Rolex Oyster Perpetual 3716
Bubbleback → 3716
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual 3716 is a small-seconds watch in the straight-lug case style collectors call “Empire.” Auction catalogues show steel, yellow-gold, and pink-gold examples measuring 31–32 mm. Collector Marcus Siems proposes 1938–44 for the Empire group, while individual lot dates extend later in other catalogues. Published caliber attributions also differ.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 3716 |
| family | Oyster Perpetual; grouped with Bubblebacks in collector references |
| production | Unconfirmed; catalogued examples are dated circa 1940–46, with one Antiquorum catalogue dating an example to the 1950s |
| case examples | Stainless steel, yellow gold, and pink/rose gold; catalogues give 31 or 32 mm |
| movement descriptions | Automatic, 9¾ lignes; 19 jewels are reported on several examples |
| numeric caliber | Disputed: 620 and 635 are both published; many catalogues give no caliber number |
| seconds | Subsidiary seconds at 6 |
| dial examples | Silver, champagne, pink or salmon, and black; numeral and marker layouts vary by example |
| crystal | Plexiglas is listed for one 1946 example |
| water resistance | Antiquorum states 6 atm for its 2003 lot; this is an attributed example, not a verified reference-wide rating |
Where it sits in the line
Antiquorum’s 2008 catalogue and collector Marcus Siems’s 2024 essay “The Deceptive Oyster — Meet the Rolex ‘Empire’” pair the 3716’s subsidiary seconds with the center-seconds ref. 3548. A 2020 r/rolex collector post describes the 3716 as the 3548’s small-seconds counterpart and uses “Empire” for the straight-lug style. Antiquorum says period advertisements used “Impero”; its 2008 catalogue does not reproduce the advertisement.
The catalogues distinguish the 3716 from the 3548 by its subsidiary seconds rather than center seconds. They also show variation in metal, dial, and bracelet. Siems reports finding 18 publicly known 3716s; that count describes the examples in his survey.
Production outline
Siems proposes about 1938–44 for the Empire group. Auction catalogues date individual 3716s to circa 1940, circa 1942, circa 1943, and circa 1945–46. Antiquorum's 1989 catalogue dates a pink-gold example to the 1950s. The catalogue dates conflict, so the reference's production span remains uncertain.
Heritage's 2017 lot describes an inscription on case 56420 reading “Recuerdo de San Julian Diciembre 1946.” The inscription dates the dedication to December 1946; it does not independently date manufacture. Accademia Fine Art prints the serial as “46.742.” The cited serial charts do not establish a year for that number.
Movement notes
The auction descriptions identify automatic movements around 9¾ lignes. Antiquorum's 1995 record and Christie's description of case 54524 give 19 jewels. Monaco Legend describes case 208572 as a nickel-finished lever movement without a numeric caliber.
The caliber number is unsettled. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual and Antiquorum list 635; Siems and WatchNet Japan assign 620. Antiquorum also dates Cal. 635 to 1940–51, a catalogue statement rather than a factory record. No cited factory record or securely legible movement marking reconciles the two assignments.
The 9¾-line dimension describes movement size. A circulated model-to-caliber chart on Rolex Forums also lists 9.75 for the reference; it gives no numeric caliber and its compiler is unidentified.
Dial map
Catalogue records show silver and champagne dials as well as pink, salmon, and black examples. Markers vary: Antiquorum describes Roman numerals with painted indexes on a champagne dial; Monaco Legend's steel example has Roman numerals and dots with an outer minute track; Heritage records rose Arabic numerals with radial batons on case 56420. Momentum Dubai lists a steel example with a sand-tone dial and dates it to 1942, but gives no case number for comparison.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
Catalogues describe a round case with a smooth bezel, straight or “lapidated” sloped lugs, screw-down back, and screw-down crown. Antiquorum gives 32 mm for its 2003 gold example; Monaco Legend gives 32 mm for case 208572. Its 1989 Hong Kong catalogue lists 31 mm. The records do not establish whether the difference reflects measurement or a case variant.
Antiquorum describes its 2003 example as water-resistant to 6 atm. Monaco Legend's 2022 photographs cover the case profile and exterior back of case 208572; the inner caseback is not shown.
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Case profile, case 208572, Monaco Legend Auctions 2022 -
Exterior caseback, case 208572, Monaco Legend Auctions 2022
Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging
Antiquorum's 2008 catalogue records a Bamboo bracelet with steel case 156649. Monaco Legend describes steel case 208572 with a steel rice bracelet and calls that bracelet original. That attribution applies to this lot. Available records show no standard 3716 bracelet or end-link fitment. The close-up below shows the clasp detail; the catalogue image does not show a legible end-link stamp.
Auction record
| date / sale | example and catalogue description | result |
|---|---|---|
| 1989, Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 49 | Pink-gold case, 31 mm, silver matte dial with baton markers and subsidiary seconds; catalogue dates it to the 1950s | HKD 63,365 |
| 1995, Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 84 | Pink-gold example with small seconds and a 19-jewel automatic movement | Estimate HKD 60,000–65,000 |
| 2003, Antiquorum Geneva, lot 307 | 18K gold, 32 mm, silver matte dial, subsidiary seconds; Antiquorum states 6 atm | CHF 17,250 |
| 2007, Christie's, case 54524 | Circa 1945 pink-gold example; case 54524 reappears in Monaco Legend's 2020 catalogue | Sale result not recorded here |
| 2008, Antiquorum Geneva, lot 284, case 156649 | Steel, black dial, cal. 635 as catalogued; Antiquorum notes the same watch appeared in the Mondani sale in 2006 | CHF 15,600 |
| 2014, Heritage Auctions, lot 60182 | Yellow-gold example, catalogue dated circa 1943 | Result not recorded |
| 2017, Heritage Auctions, lot 54143, case 56420 | Rose gold, Mappin-signed dial, inscription dated December 1946 | USD 5,500 |
| 2019, Accademia Fine Art, lot 25 | Pink gold, serial 46.742 as printed, movement number 95195 | Estimate EUR 16,000–18,000 |
| 2022, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 102, case 208572 | Steel with pink dial and rice bracelet | EUR 15,625 including premium |
Gallery
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Case 208572, Monaco Legend Auctions 2022 -
Dial, case 208572 -
Case profile, case 208572
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Exterior caseback
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Clasp detail from the bracelet Monaco Legend catalogued with case 208572
Sources
- "Rolex ref. 3716, Antiquorum Hong Kong 1989 lot 49", Antiquorum, 1989
- "Rolex ref. 3716, Antiquorum Hong Kong 1995 lot 84", Antiquorum, 1995
- "Rolex ref. 3716, Antiquorum Geneva 2003 lot 307", Antiquorum, 2003
- "Rolex ref. 3716, case 156649, Antiquorum Geneva 2008 lot 284", Antiquorum, 2008-11-09
- "Rolex ref. 3716, case 54524, Christie's", Christie's, 2007
- "Rolex ref. 3716 yellow gold, Heritage Auctions lot 60182", Heritage Auctions, 2014
- "Rolex ref. 3716, case 56420, Heritage Auctions lot 54143", Heritage Auctions, 2017
- "Rolex ref. 3716, case 54524, Monaco Legend Auctions 2020 lot 125", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2020-10-31
- "Rolex ref. 3716, serial 46.742, Accademia Fine Art 2019 lot 25", Accademia Fine Art, 2019
- "Rolex ref. 3716, case 208572, Monaco Legend Auctions 2022 lot 102", Monaco Legend Auctions, 2022-10-22
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — reference-to-caliber table, ref. 3716 — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
- "The Deceptive Oyster — Meet the Rolex Empire", Goldammer, 2024
- "Rolex Oyster Empire ref. 3716, WatchNet Japan item 3557", WatchNet Japan, Listing date not stated
- "Rolex Forums model-to-caliber chart, ref. 3716 entry", Rolex Forums, 2009
- "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 3716 with sand-tone dial", Momentum Dubai
- "Cool Rolex of the Day #1147: 3548 Oyster Perpetual “Empire” with straight lugs", Reddit r/rolex, 2020