Reference:2136: Difference between revisions
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|title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual 2136 — Production, Dials & Serial Ranges | Rolexopedia | |title=Rolex Oyster Perpetual 2136 — Production, Dials & Serial Ranges | Rolexopedia | ||
|description=The 2136 is an early Oyster | |description=The 2136 is an early manual-wind Oyster documented in small octagonal and cushion cases, with 9ct, 18ct and steel examples, fixed wire lugs and a small Aegler movement. | ||
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|image_alt=Rolex 2136 Oyster Perpetual | |image_alt=Rolex 2136 Oyster Perpetual | ||
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The 2136 is an early Oyster | The 2136 is an early manual-wind Oyster documented in octagonal and cushion cases. The surviving record includes gold and steel examples, fixed wire lugs and small Aegler movements. | ||
<span id="core-facts"></span> | <span id="core-facts"></span> | ||
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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. | ||
The 2136 | The 2136 appears in the later reference system applied to early Oyster variants. The reference covers the men's octagonal Oyster through roughly the end of the 1930s, spanning the transition from the earliest Oyster construction into the beginning of the Bubbleback era. By the time 2136 production wound down, the first Perpetual references (1858, 3131, 3372) had already established the rotor-driven Oyster as Rolex's future. The 2136 is manual-wind throughout. It belongs to the manual-wind Oyster group that preceded the wider Perpetual range. | ||
The closest siblings to the 2136 are the other early-reference manual Oysters of the 1930s: 1069, 1147, 1237, 1573, 1880, 2005, and the rest of the cushion-and-octagonal family catalogued in ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual''. None of these references is well documented individually. Production data is sparse, auction appearances are thin, and dealer descriptions blur together. The | The closest siblings to the 2136 are the other early-reference manual Oysters of the 1930s: 1069, 1147, 1237, 1573, 1880, 2005, and the rest of the cushion-and-octagonal family catalogued in ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual''. None of these references is well documented individually. Production data is sparse, auction appearances are thin, and dealer descriptions blur together. The cited record includes several 9ct British-hallmarked examples, alongside less frequent steel and rose-gold listings. | ||
<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 | 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. | ||
The movement stays constant across the run. A 10½-ligne Hunter-style manual-wind caliber, fifteen jewels standard, rhodium-plated, with a straight-line lever escapement, a Rolex-patented Superbalance, and a self-compensating Breguet overcoil, timed in six positions for all climates. This is the same movement architecture Rolex used across its early 1930s manual Oysters. The six-position adjustment and Superbalance | The movement stays constant across the run. A 10½-ligne Hunter-style manual-wind caliber, fifteen jewels standard, rhodium-plated, with a straight-line lever escapement, a Rolex-patented Superbalance, and a self-compensating Breguet overcoil, timed in six positions for all climates. This is the same movement architecture Rolex used across its early 1930s manual Oysters. The six-position adjustment and Superbalance wording appear in the cited movement descriptions and period material. | ||
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 | 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 probably modest, but the systematic case-number work that would settle it has never been done publicly. | 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 probably modest, but the systematic case-number work that would settle it has never been done publicly. | ||
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<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. | ||
File:Ref2136_18ct_octagonal.webp|alt=Rolex Oyster 2136 in 18ct gold, octagonal case | File:Ref2136_18ct_octagonal.webp|alt=Rolex Oyster 2136 in 18ct gold, octagonal case, an early-Oyster form.|Rolex Oyster 2136 in 18ct gold, octagonal case, an early-Oyster form. | ||
File:Ref2136_9ct_cushion.webp|alt=9ct gold cushion-case 2136 — the alternate shape.|9ct gold cushion-case 2136 — the alternate shape. | File:Ref2136_9ct_cushion.webp|alt=9ct gold cushion-case 2136 — the alternate shape.|9ct gold cushion-case 2136 — the alternate shape. | ||
File:Ref 2136 caseback.webp|alt=Caseback engraved "R.W.C. LTD." and "Oyster Watch Co., Great Britain and U.S.A. Patents".|Caseback engraved "R.W.C. LTD." and the Oyster Watch Co. patent text | File:Ref 2136 caseback.webp|alt=Caseback engraved "R.W.C. LTD." and "Oyster Watch Co., Great Britain and U.S.A. Patents".|Caseback engraved "R.W.C. LTD." and the Oyster Watch Co. patent text | ||
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=== 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 | 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> | ||
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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. | |||
There is no shock protection in any meaningful sense on these movements. The Rolex-patented Superbalance is a stability design, not a shock-protected balance. Incabloc and KIF arrive later; the A.296 caliber of the late 1940s is Rolex's first shock-protected movement, and the 2136's 10½ Hunter base predates that development by more than a decade. | There is no shock protection in any meaningful sense on these movements. The Rolex-patented Superbalance is a stability design, not a shock-protected balance. Incabloc and KIF arrive later; the A.296 caliber of the late 1940s is Rolex's first shock-protected movement, and the 2136's 10½ Hunter base predates that development by more than a decade. | ||
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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: | ||
Silver or white dials with black Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds at | Silver or white dials with black Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds at six o’clock appear on the cited 9ct British-hallmarked examples. | ||
Two-tone silver-and-black dials carry a silver minute track around a black central zone or vice versa, a restrained Art Deco treatment consistent with period-dress-watch aesthetics. | Two-tone silver-and-black dials carry a silver minute track around a black central zone or vice versa, a restrained Art Deco treatment consistent with period-dress-watch aesthetics. | ||
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California dials carry half Roman numerals on the upper half and half Arabic on the lower, with radium plots. The California configuration on the 2136 is unusual and probably represents late production (the California patent dates to 1941) or a service-era dial. Rolex's own term for this layout was Error-Proof or High Visibility; the California name came from 1970s–80s refinishers and stuck. | California dials carry half Roman numerals on the upper half and half Arabic on the lower, with radium plots. The California configuration on the 2136 is unusual and probably represents late production (the California patent dates to 1941) or a service-era dial. Rolex's own term for this layout was Error-Proof or High Visibility; the California name came from 1970s–80s refinishers and stuck. | ||
White restored dials are what the name suggests: refinished dials on original cases. | 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. As with any watch of this age, matching patina between dial and hands is the primary indicator that both are period-original; mismatched aging is the standard tell for a service replacement. | 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. As with any watch of this age, matching patina between dial and hands is the primary indicator that both are period-original; mismatched aging is the standard tell for a service replacement. | ||
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== Auction and dealer record == | == Auction and dealer record == | ||
The | 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 wider dealer market shows a modest price range rather than a deep premium market. | ||
The | 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> | ||
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The overlap is real, but the watches are not the same. Both are early 9ct gold octagonal Oysters with wire lugs and R.W.C. LTD. caseback stamps because both belong to Rolex's first Oyster architecture. The 34075 predates the reference system and was issued to Gleitze as a pre-production watch. The 2136 is the later catalog reference for related production pieces. Best current reading: the 2136 is a production cousin of the Gleitze watch, not the Gleitze watch itself. | The overlap is real, but the watches are not the same. Both are early 9ct gold octagonal Oysters with wire lugs and R.W.C. LTD. caseback stamps because both belong to Rolex's first Oyster architecture. The 34075 predates the reference system and was issued to Gleitze as a pre-production watch. The 2136 is the later catalog reference for related production pieces. Best current reading: the 2136 is a production cousin of the Gleitze watch, not the Gleitze watch itself. | ||
Some dealer listings conflate the two. The | Some dealer listings conflate the two. The cited Sotheby’s record identifies the Gleitze watch as reference 34075, separate from the 2136. | ||
<span id="the-second-2136-c.1960-cal.-1400-precision"></span> | <span id="the-second-2136-c.1960-cal.-1400-precision"></span> | ||
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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 firmer date anchor for this period. Rolex serials in the 1920s–30s ran separate gold and silver series (per Boettcher's research at vintagewatchstraps.com) and the charts that lump them together are noisy, so a hallmark will generally beat a serial lookup. | 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 firmer date anchor for this period. Rolex serials in the 1920s–30s ran separate gold and silver series (per Boettcher's research at vintagewatchstraps.com) and the charts that lump them together are noisy, so a hallmark will generally beat a serial lookup. | ||
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. | |||
Fixed wire lugs are a defining structural feature. The lugs are soldered integrally to the case; replacing them with spring-bar lugs would require substantial case modification, so a 2136 with spring-bar lugs is not period-correct. Straps are fitted with loops over or around the wire lugs rather than clipped between them, which is normal for the early Oyster form and not evidence of tampering. | Fixed wire lugs are a defining structural feature. The lugs are soldered integrally to the case; replacing them with spring-bar lugs would require substantial case modification, so a 2136 with spring-bar lugs is not period-correct. Straps are fitted with loops over or around the wire lugs rather than clipped between them, which is normal for the early Oyster form and not evidence of tampering. | ||
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Period movements are signed with the Rolex wordmark and typically the Superbalance designation, with six-position adjustment text visible on the plate. An unsigned movement, or one with different caliber architecture, is either a service replacement or a sign that the watch is not what it claims to be. | Period movements are signed with the Rolex wordmark and typically the Superbalance designation, with six-position adjustment text visible on the plate. An unsigned movement, or one with different caliber architecture, is either a service replacement or a sign that the watch is not what it claims to be. | ||
The | 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]] | * [[Reference:3139|Oyster Perpetual 3139]], 1938–1947 | ||
* [[Reference:3359|Oyster Perpetual 3359]] | * [[Reference:3359|Oyster Perpetual 3359]], 1934–1946 | ||
* [[Reference:4220|Oyster Perpetual 4220]] | * [[Reference:4220|Oyster Perpetual 4220]] | ||
* [[Reference:5701|Oyster Perpetual 5701]] | * [[Reference:5701|Oyster Perpetual 5701]], 1959–1988 | ||
See also the [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]]. | See also the [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]]. | ||