Reference:971: Difference between revisions
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Import reference 971 article |
Add {{#seo:}} block + breadcrumb + hero (Pink Zebra) + 4 section-inline images (platinum, Tiger Stripe, Zebra, Eaton) |
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|title=Rolex Prince Brancard 971 — BezelBase | |||
|description=The Rolex Prince Brancard 971 is the original Brancard — the 1928 launch reference of the rectangular Art-Deco "stretcher" Prince family. Aegler shaped chronometer movements (Cal. 300 / 350 / 360 HW) in Prima, Extra Prima, and Ultra Prima grades. Sub-references 971, 971A (18K Tiger Stripe), 971U (Ultra Prima), 971S, with Zebra (9K bicolor) and Pink Zebra (18K pink+white) variants. Documented in sterling silver, 9K/14K/18K gold, two-tone, stainless steel, and platinum. | |||
|keywords=Rolex, Prince, 971, 971A, 971U, 971S, Brancard, Tiger Stripe, Zebra, Pink Zebra, Aegler, Cal. 300, Cal. 350, Cal. 360, Ultra Prima, Extra Prima, Eaton 1/4 Century Club, vintage, Art Deco, doctor watch, reference guide | |||
|image=Ref 971 hero.webp | |||
|image_alt=Rolex Prince Brancard 971 Pink Zebra 18K pink and white gold | |||
|type=article | |||
|og_type=article | |||
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large | |||
}} | |||
<small>[[Reference:prince|Prince]] → '''971'''</small> | |||
[[File:Ref 971 hero.webp|thumb|right|340px|alt=Rolex Prince Brancard 971 — Pink Zebra 18K pink and white gold|Pink Zebra: 18K pink + white gold bicolor, Antiquorum 2023 lot 138, hammer CHF 16,250]] | |||
The 971 is the original Brancard. Rolex launched the Prince family in 1928 around an Aegler-patented shaped movement, and the 971 is the reference that opened the line: a flared "stretcher" rectangular case (the French word ''brancard'' means stretcher), a duo-dial with an oversized sub-seconds register at six, and a chronometer-grade movement built to compete with the best of Swiss observatory-tested calibers. The watch acquired the "doctor's watch" nickname because the large sub-seconds register made it usable for counting a patient's pulse off the dial. Production runs from a documented 1928 English hallmark through at least 1938, with the larger 1490 Brancard taking over as the headline reference of the line through the mid-1940s. The 971 is rarer than the 1490, comes in more documented sub-references (971A, 971U, 971S, plus the Zebra and Tiger Stripe bicolor variants), and has a meaningfully different price ceiling — sterling examples clear at GBP 3,500–4,500, Tiger Stripe 18K examples at CHF 15,000–29,500, and platinum at CHF 35,000–75,000. | The 971 is the original Brancard. Rolex launched the Prince family in 1928 around an Aegler-patented shaped movement, and the 971 is the reference that opened the line: a flared "stretcher" rectangular case (the French word ''brancard'' means stretcher), a duo-dial with an oversized sub-seconds register at six, and a chronometer-grade movement built to compete with the best of Swiss observatory-tested calibers. The watch acquired the "doctor's watch" nickname because the large sub-seconds register made it usable for counting a patient's pulse off the dial. Production runs from a documented 1928 English hallmark through at least 1938, with the larger 1490 Brancard taking over as the headline reference of the line through the mid-1940s. The 971 is rarer than the 1490, comes in more documented sub-references (971A, 971U, 971S, plus the Zebra and Tiger Stripe bicolor variants), and has a meaningfully different price ceiling — sterling examples clear at GBP 3,500–4,500, Tiger Stripe 18K examples at CHF 15,000–29,500, and platinum at CHF 35,000–75,000. | ||
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==Sub-references — 971, 971A, 971U, 971S, Zebra, Tiger Stripe, Pink Zebra== | ==Sub-references — 971, 971A, 971U, 971S, Zebra, Tiger Stripe, Pink Zebra== | ||
[[File:Ref 971 zebra-9k.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 971 9K Zebra bicolor|9K Zebra — Antiquorum 2020 lot 235, yellow + white gold (Antiquorum convention: 9K = Zebra, 18K = Tiger Stripe)]] | |||
[[File:Ref 971 tiger-stripe.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 971A 18K bicolor Tiger Stripe canonical|971A 18K Tiger Stripe — Antiquorum NY 2008 lot 266, canonical reference example, hammer USD 14,400]] | |||
The 971 has the deepest sub-reference taxonomy of any Prince. The convention is not entirely settled, but the documented usage breaks down as follows. | The 971 has the deepest sub-reference taxonomy of any Prince. The convention is not entirely settled, but the documented usage breaks down as follows. | ||
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==Case materials== | ==Case materials== | ||
[[File:Ref 971 eaton.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 971 Eaton 1/4 Century Club Switzer 1907-1932|Eaton 1/4 Century Club presentation: T.D. Switzer 1907–1932 service dedication]] | |||
The 971 has documented examples in more material configurations than any other Prince reference: | The 971 has documented examples in more material configurations than any other Prince reference: | ||
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==The movement== | ==The movement== | ||
[[File:Ref 971 platinum.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex 971 platinum Phillips case 6013 black dial 1935|Platinum 971, case 6,013, Cal. 300 7½′′′ 18-jewel, black dial, c.1935, Phillips Geneva V hammer CHF 48,750]] | |||
The 971 runs on Aegler shaped movements. The 1927 Wilsdorf-Aegler patent for "shaped watch movement with a seconds dial" placed the winding barrel at one end of the rectangular movement and the balance at the other — an architectural choice that allowed both a larger balance wheel (for improved precision) and a larger mainspring barrel (for a longer power reserve) than competing shaped calibers of the period. The Aegler-Rolex relationship was a supplier arrangement (Aegler as an independent manufacturer in Bienne until Rolex purchased the firm from the Borer family in April 2004; Aegler and Rebberg refer to the same factory — Aegler is the company name, Rebberg the Bienne street). | The 971 runs on Aegler shaped movements. The 1927 Wilsdorf-Aegler patent for "shaped watch movement with a seconds dial" placed the winding barrel at one end of the rectangular movement and the balance at the other — an architectural choice that allowed both a larger balance wheel (for improved precision) and a larger mainspring barrel (for a longer power reserve) than competing shaped calibers of the period. The Aegler-Rolex relationship was a supplier arrangement (Aegler as an independent manufacturer in Bienne until Rolex purchased the firm from the Borer family in April 2004; Aegler and Rebberg refer to the same factory — Aegler is the company name, Rebberg the Bienne street). | ||