Rolex 6074 Oyster Perpetual Date
Bubbleback → 6074
The 6074 is a date-equipped Big Bubbleback. Antiquorum and John Goldberger describe a platinum commission made in 1950 in two examples; the illustrated watch has a black honeycomb dial, smooth bezel, roulette date and platinum Jubilee bracelet. Their measurements differ: Antiquorum gives 35mm, while Goldberger gives 36mm.
Auction houses have also catalogued gold watches as 6074. Those records need separate treatment: the 1990 catalogue gives no case number, and a gold watch examined in a 2015 restoration had earlier 6030 and 6031 numbers struck out before 6074 was stamped on the caseback. The available evidence does not establish whether Rolex made a regular gold 6074.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 6074 |
| family | Oyster Perpetual Date / Big Bubbleback / Ovettone |
| date | Date at 3 o'clock; date-change behavior is not established across the attributed examples |
| platinum example | Two watches reported made in 1950; black honeycomb dial; smooth bezel; platinum Jubilee bracelet |
| gold attributions | Listed by Antiquorum in 1990 and 2025; factory status unresolved |
| case diameter | Platinum lot: 35mm in Antiquorum, 36mm in Goldberger; 1990 gold lot: 34mm |
| case construction | Tonneau Oyster with screwed back; Goldberger describes the platinum case as two-body |
| case material | Platinum commission documented; 18K gold examples catalogued with uncertain attribution |
| movement | No reference-wide caliber established; see Movement notes |
| dial text | "Oyster Perpetual" on the pictured platinum example; no "Datejust" wording visible |
| bracelet | Platinum Jubilee described for the platinum example; clasp stamped 1-50 in Goldberger's published photograph |
Where it sits in the line
The 6074 belongs to the date-equipped Big Bubbleback group around refs. 6031 and 6075. Italian auction houses use Ovettone for the larger 36mm Bubbleback form and distinguish it from the smaller Ovetto; the 6074 appears in that larger group. The exact case measurements reported for individual 6074 examples vary, so the family label should not be used as a measurement for every watch.
The platinum example is an unusual commission in that group. Antiquorum and Goldberger both describe two platinum examples made in 1950. Records that call gold watches 6074 introduce a separate attribution question rather than a confirmed material variant.
Production outline
Antiquorum's 1992 catalogue dates its platinum lot to 1950 and says two were made for the caseback inscription, "The Rolex Jubilee-Custom made The noblest of metal." Goldberger's 2013 book also gives two examples and reports that one is unaccounted for. The engraving, bracelet and description suggest that the 1992 lot and Goldberger's published watch may be the same example, though the sources provide no chain of custody. No case serials for the two platinum watches are published in those records.
A separate gold watch identified as 6074 by Henrik Korpela at SJX had movement 56567, which Korpela identifies as Cal. 630 NA. Its caseback showed 6030 and 6031 scratched out with 6074 stamped over them. Antiquorum's 1990 gold lot has no case number; its 2025 gold lot says the number was no longer visible. The catalogue descriptions document gold watches assigned the number, while the altered or unavailable case markings leave their factory status open.
Movement notes
The surviving records give different movement descriptions, and only the SJX restoration names a caliber. Antiquorum's 1992 platinum lot lists a 9¾-ligne, 17-jewel movement with shock protection, but gives no caliber. Its 1990 gold lot lists an 11-ligne, 18-jewel movement, also without a caliber. Korpela identifies Cal. 630 NA in the restored gold watch; the caseback on that watch had been reworked. Keep that attribution attached to the specific watch rather than applying it to the reference as a whole.
The available records do not justify assigning Cal. A.295 or A.296 to every 6074. Both labels appear in secondary reference tables for nearby Ovettone models, while the 6074 lot descriptions and restoration report differ. The movement index discusses the Cal. 630 family and the limits of auction-based caliber assignments.
Dial map
The published platinum example has a black honeycomb dial, applied faceted markers, a printed minute track, "ROLEX / OYSTER PERPETUAL" below the coronet and "OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER" above six. Its date wheel shows alternating red and black numerals. The word "Datejust" does not appear on this dial.
The 1992 Antiquorum catalogue describes the platinum lot's hands as platinum Dauphine. Goldberger's photograph shows long alpha-style hands with luminous inserts. The sources appear to describe the same watch, but they do not explain the difference. Antiquorum's 1990 gold lot describes a white dial with applied gold indexes and radium feuille hands. These descriptions establish what was recorded for individual watches; they do not establish a complete dial or hand range.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
The platinum example has a tonneau-shaped case. Antiquorum measured its 1992 lot at 35mm; Goldberger gives 36mm for the illustrated watch. Antiquorum describes a screwed back and crown, and Goldberger calls the case two-body. The 1990 gold lot is listed at 34mm, a separate example and material attribution.
The platinum watch's bezel is smooth. Watchlover's reference-specific caption describes it that way, and the published photograph shows a plain polished bezel. The reeded bezel pictured on adjacent 6075 examples should not be carried over to the 6074.
The inner caseback of the platinum example is stamped 6074 and marked PT 0,950, with a Geneva assay poinçon. That is direct evidence for the photographed case's material. The crystal material and exact crown type are not specified consistently in the reviewed 6074 records.
Caseback engraving
The outer caseback carries the inscription, "The Rolex Jubilee-Custom made the noblest of metal." Goldberger reproduces the wording and identifies the watch as platinum. It links the Jubilee bracelet and case metal in one presentation line; the published sources do not identify its recipient.
Bracelets, end links, and clasps
Antiquorum's 1992 platinum lot and Goldberger's book describe a platinum Jubilee bracelet with a deployant clasp. Goldberger's photograph shows the clasp code 1-50. That code dates the bracelet component; it does not independently date the watch head or prove the bracelet was delivered with it.
The gold lots from 1990 and 2025 are described on leather straps with gold buckles. Those catalogue details belong to their individual watches and do not establish a standard gold 6074 configuration.
Special branches
The platinum commission and the gold attributions form separate evidence groups. Antiquorum's 1990 lot lists an 18K gold 6074 with a white dial, 34mm case and 11-ligne, 18-jewel movement. Its 2025 lot also lists 18K gold, at 35mm, but gives no readable case number. Korpela's restored gold watch has Cal. 630 NA and a caseback re-marked from 6030/6031 to 6074. Taken together, these records leave the factory status of a gold 6074 unresolved.
Auction record
Antiquorum's Geneva sale on 14 October 1990 offered a gold watch catalogued as ref. 6074, dated to the 1950s and measured at 34mm. It sold for CHF 6,325. The lot gives no case number. Antiquorum's Vicenza Oro sale on 18 January 1992 offered the platinum 6074, dated 1950, with a 35mm measurement and an estimate of ITL 30,000–35,000; the archived record shows no result. Antiquorum's Geneva sale on 8 November 2025 again catalogued a gold 6074, dated circa 1950s and measured at 35mm. It sold for CHF 7,500; the case number was recorded as no longer visible.
Related references
See also the Bubbleback family index, movement reference, bracelet and clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.
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Platinum 6074 with black honeycomb dial and smooth bezel -
Inner caseback stamped 6074 and PT 0,950 -
Goldberger's published page with engraved caseback and clasp
Sources
- John Goldberger, 100 Superlative Rolex Watches (Damiani, 2013), p. 164.
- Antiquorum, "The Art Of Rolex," Vicenza Oro, lot 67, 18 January 1992.
- Antiquorum, Geneva, lot 397, 14 October 1990.
- Henrik Korpela, SJX Watches, "Restoring a 1950s Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 6074," 23 May 2015.
- Watchlover, "Rolex Ovettone, Big Bubbleback," 21 September 2016.
- Le Monde Edmond, "Datejust: A Closer Look at a Rolex Icon".
- Monochrome Watches, "The Evergreens: Complete History of the Rolex Datejust".
- Pandolfini, auction catalogues using Ovettone for 36mm Big Bubblebacks.
- Aste Bolaffi, catalogues distinguishing Ovetto and Ovettone.
- Antiquorum, Geneva, lot 223, 8 November 2025.
- Monaco Legend Auctions, "The First of Its Kind: A Platinum Rolex 'Ovettone' That Rewrote History," 4 March 2026.