Rolex 1007 Oyster Perpetual
Oyster Perpetual › 1007
The 1007 is one of the 34mm no-date Oyster Perpetual references with an engine-turned bezel. It shares the case family and the 1560/1570 movement sequence associated with the 1002, while the bezel distinguishes it from the smooth-bezel sibling. Auction and dealer records show steel and gold examples, retailer-signed dials, and several custom or unusual dials. Those records describe individual watches; they do not establish a complete production or dial census.
Core facts
| detail | value |
|---|---|
| reference | 1007 |
| family | Oyster Perpetual |
| production | c.1959 into the early 1980s |
| case diameter | 34mm |
| lug width | 19mm |
| thickness | c.12mm |
| case material | stainless steel; 14k and 18k yellow gold; steel with gold bezel |
| bezel | engine-turned, wide and flat; catalogued variously as reeded, ribbed or milled |
| crystal | acrylic |
| movement | caliber 1560 (to c.1965), then caliber 1570 |
| certification | Chronometer examples carry the “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” dial line; verify the individual watch |
| date complication | none |
| bracelet | 7205 rivet Oyster (19mm, 57 or 60 end links), later 78350 Oyster; Jubilee and leather also original |
| sibling references | 1002 (smooth), 1003 / 1006 / 1008 (engine-turned), 1005 (fluted gold) |
| oversized relative | 1018, the 36mm case |
Where it sits in the line
The 4-digit no-date Oyster Perpetual references share a 34mm case family but use different bezel references. The 1002 has a smooth polished surround. The 1003, 1006, 1007 and 1008 are catalogued with engine-turned bezels in several patterns. The 1005 uses a fluted bezel, generally described as gold on both steel and gold cases. Case, crystal, crown and movement details still need to be checked on the individual watch.
Because four reference numbers share the engine-turned description, the published literature does not draw a clean line between them, and neither do the auction houses. What the documented 1007 examples show consistently is a wide, flat bezel with the milling running edge to edge rather than a narrow band of fine reeding. Beyond that, distinguishing a 1007 from a 1003 or an 1008 comes down to the number engraved between the lugs and stamped inside the caseback, not to a feature anyone can call from a photograph.
The 1007 is the 34mm member of this group; the 1018 uses a 36mm case. Reference numbers overlap in the engine-turned group, so the number between the lugs and the caseback markings matter more than a photograph alone.
Production outline
Rolex published no production figure for the 1007 and no dated catalogue page in the cited set fixes its introduction. Caliber 1560 is documented in early examples, with 1570 appearing later. Auction records extend from the late 1950s into the 1970s, and one gold listing is dated to the 1980s; that later catalogue date should be checked against the case and movement rather than treated as a confirmed factory end date.
Dated examples fill in most of the intervening years. Case number 487969 carries caliber 1560 and belongs to the earliest group. Antiquorum catalogued case number 529090 as made in 1959, case number 1228334 as made in 1964, case number 1691063 as made in 1965 and case number 830809 as made in 1967. A caseback stamped 1007 and date-coded I.66 sits on a watch with a 1.3 million serial. Christie's dated case number 1'485'056 to around 1966 and Sotheby's dated case number 1'693'858 to around 1967 and case number 2985098 to around 1971. A hallmarked 18k example carries serial 3271XXX and a 1971 date, with a punched guarantee and a 1978 calendar card in the box. Bonhams catalogued case number 2297890 as 1970s and case number 355**** as around 1972.
Catalogue dates and serial charts sometimes disagree. A case number, movement, hallmarks and any dated papers should be read together; none is automatically decisive when the record is inconsistent. The Serpico y Laino listing dated circa 1950 conflicts with its stated caliber 1560 and should remain a catalogue outlier.
Movement notes
Caliber 1560 powers the reference from the start of the run to about 1965. It is a rhodium-plated automatic of 25 or 26 jewels beating at 18,000 vph, adjusted to temperature and five positions, with a free-sprung balance carrying Microstella regulating screws, a self-compensating Breguet balance spring and a shock absorber. Early examples are the ones with the butterfly rotor. On chronometer examples, the dial carries the “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” line.
Caliber 1570 appears in later 1007 examples and runs at 19,800 vph with an approximately 48-hour reserve. Hacking was introduced within the 1500 family during the 1970s, but the exact service and production boundary must be checked on the movement. A gold example dated to the 1980s should not be assigned a 1570 without inspection. Both calibers also appear in the 1018 and Explorer 1016.
Dial map
The cited 1007 examples show variation in finish, colour, marker style and retailer signature. The available record is not a complete dial census.
The default is a silvered dial, and there are at least three distinct silvered finishes on record. Sunburst is the most common, with an applied coronet and bevelled polished baton markers. A textured or linen silvered finish appears on later examples. A matte silvered version turns up on the earliest gold watches with applied gold dart and tapered bar markers. Champagne appears on gold cases, sometimes as a graduated gradient with tritium-marked hour plots. White dials appear on 1970s steel examples, and a beige or cream tone shows up on 14k gold ones, though on watches of this age the line between an original cream dial and an aged silver one is not always drawable.
Two colour branches are worth separating out. A sunburst blue dial with applied polished baton markers, white outer minute divisions and luminous five-minute dots is documented on steel examples around 1972, and is the standard blue configuration. Separately, a blue dial with a horizontal brushed finish rather than a sunburst has surfaced on a 1967 steel example, described by the specialist who handled it as one they had never seen a second time. One example is a lead, not a variant; the horizontal-brushed blue should be treated as unmapped until another surfaces. Black dials with applied gilt faceted baton markers and gilt lance hands are documented on gold cases and carry the retailer signatures discussed below.
Custom and refinished dials are documented. Antiquorum explicitly catalogued one 1007 as a custom dial, while Sotheby’s described the “Snoopy” dial without establishing who printed it. Turquoise, orange and other unusual colours require examination and provenance; a colour alone does not prove either factory origin or refinishing.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
The cited examples use a 34mm Oyster case with screw-down crown and caseback, drilled lugs and a 19mm bracelet. Acrylic crystals are documented throughout the period. Case measurements and replacement parts should be recorded from the individual watch.
The catalogues use several names for the bezel. Rolex's own term is engine-turned. Heritage has called it reeded, Christie's ribbed, Sotheby's milled, and Bonhams once catalogued it as a Turnograph bezel. A Turnograph bezel is a different rotating timing bezel; the documented 1007 examples use a fixed engine-turned bezel. On the watch itself the pattern is a wide flat band of alternating cut and polished segments running the full width of the surround, aligned so the cuts read as fine radial texture in the light. On gold cases the bezel is gold and the milling reads softer.
Case material is where the 1007 spreads furthest. Stainless steel accounts for the largest documented group. Solid 14k yellow gold is documented from the early part of the run. Solid 18k yellow gold is documented from 1960 through 1971 and in a later example catalogued with its original box and papers. A hallmarked 18k case runs around 53 grams. Bonhams also catalogued a steel-and-yellow-gold example under the paired designation 1007/1005. That catalogue pairing shows why the case material and bezel should be recorded separately rather than inferred from the reference number alone.
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The engine-turned bezel seen edge-on, with the Twinlock screw-down crown -
Reference 1007 and REGISTERED DESIGN engraved between the lugs -
A gold-cased 1007's caseback and end links, Antiquorum lot 149 -
Case profile showing the Twinlock screw-down crown and acrylic crystal -
The same gold-cased 1007, unsigned silvered dial, Antiquorum lot 149
Bracelets, end links, and clasps
Original steel delivery through the 1960s was on the 7205 rivet Oyster, 19mm, with a signed folding clasp. End-link stamps vary within the fitment: 57 is the number usually quoted for the 19mm 7205, and the 1967 example Sotheby's catalogued wears 60. A 1966 example survives with a caseback date-coded I.66 and a clasp stamped 2-66, head and bracelet from consecutive quarters. From the late 1960s the folded-link 78350 with 557 end links takes over, and clasp codes running into the 1970s and 1980s are period-correct on later heads. Jubilee bracelets appear on some examples. Gold watches came on gold fold-over bracelets or on leather with a signed gold buckle, and the 19mm strap width carries across.
A clasp code dates the bracelet and only the bracelet. A later clasp stamp on an earlier case can reflect replacement or service history; it is not, by itself, evidence of a problem. The cross-family detail sits on the bracelet and clasp guide.
Special branches
Tiffany & Co.
A 14k yellow-gold 1007 with a Tiffany & Co. signature below the Rolex coronet is a well-documented retailer branch. The watch is case number 529090, made in 1959, with a silver dial carrying applied gold dart and tapered bar markers, caliber 1560 with 25 jewels, on a 14k gold fold-over bracelet, and triple-signed on case, dial and movement. It sold at Heritage in New York in May 2013 and again at Antiquorum in Geneva two years later, The same case appeared in the cited Heritage and Antiquorum records, giving those two sale records a documented link.
Serpico y Laino
An 18k gold 1007 carries a Serpico y Laino signature below 12 on a black dial with applied gilt faceted baton markers, gilt outer minute divisions with luminous five-minute dots, and gilt lance hands. The watch is case number 487969, weighs just under 53 grams and runs caliber 1560. Bonhams offered it in Paris in October 2024 and it was unsold. A Serpico y Laino 1018 has also surfaced, so the signature spans the family rather than singling out the 1007.
The Sotheby's 'Snoopy'
Sotheby's catalogued a steel 1007 in New York in October 2020 under the lot title Oyster Perpetual 'Snoopy', and the name is literal. The silvered dial carries a printed Snoopy with Woodstock perched against him, sitting between the coronet and the Superlative Chronometer text. Case number 1'693'858, circa 1967, caliber 1570, on a 7205 rivet Oyster with 60 end links. The sale result is recorded in the Auction record below.
The catalogue photographs the character plainly but describes the dial only as silvered and says nothing about who printed it. The catalogue does not identify the dial’s printer or establish factory origin. It should be recorded as an individual character-dial example, with originality and provenance unresolved.
Auction record
The auction table is a mixed sample of steel, gold, signed and custom-dial watches from different houses. Results vary with condition, originality, case material and provenance. Estimates and unsold lots do not establish a reference-wide price range or a ceiling.
| date | house | configuration | result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2020 | Sotheby's New York, lot 96 | steel 'Snoopy', silvered dial, cal 1570, case 1'693'858, c.1967 | USD 6,300 (est. USD 4,000–6,000) |
| May 2015 | Antiquorum Geneva, lot 110 | 14k gold, Tiffany & Co. signed, case 529090, made 1959 | CHF 4,750 (est. CHF 3,000–5,000) |
| May 2013 | Heritage New York, lot 081 | the same Tiffany-signed 14k gold example, case 529090 | USD 4,062 |
| Nov 2014 | Christie's Hong Kong, Important Watches, lot 2430 | 14k gold, gilt brushed dial, cal 1570, case 1'485'056, c.1966 | HKD 27,500 (est. HKD 32,000–48,000) |
| Nov 2024 | Bonhams, Weekly Watches Online, lot 83 | steel, white dial, case 2297890, Oyster bracelet, 1970s | USD 1,920 (no reserve) |
| Mar 2018 | Sotheby's, Fine Timepieces Online, lot 111 | steel, silvered textured dial, cal 1570, case 2985098, c.1971 | CHF 1,600 (est. CHF 1,500–3,000) |
| Nov 2016 | Antiquorum Geneva, lot 39 | steel, custom dial, case 1228334, made 1964, rivet bracelet | CHF 1,063 (est. CHF 1,000–2,000) |
| May 2013 | Bonhams Knightsbridge, lot 222 | steel, sunburst blue dial, cal 1570, 78350 bracelet, c.1972 | GBP 937 |
| Oct 2024 | Bonhams Paris, lot 3014 | 18k gold, Serpico y Laino signed black dial, case 487969 | not sold (est. EUR 6,000–8,000) |
| Sep 2024 | Bonhams, Weekly Watches Online, lot 2012 | steel and yellow gold, catalogued 1007/1005, silvered dial, c.1966 | not sold (est. USD 2,200–3,200) |
Related references
- Oyster Perpetual 1018 — the 36mm case in the same line
- Explorer 1016 — same calibers, 36mm Explorer dial
- Air-King 5500 — the 34mm non-chronometer running mate
See also the Oyster Perpetual family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.
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Steel 1007 with blue horizontal-brushed dial and engine-turned bezel -
Caliber 1570 in a 1007 -
Sotheby's “Snoopy” example -
Engine-turned bezel and Twinlock crown
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Reference engraving between the lugs
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Gold-cased example with caseback and end links
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Case profile and acrylic crystal
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Gold-cased historical example
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7205 rivet Oyster caseback -
Tiffany & Co.-signed dial -
Sotheby's “Snoopy” dial
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Rolex" — general company history
- Watch Wiki, "Rolex calibres — reference index", Watch Wiki (watch-wiki.net)
- BeckerTime, "Review: The Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1005", BeckerTime, 2022-09-11
- Sotheby's, "Sotheby's New York Watches Lot 96 — Rolex reference 1007 Oyster Perpetual 'Snoopy' c.1967", Sotheby's, 2020-10-29
- Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva Lot 110 — Rolex ref 1007 retailed by Tiffany, 14K yellow gold, 1959", Antiquorum, 2015-05-10
- Heritage Auctions, "Heritage New York Watches & Fine Timepieces Lot 081 — Rolex ref 1007 gold Oyster Perpetual for Tiffany & Co.", Heritage Auctions, 2013-05-21
- Bonhams, "Bonhams Paris Fine Watches and Chronographs Lot 3014 — Rolex ref 1007 18K gold retailed by Serpico y Laino", Bonhams, 2024-10-22
- Bonhams, "Bonhams Knightsbridge Watches & Wristwatches Lot 222 — Rolex ref 1007 blue sunburst dial c.1972", Bonhams, 2013-05-21
- Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva Lot 39 — Rolex ref 1007 custom dial, steel, 1964", Antiquorum, 2016-11-13
- Sotheby's, "Sotheby's Fine Timepieces Online Lot 111 — Rolex ref 1007 steel, case 2985098, c.1971", Sotheby's, 2018-03-02
- Christie's, "Christie's Hong Kong Important Watches Lot 2430 — Rolex ref 1007 14K gold, case 1'485'056, c.1966", Christie's, 2014-11-26
- Antiquorum, "Antiquorum Geneva Lot 293 — Rolex ref 1007 18K yellow gold, case 1691063, made 1965", Antiquorum, 2008-03-16
- Watchsteez, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1007 circa 1966 (engine-turned bezel)", Watchsteez
- Bulang & Sons, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual blue horizontal-brushed dial ref 1007", Bulang & Sons
- Mokum Watches, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual Ref. 1007 — 1960, 18K yellow gold", Mokum Watches
- Hashtag Watch Co., "1971 Rolex Oyster Perpetual 1007 18K yellow gold caliber 1570 with box and papers", Hashtag Watch Co.
- Craft + Tailored, "1966 Rolex Oyster-Perpetual Ref. 1007 silver dial", Craft + Tailored
- Collector Square, "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1007 — auction and second-hand price index", Collector Square