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Rolex 1003 Oyster Perpetual

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Oyster Perpetual › 1003

Steel 1003, circa 1975, with the engine-turned bezel and a heavily spotted cream dial
Steel 1003, circa 1975, with the engine-turned bezel and a heavily spotted cream dial

The Rolex 1003 is a no-date Oyster Perpetual with an engine-turned bezel. Auction catalogues use several descriptions for the bezel, including “milled,” “ridged” and “graduated engine-turned.” The 1003 shares the 34mm case family with the smooth-bezel 1002, but catalogue markings vary: some steel examples have 1002 stamped inside the caseback, while gold examples have been listed with 1005 there.

Auction records include steel and gold examples, British-market 9-carat cases, personalized service-award dials and watches catalogued with Air-King dials. The sources document individual watches and sale-time configurations; they do not establish a complete production census.

Core facts

detail value
reference 1003
family Oyster Perpetual
production dated auction examples run from circa 1960 to the late 1970s; production limits are not established
case diameter 34mm in most catalogues; auction listings range from 33mm to 35mm
lug width 19mm
thickness c.12mm
case material stainless steel; 14k and 18k yellow gold; 9k and 9ct gold for the British market
bezel engine-turned, graduated with hour divisions on documented gold examples
crystal acrylic
movement most reference tables list calibers 1560 and 1570; one Bonhams 1003 lot lists caliber 1530, a disputed catalogue attribution
certification Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified
date complication none
bracelet rivet Oyster, later folded Oyster, gold fold-over bracelets, leather
caseback screw-down, inside stamped 1002 on steel cases and 1005 on gold
paired designations catalogued as 1003/1002 and 1003/1005
sibling references 1002 (smooth), 1006 / 1007 / 1008 (engine-turned), 1005 (fluted gold)
oversized relative 1018, the 36mm case

Where it sits in the line

The 1003 is one of the engine-turned-bezel references in the four-digit Oyster Perpetual line. The 1002 has a smooth bezel; the 1005 is associated with the fluted gold bezel. References 1006, 1007 and 1008 also appear with engine-turned bezels. Auction records use paired designations such as 1003/1002 or 1003/1005, reflecting the different numbers found between the lugs and inside the caseback. The 1018 is the 36mm model in this family.

Production outline

Auction catalogues date individual 1003 examples from circa 1960 through 1977. The records include cases 512,833 and 573,835 dated circa 1960, a Glasgow assay mark for 1961, case 531,734 dated circa 1966, case 3,044,042 dated 1972, case 3,960,865 dated circa 1975 and case 5,426,177 dated 1977. A separate Antiquorum listing describes a watch as late 1970s and records its sale in January 1980; the sale date is not a delivery date. These auction descriptions do not establish the reference’s first or last production year.

Movement notes

Most reference tables list calibers 1560 and 1570 for the 1003. Bonhams listed caliber 1530, movement number 98,643, in a 1003 (case 573,835) with a chronometer certificate dated 22 December 1960. The same auction house listed a caliber 1530 in a 1002. The 1003 movement attribution conflicts with common reference tables, and the auction descriptions alone do not establish factory fitment.

Auction records document 1560 and 1570 movements in 1003 examples. Caliber 1560 beats at 18,000 vph; caliber 1570 raises the rate to 19,800 vph. Auction descriptions also record differing jewel counts and movement details. The broader lineage and points of disagreement are covered in the movement index.

Dial map

Silvered is the default and covers most of the record: sunburst and satiné finishes on steel and gold alike, with applied baton or dart markers, luminous five-minute dots and a printed chronometer line. A cream or beige tone appears on aged gold examples, and Artcurial's 1966 gold watch is described as patinated cream. Sotheby's 2021 steel example photographs as a heavily spotted cream dial with rose-toned markers, the kind of tropical change that reads as condition rather than as a factory variant.

Auction records include silvered dials, a blue Air-King dial in a watch catalogued as 1003/1002, and British-market gold examples with gilt dart markers and Arabic quarters. The catalogues describe several gold dials with Coca-Cola service inscriptions; those examples are discussed below.

 
Blue Air-King dial in a steel case catalogued as ref 1003/1002, made 1964

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The 1003 uses a 34mm Oyster case with 19mm lugs. Auction catalogues give measurements from 33mm to 35mm and thicknesses around 12mm; these are catalogue measurements, not a single factory specification. Examples have screw-down backs and crowns and acrylic crystals.

The bezel is engine-turned. Auction houses also describe examples as “milled,” “ridged” or “semi engine-turned”; Antiquorum describes some examples as graduated and with hour divisions. The wording varies by catalogue, and not every listing provides enough detail to compare the cut pattern.

Catalogued cases include stainless steel, 14k and 18k yellow gold, and British-market 9-carat gold. In the Coca-Cola 1003/1005 auction record, Antiquorum explains that the number between the lugs identifies the watch’s bezel reference while the inside caseback bears the case reference. Other lots show the same paired-number pattern.

 
9K gold British-market 1003 with a Glasgow import mark for 1961, silvered dial with gilt dart markers and Arabic quarters

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

Auction examples show steel riveted and folded Oyster bracelets, gold bracelets, and leather straps with signed buckles. These catalogue descriptions record the watch as offered for sale; they do not establish the original bracelet or strap fitted to each head. A clasp date dates the bracelet, not the watch head. See the bracelet and clasp guide.

Special branches

The Coca-Cola service awards

Several auctioned gold Oyster Perpetuals carry Coca-Cola logos and “25 Years of Service” inscriptions. For the 1003, Antiquorum catalogued an 18k gold case, number 5,426,177, as made in 1977; Sotheby’s sold that same case in 2014. A second 1003/1005, case 3,044,042, was catalogued as made in 1972 and sold by Antiquorum in 2007. A third watch was catalogued as late 1970s and sold in New York in January 1980. Other references, including 1002 and 1005, also appear in auction records with Coca-Cola service inscriptions.

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    An 18k gold Coca-Cola 1003, case dated 1961
  •  
    The 25 Years of Service Coca-Cola dial on the same watch
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    Caseback engraving for Sal Eaton, 25 years’ service, dated 1 September 1961

The Sotheby's “Minnie Mouse”

Sotheby’s catalogued a steel watch as “Reference 1003 Air-King ‘Minnie Mouse’” in 2020. Its silvered dial carries Air-King and Precision text, with a printed Minnie Mouse figure between the centre and six o’clock. Sotheby’s lists case 3,011,703, an inner caseback stamped 1002, caliber 1570, and a 33mm case. The dial and inner caseback support describing it as an Air-King-style watch in a case marked 1003 between the lugs; the catalogue does not establish how that combination left the factory.

 
The printed character sits between the centre and six, under Air-King and PRECISION text

The Diesel Power Company dial

Artcurial catalogued a 14k yellow-gold 1003, case 531,734, circa 1966, with a cream dial bearing a Diesel Power Company logo. The lot documents another personalized corporate dial; it does not establish who made or fitted it.

British-market gold cases

Bonhams catalogued three 1003 examples in 9-carat gold. One carries a Glasgow import mark dated 1961 and a caliber 1560; another, case 512,833, was catalogued in New York as circa 1960 with a butterfly rotor; a third was offered with a 9ct gold bracelet and a 1966 receipt. The hallmarks and receipt provide separate dating evidence; they do not date the movement. See the serial-number guide for the limits of assay dating.

Auction record

Results vary by watch and dial. The table includes a 1003/1005 Coca-Cola example that sold for CHF 37,500 at Sotheby’s in 2014; the same case sold for CHF 11,800 at Antiquorum in 2006. Among the steel examples listed here, the Sotheby’s 2020 Air-King “Minnie Mouse” brought the highest result. These sales describe individual lots, not a general price range for the reference.

date house configuration result
May 2014 Sotheby's Geneva, Important Watches, lot 216 yellow gold, "25 Years of Service Coca-Cola" dial, ref 1003/1005, case 5,426,177, c.1977 CHF 37,500 (est. CHF 6,000–8,000)
Oct 2007 Antiquorum Geneva, Important Collectors' Watches, lot 486 yellow gold Coca-Cola, ref 1003/1005, case 3,044,042, made 1972 CHF 12,980 (est. CHF 5,000–7,000)
May 2006 Antiquorum Geneva, The Mondani Collection, lot 111 18k yellow gold Coca-Cola, ref 1003/1005, case 5,426,177, made 1977 CHF 11,800 (est. CHF 8,000–10,000)
Oct 2020 Sotheby's New York, Watches, lot 97 steel Air-King 'Minnie Mouse', cal 1570, case 3,011,703, c.1972 USD 7,560 (est. USD 4,000–6,000)
Jul 2011 Artcurial Monte-Carlo, Fine Watches, lot 406 14k yellow gold, Diesel Power Company service dial, case 531,734, c.1966 EUR 4,335 (est. EUR 3,000–3,500)
Jun 2021 Sotheby's Geneva, Fine Watches, lot 42 steel, spotted cream dial, cal 1570, case 3,960,865, c.1975 CHF 2,142 (est. CHF 1,000–3,000)
Nov 2017 Bonhams London, Watches and Wristwatches, lot 121 9K gold, Glasgow import mark for 1961, cal 1560, silvered dial with Arabic quarters GBP 2,000
Nov 2016 Antiquorum Geneva, lot 38 steel with Air-King dial, ref 1003/1002, case 1,197,501, made 1964, rivet bracelet CHF 1,875 (est. CHF 1,000–2,000)
Dec 2007 Bonhams New York, Fine Watches and Wristwatches, lot 125 9k gold, cal 1560 with butterfly rotor, case 512,833, c.1960 USD 1,440
Sep 2024 Bonhams, Weekly Montres, lot 84 steel, cal 1530, case 573,835, chronometer certificate dated December 1960 GBP 960

Related references

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

Gallery

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    Whole-watch view, steel 1003
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    Whole-watch view, gold Coca-Cola example
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    Air-King character dial in a 1003-marked case
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    Coca-Cola service dial detail
  •  
    Blue Air-King dial in a 1003/1002 catalogue example
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    British-market 9K case and dial detail
  •  
    Coca-Cola service engraving on caseback

Sources

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