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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3666}}
=== Reference:3666 ===
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Submarine Hermetique 3666}}
 
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 3666 — Production, Dials & Serial Ranges | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex Submarine Hermetique 3666 — Auction Examples & Case Design | Rolexopedia
|description=The 3666 is a pre-Oyster. Before Rolex settled on the three-piece screwed case that defined everything from late 1926 onward, Wilsdorf was already selling…
|description=Rolex reference 3666 in its pre-Oyster Submarine context: dated auction examples, the hinged double case, movement descriptions, and a separate 1940 chronograph reuse.
|keywords=Rolex, 3666, Submarine, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref_3666_hero.webp
|image=Ref 3666 hero.jpg
|type=article
|image_alt=Rolex 3666 Submarine Hermetique first variant
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-17T21:45:17Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:18:00Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Oyster & Bubbleback]] › '''3666'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Pre-Oyster and Bubbleback index]] → '''3666'''</small>


<div class="rp-lead">
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref_3666_hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex 3666 Submarine Hermetique, first variant|Rolex 3666 Submarine Hermetique, first variant]]
[[File:Ref_3666_hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Silver Rolex Hermetique Submarine reference 3666, circa 1925, with white Arabic dial and subsidiary seconds|Silver Hermetique Submarine catalogued as reference 3666, circa 1925]]
</div>
</div>


The 3666 is a pre-Oyster Rolex Submarine in the original 1920s sense of that name, not in the later dive-watch sense. It is the clearest surviving example of the Finger double-case system Rolex sold before the Oyster replaced it.
Reference 3666 appears on pre-Oyster Hermetique watches catalogued as Submarine, as well as on a separate 1940 antimagnetic chronograph. The Hermetique examples discussed here use a hinged inner watch case inside a screw-bezel outer shell. A 1924 Cargills Ceylon example and a circa-1925 Bonhams lot document the silver version; neither establishes the full production span.


<span id="core-facts"></span>
==Core facts==
== Core facts ==


{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
Line 32: Line 27:
| 3666
| 3666
|-
|-
| family
| name in catalogues
| Submarine / Hermetic (pre-Oyster)
| Rolex Submarine / Hermetique; labels vary by source
|-
|-
| production
| dated examples
| ~1924 onward (patent architecture from 1921)
| one dealer-listed as 1924; Bonhams catalogued a similar ref. 3666 as circa 1925
|-
|-
| case construction
| case
| double case — one-piece outer with screw-down bezel, separate inner movement case with no stem hole
| outer shell with screw-down bezel; hinged inner watch case
|-
|-
| case diameter
| material documented on ref. 3666 examples
| 32.35 mm overall (Boettcher measurement of a documented Hermetic)
| sterling silver
|-
|-
| movement diameter
| diameter
| 21 mm (9.3 ligne, nominal "9½")
| 32mm in the Cargills and Bonhams records; 33mm in a 2016 auction catalogue
|-
|-
| case materials
| movement
| sterling silver (most common), 9ct pink gold, 18K gold
| manual, 15 jewels in the cited lots; described as Rolex Prima in two catalogues; no caliber number established
|-
|-
| case markings
| documented dials
| "JF / Double Boitier Brevet 89276" — Jean Finger, Longeau, Berne
| white enamel or white/silvered dials with Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds; one auction catalogue describes an engine-turned dial with cathedral hands
|-
|-
| inner caseback
| production span
| signed W&amp;D (Wilsdorf &amp; Davis)
| not established by the examples reviewed here
|-
| crown/winding
| pendant winder on inner case; outer case must be unscrewed to access
|-
| trademark
| "Rolex Submarine" — Swiss registration 31 March 1922
|-
| British patent
| GB 197208 "Improvements in and Relating to Watches," priority 26 May 1922, granted 10 May 1923 (Wilsdorf, no credit to Finger)
|}
|}


A second, entirely different watch also carries reference 3666: a 1940 Valjoux-22 antimagnetic chronograph, addressed at the end of this article. Everything above this paragraph refers to the 1924 Hermetic.
==Where it sits in the line==


<span id="where-it-sits-in-the-line"></span>
Rolex dates the launch of its Submarine to 1922. The company describes a watch hinged inside a second case whose bezel and crystal screwed down to close the outer shell. Its account concerns the Submarine design, not reference 3666 specifically. The cited ref. 3666 examples are dated 1924 and circa 1925 by their sellers or auctioneers.
== Where it sits in the line ==


The 3666 is Rolex selling Jean Finger's Hermetic double-case idea through its own network. Finger developed the architecture and made the surviving cases. Rolex commercialized it. That is the cleanest way to read the credit.
Jean Finger received Swiss patent CH 89276 for a protective watch case in 1921. Hans Wilsdorf filed British patent GB 197208 for a similar case in 1922; it was granted in 1923 and does not name Finger. David Boettcher notes that some cases bear Finger's initials and patent number, while other case makers also produced hermetic designs. The sources give no terms for any arrangement between Wilsdorf and Finger.


Production of the 3666 starts around 1924 inside the broader Hermetic line. That chapter ends as soon as the Oyster case arrives in late 1926 and makes the double-case architecture obsolete. What survives is the name: the 1922 Rolex Submarine trademark returns in 1953 on a completely different watch.
The name “The Submarine” was registered by Wilsdorf in Switzerland on 31 March 1922, according to the surviving registration reproduced by RolexMagazine and discussed by Boettcher. Rolex's current history calls the Submarine a Rolex launch. Boettcher distinguishes early Submarine watches from later Rolex-branded models. He identifies W&D as a British sponsor mark used when a case was submitted for hallmarking; it names the submitter, not the case maker. The Cargills listing reports Rolex signatures on its particular case, dial and movement; that lot-level description does not settle the branding of every Hermetique.


<span id="the-double-case-architecture"></span>
==Case construction==
== The double-case architecture ==


The 3666 is a watch inside a watch. The movement sits in a sealed inner case, and that inner case sits inside a larger protective shell closed by a screw-down bezel. To wind or set it, the owner has to open the outer case and remove the inner one. That is what makes the design both ingenious and inconvenient.
The outer case closes with a threaded bezel and crystal. Inside it, a separate watch is attached on a hinge. Opening the outer bezel gives access to the inner watch and its crown for winding or setting; the inner watch swings out rather than needing to be removed. Rolex's history describes this construction as watertight when closed. The catalogues give no depth rating; surviving examples need individual testing before anyone can describe them as water-resistant.


The inner caseback, where visible after disassembly, is typically signed W&amp;D, the mark of Wilsdorf &amp; Davis, the firm's legal name in Britain before the 1919 rebrand to Rolex. W&amp;D stamps appear on Rolex-era pieces into the mid-1920s as a legacy supplier convention. On the Hermetic, they confirm the inner case originated in the Wilsdorf retail chain rather than through a third-party assembly.
The 1924 Cargills listing identifies a sterling-silver case and records the reference number 3666. It also describes a hinged inner case and a 32mm width. Bonhams catalogued another silver 3666 at 32mm; the 2016 Watches of Knightsbridge catalogue gives 33mm for its example. These are catalogue measurements, not evidence of multiple factory case sizes.


The Hermetic solved water resistance by removing the exposed stem from the problem entirely. That made it genuinely water-resistant for its day, but awkward to live with: every winding or setting operation meant partial disassembly. The Oyster solved exactly that usability problem a few years later.
[[File:Ref3666_cargills_ceylon.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Silver Rolex Submarine Hermetique reference 3666 retailed by Cargills Ltd. Ceylon|The Cargills Ceylon example, listed as a 1924 ref. 3666. Its retailer signature is reported on the dial.]]


<span id="dimensions"></span>
==Movement notes==
=== Dimensions ===


The measured dimensions tell the story clearly enough. The outer case is about 32 to 33mm, but the actual dial is much smaller because the watch has to carry a full sealed inner case inside the outer shell.
Bonhams and Watches of Knightsbridge describe 15-jewel manual movements on ref. 3666 examples. The latter calls its movement a Rolex Prima; the Cargills listing uses the same grade name. None of these catalogue entries identifies a caliber number. The catalogues identify no caliber number for these watches.


<span id="dial-and-hand-variants"></span>
==Dial examples==
== Dial and hand variants ==
[[File:Ref3666_connoisseur_18k_1924.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=Rolex 3666 Submarine Hermetique 18K gold variant, 1924|Rolex 3666 Submarine Hermetique in 18K gold, 1924 — Finger patent CH 89276]]


Three catalogued examples show different dial treatments; they do not establish the full range:


Known 3666 dials fall into three practical groups. Most are white enamel or silvered Arabic-numeral watches with sub-seconds at 6. A smaller group keeps the same basic layout with sector styling. The rare outlier is the black radium military-style dial with cathedral hands. The variety is real, but the run is still narrow enough that these feel like branches of one short-lived model, not a sprawling family.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! example
! catalogue description
! source
|-
| Cargills Ceylon, listed as 1924
| white enamel, black Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds; Cargills and Rolex signatures reported by the dealer
| Bold Timepieces
|-
| Bonhams, circa 1925
| white dial, luminous Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds
| Bonhams, sale 29150, lot 48
|-
| Watches of Knightsbridge, 1920s
| silver engine-turned dial, Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds and cathedral hands
| Watches of Knightsbridge, catalogue lot 376
|}


There is no Rolex wordmark styling of the "Submarine" trademark on any known 3666 dial. The Submarine name appears in trademark filings and period marketing material, not on the dials of the watches themselves, which read simply "Rolex" above the sub-seconds register. This is consistent with 1920s Rolex practice. Model trademarks were retailer-facing and legal-facing, not dial-facing, and would remain so until the Submariner dive watch of 1953 put the name back on the dial.
The Watches of Knightsbridge catalogue describes cathedral hands but gives no military provenance. The dial should be described without a military label.


<span id="the-cargills-ceylon-example"></span>
==Two other catalogue uses of 3666==
== The Cargills Ceylon example ==


[[File:Ref3666_cargills_ceylon.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=1924 ref 3666 Submarine Hermetique in silver, retailed by Cargills Ltd. Ceylon.|1924 ref 3666 Submarine Hermetique in silver, retailed by Cargills Ltd. Ceylon.]]
Christie's titled a different Hermetique “No. 3666” and assigned it to the 1910s. That estimate predates Finger’s 1921 patent, and the catalogue leaves “No.” undefined. The entry cannot date the later ref. 3666 unless the numbering is resolved.


The best-documented surviving 3666 is the 1924 sterling silver Cargills Ceylon watch. It is the practical anchor because it shows the architecture clearly and keeps the patent markings intact.
Phillips catalogued a 1940 antimagnetic chronograph as reference 3666. Its 36mm steel case, two-register dial and manual Valjoux 22 movement distinguish it from the small hinged-case Hermetique. Phillips recorded case 041'928 and a CHF 162,500 result in 2016. The matching number does not connect the two designs.


The Cargills retail signature places the watch in the early 1920s colonial supply chain that Rolex used for India, Ceylon, Singapore, and Hong Kong, a route that would matter again twenty years later when wartime contracts for the Bombay Presidency passed through the same network. The 1924 dating is the standard Cargills period; company records tie the Rolex distribution agreement to that decade.
==Auction record==


<span id="auction-and-dealer-record"></span>
{| class="wikitable"
== Auction and dealer record ==
|-
! sale or listing
! date / catalogue date
! identifying details
! result
|-
| Bold Timepieces
| listed as 1924
| Cargills Ceylon retailer signature; sterling silver; 32mm; 15-jewel manual Rolex Prima
| dealer listing; sale status not stated
|-
| Bonhams, sale 29150, lot 48
| 21 February 2024; circa 1925
| silver ref. 3666; manual 15-jewel movement; 32mm
| GBP 2,816 including premium
|-
| Watches of Knightsbridge, catalogue lot 376
| catalogue describes a 1920s watch
| sterling silver; 15-jewel manual Rolex Prima; engine-turned dial; 33mm
| estimate GBP 800–1,200
|-
| Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction: Four, lot 54
| 12 November 2016; 1940
| separate stainless-steel antimagnetic chronograph; Valjoux 22; 36mm; case 041'928
| CHF 162,500
|}


The 3666 has no deep auction history at the major houses, which is typical for Rolex references of the pre-Oyster period. Too early, too small, and too operationally awkward to hold broad modern appeal. The watch's public-market trail runs through specialist dealers and smaller lots at the major houses.
==Related references==


The 3666 has a small but real market record. Bold Timepieces anchors the best-known Cargills Ceylon example, Bonhams has catalogued a c.1925 Hermetic Submarine, and the same case architecture is documented on the dealer side. That is enough to keep the reference grounded even if auction depth is thin.
* [[Reference:bubbleback|Pre-Oyster and Bubbleback index]]
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]]
* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]]


The market for the early Hermetic is a niche inside a niche. Examples in good condition with original enamel dials trade modestly compared to later Rolex sport references; the absence of any dive heritage, chronograph complication, or auction-house framing narrative keeps prices well below what the historical significance might suggest. A collector buying a 3666 is buying a documentary object, not a performance piece.
== Image gallery ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref_3666_hero.webp|Silver ref. 3666 Hermetique, circa 1925, Bonhams lot 48
File:Ref3666_cargills_ceylon.webp|Cargills Ceylon ref. 3666 listing
File:Ref_3666_chronograph-variant.webp|Separate 1940 antimagnetic chronograph catalogued as ref. 3666
</gallery>


<span id="the-1940-reference-3666-chronograph"></span>
== Sources ==
== The 1940 reference 3666 chronograph ==
[[File:Ref_3666_chronograph-variant.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Rolex 3666 chronograph variant, 1940|Rolex 3666 chronograph variant, 1940]]


* [https://www.rolex.com/en-gr/about-rolex/behind-the-crown/mastering-waterproofness Rolex, “Mastering waterproofness”] — Rolex's account of the 1922 Submarine and hinged double case; does not identify ref. 3666.
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/blogrolexhermetic.php David Boettcher, “Rolex Hermetic”] — Finger patent, Wilsdorf's British patent, case construction, and a separately measured Hermetic; not a ref. 3666 survey.
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/blogrolexsubmarine.php David Boettcher, “Rolex Submarine?”] — trademark history and the limits of W&D sponsor marks; argues against treating every W&D-marked Hermetic as Rolex-branded.
* [https://www.boldtimepieces.co.uk/product-page/1924-rolex-submarine-hermetique-silver-cased-watch-ref-3666-cargills-ltd-ceylon Bold Timepieces, “1924 Rolex Submarine Hermetique, ref. 3666, Cargills Ltd. Ceylon”] — one dealer-described silver example and its markings, dial and movement.
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29150/lot/48/rolex-a-rare-and-unusual-silver-manual-wind-wristwatch-hermetique-ref-3666-circa-1925 Bonhams, sale 29150, lot 48] — circa-1925 ref. 3666. [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/antimagnetic/ref-rolex-3666/lpi Collector Square lot record] lists the measurements and result.
* [https://www.the-saleroom.com/de-de/auction-catalogues/watchesofknightsbridge/catalogue-id-srwatc10008/pdfexport Watches of Knightsbridge, catalogue lot 376] — 1920s silver Hermetic ref. 3666, engine-turned dial, cathedral hands, and 15-jewel manual movement.
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/99708 Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction: Four, lot 54] — the separate 1940 antimagnetic chronograph catalogued as reference 3666.
* [https://www.christies.com/lot/rolex-an-early-rare-silver-water-1010132/ Christie's, “Signed Rolex, model Hermetique, No. 3666, 1910s”] — catalogue wording leaves the number type unclear.


Rolex reused the reference number. In 1940, the firm fitted a Valjoux-22 antimagnetic chronograph movement into a completely different case and stamped it ref 3666. [https://www.phillips.com/auctions/watches Phillips] has sold that watch under catalog number CH080216 for CHF 162,500. It is a waterproof-cased chronograph with a tachymeter scale, pump pushers, and a round steel case in the 35–37 mm range, visually and mechanically unrelated to the 1924 Hermetic. The two watches share nothing but the four-digit reference.
[[Category:Submarine]]
 
Rolex reused four-digit references regularly in this era, so a 3666 can mean two totally different watches. The movement settles it fast: a small Hunter movement means the 1920s Hermetic, a Valjoux chronograph means the later 1940 reference.


<span id="collecting-considerations"></span>
== Collecting considerations ==


Case markings are primary. A genuine 3666 Hermetic inner case carries the Finger patent text "JF / Double Boitier Brevet 89276" visibly on either the outer case flank or inside the outer bezel, and the inner caseback carries W&amp;D. Both should be present. Cases lacking the Finger patent text are either from a different Hermetic variant or from a Wilsdorf alternate-brand Hermetic (Aqua or pre-Oyster brand experiments) that shared the architecture but not the Rolex retail chain.
--- 9422 chars, 0 images ---
 
Enamel condition is the next filter. White enamel dials on silver Hermetics are brittle and have been vulnerable to hairline cracks across nearly a century of survival. Original enamel with no cracks is exceptional and commands a meaningful premium. Small hairlines around the subsidiary seconds or near the dial feet are typical and not disqualifying. Full cracks across the dial face or significant chipping are. Refinished enamel dials exist but are difficult to execute convincingly, and a re-enameled Hermetic is usually detectable under strong light.
 
Operational condition matters because the architecture is the point of the watch. A 3666 that no longer disassembles cleanly, with the outer bezel seized onto the outer case body or the inner case corroded into the outer shell, is a real service problem. The bezel threads are fine and old; a cross-threaded repair attempt can destroy the waterproof seal that was the entire point of the architecture. A working disassembly, with the outer bezel turning smoothly onto the outer body and the inner case seating correctly, is evidence of competent prior servicing.
 
Movement integrity sits alongside that. The inner case has no opening back, so access to the movement runs through the pendant winder end only. A 3666 with a modified inner case, meaning any evidence of cutting, flat-backing, or case alteration for service access, has been compromised relative to original Finger construction. Original inner cases with intact W&amp;D stamps and original pendant-winder access are the benchmark.
 
Price anchoring is approximate, because the public market for the 3666 is thin. Surfaced examples in good enamel condition with clean case markings trade in a range that reflects documentary significance rather than broad collector demand: well below even mid-range Oyster references of the 1930s, and a very long way below the 1940 Valjoux chronograph that shares the reference number. The historical significance is real; the market valuation is not yet aligned with it.
 
<span id="what-the-3666-established"></span>
== What the 3666 established ==
 
Three things carry forward from the Hermetic era: waterproofing as a design priority, the Submarine name itself, and the lesson that the solution had to become more usable. The Oyster is Rolex's answer to that third point.
 
The second is the Submarine name itself. Registered on 31 March 1922 and held in reserve for thirty-one years before the dive watch picked it up again, the trademark survived corporate reorganization, the Oyster transition, and the Second World War. The 1953 Submariner did not arrive out of nowhere. Its name was sitting in the Rolex trademark portfolio from the previous decade.
 
The third is the lesson about daily use. The Hermetic is the counter-example that justified the Oyster. Wilsdorf commissioned the Perregaux-Perret screw-down crown, the Spillmann three-piece case, and the Aegler movement integration because the Finger double case, however waterproof, had made itself a daily annoyance. The Oyster is what a watchmaker builds after three years of selling Hermetics and learning what the customer actually wants. Without the 3666, there is no Oyster; with the 3666, the Oyster is inevitable.
 
 
== Related references ==
 
* [[Reference:1680|Submariner 1680]] — First Date Sub, 'Red Sub' (1969–1979)
* [[Reference:5508|Submariner 5508]] — 1957–1961
* [[Reference:5510|Submariner 5510]] — Big Crown, Cal 1530 (1957–1958)
* [[Reference:5512|Submariner 5512]] — First Crown-Guard (1959–1978)
* [[Reference:5513|Submariner 5513]] — Non-Date Classic (1962–1989)
* [[Reference:5514|Submariner 5514]]
 
See also the [[Reference:submariner|Submariner family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
 
== Sources ==
* [https://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/ VintageWatchStraps (Boettcher) — hermetic]
* [https://www.boldtimepieces.co.uk/ Bold Timepieces — 3666 cargills]
* [https://www.bonhams.com/ Bonhams — 29150 lot48 hermetic]
* [https://shop.connoisseuroftime.com/ Connoisseur of Time — of time hermetic]
* [https://mokumwatches.com/ Mokum Watches — hermetic submarine aqua]
* [https://www.phillips.com/auctions/watches Phillips — 3666 valjoux chronograph]
* [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/2022/9/7/the-oyster-story Wind Vintage — The Oyster Story (Part 1)] — Owen Lawton / Wind Vintage, Wind Vintage
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
 
[[Category:Submarine]]

Revision as of 07:00, 25 September 2026

Reference:3666

Pre-Oyster and Bubbleback index → 3666

Silver Rolex Hermetique Submarine reference 3666, circa 1925, with white Arabic dial and subsidiary seconds
Silver Hermetique Submarine catalogued as reference 3666, circa 1925

Reference 3666 appears on pre-Oyster Hermetique watches catalogued as Submarine, as well as on a separate 1940 antimagnetic chronograph. The Hermetique examples discussed here use a hinged inner watch case inside a screw-bezel outer shell. A 1924 Cargills Ceylon example and a circa-1925 Bonhams lot document the silver version; neither establishes the full production span.

Core facts

detail value
reference 3666
name in catalogues Rolex Submarine / Hermetique; labels vary by source
dated examples one dealer-listed as 1924; Bonhams catalogued a similar ref. 3666 as circa 1925
case outer shell with screw-down bezel; hinged inner watch case
material documented on ref. 3666 examples sterling silver
diameter 32mm in the Cargills and Bonhams records; 33mm in a 2016 auction catalogue
movement manual, 15 jewels in the cited lots; described as Rolex Prima in two catalogues; no caliber number established
documented dials white enamel or white/silvered dials with Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds; one auction catalogue describes an engine-turned dial with cathedral hands
production span not established by the examples reviewed here

Where it sits in the line

Rolex dates the launch of its Submarine to 1922. The company describes a watch hinged inside a second case whose bezel and crystal screwed down to close the outer shell. Its account concerns the Submarine design, not reference 3666 specifically. The cited ref. 3666 examples are dated 1924 and circa 1925 by their sellers or auctioneers.

Jean Finger received Swiss patent CH 89276 for a protective watch case in 1921. Hans Wilsdorf filed British patent GB 197208 for a similar case in 1922; it was granted in 1923 and does not name Finger. David Boettcher notes that some cases bear Finger's initials and patent number, while other case makers also produced hermetic designs. The sources give no terms for any arrangement between Wilsdorf and Finger.

The name “The Submarine” was registered by Wilsdorf in Switzerland on 31 March 1922, according to the surviving registration reproduced by RolexMagazine and discussed by Boettcher. Rolex's current history calls the Submarine a Rolex launch. Boettcher distinguishes early Submarine watches from later Rolex-branded models. He identifies W&D as a British sponsor mark used when a case was submitted for hallmarking; it names the submitter, not the case maker. The Cargills listing reports Rolex signatures on its particular case, dial and movement; that lot-level description does not settle the branding of every Hermetique.

Case construction

The outer case closes with a threaded bezel and crystal. Inside it, a separate watch is attached on a hinge. Opening the outer bezel gives access to the inner watch and its crown for winding or setting; the inner watch swings out rather than needing to be removed. Rolex's history describes this construction as watertight when closed. The catalogues give no depth rating; surviving examples need individual testing before anyone can describe them as water-resistant.

The 1924 Cargills listing identifies a sterling-silver case and records the reference number 3666. It also describes a hinged inner case and a 32mm width. Bonhams catalogued another silver 3666 at 32mm; the 2016 Watches of Knightsbridge catalogue gives 33mm for its example. These are catalogue measurements, not evidence of multiple factory case sizes.

Silver Rolex Submarine Hermetique reference 3666 retailed by Cargills Ltd. Ceylon
The Cargills Ceylon example, listed as a 1924 ref. 3666. Its retailer signature is reported on the dial.

Movement notes

Bonhams and Watches of Knightsbridge describe 15-jewel manual movements on ref. 3666 examples. The latter calls its movement a Rolex Prima; the Cargills listing uses the same grade name. None of these catalogue entries identifies a caliber number. The catalogues identify no caliber number for these watches.

Dial examples

Three catalogued examples show different dial treatments; they do not establish the full range:

example catalogue description source
Cargills Ceylon, listed as 1924 white enamel, black Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds; Cargills and Rolex signatures reported by the dealer Bold Timepieces
Bonhams, circa 1925 white dial, luminous Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds Bonhams, sale 29150, lot 48
Watches of Knightsbridge, 1920s silver engine-turned dial, Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds and cathedral hands Watches of Knightsbridge, catalogue lot 376

The Watches of Knightsbridge catalogue describes cathedral hands but gives no military provenance. The dial should be described without a military label.

Two other catalogue uses of 3666

Christie's titled a different Hermetique “No. 3666” and assigned it to the 1910s. That estimate predates Finger’s 1921 patent, and the catalogue leaves “No.” undefined. The entry cannot date the later ref. 3666 unless the numbering is resolved.

Phillips catalogued a 1940 antimagnetic chronograph as reference 3666. Its 36mm steel case, two-register dial and manual Valjoux 22 movement distinguish it from the small hinged-case Hermetique. Phillips recorded case 041'928 and a CHF 162,500 result in 2016. The matching number does not connect the two designs.

Auction record

sale or listing date / catalogue date identifying details result
Bold Timepieces listed as 1924 Cargills Ceylon retailer signature; sterling silver; 32mm; 15-jewel manual Rolex Prima dealer listing; sale status not stated
Bonhams, sale 29150, lot 48 21 February 2024; circa 1925 silver ref. 3666; manual 15-jewel movement; 32mm GBP 2,816 including premium
Watches of Knightsbridge, catalogue lot 376 catalogue describes a 1920s watch sterling silver; 15-jewel manual Rolex Prima; engine-turned dial; 33mm estimate GBP 800–1,200
Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction: Four, lot 54 12 November 2016; 1940 separate stainless-steel antimagnetic chronograph; Valjoux 22; 36mm; case 041'928 CHF 162,500

Related references

Image gallery

  • Silver ref. 3666 Hermetique, circa 1925, Bonhams lot 48
    Silver ref. 3666 Hermetique, circa 1925, Bonhams lot 48
  • Cargills Ceylon ref. 3666 listing
    Cargills Ceylon ref. 3666 listing
  • Separate 1940 antimagnetic chronograph catalogued as ref. 3666
    Separate 1940 antimagnetic chronograph catalogued as ref. 3666

Sources


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