Reference:1500

Oyster Perpetual → 1500

Steel ref. 1500, Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909.

The ref. 1500 is a 34 mm Oyster Perpetual Date with a smooth bezel and date under a Cyclops lens. Auction records show steel and gold cases, several dial layouts, and more than one movement description. Catalogues place individual examples from circa 1962 into circa 1980; the production endpoints remain uncertain.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	1500
model	Oyster Perpetual Date
documented dates	auction catalogues date individual examples from circa 1962 to circa 1980; production span remains uncertain
case	Oyster case with screw-down back and crown
diameter	usually catalogued at 34 or 35 mm; one Christie’s lot gives 36 mm
documented materials	stainless steel and 18K yellow gold; 14K examples have conflicting ref. 1500 / 1503 identifications
bezel	smooth, polished bezel in the Field Manual and photographed examples
crystal	acrylic/Plexiglas with Cyclops date magnifier, as described in an auction catalogue
date display	date aperture at 3 o’clock
movement evidence	Auction catalogues use 1560 and 1570; Rolex parts catalogues list ref. 1500 date components under 1565 and 1575
bracelets	examples catalogued with 7205/57, 78350/557 and Jubilee bracelets; individual fitment is lot-specific

Where it sits in the line

Phillips describes ref. 1500 as the successor to the Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 6534 in 1960. The 1500 combines the Oyster case with an automatic date display and a smooth bezel. Phillips compares its size with the Datejust; auction measurements for the 1500 generally fall at 34–35 mm.

Production outline

Phillips dates a steel example to circa 1978 and a yellow-gold example to circa 1980. The steel watch came with a guarantee dated July 1980. The same Phillips essay that calls ref. 1500 the 6534’s 1960 successor gives 1976 as the end of production. Phillips’s circa-1978 and circa-1980 lots extend beyond that stated endpoint, so the catalogue record leaves the final production year unresolved.

Other auction records place examples in circa 1962, 1963, 1966, 1969 and 1972–1974. The dates extend the documented sample between the two later Phillips lots; production sequence remains uncertain.

Movement notes

Monaco Legend lists Cal. 1560 in a circa-1962 gold ref. 1500, and Sotheby’s uses the same name for a circa-1969 steel watch. Phillips and Antiquorum catalogue later examples as Cal. 1570. Rolex’s Cal. 1565 parts sheet describes a calendar movement with “1560” on its automatic bridge and lists part 7956, the date-indicator seating, for refs. 1500, 1501 and 1503. The Cal. 1575 parts catalogue lists date-indicator parts for the same references and shows “1570” on its automatic bridge. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists 1565 and 1575 as date calibers for ref. 1500, and Bob’s Watches explains the bridge-marking convention. EVANCE documents one serviced ref. 1500 with a hacking Cal. 1575 and no quickset date. The factory records establish parts applications and bridge markings; exact movement fitment in the auctioned watches and the 1500 changeover year remain unresolved.

Dial map

Auction photographs and descriptions document silver, grey, white and champagne dials with applied baton markers. They also show less common examples: a silver dial printed for the 1968 Cotton Bowl Classic; a UAE crest dial that Christie’s says was supplied to the Ministry of Defence; and a tropicalized silver dial with Eastern Arabic numerals. These catalogues describe individual watches; the order histories and production quantities remain undocumented. Christie’s gives 36 mm for the Eastern-numeral example; other houses usually record 34–35 mm. It is the only 36 mm measurement in the records reviewed.

Antiquorum identifies the Cotton Bowl game. Christie’s describes the UAE dial as a Ministry of Defence watch and uses three names for its emblem: “Desert Eagle,” “Desert Hawk” and “Quraysh Hawk.”

• 
  Antiquorum, Hong Kong, lot 234: dial printed for the 1968 Cotton Bowl Classic
• 
  Christie’s, ref. 1500: UAE crest dial

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The Field Manual classifies the 1500 as a mid-size steel watch with a polished, smooth bezel. Auction catalogues document steel and 18K-gold cases. Christie’s and Antiquorum also record 14K-gold watches under 1500 or 1500/1503; the Christie’s caseback stamp and Antiquorum’s paired designation leave those case identities unresolved. Most measurements are 34 or 35 mm. Christie’s gives 36 mm for its Eastern Arabic-numeral lot; that measurement has not appeared in the other records reviewed here.

Christie’s describes a screw-down crown and screw-back case on its UAE-emblem example. Auction photographs show the low, smooth bezel and Cyclops lens over the date. Setdart describes a circa-1976 example with an acrylic crystal. The profile below belongs to Phillips’s circa-1978 steel example.

Case profile, Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging

Auction records document a riveted Oyster bracelet 7205 with end links 57, an Oyster 78350 with 557 end links, and a Jubilee bracelet. These are observed combinations from individual lots. Antiquorum’s circa-1969 example has a 7205 bracelet stamped 69; the stamp dates the bracelet, not the watch head. Phillips’s circa-1978 steel example was catalogued on a 78350/557 bracelet and came with a guarantee dated 1980, box and printed material.

Christie’s lists a circa-1966 14K-gold watch under ref. 1500 with a JB Champion bracelet. The inside caseback is stamped 1503, so the watch and bracelet stay tied to that unresolved case identity; see Special branches. The Phillips photograph below shows a closed caseback with a factory sticker; it does not show the movement.

Caseback and bracelet view, Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909.

Special branches

Christie’s 2014 title calls the UAE emblem “Desert Eagle,” its details say “Desert Hawk,” and the essay calls it the “Quraysh Hawk.” The catalogue says the watch was supplied to the UAE Ministry of Defence. “UAE crest” follows the photographed dial without choosing among those labels.

Antiquorum’s 1973 gold watch is catalogued jointly as refs. 1500/1503. The Field Manual associates an engine-turned bezel with ref. 1503, while its 1500 entry specifies a polished bezel. Christie’s 2018 catalogue identifies a 14K-gold watch as ref. 1500, but its condition report says the inside caseback is stamped 1503. These records leave the 14K case assignment unresolved; the other 1500 records reviewed here show or describe a smooth bezel.

Auction record

watch date / sale date	house and lot	recorded example
circa 1962 estimate	Monaco Legend, lot 87	18K yellow gold, case 885,460, Cal. 1560, 34 mm, Beyer-signed
circa 1963 estimate	Antiquorum Geneva, lot 518	steel, Cal. 1570 as catalogued, 34 mm, riveted Oyster bracelet
watch dated 1966; catalogue 2016	Christie’s, case 1,280,618	steel, Cal. 1570 as catalogued, silver dial, 35 mm, guarantee and rate certificate
circa 1966 estimate; sale 2018	Christie’s, lot 115	14K gold catalogued as ref. 1500, Cal. 1570, 35 mm, JB Champion bracelet; inside caseback stamped 1503
circa 1967 estimate; sale 25 April 2021	Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 234	steel, Cotton Bowl dial, Cal. 1570 as catalogued, 7205 bracelet
watch circa 1969; sale 14 December 2021	Sotheby’s, lot 1	steel, white dial, Cal. 1560 as catalogued, 34 mm
original sale May 1969; auction sale 9 November 2024	Antiquorum Geneva, lot 294	steel, grey dial, Cal. 1570, 35 mm, 7205/57 bracelet and warranty
circa 1973 estimate; sale 7 December 2011	Antiquorum New York, lot 349	14K gold catalogued as refs. 1500/1503, Cal. 1570, 34 mm
circa 1980 estimate; sale 2021	Phillips HSNY, lot 4	18K yellow gold, Cal. 1570, 35 mm
circa 1978 estimate; sale 27 November 2023	Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909	steel, Cal. 1570, 34 mm, 78350/557 bracelet, box and 1980 guarantee

Gallery

• 
  Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909, steel ref. 1500
• 
  Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909, case profile
• 
  Phillips Hong Kong, lot 909, caseback and bracelet
• 
  Antiquorum, lot 234, Cotton Bowl dial
• 
  Christie’s, UAE crest dial

Sources

• "Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XVI, 27 November 2023, lot 909 — Rolex ref. 1500", Phillips, 2023
• "Phillips, Rolex Timepieces for HSNY, 2021, lot 4 — Rolex ref. 1500", Phillips, 2021
• "Monaco Legend Auctions, Exclusive Timepieces, lot 87 — Rolex ref. 1500", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2026
• "Antiquorum, Geneva, 17 March 2013, lot 518 — Rolex ref. 1500", Antiquorum, 2013
• "Sotheby’s, Fine Watches, 14 December 2021, lot 1 — Rolex ref. 1500", Sotheby’s, 2021
• "Antiquorum, Geneva, 9 November 2024, lot 294 — Rolex ref. 1500", Antiquorum, 2024
• "Antiquorum, Geneva, 6 November 2022, lot 461 — Rolex ref. 1500", Antiquorum, 2022
• "Antiquorum, New York, 7 December 2011, lot 349 — Rolex ref. 1500/1503", Antiquorum, 2011
• "Antiquorum, Monaco, 21 July 2021, lot 350 — Rolex ref. 1500", Antiquorum, 2021
• "Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 25 April 2021, lot 234 — Rolex ref. 1500 Cotton Bowl dial", Antiquorum, 2021
• "Christie’s, 1966 Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1500, case 1,280,618", Christie’s, 2016
• "Christie’s, Rolex ref. 1500 with UAE Ministry of Defence emblem", Christie’s, 2016
• "Christie’s, Watches Online: Geneva Edit, lot 271 — Rolex ref. 1500 with Eastern Arabic numerals", Christie’s, 2022
• "Christie’s, Watches Online: Summer Watch Series Part II, lot 115 — Rolex ref. 1500", Christie’s, 2018
• "Bonhams, Watches & Wristwatches, 2015, lot 205 — Rolex ref. 1500", Bonhams, 2015
• Colin A. White, "The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — ref. 1500 entries in reference and caliber tables", Morning Tundra
• "Setdart, lot 44 — Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1500", Setdart, 2026
• Paul Altieri, "Bob’s Watches — Rolex Date 1500 review", Bob’s Watches
• Rolex technical department, "Rolex — Calibre 1575 parts catalogue", Rolex
• EVANCE after-sales service department, "EVANCE — Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1500 service example", EVANCE, 2014-05-08
• Rolex technical department, "Rolex — Calibre 1565 parts catalogue", Rolex