Reference:116000: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 04:19, 25 September 2026

Phillips-catalogued Rolex Oyster Perpetual 36 ref. 116000 with a blue dial, circa 2014 — Blue-dial 116000 made for the Sultanate of Oman; Phillips, lot 858. This is one documented example, not a standard dial for every watch.

The 116000 is the 36 mm, steel, no-date Oyster Perpetual fitted with calibre 3130. Rolex's 2014 product material lists Red Grape, White Grape and Steel sunray dials; auction records also show black, blue and silver-blue examples. The reference was in use by 2007 and disappeared from Rolex's catalogue in the 2020 model change.

Core facts

Detail	Documented information
Reference	116000
Model	Oyster Perpetual 36; hours, minutes and centre seconds, no date
Catalogue period	Documented by circa-2007 auction examples; listed by Rolex in August 2020 and replaced in the September 2020 catalogue refresh
Case	36 mm Oyster, 904L steel in Rolex's 2014 specification; monobloc middle case, screw-down back and Twinlock crown
Bezel and crystal	Smooth domed bezel; scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
Water resistance	100 metres / 330 feet
Movement	Calibre 3130, automatic, 31 jewels, COSC-certified, 28,800 vph and approximately 48 hours of reserve
Balance spring	Blue Parachrom balance spring with Breguet overcoil; stop-seconds
Bracelet	Oyster bracelet, reference 70200 in Rolex's 2014 product sheet; three-piece links and folding Oysterclasp

Where it sits in the line

This is the 36 mm no-date member of the Oyster Perpetual range. The 176200 and 177200 use the same basic format in smaller cases; the 114200 is a separate 34 mm Air-King with calibre 3130. Rolex's 2014 material lists the 116000 alongside the 31 mm 177200, with separate movement and dial specifications: calibre 3130 for the 116000 and 2231 for the 177200.

Rolex's August 2020 catalogue still listed the 116000. Its September 2020 refresh showed the 126000 in the 36 mm position, with calibre 3230. These snapshots bracket the catalogue changeover; individual final delivery dates remain undocumented.

Production outline

Auction catalogues place examples in circa 2007 and describe watches made in 2008. Christie's lot M919877 carries a circa-2007 date and a Rolex warranty dated December 2009; Antiquorum separately describes a 2008 black-dial watch. These early records establish the reference before its later color dials.

Some Phillips catalogue copy calls the 116000 a new 36 mm model released in 2014. Christie's and Antiquorum had already catalogued 116000 examples from circa 2007 and 2008. Rolex's 2014 press material describes updated Oyster Perpetual versions and lists new dial colors. The evidence places the 2014 change in the dial offering, not the reference's introduction.

Movement notes

Rolex's 2014 specification gives calibre 3130, 31 jewels, a frequency of 28,800 beats per hour, an approximately 48-hour reserve and COSC certification. It also lists a blue Parachrom balance spring, Breguet overcoil, variable-inertia balance and stop-seconds. Auction records for watches dated circa 2007, 2008, 2014 and 2015 identify calibre 3130. The cited sources support the reference-level fitment; individual service history still belongs to the watch being examined.

Dial map

The dial record includes more than one layout. Antiquorum's circa-2008 black example has luminous Arabic quarters and a minute track. Fratello describes a blue dial with a concentric centre and a radial band carrying the chronometer wording. Sotheby's catalogues a silver-and-blue dial in a circa-2015 watch.

Rolex's 2014 product sheet lists Red Grape, White Grape and Steel, each with a sunray finish. Robert-Jan Broer called the last color Steel Grey in a 2015 Fratello article; the manufacturer sheet says Steel. The dial names in those sources differ slightly.

Case, bezel, crystal and crown

Rolex specifies a 36 mm 904L steel case with a domed bezel, sapphire crystal, Twinlock screw-down crown and 100-metre water resistance. Christie's and Sotheby's also measure 116000 examples at 36 mm. Antiquorum's Club Tijuana catalogue gives 37 mm for its individual watch; that entry records a lot measurement, while Rolex's published case specification is 36 mm.

Bracelet and clasp

Rolex identifies the bracelet as Oyster reference 70200. Its 2014 material describes three-piece links, satin-finished steel with polished edges, and a folding Oysterclasp. Auction catalogues document individual bracelets with different lengths and clasp stamps; those details date or describe the bracelet in the lot, not every 116000.

Special-dial examples and related reference

Logo-dial watches

Phillips catalogues a circa-2014 blue-dial 116000 made for the Sultanate of Oman. The guarantee card is dated 1 March 2014, and the accompanying packaging carries the Khanjar emblem. Antiquorum records a 116000 with a Club Tijuana logo dial and a caseback engraving reading “13/69 S.H.K. 2010–2011.” Its catalogue dates the watch circa 2008 and describes it as one of 69 pieces for the club's 2011 promotion. The circa-2008 date sits beside a 2010–2011 engraving; Antiquorum leaves the discrepancy unresolved. These logo dials belong to individual orders or promotional contexts; Rolex's standard 2014 color list is separate.

116034, fluted white-gold bezel

Reference 116034 is a separate 36 mm steel Oyster Perpetual with a fluted white-gold bezel. Dorotheum catalogues one example as circa 2008 with calibre 3130 and measures that watch at about 37 mm. This record describes one 116034; it gives no full production span or basis for a general price comparison with the 116000.

Selected auction records

Sale record	Watch and catalogue details	Estimate or result
Christie's, lot 5878955	Case M919877, circa 2007; calibre 3130, 31 jewels; black dial with engine-turned centre and white Arabic numerals; 36 mm. Warranty dated 6 December 2009.	Not listed on the public lot page
Antiquorum, New York, 10 June 2010, lot 200	Catalogue dates it to 2008; matte black dial with luminous Arabic quarters; calibre 3130, 31 jewels; 36 mm case, 12 mm thick.	Estimate USD 2,000–3,000; sold USD 3,000
Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XII, lot 858	Circa 2014; blue dial; case H2Q25557; calibre 3130, 31 jewels; 36 mm; made for the Sultanate of Oman.	Estimate HKD 45,000–85,000; sold HKD 100,800
Antiquorum, New York, 9 April 2014, lot 83	Club Tijuana logo dial; case Y4Y37907; catalogue says circa 2008 and records the 2010–2011 caseback engraving.	Estimate USD 5,000–8,000; sold USD 7,500
Sotheby's, 2022, lot 623	Circa 2015; silver-and-blue dial; case 59'440'6Q6; calibre 3130, 31 jewels; 36 mm; Oyster bracelet and warranty card.	Estimate CHF 3,000–5,000

The selected lots record dated examples, dial layouts and sale-specific measurements. They provide no factory production ledger or complete dial register.

Related references

Sources

@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 | Movement || Calibre 3130, automatic, 31 jewels, COSC-certified, 28,800 vph and approximately 48 hours of reserve
 |-
-| Hairspring || Blue Parachrom balance spring with Breguet overcoil; stop-seconds
+| Balance spring || Blue Parachrom balance spring with Breguet overcoil; stop-seconds
 |-
 | Bracelet || Oyster bracelet, reference 70200 in Rolex's 2014 product sheet; three-piece links and folding Oysterclasp