Rolex Oyster Perpetual 26 (176200)
Oyster Perpetual → 176200
The 176200 is the 26 mm steel Oyster Perpetual with no date. A Rolex Certified Pre-Owned record dates one example to 2007; Rolex still listed the reference in its August 2020 catalogue. The exact production start and final delivery dates are not established by those records. It uses automatic Calibre 2231, shared with the 31 mm 177200. Auction records show several dial layouts; the examples cited here do not amount to a complete factory dial list.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 176200 |
| family | Oyster Perpetual |
| catalogue name | Oyster Perpetual 26 |
| documented span | example dated 2007; listed in Rolex catalogue on 9 August 2020 |
| case | 26 mm Oystersteel; monobloc middle case |
| bezel | domed |
| crystal | scratch-resistant sapphire |
| crown | screw-down Twinlock |
| water resistance | 100 m / 330 ft |
| movement | self-winding Calibre 2231; 31 jewels; chronometer certified |
| bracelet | steel Oyster, three-piece links, Oysterclasp |
| closest later size | 276200, Oyster Perpetual 28; a new size in the 2020 range, not a same-size successor |
Where it sits in the line
The 176200 belongs to the late-2000s Oyster Perpetual generation. The similar reference numbers can cause confusion: 176200 is 26 mm, while 177200 is 31 mm. Both use Calibre 2231. The 36 mm 116000 and 34 mm Air-King 114200 belong to the same period, but are separate references and model lines.
Rolex removed the 26 mm size in its 2020 catalogue refresh. The new range started at 28 mm with reference 276200. That model filled the smallest-size position in the range, but it is not a direct replacement in case size or reference number.
Production outline
Rolex's archived specifications identify individual 176200 configurations, and its catalogue still listed the reference on 9 August 2020. A snapshot dated 3 September 2020 shows the refreshed range. These catalogue records bracket the changeover; they do not establish the exact date of the last watch assembled or delivered.
The cited 176200 records identify Calibre 2231. No evidence reviewed here establishes a movement change during the model’s catalogue life. Case serials can help date an individual watch, but Rolex did not publish a complete serial-to-production-year chart. See Reference:Serial-numbers for the limits of serial dating.
Movement notes
Calibre 2231 is an automatic chronometer movement. Rolex used it in both the 26 mm 176200 and 31 mm 177200. Auction descriptions identify 31 jewels on examined examples. The shared calibre does not make the watches the same size or interchangeable as complete cases.
Dial map
The surviving records consulted here show more than the silver and red grape dials named in earlier versions of this page. Rolex's archived specifications include silver and red grape configurations. Auction catalogues also document a white dial with black Arabic numerals, and a silvered dial with luminous rectangular indexes. These are specific documented watches, not proof of the full dial catalogue or of production dates for each option.
Sotheby's describes a circa-2017 red grape example with a purple sunburst dial. Bonhams records a white dial with black Arabic numerals on a watch sold in 2012. Heritage's 2026 catalogue describes a silvered dial with luminous rectangular indexes. Christie’s also has a listing under 176200 that gives a 28 mm case; Rolex’s archived specifications and the Sotheby’s and Heritage records identify the reference as 26 mm, so the Christie’s dimension appears to be a catalogue error. The listing is not used here for the watch’s specifications.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
Rolex specifies a 26 mm Oystersteel case with a domed bezel, sapphire crystal, screw-down Twinlock crown and 100 m water resistance. The watch has no date display and therefore no Cyclops lens. A Christie’s catalogue page gives a conflicting 28 mm dimension for a lot listed as 176200; the archived Rolex specification and two auction records give 26 mm. Check the case reference and measurements on the individual watch rather than relying on that single listing.
Bracelet and clasp
The cited examples have a steel Oyster bracelet with a folding Oysterclasp. Rolex describes the modern Oyster bracelet as three-piece links; the examples here do not establish one clasp code or bracelet configuration for the entire 176200 run. A bracelet or clasp date code dates that component, not the watch head. See Reference:Bracelets for clasp-code limits.
Related references
- Oyster Perpetual 31 (177200) — same period and Calibre 2231, 31 mm case
- Oyster Perpetual 36 (116000) — larger no-date Oyster Perpetual
- Air-King 114200 — separate model line from the same period
- Oyster Perpetual family index
See also the movement reference, bracelet and clasp guide, and serial-number guide.
Auction record
| sale | lot | date | catalogue description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonhams, Watches & Wristwatches | 312 | 8 Aug 2012 | White dial with black Arabic numerals; Calibre 2231; guarantee card and box listed |
| Sotheby's, Fine Watches | 108 | 7 Mar 2023 | Circa-2017 red grape dial; Calibre 2231; guarantee dated June 2017 |
| Heritage Auctions, Fine Jewelry & Timepieces | 54135 | 15 Jun 2026 | Silvered dial with luminous rectangular indexes; Calibre 2231, 31 jewels |
Sources
- Rolex Oyster Perpetual 26, ref. 176200 — archived Rolex specification, 2019
- Rolex Oyster Perpetual 26, ref. 176200 — archived Rolex silver-dial specification, 2018
- Rolex Oyster Perpetual catalogue, 9 August 2020
- Rolex Oyster Perpetual catalogue, 3 September 2020
- Sotheby's, lot 108, red grape dial, 2023
- Bonhams, Watches & Wristwatches, lot 312, sold 8 August 2012
- Heritage Auctions, lot 54135, 15 June 2026
- Christie's, lot 201 — catalogued as 176200, but lists a 28 mm case
- Rolex Oyster Perpetual 28, reference 276200 — current successor-size specification
- Tourneau Certified Pre-Owned listing, 176200 dated 2007