Rolex Oyster 1072

Rolex Oyster ref. 1072 in a worn chrome cushion case with gilt Arabic dial — Toovey's circa-1938 attribution; the case and dial show heavy wear.

Rolex Oyster ref. 1072 appears in auction records from the 1930s and 1940s. A Cool Auction listing identifies a Bucherer-signed example as circa 1927, though the same seller dates its dial to the 1930s and crown to the 1940s. The watches share cushion cases and subsidiary seconds, with several silvered dial layouts.

Core facts

Detail	Documented record
Reference and model names	Ref. 1072, Oyster. Antiquorum labels one lot Oyster Chronometer Observatory; Christie's calls one Oyster Speedking Precision; Toovey's calls another Oyster Ultra Prima.
Date evidence	Auction catalogues date individual examples to the 1930s and 1940s. Toovey's and one dealer listing give circa 1938; Cool Auction gives circa 1927, with conflicting component dates.
Case	Cushion-shaped; cited dimensions range from 31 to 34 mm, including one 32 × 32 mm example. Described as stainless steel or chrome.
Dials	Silvered dials with Arabic numerals, gilt batons, applied indexes, or a two-tone 24-hour scale appear in the records. One dealer listing shows a Bucherer signature.
Movement descriptions	10-ligne, 18-jewel movement; a 15-jewel Prima; and an Ultra Prima attribution. Cool Auction labels its movement Cal. 10½; the assignment is uncorroborated.
Bracelet and packaging	One dealer sale included a box, with no claim it was original. Watch Collecting calls its leather strap aftermarket; reference-specific bracelet and clasp fitment remain undocumented.

Where it sits in the line

Reference 1072 is an early manual-wind Oyster in the cushion-case group. Each cited example has subsidiary seconds. The early Oyster index lists it among the pre-Perpetual references.

Production outline

Antiquorum dated its 1997 and 2007 examples to the 1930s. Christie's also dated its example to the 1930s. Toovey's catalogued a 1072 as circa 1938; Watch Collecting uses the same year for a separate 34 mm example. Bonhams dated its 2007 example to the 1940s. The catalogue dates belong to individual watches; the factory production span remains undocumented.

Cool Auction identifies a Bucherer-signed 1072 as circa 1927, the earliest date found in this search. The seller dates the dial to the 1930s and the crown to the 1940s. Those estimates belong to this one listing and leave the factory start date open. Cool Auction listing

A separate Christie's catalogue identifies an early Oyster by case no. 1072. It is a different watch from the reference 1072 examples below. Christie's, case no. 1072

Movement notes

Antiquorum describes a 10-ligne rhodium-plated movement with 18 jewels, a straight-line lever escapement, Superbalance, six adjustments and a self-compensating Breguet spring. Its 2007 catalogue repeats the 10-ligne, 18-jewel description and adds a micrometer regulator. Bonhams calls its 1940s example a 15-jewel Prima timed to six positions. Hess reports a manual, 15-jewel movement in its 2023 lot. Toovey's title calls its watch Ultra Prima but gives no movement specification. Watch Collecting lists its 1938 watch as manual-wind without naming the caliber or jewel count.

Cool Auction labels the movement Cal. 10½ and reports 15 jewels, 18,000 beats per hour, a maximum 38-hour reserve, a Superbalance and Breguet hairspring. Its listing also reproduces an inscription naming Prima and six-position timing. These are specifications for that dealer's Bucherer-signed watch. Antiquorum's two examples have a 10-ligne, 18-jewel description but no caliber number. The records do not confirm a shared caliber or a reference-wide movement grade.

Dial map

The catalogues show several dial layouts but give no sequence or production dates for them.

Record	Catalogued or photographed dial
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 1997, lot 82	Matte silver with applied steel indexes, Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds and hands the catalogue calls "Breguet."
Antiquorum, Geneva, 2007, lot 481	Two-tone silver, luminous Arabic numerals, red inner 24-hour scale, outer minute track and subsidiary seconds.
Christie's, lot 964960	Silvered dial with tapering gilt baton markers and subsidiary seconds.
Bonhams, Hong Kong, 2007, lot 308	Two-tone silver with Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds; the archive describes it as original to that lot.
Cool Auction, Bucherer listing	Seller describes a Bucherer-signed dial with Roman numerals and radium lume. Its own page gives the dial a 1930s date while dating the watch circa 1927; both are seller claims.
Hess Fine Auctions, 2023, lot 3211	White dial with Arabic numerals and "T Swiss Made T" printing. This is a separate auction example; its catalogue leaves the dial's fitting date open.
Watch Collecting, dealer-supplied listing, 5 May 2022	White dial with applied Arabic numerals, blued hands and subsidiary seconds; the seller attributes it to ref. 1072.

Watch Collecting's dealer-supplied example, listed as ref. 1072 circa 1938.
Close view of the same dealer-supplied watch's white Arabic dial.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The auction descriptions identify cushion cases in stainless steel or chrome. Antiquorum gives 32 × 32 mm; Christie's and Hess give 31 mm; Bonhams 33 mm; Toovey's says 3.2 cm wide; and Watch Collecting lists 34 mm. Each measurement belongs to its lot; together they give the observed 31–34 mm range. Hess measures its example 37 mm lug-to-lug and 11 mm thick. The Toovey's photographs show fixed, wire-form lugs. Its catalogue describes a milled bezel, while Cool Auction calls its bezel engine-turned and screw-down; Watch Collecting describes a corrugated bezel. Auction descriptions also identify screwed casebacks and Oyster Patent winding buttons or crowns.

Christie's notes that its 31 mm watch has a later winding crown. Cool Auction dates the large Oyster Patent crown on its Bucherer-signed watch to the 1940s. Hess lists an acrylic crystal on its 31 mm example; the other records reviewed do not specify crystal material. These are lot-specific observations and do not establish one crown or crystal specification for the reference.

Toovey's caseback is engraved "44887" above "1072." Antiquorum's 2007 lot records case number 24,432. Christie's also catalogued a separate early Oyster by case number 1072. These are individual case records, not a production sequence.

Toovey's caseback, engraved 44887 above 1072.
Toovey's lot, case profile and winding button.

Bracelet, clasp, and packaging

The reviewed records show leather straps or leave the strap undescribed. Cool Auction describes a newly made calf strap; Watch Collecting calls the crocodile strap on its example aftermarket. Its sale listing says a box accompanied the watch, without identifying it as original. Hess listed its separate lot without a box or papers. A bracelet reference, end link or clasp code has yet to surface in this source set.

Special branches

Cool Auction documents one retailer-signed example: a dial carrying the Bucherer name. Its photographs support the listing's attribution; the source gives no count and no evidence of a separate production branch.

Auction record

Sale	Record
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 9 June 1997, lot 82	Ref. 1072, dated 1930s; stainless-steel cushion case, 32 × 32 mm; matte silver dial with applied indexes, Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds; 10-ligne, 18-jewel movement.
Christie's, lot 964960	Ref. 1072, Oyster Speedking Precision, dated 1930s; chromed cushion case, 31 mm; silvered gilt-baton dial; 15-jewel movement; catalogue notes a later crown.
Antiquorum, Geneva, 14 October 2007, lot 481	Ref. 1072, case 24,432, dated 1930s; catalogued as Oyster Chronometer Observatory; stainless-steel 32 × 32 mm case; two-tone luminous Arabic dial with red 24-hour scale; 10-ligne, 18-jewel movement. Archived catalogue transcription.
Bonhams, Hong Kong, 27 November 2007, lot 308	Ref. 1072, dated 1940s; 33 mm cushion case; two-tone silver Arabic dial with subsidiary seconds; 15-jewel Prima timed to six positions. Archived catalogue transcription.
Toovey's, 17 December 2025, lot 1128	Ref. 1072, Ultra Prima, circa 1938 attribution; chrome cushion case, 3.2 cm; gilt Arabic dial and subsidiary seconds; case 44887 above 1072. Unsold.
Cool Auction, sold listing	Dealer-attributed circa-1927 Bucherer-signed ref. 1072; 32 mm case width excluding crown (35 mm including crown) × 37 mm lug-to-lug; seller dates dial to the 1930s and crown to the 1940s; listing labels the movement Cal. 10½, 15-jewel Prima.
Hess Fine Auctions, 25 March 2023, lot 3211	Ref. 1072 attribution; steel cushion case, 31 mm across, 37 mm lug-to-lug and 11 mm thick; white Arabic dial marked "T Swiss Made T"; manual 15-jewel movement, acrylic crystal and screw-down crown reported by the auction house. The listing says the serial is unknown and includes no box or papers.
Watch Collecting, dealer-supplied listing, 5 May 2022	Seller attributes ref. 1072 and circa 1938; 34 mm stainless-steel cushion case, white Arabic dial, subsidiary seconds and manual movement. A box and Watch Register certificate came with the sale; the brown crocodile strap is described as aftermarket.

Gallery

Toovey's circa-1938 attribution; case and dial show heavy wear.
Watch Collecting's dealer-supplied 1938 ref. 1072.
Close view of the white Arabic dial, subsidiary seconds and corrugated bezel.
Caseback number 44887 above reference 1072.
Case profile and Oyster Patent winding button.

Sources