Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5050

A checked version of this page, approved on 17 October 2026, was based on this revision.

Rolex ref. 5050 is an automatic Oyster Perpetual documented in steel, yellow gold, and pink gold. Auction records show 31–32 mm cases and several dial layouts. Most dated examples are assigned to the late 1940s; Sotheby's dates one steel watch to circa 1960. The production span remains uncertain.

Core facts

Detail	Documented record
Reference	5050; Jones & Horan reports an inside caseback stamped 5050
Model	Automatic Oyster Perpetual; “Bubbleback” is the catalogue and collector grouping used for these examples
Dates	Individual catalogue dates range from 1946 to circa 1960; production start and end are unverified
Case materials	Stainless steel, yellow gold, and pink gold appear in exact-reference records
Case size	31 mm in Bonhams Paris and Christie's records; 32 mm in Sotheby's, Monaco Legend, Jones & Horan, and the 2026 Bonhams transcription
Movement	Automatic. An EveryWatch transcription of Bonhams lists Calibre 630 for case 654805; Monaco Legend describes its example as “cal. 9 3/4.” Neither listing establishes a reference-wide caliber
Dial layouts	Silvered dials with Arabic numerals or baton markers; a red inner 24-hour scale; black dials, including one retailer-signed example

Where it sits in the line

The 5050 is an Oyster Perpetual from the late Bubbleback period. Auction catalogues use “Bubbleback” as a model grouping; the examples documented here are time-only watches with centre seconds.

Production outline

Monaco Legend dates yellow-gold case 656719 to 1946. Bonhams dates steel case 662581 to circa 1948; Jones & Horan dates steel case 661430 to circa 1949; and Fellows dates steel case 659549 to circa 1949. Christie's dates a pink-gold example to circa 1949, without giving a case number. EveryWatch's transcription of a 2026 Bonhams lot dates steel case 654805 to circa 1950. These are individual catalogue dates; they do not set the production span. Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 41; Bonhams Paris, 2022, lot 31; Jones & Horan, 2021, lot 210722-172; Fellows, 2022, lot 138; EveryWatch transcription of Bonhams Hong Kong, 2026, lot 1019

Sotheby's dates case 660696 to circa 1960, while the other case-numbered catalogue examples cluster around 1948–49. The available sources leave this discrepancy unresolved. Keep the circa-1960 date attached to the Sotheby's lot; no production end date follows from it. Sotheby's Geneva, 2016, lot 85

Movement notes

The auction descriptions identify automatic movements. EveryWatch's transcription of Bonhams Hong Kong lot 1019 names Calibre 630 for case 654805; Bonhams' own lot page was not accessible for this audit, so keep that attribution attached to this watch. Monaco Legend describes its gold example as “cal. 9 3/4.” Jones & Horan records 18 jewels on case 661430; Christie's and Sotheby's do not name a caliber. The movement shown in Monaco Legend's photographs has no legible caliber stamp. These records do not establish a single caliber for the reference. EveryWatch transcription of Bonhams Hong Kong, 2026, lot 1019; Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 41; Jones & Horan, 2021, lot 210722-172; Christie's, ref. 5050; Sotheby's, Geneva 2016, lot 85

Automatic movement shown with Monaco Legend's yellow-gold ref. 5050, lot 41. The catalogue calls it 9¾-ligne; no numbered caliber is confirmed here.

Dial map

Bonhams describes a silvered dial with luminous batons alternating with Arabic numerals, plus an outer fifth-second scale and five-minute Arabic markers. Sotheby's records a different silvered dial with luminous Arabic numerals, a red inner 24-hour ring, and an outer minute and fifth-second track. The 24-hour scale is documented on that steel example; the sources do not establish how many 5050s received it. Bonhams, 2022, lot 31; Sotheby's, Geneva 2016, lot 85

Christie's describes a pink-gold watch with a black dial and luminous triangular, Arabic, and baton numerals. Monaco Legend's yellow-gold example has a black dial signed for Joyería Riviera in Havana. A separate Collector Square index records a yellow-gold sector-style black dial on case 666562, circa 1948. These are separate catalogue records; they do not establish a complete dial range or prove that every listed dial is original to its case. Christie's, ref. 5050; Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 41; Collector Square, ref. 5050 index

Black retailer-signed dial on Monaco Legend's yellow-gold example, case 656719.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The catalogued cases are tonneau-form Oyster cases with screw-down backs and crowns. Published diameters are 31 or 32 mm. Sotheby's describes a polished steel case; Bonhams calls its steel case brushed and polished. The sources give no crystal or bezel changeover. Sotheby's, Geneva 2016, lot 85; Bonhams, 2022, lot 31

Monaco Legend's yellow-gold example has engraved decoration across the case, bezel, lugs, and matching bracelet. The inside caseback is stamped 5050 and carries gold hallmarks. The catalogue does not establish that the engraving was a standard Rolex finish. Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 41

Yellow-gold 5050 with extensive engraving, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 41.
Inside caseback stamped 5050 with gold hallmarks, same lot.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging

Bonhams records an expandable steel link on case 662581. Jones & Horan describes an expandable riveted Rolex USA Oyster bracelet with straight end links on case 661430 and gives its bracelet date code as 1-63. That code dates the bracelet, not the watch head. Monaco Legend records a solid yellow-gold riveted bracelet with its engraved gold case. Sotheby's describes a Rolex steel buckle on a leather strap. These lot associations document what was sold with each watch, not factory delivery. Bonhams, 2022, lot 31; Jones & Horan, 2021, lot 210722-172; Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 41; Sotheby's, Geneva 2016, lot 85

The 2012 Rolex Forums discussion concerns an owner's 5050 fitted with a later 7206 bracelet. Another forum member questioned the fit because of the watch's reported 17 mm lug width. That exchange is a collector lead, not proof of the reference's factory bracelet fitment. Rolex Forums, 2012

Yellow-gold riveted bracelet catalogued with the engraved case, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 41.

Special branches

Monaco Legend identifies yellow-gold case 656719 as retailed by Joyería Riviera and shows the retailer's signature on the dial. The catalogue also describes extensive hand engraving. Keep the retailer signature and engraved case tied to this example; the evidence does not show that either was a standard 5050 option. Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 41

Auction record

Sale record	What the catalogue documents
Bonhams Paris, 2022, lot 31	Steel case 662581, circa 1948, 31 mm; silvered luminous dial; automatic movement no. 39761; expandable bracelet.
Bonhams Hong Kong, 2026, lot 1019 (EveryWatch transcription)	Steel case 654805, circa 1950, 32 mm; silvered dial; Calibre 630 listed; leather strap. Bonhams' original lot page was inaccessible for this audit.
Christie's, ref. 5050, circa 1949	Pink gold, 31 mm, black dial with luminous triangular, Arabic, and baton numerals; automatic jewelled lever movement.
Jones & Horan, 27 July 2021, lot 210722-172	Steel case 661430, circa 1949, 32 mm; silvered dial, 18 jewels; inside back reported stamped 5050; expandable riveted bracelet.
Sotheby's Geneva, 2016, lot 85	Steel case 660696, circa 1960, 32 mm; silvered dial with red inner 24-hour ring; Rolex steel buckle. The date conflicts with the late-1940s catalogue cluster.
Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 41	Yellow-gold case 656719, dated 1946; black Joyería Riviera dial; 32 mm; engraved case and matching bracelet.
Fellows, 2022, lot 138	Steel example serial 659549, circa 1949, 32 mm; Serpico y Laino signature and Gay Frères bracelet described in the catalogue transcription.

The Omega Forums 2014 owner listing shows another 5050 described as circa 1949 with a white dial. The post does not independently verify its inner caseback stamp, so it remains community evidence rather than a separate confirmed variant. Omega Forums, 2014

Gallery

Steel ref. 5050 with a red inner 24-hour scale. Sotheby's Geneva 2016, lot 85, case 660696.
Engraved yellow-gold 5050 retailed by Joyería Riviera. Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 41, case 656719.
Retailer-signed black dial on the same gold example.
Movement shown in Monaco Legend's gold example.
Inside caseback stamp 5050 and gold hallmarks.
Matching yellow-gold riveted bracelet.

Sources