Rolex Oyster Perpetual 1024

The 1024 is a no-date Oyster Perpetual documented in gold-covered steel. Auction catalogues identify Cal. 1560 and Cal. 1570, and describe cases from 33 to 36 mm. Their records place individual watches from about 1965/66 to 1985; factory production limits remain unknown. Auction descriptions report both 1024 and 1025 among the caseback markings.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	1024
family	Oyster Perpetual, no date
documented examples	Auction catalogues date watches circa 1965/66, circa 1970, and circa 1985
movement	Cal. 1560 and Cal. 1570 appear in auction descriptions
case size	Catalogue measurements range from 33 to 36 mm; most records give 33 or 34 mm
case material	Steel with gold covering; catalogues use gold-plated, electroplated, gold-capped, and gold-shell
bezel	Polished smooth, per The Vintage Rolex Field Manual
crystal	Acrylic or plastic in individual catalogue descriptions
date	None

Where it sits in the line

The 1024 is part of the four-digit, time-only Oyster Perpetual line. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists a polished smooth bezel. A neighboring reference worth checking is the 1025: both numbers appear in caseback reports, and an inner stamp alone can mislead. The exterior case reference and the movement should be checked together.

Production outline

Auction catalogues date individual watches to circa 1965/66, circa 1970, and circa 1985. Phillips describes its 1985 watch as one of the last examples before discontinuation. That lot anchors one late example; factory start and end dates remain unknown.

The case numbers provide three individual anchors. Morton publishes only a partial serial, 127XXXX, for its 1965/66 watch. Waddington's gives 2,843,350 for its circa-1970 example. Phillips records 8,780,032 and a guarantee dated 2 January 1987 for its circa-1985 watch. They do not form a continuous production sequence. Compare case-number guidance on the serial-number page.

Movement notes

The auction descriptions identify both Cal. 1560 and Cal. 1570. Morton lists a 1560 on its circa-1965/66 watch; Waddington's does the same on a circa-1970 example. Dorotheum attributes Cal. 1570 to a watch dated circa 1965–70, and Phillips records a 1570 in its circa-1985 lot. These examples do not mark a clear changeover. See the movement reference for the broader 15xx family.

Dial map

Auction catalogues document several dial executions; the records do not date their progression.

catalogued watch	dial description	source
Phillips, circa 1985	Silvered dial, gold baton markers and hands, luminous plots; the lot images show “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” text	Phillips, 2021, lot 904
Morton, circa 1965/66	Silvered dial with baton markers; the catalogue notes worn hands	Morton, 2024, lot 100
Heritage, circa 1966	Champagne dial with luminous tips on the baton markers and gold baton hands	Heritage, 2026, lot 12012
Anglia, around 1970	Gilt linen-textured dial, as described in the catalogue	Anglia, 2025, lot 33

Silvered dial with applied gold baton markers and luminous plots on the Phillips ref. 1024 — Dial photographed for Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XII, lot 904.

A Hallmark Cards logo appears below the center of one silver dial documented by a retailer, with a 25-year service presentation engraved on that watch's caseback. Gazette Drouot separately catalogued a ref. 1024 personalized for Hallmark around 1972. These are individual records; they do not establish how many were made or the full terms of any employee-award programme.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The listed case materials share a steel base with a gold covering, but catalogues describe the covering differently. Phillips says yellow-gold electroplated stainless steel; Morton says steel with gold plating; Dorotheum calls its case gold-capped; Heritage uses “gold on steel.” Keep each term with its own watch. The records do not establish a single covering thickness or alloy specification.

The Field Manual lists a polished smooth bezel. Auction descriptions identify acrylic or plastic crystals. Catalogue diameters vary: Morton gives 33 mm, Waddington's and Heritage 34 mm, Dorotheum about 34 mm, and Phillips 36 mm. No catalogue gives a comparable measuring method, so the size difference should not be turned into a case-change timeline.

Phillips and a retailer archive both report 1024 inside the caseback. Anglia lists a watch as ref. 1024 and describes a 1025 case stamp. Antiquorum's 5520/1024 Air-King lot describes interchangeable case bodies and backs. Read those marks with the exterior reference and the movement; neither stamp alone identifies every component.

Side view of the gold-covered case, crown, acrylic crystal and bracelet on the Phillips ref. 1024 — Case profile photographed for Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XII, lot 904.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Phillips records a gold-electroplated Oyster bracelet with end links stamped 457 and a clasp stamped “I.” Its lot also included a guarantee, tags, literature, and presentation packaging. A separate Hallmark-signed 1024 listing records a 78354 bracelet with 457 end links and a clasp code K6. These are sale-time configurations; factory delivery across the reference remains unverified. A clasp code dates the bracelet component, not the watch head.

Caseback and bracelet underside in the Phillips ref. 1024 auction photographs — The lot image shows a green 1024 sticker on the caseback; Phillips separately reports the inside-caseback stamp.

Special branches

The Hallmark-signed dial is the documented special branch in the records reviewed here. It is a specific retailer-attributed example, not evidence that the 1024 was generally a corporate-presentation model.

Historical market and auction record

sale date	record	catalogued watch	result
7 June 2018	Dorotheum, lot 142	circa 1965–70, gold-capped steel, Cal. 1570, case 1,528,737	€1,000 including premium and VAT
5–6 June 2021	Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction XII, lot 904	circa 1985, Cal. 1570, case 8,780,032, guarantee dated 1987	HKD 50,400
25 September 2024	Morton Subastas, lot 100	circa 1965/66, 33 mm, Cal. 1560, partial serial 127XXXX	MXN 30,000, excluding buyer's premium
12 December 2024	Waddington's, lot 5	circa 1970, 34 mm, Cal. 1560, case 2,843,350	CAD 2,432 including buyer's premium

Gallery

Phillips, 2021, lot 904: complete watch with papers and presentation items.
Silvered dial with gold baton markers and luminous plots.
Caseback and bracelet underside; the green sticker reads 1024.
Case profile, crown, crystal and bracelet.

Sources