Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5010

The 5010 is a centre-seconds, self-winding Oyster Perpetual. Collectors group it with Bubblebacks, the early automatic Oyster watches with a domed back. Catalogue examples date from circa 1945 to 1955; the production span remains unknown. Records describe steel and two-tone cases, several dial layouts, and a bezel engraved for the 1950 Holy Year.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	5010
model line	Oyster Perpetual; grouped with Bubblebacks by collectors
production	Catalogue examples circa 1945–1955; production endpoints unverified.
movement	Self-winding, centre seconds; catalogues describe a 9¾-ligne movement size. A numbered caliber remains unconfirmed.
case	Stainless steel and gold in several catalogue records; stainless steel also reported. Most cited examples are 31–32 mm.
dial	Black Arabic-and-dagger, silvered baton, and white dial with gilt batons, darts, and Roman quarters appear in catalogues; factory range unknown.
bracelet	No original bracelet or end-link fitment established.

Where it sits in the line

The 5010 carries the Oyster Perpetual name in auction catalogues. Collectors group it with Bubblebacks, a term for early automatic Oyster watches with a domed back. See the Bubbleback and early Oyster guide.

Production outline

Christie’s dates a steel-and-pink-gold example circa 1945. Antiquorum records case 646'799 in 1948; The Auction Room estimates case 655756 at circa 1949; Phillips dates case 655'677 to 1950. Bonhams describes case 35873, stamped II.55 inside, as circa 1955. These dates apply to individual watches. The reference's production start and end remain unknown.

Movement notes

Phillips gives the 1950 Anno Sancto watch an automatic 9¾-ligne movement with 18 jewels. Antiquorum lists a 9¾-ligne movement in its 1948 example; a 2004 Bonhams catalogue transcription gives 19 jewels for another 5010. Jewel count remains specimen-specific in these records.

The movement guide treats 9¾ lignes as a size class. The cited records give no numbered caliber for these specimens.

Dial map

Catalogue descriptions include black Arabic-and-dagger, silvered baton, and white-dial layouts. Christie’s describes applied dagger markers and Arabic numerals. The Auction Room's circa-1949 watch has a silvered dial with gold-tone baton markers. Bonhams describes a circa-1955 white dial with gilt batons, alternating dart and Roman-numeral quarter markers, and gilt leaf hands. These are individual catalogue descriptions; the full factory dial range remains unverified.

The Auction Room London, lot 20: silvered dial with gold-tone baton markers.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Catalogue diameters range from 31 to 33 mm: Phillips and Antiquorum give 32 mm, The Auction Room gives 31 mm, and a 2004 Bonhams record gives 33 mm. Christie’s describes hooded lugs. Antiquorum calls its 1948 case stainless steel and gold and identifies the watch as retailed by Serpico y Laino.

The records include plain bezels. Phillips also documents case 655'677 with an engraved bezel reading “ANNO SANCTO” and a Latin dedication to the Holy Year of 1950. That catalogue treats the inscription as a feature of this watch; a reference-wide bezel range is not established.

Phillips, lot 282: the bezel engraving on the 1950 Anno Sancto example.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Most cited catalogue records show a leather strap. Phillips lists a gold-plated Rolex buckle; Antiquorum lists a stainless-steel Rolex buckle. These records describe buckles rather than bracelets.

Austin Auction Gallery's 2026 listing pairs a 5010 with a riveted expandable Oyster bracelet. It reports clasp code C&I 1-66. That code dates the bracelet clasp to 1966, not the watch head, so the listing does not establish original delivery or period fitment. The Rolex Forums thread also shows a collector's two-tone 5010 on a riveted bracelet; it is an owner example, not factory documentation.

The Auction Room London, lot 20, case 655756: side profile with leather strap.

Special branches

Phillips records one 1950 “ANNO SANCTO” watch with an engraved bezel commemorating the Roman Catholic Holy Year and naming Pius XII. The catalogue describes a two-tone steel and yellow-gold case, a leather strap, and a gold-plated Rolex buckle. It gives no production total or second configuration.

Auction record

record	details recorded	limit
Christie’s, lot 856369	Ref. 5010; circa 1945; stainless steel and pink gold; black Arabic-and-dagger dial; hooded lugs; 32 mm	Catalogue date and description apply to this watch; no serial or caliber is given in the text.
Antiquorum, Geneva, 13 May 2018, lot 136	Serpico y Laino; case 646'799; dated 1948; steel and gold; 9¾ lignes; 32 mm; patinated dial	Catalogue reports a stainless-steel Rolex buckle; it does not establish bracelet fitment.
The Auction Room London, lot 20	Case 655756; estimated circa 1949; two-tone case; silvered baton dial; 31 mm	Listing supplies five photographs; no movement number or result is shown.
Jones & Horan, lot 366	Ref. 5010; serial 646754; stainless-steel case; refinished silvered dial toned tan	Archived catalogue transcription; no movement or date supplied.
Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction TWO, 7–8 November 2015, lot 282	Case 655'677; movement 29377/N134; dated 1950; “ANNO SANCTO” engraved bezel; 9¾ lignes, 18 jewels; 32 mm	One commemorative example; estimate CHF 30,000–60,000; sold CHF 37,500.
Bonhams, New Bond Street, 20 April 2004, lot 259	Ref. 5010; 1940s; two-tone case; silvered baton dial; 19-jewel automatic movement; 33 mm	Catalogue text does not name a caliber or give a case number.
Bonhams, Paris, 24 May 2022, lot 276	Ref. 5010; estimated circa 1955; case 35873; inner caseback stamped II.55; movement N98383; white dial; 32 mm	Catalogue record for one stainless-steel watch; estimate does not establish a production endpoint.
Austin Auction Gallery, 3 May 2026	Case serial 625221; black dial; gold-tone bezel; 32 mm; expandable riveted Oyster bracelet; clasp C&I 1-66	The clasp code dates the bracelet component, not the watch head or original fitment.

Related references

See the Bubbleback and early Oyster guide, movement guide, and serial-number guide. The case numbers listed here are individual catalogue observations; no 5010 serial chart has been established.

Gallery

The Auction Room London, lot 20, case 655756: silvered baton dial and two-tone case
The Auction Room London, lot 20: external caseback
The Auction Room London, lot 20: dial detail
Phillips, 2015, lot 282: Anno Sancto bezel engraving, a separate 1950 watch
The Auction Room London, lot 20: side profile

Sources