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<div class="rp-hero-title">The Rolex reference encyclopedia</div>
<div class="rp-hero-title">The Rolex reference encyclopedia</div>
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<div class="rp-hero-lede">
Rolex changed what a wristwatch could do. The Oyster case (1926) made watches waterproof, the Perpetual rotor (1931) made them self-winding, the Prince (1928) built them to chronometer grade. Watchmakers and collectors have spent the decades since cataloguing what changed across each reference. Rolexopedia stores that record in one place.
Rolexopedia is a reference guide to vintage and discontinued Rolex watches. Browse a family to compare generations, or open a reference number for its production history, movement, dial variants and case details.


Each article documents one reference: production years, movement, dial variants, case and bracelet details, auction record, and what to check when authenticating one. Inside one reference the watch can change a lot. A 5512 from 1962 is not the 5512 from 1978. Generation matters first. [[Rolexopedia:About|About the project →]]
A reference number can cover decades of changes. The articles distinguish documented variants and later replacements, with sources for further reading. The serial-number, movement and bracelet guides help compare the parts of an individual watch. [[Rolexopedia:About|About the project →]]
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<div class="rp-stat"><b>{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}</b><span>reference articles</span></div>
<div class="rp-stat"><b>{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}</b><span>wiki articles</span></div>
<div class="rp-stat"><b>12</b><span>families</span></div>
<div class="rp-stat"><b>12</b><span>families</span></div>
<div class="rp-stat"><b>{{NUMBEROFFILES}}</b><span>photographs</span></div>
<div class="rp-stat"><b>{{NUMBEROFFILES}}</b><span>image files</span></div>
<div class="rp-stat"><b>1926–2020</b><span>years covered</span></div>
<div class="rp-stat"><b>1920s onward</b><span>historical coverage</span></div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:submariner|Submariner]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:submariner|Submariner]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1953–2010 documented · 33 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Early divers through the ceramic generations</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The dive watch that became the template. Big Crowns, gilt 5512 and 5513 runs, the Red Sub, and the five-digit sapphire era.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">Big Crown models, the 5512 and 5513 dial changes, the Red Sub and the five-digit sapphire references.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:daytona|Daytona]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1963–2016 documented · 37 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Manual-wind, Zenith and in-house chronographs</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">Manual-wind Valjoux chronographs, the Paul Newman exotic dials, the Zenith automatics and the in-house 4130 generation.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">Manual-wind Valjoux chronographs, the Paul Newman exotic dials, the Zenith automatics and the in-house 4130 generation.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1955–2019 documented · 26 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">GMT-Master and GMT-Master II</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">From the Bakelite-bezel 6542 through the long 1675 run to the ceramic GMT-Master II.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">From the Bakelite-bezel 6542 through the long 1675 run to the ceramic GMT-Master II.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:explorer|Explorer]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:explorer|Explorer]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1952–2021 documented · 14 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Early Explorers and their sapphire successors</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The 3-6-9 dial from the 6150 and 6350 to the 26-year 1016 and its sapphire successors.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The 6150 and 6350, the long-running 1016, and the later sapphire-crystal models.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1971–2010 documented · 5 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Fixed-bezel watches with a 24-hour hand</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The orange-hand 1655 Freccione, the transitional 16550 and the long-run 16570.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The orange-hand 1655 Freccione, the transitional 16550 and the long-run 16570.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:sea-dweller|Sea-Dweller]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:sea-dweller|Sea-Dweller]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1967–2017 documented · 6 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Saturation-diving references</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">COMEX saturation divers: Single Red, Double Red, Great White, Triple Six and the 116600.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">Single Red, Double Red and Great White 1665s, the Triple Six, later references and documented COMEX examples.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:day-date|Day-Date]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1956–2019 documented · 39 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Day and date displays, in gold or platinum</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The President from the 1956 originals through the 1803 era, five-digit sapphire, Day-Date II and Oysterquartz.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The President from the 1956 originals through the 1803 era, five-digit sapphire, Day-Date II and Oysterquartz.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:milgauss|Milgauss]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:milgauss|Milgauss]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1956–2023 documented · 4 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Magnetic protection across two production eras</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The anti-magnetic Rolex: lightning-bolt 6541, the CERN 1019 and the green-crystal 116400GV.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The lightning-bolt seconds hand of the 6541, the 1019 and the green-crystal 116400GV.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:air-king|Air-King]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:air-king|Air-King]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1945–2014 documented · 19 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Early Air-Kings through the 34mm sapphire models</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">Battle of Britain origins, the 5500 mainstay that ran for three decades and the sapphire 14000 line.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">Early hand-wound models, the long-running 5500 and the sapphire-crystal 14000 line.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1950s–2020 documented · 25 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Time-only automatic Oysters</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The plain-dial Oyster: classic four-digit 1002 to 1018, five-digit and the last pre-refresh 116000 generation.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The plain-dial Oyster: classic four-digit 1002 to 1018, five-digit and the last pre-refresh 116000 generation.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback and early Oyster]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback and early Oyster]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1926–1953 documented · 30 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Manual Oysters and early automatics</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The first waterproof Oysters, the domed-caseback automatics, the Padellone and the Oyster Precision manual-winds.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">The first waterproof Oysters, the domed-caseback automatics, the Padellone and the Oyster Precision manual-winds.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:prince|Prince]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:prince|Prince]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">1928–1949 documented · 9 references</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Rectangular and shaped cases</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">Rectangular Art-Deco chronometers: Classic 1343, Brancard 971, Railway and Tigre variants.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">Rectangular Art-Deco chronometers: Classic 1343, Brancard 971, Railway and Tigre variants.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Date any Rolex from its serial</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Serial systems and dating limits</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">Decodes the three Rolex serial systems: numeric before 1987, letter prefixes 1987–2010, and random alphanumeric from 2010.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">Numeric and letter-prefix year ranges, hallmark dating for early watches, and the limits of randomized serials.</div>
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<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:Movements|Movements]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-title">[[Reference:Movements|Movements]]</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Every caliber, cross-family</div>
<div class="rp-card-meta">Calibers across the watch families</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">From the early manual-wind Oyster calibers through the 1500 and 3000 series to the Zenith and in-house chronographs.</div>
<div class="rp-card-text">From the early manual-wind Oyster calibers through the 1500 and 3000 series to the Zenith and in-house chronographs.</div>
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<div class="rp-era"><div class="rp-era-name">Vintage<small>1955–99</small></div><div class="rp-chips">[[Reference:6542|6542]] [[Reference:1675|1675]] [[Reference:16750|16750]] [[Reference:16753|16753]] [[Reference:16758|16758]] [[Reference:16700|16700]]</div></div>
<div class="rp-era"><div class="rp-era-name">Vintage<small>1955–99</small></div><div class="rp-chips">[[Reference:6542|6542]] [[Reference:1675|1675]] [[Reference:16750|16750]] [[Reference:16753|16753]] [[Reference:16758|16758]] [[Reference:16700|16700]]</div></div>
<div class="rp-era"><div class="rp-era-name">GMT-Master II<small>1983–2007</small></div><div class="rp-chips">[[Reference:16760|16760]] [[Reference:16710|16710]] [[Reference:16713|16713]] [[Reference:16718|16718]]</div></div>
<div class="rp-era"><div class="rp-era-name">GMT-Master II<small>1983–2007</small></div><div class="rp-chips">[[Reference:16760|16760]] [[Reference:16710|16710]] [[Reference:16713|16713]] [[Reference:16718|16718]]</div></div>
<div class="rp-era"><div class="rp-era-name">Ceramic 5-digit<small>2005–19</small></div><div class="rp-chips">[[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]] [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]] [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]]</div></div>
<div class="rp-era"><div class="rp-era-name">Ceramic 116xxx<small>2005–19</small></div><div class="rp-chips">[[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]] [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]] [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]]</div></div>
<div class="rp-era"><div class="rp-era-name">Ceramic 6-digit<small>2018–present</small></div><div class="rp-chips">[[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] [[Reference:126711CHNR|126711CHNR]] [[Reference:126715CHNR|126715CHNR]] [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]] [[Reference:126713GRNR|126713GRNR]] [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]] [[Reference:126710GRNR|126710GRNR]]</div></div>
<div class="rp-era"><div class="rp-era-name">Ceramic 126xxx<small>2018–present</small></div><div class="rp-chips">[[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] [[Reference:126711CHNR|126711CHNR]] [[Reference:126715CHNR|126715CHNR]] [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]] [[Reference:126713GRNR|126713GRNR]] [[Reference:126718GRNR|126718GRNR]] [[Reference:126710GRNR|126710GRNR]]</div></div>
</div>
</div>
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<div class="rp-index">

Revision as of 19:48, 12 September 2026

The Rolex reference encyclopedia

Rolexopedia is a reference guide to vintage and discontinued Rolex watches. Browse a family to compare generations, or open a reference number for its production history, movement, dial variants and case details.

A reference number can cover decades of changes. The articles distinguish documented variants and later replacements, with sources for further reading. The serial-number, movement and bracelet guides help compare the parts of an individual watch. About the project →

350wiki articles
12families
2,046image files
1920s onwardhistorical coverage

Browse by family

Rolex Submariner
Submariner
Early divers through the ceramic generations
Big Crown models, the 5512 and 5513 dial changes, the Red Sub and the five-digit sapphire references.
Rolex Daytona
Daytona
Manual-wind, Zenith and in-house chronographs
Manual-wind Valjoux chronographs, the Paul Newman exotic dials, the Zenith automatics and the in-house 4130 generation.
Rolex GMT-Master II Chuck Yeager advertisement
GMT-Master
GMT-Master and GMT-Master II
From the Bakelite-bezel 6542 through the long 1675 run to the ceramic GMT-Master II.
Rolex Explorer advertisement with Hillary and Tenzing on Everest
Explorer
Early Explorers and their sapphire successors
The 6150 and 6350, the long-running 1016, and the later sapphire-crystal models.
Rolex Explorer II advertisement with Alain Hubert
Explorer II
Fixed-bezel watches with a 24-hour hand
The orange-hand 1655 Freccione, the transitional 16550 and the long-run 16570.
Rolex Deepstar 4000 advertisement
Sea-Dweller
Saturation-diving references
Single Red, Double Red and Great White 1665s, the Triple Six, later references and documented COMEX examples.
Rolex Day-Date 1960 advertisement
Day-Date
Day and date displays, in gold or platinum
The President from the 1956 originals through the 1803 era, five-digit sapphire, Day-Date II and Oysterquartz.
Rolex Milgauss
Milgauss
Magnetic protection across two production eras
The lightning-bolt seconds hand of the 6541, the 1019 and the green-crystal 116400GV.
Rolex Air-King advertisement, steel is a precious metal
Air-King
Early Air-Kings through the 34mm sapphire models
Early hand-wound models, the long-running 5500 and the sapphire-crystal 14000 line.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual
Oyster Perpetual
Time-only automatic Oysters
The plain-dial Oyster: classic four-digit 1002 to 1018, five-digit and the last pre-refresh 116000 generation.
Rolex Oyster 1929 advertisement
Bubbleback and early Oyster
Manual Oysters and early automatics
The first waterproof Oysters, the domed-caseback automatics, the Padellone and the Oyster Precision manual-winds.
Rolex Prince 1932 advertisement
Prince
Rectangular and shaped cases
Rectangular Art-Deco chronometers: Classic 1343, Brancard 971, Railway and Tigre variants.

From the archive

Rolex Submariner 1680

Submariner

Submariner 1680

The 1680 is the first Submariner with a date. It brought the Cyclops and the date wheel to the diver line, and its early red-text dials gave collectors the Red Submariner that anchors the reference's market today.

Read the 1680 article →

Reference guides

Serial numbers
Serial systems and dating limits
Numeric and letter-prefix year ranges, hallmark dating for early watches, and the limits of randomized serials.
Bracelets
Bracelets, end links, clasps
Rivet, folded and solid Oyster, Jubilee and President bracelets, end-link numbers and the clasp date-code key.
Movements
Calibers across the watch families
From the early manual-wind Oyster calibers through the 1500 and 3000 series to the Zenith and in-house chronographs.

Every reference, by era

Submariner
Full Submariner index →
Pre-five-digit1953–90
6204 6205 6200 6536 6536/1 6538 5508 5510 5512 5513 5514 5517 1680
Five-digit1979–2010
14060 14060M 16800 16610 16610LV 16803 16808 16613 16618
Daytona
Full Daytona index →
Manual-wind chronograph1962–1988
6238 6239 6240 6241 6262 6263 6264 6265
Zenith automatic1988–2000
16520 16518 16519 16523 16528
In-house cal 41302000–2016
116520 116523 116528
GMT-Master
Full GMT-Master index →
Vintage1955–99
6542 1675 16750 16753 16758 16700
GMT-Master II1983–2007
16760 16710 16713 16718
Ceramic 116xxx2005–19
116718LN 116713LN 116710LN 116710BLNR 116719BLRO
Ceramic 126xxx2018–present
126710BLRO 126711CHNR 126715CHNR 126710BLNR 126720VTNR 126713GRNR 126718GRNR 126710GRNR
Explorer
Full Explorer index →
Vintage1952–89
6150 6350 6610 1016
Modern1989–2021
14270 114270 214270
Explorer II
Full Explorer II index →
Vintage Freccione1971–1984
1655
Transitional1985–1989
16550
Modern 40mm1989–2010
16570
Sea-Dweller
Full Sea-Dweller index →
Single Red to Great White1967–1983
1665
Triple Six and 166001978–2008
16660 16600
Ceramic2008–2017
116600
Day-Date
Full Day-Date index →
Originals1956–59
6510 6511 6611 6612 6612B
4-digit President1959–78
1803 1804 1806 1807 1811 1831
5-digit1977–2000
18038 18028 18048 18078 18238 18248 18348 18208
6-digit Day-Date 362000–19
118238 118208 118235 118138
Day-Date II 41mm2008–15
218238 218206
Oysterquartz1977–2001
19018
Milgauss
Full Milgauss index →
Original and CERN era1956–1988
6541 1019
Modern2007–2023
116400
Air-King
Full Air-King index →
Battle of Britain origin1945–53
4925 4365 4499
First automatic1953–57
6552
Long-run mainstay1957–89
5500 5501 5502 5504 5506 5520 5700 5701
Sapphire era1989–2014
14000 14000M 114200
Oyster Perpetual
Full Oyster Perpetual index →
Classic four-digit1959–1988
1002 1003 1005 1007 1018
Last pre-refresh generation2007–2020
116000 114300 177200 176200
Bubbleback and early Oyster
Full Bubbleback and early Oyster index →
Pre-Oyster and Oyster1922–37
3666 2136 3003 3004
Bubbleback era1933–45
1858 3131 3372 3525
Datejust, Padellone, Super Oyster1945–53
4467 5030 5031 6031 6075 6105 8171 6098
Prince
Full Prince index →
Brancard era1928–mid-1940s
1343 971 1490 1491 1527 1862 3361 3937

Recently updated

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