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Reference:3064: Difference between revisions

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Deep 3064 audit with three Christies records and qualified retailer provenance
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 3064 Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Oyster Perpetual 3064 Bubbleback}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback — Pink Gold and Steel, Nairobi-Retailed | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback — Stainless Steel and Pink Gold | Rolexopedia
|description=The Rolex 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback in pink gold and steel, circa 1940, documented in a single Christie's example retailed by Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi and sold for CHF 10,000 in 2014.
|description=Rolex Oyster Perpetual reference 3064 Bubbleback in stainless steel and 18k pink gold, with three circa-1940 auction records and a Dobbies Ltd. Nairobi-signed dial.
|keywords=Rolex, 3064, Bubbleback, Oyster Perpetual, vintage Rolex, chronometer, tonneau
|keywords=Rolex 3064, Bubbleback, Oyster Perpetual 3064, pink gold, Dobbies Nairobi, caliber 9¾ lignes
|image=Ref 3064 hero.webp
|image=Ref 3064 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, pink dial
|image_alt=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback in stainless steel and pink gold with a pink dial
|type=Article
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-09-27T00:00:00Z
|modified_time=2026-09-27T00:00:00Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|titlemode=replace
}}
}}
<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] → '''3064'''</small>


<small>[[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback]] -&gt; '''3064'''</small>
<div class="rp-lead">[[File:Ref 3064 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback in stainless steel and pink gold with a pink dial|Rolex Oyster Perpetual reference 3064 in stainless steel and 18k pink gold, circa 1940.]]</div>


<div class="rp-lead">
Reference 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback from around 1940. The documented watches use a stainless-steel case with an 18k pink-gold bezel and hooded lugs, a 32 mm case, and a small automatic chronometer movement. Christie's records three circa-1940 examples with different case numbers and dial details, including one retailed by Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi.
[[File:Ref 3064 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, pink dial|Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, retailed by Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi]]
</div>


The 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback from around 1940, built in pink gold and stainless steel with hooded lugs and a pink dial. Its only publicly documented example carries an unusual retail history: sold new through Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi, a Kenyan retailer, and signed on the dial to prove it. Colonial-era East African retail signatures are rare next to the Swiss and European names that dominate Bubbleback dial signatures, and this one survived on the watch through to a 2014 Christie's sale.
==Core facts==
 
<span id="core-facts"></span>
 
== Core facts ==


{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
Line 32: Line 30:
|-
|-
| family
| family
| Oyster Perpetual (Bubbleback)
| Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback
|-
|-
| common name
| documented dates
| "Bubbleback"
| circa 1940 in the reviewed auction catalogues
|-
| production
| documented example dated circa 1940
|-
|-
| case
| case
| 32mm, tonneau-shaped, stainless steel with 18k pink gold bezel and hooded lugs, screw-down back and crown
| tonneau-shaped stainless steel with 18k pink-gold bezel and hooded lugs; 32 mm on the cited Christie's examples
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| self-winding, caliber sized 9&frac34; lignes, 18 jewels, chronometer-certified
| 9¾''' automatic, 18 jewels; described as chronometer or chronometer-certified in the auction records
|-
|-
| dial (documented)
| dial examples
| pink, luminous Arabic and baton numerals, luminous hands, subsidiary seconds, signed by Rolex and further signed by retailer Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi
| pink or rose, and two-tone silvered; luminous Arabic and baton numerals with subsidiary seconds on the cited examples
|-
|-
| documented examples
| crown
| Christie's Geneva, 12 May 2014, sale 1401, lot 240, case no. 282'453
| pink-gold Rolex Oyster screw-down crown on the cited Christie's lots
|-
| documented case numbers
| 56'924, 269'204, and 282'453
|}
|}


<span id="where-it-sits-in-the-line"></span>
==Where it sits in the line==
== Where it sits in the line ==
 
The 3064 belongs to the early automatic Oyster Perpetual family usually called the Bubbleback. Its tonneau case, hooded lugs, pink-gold bezel, and 9¾-line movement also appear in nearby references such as [[Reference:3130|3130]] and [[Reference:3133|3133]]. The auction records reviewed here establish shared construction features; they do not establish a complete reference-by-reference production chart.
 
One 3064 dial carries the additional signature of Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi. That mark identifies the retailer associated with that watch. It does not, by itself, establish where the watch was first delivered or how many Rolex watches Dobbies retailed.
 
==Production outline==
 
Christie's dates the three reviewed 3064 examples to circa 1940. Their case numbers are 56'924, 269'204, and 282'453. The lots were sold in Geneva in 2014, New York in 2013, and Geneva in 2013, respectively. Auction dates are sale dates, not manufacture dates.
 
The reviewed evidence does not establish a 3064 production start or end, a total output, or a complete list of case and dial variants. The reference should therefore be dated from individual case records rather than from a precise range inferred from these three lots.
 
==Movement notes==


The 3064 belongs to the same tonneau-cased, pink-gold-and-steel bi-metal group as the [[Reference:3130|3130]] and [[Reference:3133|3133]], sharing the 9&frac34;-ligne movement class and hooded-lug case style common to Rolex's early automatic Oyster Perpetuals. What distinguishes its one documented example is provenance rather than construction: a retailer signature from Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi, placing the watch in Rolex's colonial East African retail network rather than the Swiss or London houses that signed most surviving Bubblebacks.
Christie's describes the 3064 examples with a 9¾-line automatic movement and 18 jewels. The records call the watches chronometer or chronometer-certified. The movement number appears in the 2013 Geneva catalogue for case 269'204, but a movement number and a case number are separate identifiers. The movement family guide provides broader context for early automatic Rolex calibers.


<span id="production-outline"></span>
==Dial map==
== Production outline ==


The only documented 3064 is dated circa 1940 by Christie's, case no. 282'453, and sold at the house's Geneva sale on 12 May 2014 (sale 1401, lot 240) for CHF 10,000 against a CHF 8,000&ndash;12,000 estimate. Christie's own cataloguing calls it directly a "bubble back type case" watch, removing any ambiguity about family classification.
The reviewed catalogues show three dial descriptions:


<span id="movement-notes"></span>
{| class="wikitable"
== Movement notes ==
|-
! case
! dial description
! record
|-
| 56'924
| Rose dial with luminous Arabic and baton numerals, luminous hands, outer minute divisions, and an engine-turned subsidiary dial
| Christie's New York, lot 63, 2013
|-
| 269'204
| Two-tone silvered matte dial with luminous Arabic numerals, luminous hands, and subsidiary seconds
| Christie's Geneva, lot 341, 2013
|-
| 282'453
| Pink dial with luminous Arabic and baton numerals, luminous hands, and subsidiary seconds; further signed by Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi
| Christie's Geneva, lot 240, 2014
|}


Caliber 9&frac34; lignes (ligne class), automatic, 18 jewels, chronometer-certified — the same movement-size class documented on the 3130, 3133, and 3725 references from the same generation.
[[File:Ref 3064 dial.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Pink Rolex 3064 dial with Dobbies Ltd. Nairobi retailer signature|Pink dial and Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi retailer signature on case 282'453.]]


<span id="dial-map"></span>
These are catalogue descriptions of three watches, not a complete factory dial inventory. Retailer signatures belong to the individual dial and do not establish a separate factory variant.
== Dial map ==


[[File:Ref 3064 dial.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex 3064 dial detail, pink dial with Dobbies Ltd. Nairobi retailer signature|Dial detail, case no. 282'453 — Rolex Oyster Perpetual signature above the retailer's mark for Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi]]
==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==


The dial is pink with luminous Arabic and baton numerals and luminous hands, a subsidiary seconds sub-dial, and dual signatures: Rolex's own maker's signature alongside the retailer's mark for Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi. Retailer-signed Bubbleback dials are documented across several references from major houses like Serpico y Laino and Bucherer; a colonial East African retailer signature is a less common variant of the same practice.
The cited examples have a 32 mm tonneau-shaped stainless-steel case, screw back, 18k pink-gold bezel and hooded lugs, and a pink-gold Rolex Oyster screw-down crown. Christie’s describes the case as a water-resistant Bubbleback type. The auction entries reviewed here do not give a reference-wide crystal specification, so the page does not infer one.


<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
[[File:Ref 3064 crown.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex 3064 pink-gold hooded lug and crown|Pink-gold hooded lug and Oyster crown on case 282'453.]]
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==


[[File:Ref 3064 crown.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex 3064 case flank and pink gold crown detail|Hooded lug and pink gold crown, case no. 282'453]]
==Bracelet and packaging==


32mm tonneau-shaped case in stainless steel, with an 18k pink gold bezel and hooded lugs, screw-down case back and crown, the crown itself in pink gold. The bi-metal construction — steel case body, gold bezel and lugs — is a cost-tier choice documented across several Bubbleback references of this generation rather than unique to the 3064.
The 2013 New York example was catalogued with a stainless-steel and rose-gold Rolex link bracelet and deployant clasp. The 2014 Dobbies example was catalogued with a box; the 2013 Geneva example had no packaging claim in the catalogue text reviewed here. Accessories and bracelet fitment belong to those individual lots and do not establish the original delivery configuration of every 3064.


== Related references ==
==Retailer-signed example==


* [[Reference:3130|Bubbleback 3130]] — same movement class, same bi-metal construction
The Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi signature appears on the pink dial of case 282'453, catalogued by Christie's in 2014. It is useful provenance for that watch, but the catalogue does not establish a direct Rolex supply agreement, a delivery date, or a broader Nairobi distribution series from the signature alone.
* [[Reference:3133|Bubbleback 3133]] — same generation, pink gold and steel
* [[Reference:3725|Bubbleback 3725]] — same generation, documented in multiple metal configurations


See also the [[Reference:oyster-perpetual|Oyster Perpetual family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
==Auction record==


<span id="auction-record"></span>
These are individual sale records in different currencies and years. They do not define a market range.
== Auction record ==


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! Sale !! Lot !! Case no. !! Configuration !! Estimate !! Result
! sale date
! house and lot
! case and configuration
! result
|-
|-
| Christie's, Geneva, 12 May 2014 || 240 || 282'453 || Pink gold and stainless steel, tonneau-shaped, pink dial, hooded lugs, retailed by Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi, with box || CHF 8,000&ndash;12,000 || CHF 10,000
| 13 May 2013
| Christie's Geneva, sale 1395, lot 341
| 269'204; two-tone silvered dial; circa 1940
| CHF 28,750
|-
| 17 Dec 2013
| Christie's New York, sale 2753, lot 63
| 56'924; rose dial and rose-gold/stainless link bracelet; circa 1940
| USD 16,250
|-
| 12 May 2014
| Christie's Geneva, sale 1401, lot 240
| 282'453; pink Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi dial and box; circa 1940
| CHF 10,000
|}
|}


Only one 3064 has a located auction result; no second case number or dial variant has surfaced to compare it against.
==Related references==
 
* [[Reference:3130|Bubbleback 3130]], related 9¾-line bi-metal example
* [[Reference:3133|Bubbleback 3133]], related early automatic reference
* [[Reference:3725|Bubbleback 3725]], related Bubbleback reference with a wider documented case record
 
See also the [[Reference:bubbleback|Bubbleback family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial-number guide]].


== Gallery ==
==Gallery==


<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 3064 hero.webp|Rolex 3064 Bubbleback, pink gold and steel, retailed by Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi
File:Ref 3064 hero.webp|Stainless-steel and pink-gold 3064 Bubbleback, circa 1940
File:Ref 3064 dial.webp|Dial detail, case no. 282'453
File:Ref 3064 dial.webp|Pink Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi dial on case 282'453
File:Ref 3064 crown.webp|Hooded lug and pink gold crown, case no. 282'453
File:Ref 3064 crown.webp|Pink-gold hooded lug and Oyster crown on case 282'453
</gallery>
</gallery>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==


* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5790151 "Rolex. A fine and rare stainless steel and 18K pink gold automatic bubble back wristwatch with pink dial, hooded lugs and box", ref. 3064, case no. 282'453, Christie's Geneva, sale 1401, lot 240, 12 May 2014]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5758921 Christie's, "Rolex ref. 3064, rose dial and bracelet — Christie's New York lot 63", Christie's, 2013-12-17]
* [https://www.collectorsquare.com/en/watches/rolex/oyster-perpetual/ref-rolex-3064/lpi "Rolex, A fine and rare stainless steel and 18K pink gold automatic bubble back wristwatch", ref. 3064, Christie's Geneva, sale 1401, lot 240, 2014, via CollectorSquare Luxprice Index]
* [https://www.christies.com/zh/lot/lot-5674834 Christie's, "Rolex ref. 3064, two-tone silvered dial — Christie's Geneva lot 341", Christie's, 2013-05-13]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-rolex-bubbleback-and-why-it-still-matters Anthony Traina, "The Rolex Bubbleback And Why It Still Matters", Hodinkee, 2024]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5790151 Christie's, "Rolex ref. 3064, Dobbies Ltd. Nairobi dial — Christie's Geneva lot 240", Christie's, 2014-05-12]
* [https://robbreport.com/style/watch-collector/lists/rolex-bubbleback-watches-collector-guide-1931-1950s-1235893131/ Oren Hartov, "Rolex Bubbleback Watches: A Collector's Guide, From 1931 to the 1950s", Robb Report, 2024]


[[Category:Bubbleback]]
[[Category:Bubbleback]]

Revision as of 03:18, 27 September 2026

Bubbleback → 3064

Rolex 3064 Bubbleback in stainless steel and pink gold with a pink dial
Rolex Oyster Perpetual reference 3064 in stainless steel and 18k pink gold, circa 1940.

Reference 3064 is a tonneau-shaped Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback from around 1940. The documented watches use a stainless-steel case with an 18k pink-gold bezel and hooded lugs, a 32 mm case, and a small automatic chronometer movement. Christie's records three circa-1940 examples with different case numbers and dial details, including one retailed by Dobbies Ltd. of Nairobi.

Core facts

detail value
reference 3064
family Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback
documented dates circa 1940 in the reviewed auction catalogues
case tonneau-shaped stainless steel with 18k pink-gold bezel and hooded lugs; 32 mm on the cited Christie's examples
movement 9¾ automatic, 18 jewels; described as chronometer or chronometer-certified in the auction records
dial examples pink or rose, and two-tone silvered; luminous Arabic and baton numerals with subsidiary seconds on the cited examples
crown pink-gold Rolex Oyster screw-down crown on the cited Christie's lots
documented case numbers 56'924, 269'204, and 282'453

Where it sits in the line

The 3064 belongs to the early automatic Oyster Perpetual family usually called the Bubbleback. Its tonneau case, hooded lugs, pink-gold bezel, and 9¾-line movement also appear in nearby references such as 3130 and 3133. The auction records reviewed here establish shared construction features; they do not establish a complete reference-by-reference production chart.

One 3064 dial carries the additional signature of Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi. That mark identifies the retailer associated with that watch. It does not, by itself, establish where the watch was first delivered or how many Rolex watches Dobbies retailed.

Production outline

Christie's dates the three reviewed 3064 examples to circa 1940. Their case numbers are 56'924, 269'204, and 282'453. The lots were sold in Geneva in 2014, New York in 2013, and Geneva in 2013, respectively. Auction dates are sale dates, not manufacture dates.

The reviewed evidence does not establish a 3064 production start or end, a total output, or a complete list of case and dial variants. The reference should therefore be dated from individual case records rather than from a precise range inferred from these three lots.

Movement notes

Christie's describes the 3064 examples with a 9¾-line automatic movement and 18 jewels. The records call the watches chronometer or chronometer-certified. The movement number appears in the 2013 Geneva catalogue for case 269'204, but a movement number and a case number are separate identifiers. The movement family guide provides broader context for early automatic Rolex calibers.

Dial map

The reviewed catalogues show three dial descriptions:

case dial description record
56'924 Rose dial with luminous Arabic and baton numerals, luminous hands, outer minute divisions, and an engine-turned subsidiary dial Christie's New York, lot 63, 2013
269'204 Two-tone silvered matte dial with luminous Arabic numerals, luminous hands, and subsidiary seconds Christie's Geneva, lot 341, 2013
282'453 Pink dial with luminous Arabic and baton numerals, luminous hands, and subsidiary seconds; further signed by Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi Christie's Geneva, lot 240, 2014
Pink Rolex 3064 dial with Dobbies Ltd. Nairobi retailer signature
Pink dial and Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi retailer signature on case 282'453.

These are catalogue descriptions of three watches, not a complete factory dial inventory. Retailer signatures belong to the individual dial and do not establish a separate factory variant.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The cited examples have a 32 mm tonneau-shaped stainless-steel case, screw back, 18k pink-gold bezel and hooded lugs, and a pink-gold Rolex Oyster screw-down crown. Christie’s describes the case as a water-resistant Bubbleback type. The auction entries reviewed here do not give a reference-wide crystal specification, so the page does not infer one.

Rolex 3064 pink-gold hooded lug and crown
Pink-gold hooded lug and Oyster crown on case 282'453.

Bracelet and packaging

The 2013 New York example was catalogued with a stainless-steel and rose-gold Rolex link bracelet and deployant clasp. The 2014 Dobbies example was catalogued with a box; the 2013 Geneva example had no packaging claim in the catalogue text reviewed here. Accessories and bracelet fitment belong to those individual lots and do not establish the original delivery configuration of every 3064.

Retailer-signed example

The Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi signature appears on the pink dial of case 282'453, catalogued by Christie's in 2014. It is useful provenance for that watch, but the catalogue does not establish a direct Rolex supply agreement, a delivery date, or a broader Nairobi distribution series from the signature alone.

Auction record

These are individual sale records in different currencies and years. They do not define a market range.

sale date house and lot case and configuration result
13 May 2013 Christie's Geneva, sale 1395, lot 341 269'204; two-tone silvered dial; circa 1940 CHF 28,750
17 Dec 2013 Christie's New York, sale 2753, lot 63 56'924; rose dial and rose-gold/stainless link bracelet; circa 1940 USD 16,250
12 May 2014 Christie's Geneva, sale 1401, lot 240 282'453; pink Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi dial and box; circa 1940 CHF 10,000

Related references

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

Gallery

  • Stainless-steel and pink-gold 3064 Bubbleback, circa 1940
    Stainless-steel and pink-gold 3064 Bubbleback, circa 1940
  • Pink Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi dial on case 282'453
    Pink Dobbies Ltd., Nairobi dial on case 282'453
  • Pink-gold hooded lug and Oyster crown on case 282'453
    Pink-gold hooded lug and Oyster crown on case 282'453

Sources

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