Reference:2136: Difference between revisions
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Deep audit: 2136 chronology, movement, case variants and anti-slop prose |
Tighten 2136 evidence and provenance wording |
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<span id="core-facts"></span> | <span id="core-facts"></span> | ||
== Core facts == | ==Core facts== | ||
{| class="wikitable rp-facts" | {| class="wikitable rp-facts" | ||
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| case materials | | case materials | ||
| 9ct yellow gold | | 9ct yellow gold, 9K rose gold, 18K rose gold, stainless steel, nickel silver | ||
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| lug style | | lug style | ||
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<span id="where-it-sits-in-the-line"></span> | <span id="where-it-sits-in-the-line"></span> | ||
== Where it sits in the line == | ==Where it sits in the line== | ||
The 2136 is a product of Rolex's earliest Oyster catalog. When Hans Wilsdorf assembled the Perregaux/Perret screw-down crown, the Spillmann three-piece case, and the Aegler movement into the thing he trademarked "Oyster" in 1926, there was no reference-number system. Rolex described the initial Oyster range by case shape and size: octagonal or cushion, 28 mm ladies or 32 mm men's, in 9ct, 18ct, or 21K gold, silver, or chromium-plated base metal. Reference numbers arrived later, and when they did, they were applied retroactively to variants already in production. | The 2136 is a product of Rolex's earliest Oyster catalog. When Hans Wilsdorf assembled the Perregaux/Perret screw-down crown, the Spillmann three-piece case, and the Aegler movement into the thing he trademarked "Oyster" in 1926, there was no reference-number system. Rolex described the initial Oyster range by case shape and size: octagonal or cushion, 28 mm ladies or 32 mm men's, in 9ct, 18ct, or 21K gold, silver, or chromium-plated base metal. Reference numbers arrived later, and when they did, they were applied retroactively to variants already in production. | ||
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<span id="what-changed-across-the-run"></span> | <span id="what-changed-across-the-run"></span> | ||
== What changed across the run == | ==What changed across the run== | ||
Within the 2136's span, the most visible change is material. Early examples, including the unusual c.1925 Antiquorum piece, appear in stainless steel. By the mid-1930s, when Glasgow and Edinburgh hallmarks start showing up on surviving examples, the cited examples include small 9ct yellow-gold octagonal cases with British hallmarks, silvered dials and blued leaf hands. Rose gold examples (both 9K and 18K) exist in parallel, and stainless steel surfaces occasionally. A nickel silver variant is documented in dealer listings but is rarely offered at auction. | Within the 2136's span, the most visible change is material. Early examples, including the unusual c.1925 Antiquorum piece, appear in stainless steel. By the mid-1930s, when Glasgow and Edinburgh hallmarks start showing up on surviving examples, the cited examples include small 9ct yellow-gold octagonal cases with British hallmarks, silvered dials and blued leaf hands. Rose gold examples (both 9K and 18K) exist in parallel, and stainless steel surfaces occasionally. A nickel silver variant is documented in dealer listings but is rarely offered at auction. | ||
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What does not change is the lug configuration. Fixed wire lugs (thin, curved, soldered to the case rather than drilled for spring bars) are a defining visual feature of the early Oyster form. They are present on the cited 2136 examples. A candidate with spring-bar lugs needs case-level verification. | What does not change is the lug configuration. Fixed wire lugs (thin, curved, soldered to the case rather than drilled for spring bars) are a defining visual feature of the early Oyster form. They are present on the cited 2136 examples. A candidate with spring-bar lugs needs case-level verification. | ||
The 1926–1940 band used here has soft edges at both ends. The earliest indexed example is the Antiquorum cushion dated c.1925, which pre-dates the Oyster patent grant; the late-1930s Glasgow and Edinburgh hallmarks establish production into at least 1938. Whether the reference ran on into the early 1940s or was superseded by one of the newer Oyster references of that period is not documented. Neither is a production total: no figure has ever been published, and with the 2136 one variant among dozens of early Oyster references sharing small-batch runs, the number is | The 1926–1940 band used here has soft edges at both ends. The earliest indexed example is the Antiquorum cushion dated c.1925, which pre-dates the Oyster patent grant; the late-1930s Glasgow and Edinburgh hallmarks establish production into at least 1938. Whether the reference ran on into the early 1940s or was superseded by one of the newer Oyster references of that period is not documented. Neither is a production total: no figure has ever been published, and with the 2136 one variant among dozens of early Oyster references sharing small-batch runs, the available case-number record is not systematic enough to derive a production total. | ||
<span id="case-and-construction"></span> | <span id="case-and-construction"></span> | ||
== Case and construction == | ==Case and construction== | ||
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180"> | <gallery mode="packed" heights="180"> | ||
File:Ref2136_9ct_octagonal.webp|alt=9ct gold octagonal 2136, early 1930s.|9ct gold octagonal 2136, early 1930s. | File:Ref2136_9ct_octagonal.webp|alt=9ct gold octagonal 2136, early 1930s.|9ct gold octagonal 2136, early 1930s. | ||
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</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
The 2136 appears in two case shapes, octagonal first and cushion alongside it. The octagonal form is the | The 2136 appears in two case shapes, octagonal first and cushion alongside it. The octagonal form is the better-documented shape in the cited record and is visually distinct from the cushion examples. | ||
The cushion 2136 sold at Antiquorum in April 1999, dated c.1925, is the lone documented example of that shape in the indexed public record. If the dating is accurate, it pre-dates the Oyster patent grant and suggests either a pre-production piece, a misdated lot, or the reference being applied retroactively to a case from the earliest Oyster experiments. The Antiquorum catalog noted the case was fitted with a dust-protecting cap over the crown, an early-Oyster detail consistent with the pre-1930 period. | The cushion 2136 sold at Antiquorum in April 1999, dated c.1925, is the lone documented example of that shape in the indexed public record. If the dating is accurate, it pre-dates the Oyster patent grant and suggests either a pre-production piece, a misdated lot, or the reference being applied retroactively to a case from the earliest Oyster experiments. The Antiquorum catalog noted the case was fitted with a dust-protecting cap over the crown, an early-Oyster detail consistent with the pre-1930 period. | ||
Case construction is three-piece: bezel, mid-case, caseback, threaded together. The caseback interior carries the reference number and the period signatures. Two inscriptions appear consistently across surviving examples: "R.W.C. LTD.," short for Rolex Watch Company Limited, and "Oyster Watch Co., Great Britain and U.S.A. Patents." The second is | Case construction is three-piece: bezel, mid-case, caseback, threaded together. The caseback interior carries the reference number and the period signatures. Two inscriptions appear consistently across surviving examples: "R.W.C. LTD.," short for Rolex Watch Company Limited, and "Oyster Watch Co., Great Britain and U.S.A. Patents." The second is standard Oyster-era caseback text citing the patents used on early Oyster cases. The markings help compare a 2136 with related Wilsdorf alternate-brand Oysters such as Rolco, Aqua, and standalone Oyster Watch Co. cases. | ||
The three-piece construction itself descends directly from François Borgel's 1903 Swiss patent for a hermetic screw case, ''"la lunette, le fond et la carrure se vissant toutes trois sur le garde-poussière"'': bezel, caseback, and middle case all screw onto the movement retaining ring. The 1926 Oyster case is a refinement of this architecture, adding the screw-down crown that Borgel's version lacked. Rolex's own pre-Oyster watches from about 1919–1920 used Borgel-made three-piece cases of this type (Boettcher, ''vintagewatchstraps.com''). The 2136 caseback is structurally a Borgel-lineage case with Rolex's patented crown system added. | The three-piece construction itself descends directly from François Borgel's 1903 Swiss patent for a hermetic screw case, ''"la lunette, le fond et la carrure se vissant toutes trois sur le garde-poussière"'': bezel, caseback, and middle case all screw onto the movement retaining ring. The 1926 Oyster case is a refinement of this architecture, adding the screw-down crown that Borgel's version lacked. Rolex's own pre-Oyster watches from about 1919–1920 used Borgel-made three-piece cases of this type (Boettcher, ''vintagewatchstraps.com''). The 2136 caseback is structurally a Borgel-lineage case with Rolex's patented crown system added. | ||
<span id="dimensions"></span> | <span id="dimensions"></span> | ||
=== Dimensions === | ===Dimensions=== | ||
Reported dimensions vary across surviving examples: 32×34 mm, 33 mm excluding crown, and 37×31 mm have all been documented. The variance reflects real production variation across years and materials plus different measurement conventions on a shaped case: width across flats versus width across points, lug-to-lug versus case-only, inclusive or exclusive of the crown. The practical position for collectors: expect a 2136 to wear as a small watch by modern standards, somewhere in the 32–34 mm range on the short axis, with the octagonal form affecting how the dimensions read on the wrist. | Reported dimensions vary across surviving examples: 32×34 mm, 33 mm excluding crown, and 37×31 mm have all been documented. The variance reflects real production variation across years and materials plus different measurement conventions on a shaped case: width across flats versus width across points, lug-to-lug versus case-only, inclusive or exclusive of the crown. The practical position for collectors: expect a 2136 to wear as a small watch by modern standards, somewhere in the 32–34 mm range on the short axis, with the octagonal form affecting how the dimensions read on the wrist. | ||
<span id="the-15-jewel-movement"></span> | <span id="the-15-jewel-movement"></span> | ||
== The 15-jewel movement == | ==The 15-jewel movement== | ||
The 2136 uses the usual early Hunter-type Oyster movement architecture. The naming is messy across sources, but the useful spec is stable enough: 15 jewels, Superbalance, and the early Rolex manual-wind format rather than anything later or more standardized. | The 2136 uses the usual early Hunter-type Oyster movement architecture. The naming is messy across sources, but the useful spec is stable enough: 15 jewels, Superbalance, and the early Rolex manual-wind format rather than anything later or more standardized. | ||
The cited descriptions give six-position adjustment and Superbalance. Those details describe the movement’s regulation; they do not by themselves establish official chronometer certification. Movement plates on surviving 2136s are signed with the Rolex wordmark and the Superbalance designation; a few examples carry additional chronometer markings, though the 2136 was not submitted to official observatory certification as a matter of course. | The cited descriptions give six-position adjustment and Superbalance. Those details describe the movement’s regulation; they do not by themselves establish official chronometer certification. Movement plates on surviving 2136s are signed with the Rolex wordmark and the Superbalance designation; a few examples carry additional chronometer markings, though the 2136 was not submitted to official observatory certification as a matter of course. | ||
These movements predate later shock-protection systems such as Incabloc and KIF. The Rolex-patented Superbalance is a regulation design, not a shock-protection system. The A.296 caliber of the late 1940s is identified in the cited material as an early Rolex shock-protected movement, more than a decade after the 2136's 10½ Hunter base. | |||
<span id="dial-variants"></span> | <span id="dial-variants"></span> | ||
== Dial variants == | ==Dial variants== | ||
Surviving 2136 dials span a wider range than the small auction corpus would suggest. Confirmed configurations include: | Surviving 2136 dials span a wider range than the small auction corpus would suggest. Confirmed configurations include: | ||
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White restored dials are what the name suggests: refinished dials on original cases. Dealer listings include restored dials; originality and value require examination of the individual watch. | White restored dials are what the name suggests: refinished dials on original cases. Dealer listings include restored dials; originality and value require examination of the individual watch. | ||
Blued steel leaf hands are the most common handset on gold 2136s. The Antiquorum c.1925 cushion example carried blued "Cathédrale" hands, the cathedral-window openwork design typical of very early Oyster production. Black pointed baton hands and blued hands with radium plots are also documented. | Blued steel leaf hands are the most common handset on gold 2136s. The Antiquorum c.1925 cushion example carried blued "Cathédrale" hands, the cathedral-window openwork design typical of very early Oyster production. Black pointed baton hands and blued hands with radium plots are also documented. Matching patina between dial and hands supports a period-original set, while mismatched aging is one sign of a possible service replacement. | ||
<span id="auction-and-dealer-record"></span> | <span id="auction-and-dealer-record"></span> | ||
== Auction and dealer record == | ==Auction and dealer record== | ||
The cited auction record is concentrated in Antiquorum, Bonhams and smaller specialist houses. Antiquorum gives the earliest documented public example, Bonhams and several dealers fill out the British-hallmarked gold side, and dealer listings add examples with different materials, conditions, and asking prices, but they are not a controlled market series. | |||
The cited auction record is concentrated in Antiquorum, Bonhams and smaller specialist houses. Antiquorum gives the earliest documented public example, Bonhams and several dealers fill out the British-hallmarked gold side, and | |||
The cited sales and dealer listings cover different materials, conditions and dates. They do not establish a current price range. | The cited sales and dealer listings cover different materials, conditions and dates. They do not establish a current price range. | ||
<span id="the-gleitze-question"></span> | <span id="the-gleitze-question"></span> | ||
== The Gleitze question == | ==The Gleitze question== | ||
Because the 2136 is an early 9ct gold octagonal Oyster, and because Mercedes Gleitze wore an early 9ct gold octagonal Oyster during her 1927 Channel swims, the two are frequently conflated in casual references. The cited records identify the watches separately. | |||
Because the 2136 is an early 9ct gold octagonal Oyster, and because Mercedes Gleitze wore an early 9ct gold octagonal Oyster during her 1927 Channel swims, the two are frequently conflated in casual references. | |||
Gleitze's watch was reference 34075, not 2136. Sotheby's Geneva confirmed that in ''Important Watches Part I'' (9 November 2025, Lot 134), cataloguing it as a pre-production Oyster prototype in 9ct gold with an octagonal case, wire lugs, Glasgow 1926/1927 import marks, and the engraved caseback naming Mercedes Gleitze and the Vindication Channel Swim of 21 October 1927. The dial carries the "7 World's Records / Patent Applied for 114948 / Oyster Patent winding crown" text. Inside is a 9¾′′′ Hunter movement later service-updated to Cal. 600. The watch sold for CHF 1,392,000. | Gleitze's watch was reference 34075, not 2136. Sotheby's Geneva confirmed that in ''Important Watches Part I'' (9 November 2025, Lot 134), cataloguing it as a pre-production Oyster prototype in 9ct gold with an octagonal case, wire lugs, Glasgow 1926/1927 import marks, and the engraved caseback naming Mercedes Gleitze and the Vindication Channel Swim of 21 October 1927. The dial carries the "7 World's Records / Patent Applied for 114948 / Oyster Patent winding crown" text. Inside is a 9¾′′′ Hunter movement later service-updated to Cal. 600. The watch sold for CHF 1,392,000. | ||
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<span id="the-second-2136-c.1960-cal.-1400-precision"></span> | <span id="the-second-2136-c.1960-cal.-1400-precision"></span> | ||
== The second 2136: c.1960 Cal. 1400 Precision == | ==The second 2136: c.1960 Cal. 1400 Precision== | ||
A distinct watch also carries the reference 2136. It surfaces in dealer listings as a c.1960 Rolex Precision with a Cal. 1400 movement (18 jewels, manual-wind) sharing no architectural DNA with the pre-1940 Hunter-type caliber of the early Oyster 2136. The case is typically a round Precision form in the 30–32 mm range, not octagonal or cushion. The Cal. 1400 places the watch in the late 1950s to mid-1960s Rolex manual-Precision production, a parallel universe from the early Oyster. | A distinct watch also carries the reference 2136. It surfaces in dealer listings as a c.1960 Rolex Precision with a Cal. 1400 movement (18 jewels, manual-wind) sharing no architectural DNA with the pre-1940 Hunter-type caliber of the early Oyster 2136. The case is typically a round Precision form in the 30–32 mm range, not octagonal or cushion. The Cal. 1400 places the watch in the late 1950s to mid-1960s Rolex manual-Precision production, a parallel universe from the early Oyster. | ||
The later 2136 is thinly documented, and the cleanest reading is that Rolex reused the number. The movement | The later 2136 is thinly documented, and the cleanest reading is that Rolex reused the number. The movement separates the two records: a 10½ Hunter points to the early Oyster watch, while caliber 1400 belongs to the later Precision-era watch. These are different watches that happen to share a reference number. | ||
<span id="collecting-considerations"></span> | <span id="collecting-considerations"></span> | ||
== Collecting considerations == | ==Collecting considerations== | ||
British-hallmarked 9ct gold cases are the most common 2136 configuration, dating through the 1930s with Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Chester marks all appearing regularly. Hallmark dating is a useful date anchor for this period. Rolex serials in the 1920s–30s ran separate gold and silver series, according to Boettcher's research, so a serial estimate should be checked against the hallmark and case evidence. | |||
British-hallmarked 9ct gold cases are the most common 2136 configuration, dating through the 1930s with Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Chester marks all appearing regularly. Hallmark dating is | |||
The cited sources do not establish how many surviving 2136 dials were refinished. Check printing, lume or radium ageing, hand matching and movement fitment against documented period examples. | The cited sources do not establish how many surviving 2136 dials were refinished. Check printing, lume or radium ageing, hand matching and movement fitment against documented period examples. | ||
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The cited auction and dealer records are individual examples, not a valuation guide. | The cited auction and dealer records are individual examples, not a valuation guide. | ||
== Related references == | ==Related references== | ||
* [[Reference:2574|Oyster Perpetual 2574]] | * [[Reference:2574|Oyster Perpetual 2574]] | ||
* [[Reference:3139|Oyster Perpetual 3139]], 1938–1947 | * [[Reference:3139|Oyster Perpetual 3139]], 1938–1947 | ||