Rolex Oyster 3121
Oyster → 3121
Ref. 3121 appears in auction catalogues as a small, manual-wind Oyster. The records show several dial layouts and trade names, including Oyster Grenfell, Oyster Royal Chronometer, and Oyster Speedking. Auction catalogues date individual examples to circa 1935 and circa 1943; Antiquorum gives conflicting dates for its Grenfell example. None of these records sets the reference's production limits.[1][2][3]
Core facts
| Detail | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Reference | 3121, identified in the auction descriptions and on Ewbank's photographed caseback. [1] |
| Winding | Manual in the reviewed auction records. [1][4] |
| Case size | Catalogued examples measure 27–29 mm; Sotheby's gives 29 x 38.5 mm for its cushion-shaped case. [5][2][3] |
| Movement | Catalogues describe 15- and 17-jewel movements. Antiquorum names Cal. 59 on one watch; Sotheby's records a movement stamped KXE on another. [1][4][3] |
| Seconds | Subsidiary seconds appear on several examples; Christie's and Sotheby's also document centre seconds. [1][6][3] |
| Date evidence | Christie's and Sotheby's date individual watches circa 1935 and circa 1943; Antiquorum's Grenfell entry conflicts between circa 1938 and the 1940s. The catalogues do not establish production endpoints. [2][3][4] |
Where it sits in the line
The surviving catalogues do not present one consistent commercial name. Antiquorum calls one gold-finished example an Oyster Grenfell; Christie's titles another an Oyster Royal Chronometer; Bonhams uses Oyster Speedking. These names belong to the catalogued watches and should not be treated as a complete or formal 3121 naming system.[4][6][7]
Production outline
Christie's dates a 28 mm steel ref. 3121 with a subsidiary-seconds dial to circa 1935. Antiquorum's structured fields date its Grenfell to circa 1938, but the lot notes call it a “1940s Oyster Grenfell” and also say the caseback dates it to 1938. The catalogue does not reconcile those statements. Sotheby's dates a cushion-shaped steel example to circa 1943. These are dates assigned to individual watches, not evidence of a continuous run or production limits.[2][4][3]
Movement notes
The records describe manual movements with 15 or 17 jewels. Ewbank's photographed example is marked “Rolex 15 Rubies” and “FHF 30.” Antiquorum names Cal. 59 on its Grenfell; Sotheby's identifies a 17-jewel movement stamped KXE on its cushion case. The FHF 30 marking and Cal. 59 attribution belong to separate watches. They do not establish one movement specification for every 3121.[1][4][3]
Dial map
The catalogues record distinct examples rather than a documented sequence of dial revisions. Ewbank's and Christie's show Arabic numerals with subsidiary seconds. Christie's also catalogues a black California dial with centre seconds on an Oyster Royal Chronometer. Antiquorum's Grenfell has a gilt dial signed “Oyster Grenfell”; Sotheby's shows a silvered dial with centre seconds.[1][2][6][4][3]
-
Sotheby's, lot 405: silvered dial and centre seconds, circa 1943. -
Antiquorum, lot 219: signed Oyster Grenfell dial; its date is disputed within the catalogue.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
Catalogued case diameters range from 27 to 29 mm. Most examples are described as steel; Christie's also records a steel case with a pink-gold bezel. Antiquorum's Grenfell entry conflicts on its case material: the title and structured fields say gold-plated, while the prose calls it gold-filled. Its case-date statements also conflict, as noted above. The catalogue does not resolve either discrepancy. Ewbank's photographed caseback is stamped “112396 3121”; Sotheby's records case 246915 on its 29 x 38.5 mm cushion-shaped watch. The catalogues describe screw-down backs and crowns on several examples. They do not provide a reliable crystal specification.[2][6][4][1][3]
Bracelet and strap
The reviewed records do not establish a bracelet as original equipment for ref. 3121. The photographed examples are shown on leather straps or without enough evidence to date the strap to the watch. A strap in an auction photograph does not establish factory delivery fitment.[4][1][3]
Auction record
| Catalogue | Watch described | Useful record |
|---|---|---|
| Christie's, circa 1935 | Steel, 28 mm, silvered Arabic dial, subsidiary seconds, 15 jewels | Screw-down crown described as replaced. [2] |
| Christie's, Geneva 2002 | Steel case with pink-gold bezel, 28 mm, black California dial, centre seconds, 17 jewels | Catalogued as Oyster Royal Chronometer. [6] |
| Bonhams, 20 May 2014, lot 84 | Oyster Speedking, circa 1941, 15 jewels, subsidiary seconds | Steel tonneau case; associated leather strap. [7] |
| Antiquorum, Geneva, 3 April 2025, lot 219 | Oyster Grenfell, 29 mm, Cal. 59, 17 jewels | Structured fields give circa 1938; the notes call it a 1940s watch and also attribute 1938 to its caseback. The case material also conflicts within the entry. [4] |
| Sotheby's, 17 June 2026, lot 405 | Steel cushion case, 29 x 38.5 mm, circa 1943, 17 jewels | Movement stamped KXE; centre seconds. [3] |
| Antiquorum, Geneva, 10 May 2025, lot 159 | Two-watch lot catalogued as refs. 3121/3478, Oyster/Oyster Centregraph | The lot pairs cases 113644/177184 and gives 15/17 jewels without assigning each detail to one watch. It does not establish a separate 3121 movement specification. [8] |
Gallery
-
Ewbank's, lot 331: stainless-steel Oyster ref. 3121. -
Ewbank's, lot 331: movement marked Rolex 15 Rubies and FHF 30. -
Ewbank's, lot 331: caseback stamped 112396 and 3121. -
Sotheby's, lot 405: silvered dial with centre seconds.
-
Antiquorum, lot 219: Oyster Grenfell dial.
Sources
- "Christie's Geneva, 2002, lot 49 — Oyster Royal Chronometer ref. 3121", Christie's
- "Christie's — Rolex ref. 3121 stainless steel Oyster, circa 1935", Christie's
- "Antiquorum Geneva, 3 April 2025, lot 219 — Oyster Grenfell ref. 3121", Antiquorum
- "Ewbank's, 22 March 2023, lot 331 — Rolex ref. 3121 Oyster", Ewbank's
- "Sotheby's, 17 June 2026, lot 405 — ref. 3121 stainless-steel cushion-shaped wristwatch", Sotheby's
- "Bonhams, 20 May 2014, lot 84 — Oyster Speedking ref. 3121", Bonhams
- "Tennants, 19 September 2020, lot 2333 — ref. 3121 stainless-steel wristwatch", Tennants
- "Antiquorum Geneva, Lot 159 — Rolex ref. 3121/3478, Oyster/Oyster Centregraph pair", Antiquorum, 2025-05-10
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Ewbank's, 22 March 2023, lot 331.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Christie's, ref. 3121, circa 1935.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Sotheby's, 17 June 2026, lot 405.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 Antiquorum, Geneva, 3 April 2025, lot 219.
- ↑ Tennants, 19 September 2020, lot 2333.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Christie's, Geneva, 2002, lot 49.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Bonhams, 20 May 2014, lot 84.
- ↑ Antiquorum, Geneva, 10 May 2025, lot 159.