Reference:1005

Oyster Perpetual › 1005

18K gold 1005 with the gold fluted bezel and a pale champagne dial, London import mark for 1973

The 1005 is a no-date Oyster Perpetual with a fluted bezel. Auction descriptions show gold bezels on yellow- and pink-gold cases, and gold bezels over steel cases on steel and two-tone examples. The cited watches share a case family with the 1002 and 1007; auction measurements vary from 33mm to 34mm.

The sale records consulted include yellow and pink gold, steel, and two-tone cases. They document individual configurations rather than the full production population.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	1005
family	Oyster Perpetual
production	Auction catalogues date examples from circa 1962 into the 1970s; production limits are not established
case diameter	34mm in most descriptions; cited auction measurements range from 33mm to 34mm
lug width	19mm
thickness	c.12mm
case material	14k and 18k yellow gold; 18k pink gold; steel with a gold fluted bezel; steel and gold two-tone
bezel	fluted; cited lots describe gold bezels, including examples over steel cases
crystal	acrylic
movement	caliber 1560 (to c.1965), then caliber 1570; one lot catalogued as caliber 1550
certification	Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified
date complication	none
bracelet	gold and two-tone Oyster, riveted then folded; gold fold-over; leather with a signed buckle
caseback	screw-down; some auction examples show an inside caseback stamp 1005 and a separate date code
paired designations	auction catalogues use 1002/1005, 1003/1005 and 1005/1035; a collector photo set shows 1023 between the lugs and 1005 inside the caseback
sibling references	1002 (smooth), 1003 / 1006 / 1007 / 1008 (engine-turned)
oversized relative	1018, the 36mm case

Where it sits in the line

The 1005 is the fluted-bezel reference among the four-digit no-date Oyster Perpetuals. The 1002 has a smooth bezel; refs. 1003, 1006, 1007 and 1008 appear with engine-turned bezels. Auction records use paired designations such as 1002/1005, 1003/1005 and 1005/1035. These can reflect different numbers between the lugs and inside the caseback; read the markings on each watch rather than treating the paired numbers as a single reference.

A collector's four-photo listing shows another pairing: 1023 is stamped between the lugs, while 1005 appears inside the caseback. The same images show 14K marks and a rotor stamped 1570. The dial reads Oyster Perpetual. The seller dates the watch to 1959; the post includes no papers. This is one observed watch, not a general rule for every 1023 or 1005. Rolex Forums, wtp123, 24 May 2022

A 2025 Gardiner Houlgate catalogue also lists inside caseback no. 1005 on a separate ref. 1023. This gives a second record of the pairing; it does not establish that every 1005 inner cover belongs to an outer 1023. Gardiner Houlgate, 20 May 2025, lot 73

Production outline

Auction catalogues date individual 1005 examples from circa 1962 through the 1970s. Case 826,301 appears in both Sotheby’s 2020 and Bonhams 2022 catalogues; the matching case number identifies the same pink-gold watch. Sotheby’s dates it to circa 1962 and Bonhams to circa 1963. Other catalogue dates include cases 903,017 (circa 1962), 926,416 (circa 1963), 1,050,796 (circa 1964), 1,176,167 (with an inside caseback date code II.65), 1,177,843 (circa 1966), 1,801,509 (circa 1968), 1,586,108 (catalogued circa 1971, with a guarantee booklet dated 22 December 1971), 3,021,909 (circa 1971), 3,367,203 (London import mark for 1973), and 3,921,444 (circa 1974). These are catalogue dates and component marks, not a production chronology. Sotheby’s dated case 7,126,615 to circa 1995. That conflicts with the usual serial-number estimates, which place numbers in this range in the early 1980s. The lot is an outlier; the available records do not establish the production end date or total.

Movement notes

Caliber 1560 powers the reference from the start of the run to about 1965: a rhodium-plated automatic of 25 or 26 jewels at 18,000 vph, adjusted to temperature and five positions, with a free-sprung balance carrying Microstella screws and a self-compensating Breguet balance spring. Caliber 1570 takes over from 1965, lifting the rate to 19,800 vph and the power reserve to around 48 hours on the same architecture, and hacking seconds arrived across the 1500 family in 1972.

One lot sits outside that pair. Artcurial catalogued an 18K rose gold 1005 sold with its box and guarantee as carrying caliber 1550, the non-chronometer sibling of the 1560. The dial on that watch is described as chronometer-certified, which does not sit comfortably with a 1550, and no second example has surfaced to support the attribution. Treat it as a catalogue reading rather than a documented movement variant. The movement reference carries the caliber lineage in full.

Dial map

Auction records show champagne, gilt, gold-toned, silvered, black and white dials. Bonhams describes the pale champagne dial on its 1973 London-import example with gilt baton markers, black outer minute divisions, luminous five-minute dots and gilt hands with luminous inserts. Artcurial’s 1966 rose-gold example has a silver dial with rose-gold markers and leaf hands.

Christie’s catalogued a 1964 gold 1005 with a black dial. Artcurial described a separate steel-and-gold example with a refinished black dial. A two-tone Bonhams example has a white dial with black Roman numerals and luminous-tipped gilt markers. Christie’s also catalogued a yellow-gold example with a gold dial and diamond-set markers. The catalogue documents the watch as sold; it does not establish when or by whom the dial was set.

Yellow-gold 1005 with a champagne dial and fluted bezel

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The cited auction lots describe 33mm and 34mm cases with screw-down backs and crowns and acrylic crystals. Other catalogue details include a 19mm lug width and a three-body Oyster case.

Auction records describe gold fluted bezels on yellow- and pink-gold cases, and gold fluted bezels fitted to steel and two-tone cases. Sotheby’s describes an 18k yellow-gold bezel on a steel case; Bonhams describes a gold bezel over a steel middle on a two-tone example.

Heritage catalogued an 18k gold watch as a 1005 with a smooth bezel. Artcurial catalogued a 14k Coca-Cola award watch whose bezel appears plain in its photographs. These records conflict with the fluted bezel seen on other 1005s. The catalogues do not establish whether the bezel was replaced or the reference was read from another marking. Check the number between the lugs and the inside caseback separately; the caseback stamp alone does not settle the reference.

Auction catalogues document 14k and 18k yellow gold, 18k pink gold, steel cases with gold bezels, and steel-and-gold two-tone examples.

18K gold example catalogued under the paired designation ref 1005/1035, on an integrated textured-gold bracelet

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

Auction listings show gold riveted and folded Oyster bracelets, two-tone Oyster bracelets, leather straps with signed buckles, and an integrated textured-gold bracelet on a watch catalogued 1005/1035. Bonhams also sold a 14K gold head fitted with an 18K bracelet. These are sale-time configurations; the records do not establish original delivery for each watch. A clasp date dates the bracelet, not the head. See the bracelet and clasp guide.

A 14K gold head on an 18K gold Oyster bracelet, a documented mixed-carat delivery

Special branches

Pink and rose gold

Auction records include several pink- or rose-gold 1005s. Bonhams sold case 826,301 in Hong Kong in December 2022; Sotheby’s had listed the same case in Geneva in June 2020. Artcurial catalogued case 1,177,843 with a silver dial, rose-gold markers and leaf hands. Bonhams recorded another 18K rose-gold example with caliber 1560 in February 2019.

18k pink gold 1005 on a gold riveted Oyster bracelet, circa 1963

The two-tone 1005

Bonhams catalogued a circa-1971 steel-and-gold example with a gold fluted bezel, white dial with black Roman numerals, luminous-tipped gilt baton markers, and steel-and-gold Oyster bracelet. The lot records the bezel and case materials on the same watch.

Gold fluted bezel over a steel case, white dial with black Roman numerals, circa 1971

Coca-Cola service awards

Auction records show Coca-Cola service inscriptions on two 1005s. Artcurial catalogued 14k case 3,921,444, circa 1974, with an outside caseback engraving for “Th. Rummens 25 years service Coca-Cola” and an inside “RWC LTD” stamp. Heritage catalogued a separate 14k example with a hand-painted Coca-Cola inscription on a silver dial. The records show the inscription on the caseback of one watch and on the dial of another.

Auction record

The sale records below include yellow gold, pink gold, two-tone, and steel cases with gold bezels. Case 826,301 appears in both Sotheby’s 2020 and Bonhams 2022 catalogues; these are two appearances of the same watch. Two other lots were unsold at their estimates. Results reflect these lots and do not establish a general price range for the reference.

date	house	configuration	result
Jun 2020	Sotheby's Geneva, Watches Weekly, lot 263	18k pink gold, case 826,301, bracelet identified as Gay Frères	result not shown in the cited catalogue
Dec 2022	Bonhams Hong Kong, Hong Kong Watches, lot 940	18k pink gold, champagne dial, cal 1560, case 826,301, c.1963	HKD 63,750
Nov 2022	Christie's, Watches Online: The Geneva Edit, lot 256	yellow gold, gold dial with diamond-set hour markers, c.1973	CHF 7,560 (est. CHF 4,000–8,000)
Sep 2022	Bonhams London, lot 70	18K gold, ref 1005/1035, cal 1570, integrated textured-gold bracelet	GBP 7,012
Sep 2024	Bonhams London, Watches and Wristwatches, lot 58	14K gold head on an 18K gold bracelet, cal 1560, champagne dial	GBP 4,864
May 2022	Artcurial Monte-Carlo, Modern & Vintage Watches Online, lot 33	14k yellow gold, gilt dial, cal 1560, case 903,017, c.1962	EUR 4,723 (est. EUR 2,000–3,000)
Feb 2024	Bonhams London, Watches and Wristwatches, lot 74	18K gold, London import mark for 1973, pale champagne dial, case 3,367,203	GBP 4,480
May 2022	Bonhams Paris, Montres de Prestige, lot 117	steel and gold, white Roman-numeral dial, fluted gold bezel, case 3,021,909, c.1971	EUR 2,805
May 2022	Artcurial Monte-Carlo, Modern & Vintage Watches Online, lot 32	gold and steel, refinished black dial, caseback stamped 1005 and II.65, case 1,176,167	EUR 2,624
Jul 2023	Artcurial Monaco, Vente Horlogerie de collection, lot 286	14k yellow gold Coca-Cola award, caseback engraved for its recipient, case 3,921,444, c.1974	not sold (est. EUR 5,000–7,000)
May 2024	Christie's, Watches Online, lot 315	yellow gold, champagne dial, case 926,416, c.1963	not sold (est. CHF 3,000–5,000)

Related references

• Oyster Perpetual 1002: 34mm, smooth bezel
• Oyster Perpetual 1003: 34mm, engine-turned bezel
• Oyster Perpetual 1007: 34mm, engine-turned bezel
• Oyster Perpetual 1018: the 36mm case in the same line
• Air-King 5500: the same case, non-chronometer
• Explorer 1016: same calibers, 36mm Explorer dial

See also the Oyster Perpetual family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

• 
  Whole-watch view, yellow gold and champagne dial
• 
  Pink-gold example
• 
  Two-tone case with gold bezel
• 
  Champagne dial and fluted bezel
• 
  Integrated textured-gold bracelet
• 
  14K case on an 18K Oyster bracelet

Sources

• Watch Wiki, "Rolex calibres — reference index", Watch Wiki (watch-wiki.net)
• BeckerTime, "Review: The Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1005", BeckerTime, 2022-09-11
• Bonhams, "Bonhams Hong Kong Watches Lot 940 — Rolex ref 1005 pink gold circa 1963", Bonhams, 2022-12-01
• Sotheby's, "Sotheby's Geneva Watches Weekly Lot 263 — Rolex ref 1005 pink gold circa 1962", Sotheby's, 2020-06-18
• Artcurial, "Artcurial Monaco Fine Watches Lot 119 — Rolex ref 1005 18K rose gold with box and papers", Artcurial, 2016-01-18
• Christie's, "Christie's Watches Online: The Geneva Edit Lot 256 — Rolex yellow gold and diamond-set ref 1005", Christie's, 2022-11-01
• Christie's, "Christie's Watches Online: Geneva Edit Lot 315 — Rolex yellow gold ref 1005 circa 1963", Christie's, 2024-05-07
• Christie's, "Christie's Geneva Rare Watches Lot 23 — Rolex ref 1005 18K gold with black dial", Christie's, 2016-11-14
• Bonhams, "Bonhams London Watches and Wristwatches Lot 74 — Rolex ref 1005 18K gold, London import 1973", Bonhams, 2024-02-21
• Bonhams, "Bonhams London Watches and Wristwatches Lot 58 — Rolex ref 1005 14K gold on 18K bracelet", Bonhams, 2024-09-11
• Bonhams, "Bonhams London Montres et montres-bracelets Lot 70 — Rolex ref 1005/1035 18K gold on integrated gold bracelet", Bonhams, 2022-09-14
• Bonhams, "Bonhams Paris Montres de Prestige Lot 117 — Rolex ref 1005 steel and gold, Roman-numeral dial", Bonhams, 2022-05-24
• Sotheby's, "Sotheby's Fine Timepieces Online Lot 140 — Rolex ref 1005 steel case with 18k gold fluted bezel", Sotheby's, 2018-03-02
• Artcurial, "Artcurial Monaco Vente Horlogerie de collection Lot 286 — Rolex ref 1005 Coca-Cola 25 years service", Artcurial, 2023-07-16
• Artcurial, "Artcurial Monte-Carlo Modern & Vintage Watches Online Lot 33 — Rolex ref 1005 14k gold circa 1962", Artcurial, 2022-05-03
• Artcurial, "Artcurial Monte-Carlo Modern & Vintage Watches Online Lot 32 — Rolex ref 1005 gold and steel, refinished black dial", Artcurial, 2022-05-03
• Heritage Auctions, "Heritage New York Watches & Fine Timepieces Lot 54225 — Rolex ref 1005 14k gold Coca-Cola service dial", Heritage Auctions, 2016-10-27
• Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces Lot 140 — Rolex ref 1005 18k gold 1968", Antiquorum, 2018-05-13
• Sotheby's, "Sotheby's New York Watches Weekly Lot 553 — Rolex ref 1005 steel and yellow gold circa 1971", Sotheby's, 2020-10-20
• Bonhams, "Bonhams London Watches and Wristwatches Lot 65 — Rolex ref 1005 18K rose gold", Bonhams, 2019-02-19
• Heritage Auctions, "Heritage New York Watches & Fine Timepieces Lot 54187 — Rolex ref 1005 18k gold catalogued with a smooth bezel", Heritage Auctions, 2016-10-27
• Collector Square, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1005 — auction and second-hand price index", Collector Square
• Rolex Forums, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1023 | Solid 14kt Gold", wtp123, 24 May 2022
• Gardiner Houlgate, 20 May 2025, lot 73, ref. 1023, inner caseback no. 1005