467 mechanism.

The Yeager sound-barrier claim

A later collector and dealer tradition associates Chuck Yeager’s 1947 sound-barrier flight with a Rolex 4467. The sources reviewed do not provide contemporary evidence that he wore this reference. Photographs and later discussion point to other plain-dial Oyster references, but the exact watch remains disputed. Keep the story separate from the documented 4467 launch and auction records.

Auction record

The public sample includes yellow- and pink-gold watches, a numbered souscription example, and a watch with period sales paperwork. Results describe individual lots and are not a general price guide.

Rolex 4467 with Bucherer receipt and chronometer certificate

Venue	Date	Lot	Case no.	Material	Dial or provenance	Result
Phillips Geneva Watch Auction VII	May 2018	222	518'506	18K yellow gold	Eggshell dial, roulette date wheel, gold bracelet	CHF 33,750 (estimate CHF 15,000–30,000)
Bonhams	Auction record cited	116	n/a	18K yellow gold	Bucherer receipt dated 6 August 1948 and COSC certificate	USD 14,080
Antiquorum, Geneva	May 2018	151	460'565	18K pink gold	Black dial, red date wheel	CHF 18,750 (estimate CHF 15,000–20,000)
Antiquorum, Geneva	May 2024	95	46	18K yellow gold	Souscription number 046 between the lugs; leather strap	CHF 20,000 (estimate CHF 10,000–20,000)

Phillips lot 222 is a circa-1947 18K yellow-gold 4467 with A.295, 18 jewels, a 36mm case, and a red-and-black roulette wheel. It sold for CHF 33,750 against a CHF 15,000–30,000 estimate.

Antiquorum lot 151 is a circa-1944 pink-gold 4467 with black dial and case 460'565. It sold for CHF 18,750 against a CHF 15,000–20,000 estimate. The lot page’s narrative calls the reference yellow-gold only while cataloguing this pink-gold watch, so metal claims should be grounded in the actual case and hallmarks.

Antiquorum lot 95 is a circa-1945 yellow-gold souscription watch, case number 46, with A.295 and 18 jewels. It sold for CHF 20,000. The first-series numbering and the associated provenance are documented for this lot; they are not a production census.

The Bonhams record is useful for paperwork and delivery history. Treat the receipt and certificate as catalogue claims until the lot images and original documents are inspected.

Market context

The four records above are too small and too mixed in condition, metal, bracelet, dial, and paperwork to establish an average or a reliable price range. Keep auction results with their lot descriptions. Do not turn one Phillips result or one subscription estimate into a ranking of all 4467 watches.

What the 4467 established

The 4467 established the early Datejust format: an automatic Oyster with a date aperture in a 36mm case. The later 6105 adds the “Datejust” dial wording; the 6305 adds the Cyclops; later 6604/6605 movements introduce the instantaneous date change; and quickset arrives much later. Those later changes should not be projected back onto an original 4467.

The reference is also associated with the early Jubilee bracelet and the shallow reeded bezel. Surviving watches may have later bracelets, crowns, crystals, or movements, so those family links are historical context rather than an originality test.

Related references

• Reference 5028 and other large-case Bubblebacks: related 36mm family references.
• 6105: later Datejust reference with the model name on the dial.
• Reference 6305: later Datejust reference associated with the Cyclops magnifier.
• References 6604 and 6605: later Datejust references with instantaneous date change.
• 8171: a separate triple-calendar “Padellone,” related by period and case scale, not by movement.

Collecting considerations

Check the case material, caseback reference, serial placement, movement, dial, date wheel, crown, and bracelet as separate evidence. The public auction records identify A.295 movements and 18K gold cases, but service replacements are common on watches of this age.

For a claimed souscription watch, photograph the number between the lugs and compare it with the catalogue record. For a claimed pink-gold watch, check the hallmarks and case construction. For a retailer or provenance claim, keep the original paperwork with the lot or family history that supports it.

The bracelet and clasp date the bracelet, not the watch head. A later Jubilee can be period-correct and still not be original delivery. The same distinction applies to crowns, crystals, hands, and date wheels.

• 
  4467 Datejust Bubbleback
• 
  Pink-gold black-dial example
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  Souscription case number
• 
  Phillips roulette date wheel
• 
  Bucherer paperwork example

Sources

• Phillips Geneva Watch Auction VII, lot 222
• Antiquorum Geneva, lot 151, ref. 4467
• Antiquorum Geneva, lot 95, ref. 4467 souscription
• Bonhams, lot 116, ref. 4467
• Goldammer, historical 4467 and production estimate
• Phillips catalogue essay on the 1945 launch
• Rolexopedia, Movements cross-family page
• The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra