Rolex Oyster Perpetual 3372

A checked version of this page, approved on 23 September 2026, was based on this revision.

Rolex's 1940 advertising called the 3372 the “Luxury Model,” according to Antiquorum's 2006 lot catalogue. Surviving auction descriptions show steel, two-tone and precious-metal cases, several bezel and dial treatments, and both centre and subsidiary seconds. Those records describe individual watches; they do not establish a complete factory specification or production span.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	3372; the Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists suffix variants /0, /2, /3, /7 and /8
family	Oyster Perpetual; grouped with Bubblebacks by collectors
catalogue name	“Luxury Model,” a period advertising name reported by Antiquorum
production dates	Auction catalogues assign dates from circa 1938 to circa 1959; these estimates do not establish the factory run
case material	Stainless steel, steel and gold, and solid gold examples are documented
case size	Auction descriptions give 32 to 33 mm for individual examples
case and bezel	Three-body cases and several bezel descriptions are recorded; the Field Manual lists a smooth polished bezel for 3372/0
movement	The Field Manual lists Cal. 630; auction catalogues also use 9¾-ligne and N 1411 descriptions
seconds display	Centre seconds and subsidiary seconds are both documented
dial examples	Silvered, pink, multi-tone and California-style dials appear in auction records; condition and originality vary

Where it sits in the line

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual groups the 3372 with the Bubblebacks and lists Cal. 630. It records several suffix configurations, including a steel /0, pink-gold /2, and /3 entries for both a hooded-lug steel case and a steel-and-rose-gold model with subsidiary seconds. The table is a collector reference, not a Rolex parts catalogue, and its rows should not be read as proof that every suffix maps to one metal or case style.

“Bubbleback” is a collector term for early Oyster Perpetuals with a domed caseback. “Luxury Model” is different: Antiquorum says a 1940 advertisement used that name for the 3372. Neither label supplies a production total or makes the 3372 the only luxury Oyster Perpetual of its period.

Production and dating

The available dates belong to individual auction lots. Sotheby's 2026 listing describes a pink-gold and steel 3372 as circa 1938; Phillips dated its two-tone Mappin & Webb example to 1945; Sotheby's dated a steel example to circa 1946; and Antiquorum catalogued a steel example as circa 1959. That spread is too wide to turn into a firm start and end date. A sale-house estimate is not a factory record, and the late estimate does not by itself show whether the watch was assembled, held in stock or sold in 1959.

Serial-number charts are collector reconstructions, not Rolex production ledgers. Compare the number on a specific case with documented examples and any dated paperwork; do not use one chart row to declare a 3372 production year. The serial-number guide explains the limits of those charts.

Case, bezel, crystal and crown

Auction catalogues describe tonneau-shaped cases around 32 mm across. Antiquorum's 2006 lot calls its steel and yellow-gold example a three-body case and gives a 13.7 mm thickness. Phillips measured its two-tone watch at 33 mm. These are measurements and construction descriptions for those watches, not a universal dimension set.

Bezel descriptions conflict with the old claim that every 3372 has an engine-turned rim. Phillips calls its 2015 two-tone example “reeded”; Antiquorum describes another as having a graduated bezel. The Field Manual lists a smooth polished bezel for the /0 variant. Treat bezel form as a variant to document on the watch in hand, not as a quick reference test.

Two-tone 3372, auction photograph
Case and bezel detail, dealer listing

The sources reviewed here do not establish a single crystal or crown specification across the reference. Have those parts assessed on the individual watch.

Movement notes

The Field Manual assigns Cal. 630 to the listed 3372 variants. Antiquorum explicitly names Cal. 630 in its 2001 catalogue entry. Other catalogues give only an automatic movement or a 9¾-ligne size, so retain those descriptions as written rather than inferring a caliber from dimensions alone.

Both seconds layouts appear in the records, but the movement attribution is not settled for every example. Antiquorum names Cal. 630 on its 2001 centre-seconds watch. Christies describes case 474309 with a 9¾-ligne, 17-jewel movement and small seconds, without naming a caliber. The Field Manual lists Cal. 630 for the 3372/3 row that it describes with subsidiary seconds. That entry conflicts with the usual centre-seconds description of Cal. 630; it does not establish a Cal. 630 small-seconds variant. Antiquorum also calls a Cuervo y Sobrinos-retail-attributed 3372 centre-seconds and gives the movement as N 1411, 9¾ lignes. Do not assign a caliber from case reference or movement size alone. Jewel counts describe the catalogue example, not every watch carrying the reference.

Dial detail from a two-tone 3372 listing.

Dial examples

Auction records document a wide range, but they do not support a definitive factory dial map. Phillips described a four-segment two-tone dial on a steel and pink-gold 3372 retailed by Mappin & Webb. Sotheby's catalogued pink Roman numerals on a two-tone example and a silvered dial on a steel watch. Antiquorum described a black California-style dial on a later lot, while its 2017 salmon-dial example was flagged as reprinted. Those records establish that such watches have appeared under the 3372 name; they do not establish which designs left Rolex with the case.

Christie's catalogued a gold 3372 with a Chinese-style enamel dial and explicitly called the dial non-original. That is a useful reminder that an unusual dial may be a later alteration, even when the case and movement are described as 3372. The original status of any dial needs evidence from the specific watch, such as clear photographs, service records or period provenance.

Do not treat retailer names as a dial family or proof of delivery. Phillips described its 2015 two-tone watch as retailed by Mappin & Webb. Sotheby's described its 2020 steel watch as retailed by Serpico y Laino. Those attributions belong to those catalogue entries; they do not establish a premium, a factory co-signing policy, or the originality of another 3372 dial.

Bracelet and strap

Auction records show bracelets and straps fitted to particular examples: an expanding Oyster bracelet on Antiquorum's 2006 two-tone watch, a matching two-tone bracelet on Phillips's Mappin & Webb example, and a beads-of-rice bracelet on Sotheby's circa-1938 two-tone example. A catalogue description does not prove that the bracelet was delivered with the watch. Check bracelet and clasp marks separately; they date the bracelet, not the case.

Auction record

Selected catalogue descriptions are listed below. Dates and condition statements are the auction houses' assessments. Results are included only where the linked catalogue reports them.

Venue and date	Lot / case	Catalogue description	Result
Antiquorum, New York, 2001	436	Stainless steel; Cal. 630, 19 jewels; centre seconds; 32 mm; circa mid-1940s	USD 1,725
Antiquorum, Geneva, 2006	79 / 379868	Steel and 18K yellow gold; three-body case; 9¾-ligne movement, 19 jewels; centre seconds; 32 mm; 1945	CHF 10,620
Phillips, Geneva, 2015	206 / 301684	Steel and pink gold; four-segment dial; Mappin & Webb retail attribution; 33 mm; 1945	CHF 16,250
Sotheby's, 2021	166 / 495117	Stainless steel; silvered dial; automatic movement; 32 mm; circa 1946	Result not shown on catalogue page
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 2024	75 / 424291	Stainless steel; silver dial; 32 mm; catalogue estimate circa 1959	HKD 27,500
Christie's catalogue	case 474309	14K gold; 9¾-ligne, 17-jewel automatic; small seconds; circa 1943	Estimate only; result not shown

This is a selected evidence set, not a census. Auction results from different years and currencies are not a current valuation guide.

Related references

Bubbleback family guide
Reference 3132, also listed with Cal. 630 in the Field Manual
Movement guide
Serial-number guide

Gallery

Sotheby's 2020 example
Two-tone 3372, auction photograph
Case and bezel detail
Two-tone dial detail
Yellow-gold 3372, dealer listing