Reference:5031

Bubbleback › 5031

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 5031

The 5031 is a date-equipped Oyster Perpetual that auction houses usually describe as a two-tone steel-and-gold watch. Published examples vary: catalogues give 34 or 36 mm, list different movement sizes and jewel counts, and date the reference from circa 1948 to the 1960s. Those records identify the watch, but they do not establish a production span or a single movement caliber.

Core facts

detail	value
Reference	5031
Family	Oyster Perpetual with date; grouped with early Datejust and Big Bubbleback watches in some catalogues
Dating	Auction catalogues range from circa 1948 to the 1960s; no factory production dates established here
Case	Tonneau-shaped Oyster case; auction dimensions include 34 mm and 36 mm
Documented materials	Stainless steel with pink gold; stainless steel with yellow gold; one Bonhams catalogue describes steel and chrome plate
Bezel	Gold reeded or machine-finished bezel in documented steel-and-gold lots; finish varies by example
Dial	Silver or silvered dials are documented; examples include applied indexes and luminous markers
Date	Date aperture at 3 o'clock in the auction examples
Movement	Auction houses describe automatic movements, but the available records do not establish one caliber for the reference
Case numbers	Published examples include 612990, 613514, 613853, and 613876; these are individual records, not a serial range
Related reference	Reference:5030, catalogued in solid gold

Place in the line

The 5031 belongs to the early date-equipped Oyster Perpetual group that auction catalogues also call Datejust or Bubbleback. The name “Ovettone” appears in dealer and auction usage for some 36 mm watches, but collectors do not use it consistently. It is best treated as a period or collector label, not a formal Rolex model name.

The solid-gold 5030 is often paired with the 5031 in reference guides. Auction descriptions support a distinction in case construction: the 5030 is listed in solid gold, while several 5031 examples are listed in steel and gold. Both pink- and yellow-gold accents appear in catalogues. The available records do not establish that the two references shared a movement or every case component.

Production and dating

The date “circa 1948” appears on Sotheby’s 2020 and 2022 listings, Tennants’ 2026 listing, and Bonhams’ 2025 listing. Antiquorum’s 1999 catalogue calls its example a 1950s watch; its 1995 catalogue says 1960s. Keep those dates attached to the individual lots. The auction estimates do not show when Rolex began or ended production.

Four published case numbers are useful for identifying particular watches: 612990 at Bonhams, 613514 at Tennants, 613853 at Sotheby’s, and 613876 at Sotheby’s. They cluster closely, but four sale records cannot establish a production range or total. Repeated appearances of the same case number should not be counted as separate watches.

Movement

The auction records call the 5031 automatic and give a date, but they do not agree on movement details. Antiquorum’s 1999 lot describes a 9¾-ligne, 19-jewel movement without naming a caliber. Its 1995 lot gives a 12½-ligne, 26-jewel movement, also without a caliber. Sotheby’s 2020 and 2022 listings say only “automatic.” Tennants records a movement number, G67646, but no caliber.

Colin A. White’s The Vintage Rolex Field Manual maps the 5031 to Cal. 710 in a reference table. The same manual and Rolexopedia’s movement guide describe Cal. 710 as hand-wound and without a date, which conflicts with the automatic, date-equipped watches in the sale catalogues. The 5031 caliber therefore remains unresolved here. The available evidence does not support assigning A.295, 740, or 745 to every example.

Dial and date

The sale records show silver or silvered dials, but details vary. Antiquorum’s 1999 example has applied pink-gold triangular luminous indexes and pink-gold Alpha hands. Its 1995 example has applied steel indexes and steel Dauphine hands. Tennants describes dagger indexes and says its dial had been refinished. Bonhams records applied gilt dart markers on its steel-and-chrome-plated example. Sotheby’s 2022 listing documents a roulette date wheel. These are descriptions of individual watches, not a complete variant list.

The auction title “Datejust” does not establish that the dial itself bears that word. Check the dial inscription on each watch. The records cited here do not prove a universal rule for Datejust text, dial feet, luminous material, or date-change behavior.

Case, bezel, and crown

Antiquorum describes a 36 mm pink-gold-and-steel example with a ribbed graduated bezel in 1999. Its 1995 steel-and-yellow-gold example is also 36 mm and has a graduated reeded bezel. Sotheby’s lists a pink-gold-and-steel watch at 34 mm in 2022. Tennants gives 36 mm for its steel-and-gold watch. These differences may reflect measurement or catalogue practice; the available records do not settle the nominal case size.

The 1995 and 1999 Antiquorum lots describe screw-down crowns and casebacks. Bonhams also describes a screw-down crown and back on its steel-and-chrome-plated example. The sources reviewed do not establish a universal “small Brevet” crown for the 5031, so that label should be checked against the individual watch rather than treated as a defining specification.

Bonhams catalogued case 612990 as stainless steel and chrome-plated. The same watch, identified by matching case and movement numbers, appeared twice in 2025: it passed at the first sale and sold at the later one. This is a documented catalogue description, not proof that Rolex made a chrome-plated 5031 variant. The record could reflect the watch’s present condition or a catalogue error; the available sources do not resolve it.

Bracelet and strap

The cited examples do not establish a standard bracelet configuration. Sotheby’s 2020 listing describes a steel and pink-gold plated Rolex bracelet. Sotheby’s 2022 example had a stainless-steel Rolex buckle. Bonhams and Tennants describe leather straps; Tennants says its strap and buckle were later replacements and not by Rolex. These listings document what accompanied those watches at sale, not original delivery fitments.

Auction record

This is a selected record of catalogued examples, not a census. Sale-house descriptions and dates remain attributed to each lot.

• 
  Dial detail, case 612990
• 
  Case flank and crown, case 612990
• 
  Caseback, case 612990

Sale	Example and catalogue details	Result
Antiquorum, 14 June 1995, lot 203	Steel and yellow gold; 36 mm; silver dial with applied steel indexes; automatic movement described as 12½ lignes and 26 jewels; catalogue calls it “1960s”	Estimate HKD 17,000–19,000; no result shown
Antiquorum, 1 December 1999, lot 191	Steel and pink gold; 36 mm; pink-gold triangular luminous indexes and Alpha hands; automatic movement described as 9¾ lignes and 19 jewels; catalogue calls it “1950s”	Sold USD 3,220
Sotheby’s, 2020, lot 154	Steel and pink gold; case 613853; circa 1948; 36 mm; automatic; steel and pink-gold plated bracelet	Estimate CHF 5,000–7,000; result not displayed
Sotheby’s, 14 December 2022, lot 379	Steel and pink gold; case 613876; circa 1948; 34 mm; silvered dial with roulette date; automatic	Estimate USD 3,000–5,000; result not displayed
Bonhams, 1 April 2025, lot 3068	Case 612990; steel and chrome-plated, 36 mm; movement 37574, listed as Cal. G3171; silver dial	Passed at estimate €3,000–5,000
Bonhams, 17 October 2025, lot 39	Same case 612990 and movement 37574; same steel-and-chrome-plated description	Sold €3,584 including premium
Tennants, 14 March 2026, lot 2164	Steel and gold; case 613514; circa 1948; 36 mm; silvered dial with red date; movement numbered G67646; dial described as refinished	Sold £3,000

Related references

• Reference:5030 — solid-gold reference often paired with the 5031
• 4467 — earlier Datejust reference
• 6031
• 3595
• 2940
• 6075

See also the Bubbleback family guide, movement guide, and serial-number guide.

Gallery

• 
  Rolex ref. 5031
• 
  Dial detail, case 612990
• 
  Case flank and crown, case 612990
• 
  Caseback, case 612990