Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5029

Ref. 5029 is a large automatic Oyster Perpetual documented in steel and gold. Numbered examples measure 35–36 mm and show luminous dart markers, Arabic numerals and a honeycomb dial. Hodinkee dates case 610727 to circa 1947; Phillips dates case 651'517 to 1949. A Bonhams transcription gives circa 1960 for a partial 610*** number that may overlap 610727. Hodinkee, case 610727; Phillips, lot 144; Bonhams lot 134 transcription

Core facts

Detail	Documented record
Reference	5029
Model	Oyster Perpetual; “Big Bubble” and “Big Bubbleback” are collector and catalogue terms
Example dates	Circa 1947 (case 610727), 1949 (cases 651'517, 660596 and 673206); a Bonhams transcription dates a partial 610*** case circa 1960, identity unresolved
Case materials	Stainless steel and gold; 18K yellow gold; 18K pink gold
Case size	35 mm in Phillips lot 144; 36 mm in Hodinkee's case 610727 and Antiquorum's case 673206
Movement	Automatic; sources variously report A.295, 730, and a 9¾-line, 18-jewel movement. Reference-wide caliber unresolved
Dial records	Luminous darts; Arabic numerals with batons; honeycomb dial with Arabic numerals at 3, 6 and 9

Where it sits in the line

Collectors and auctioneers use “Big Bubbleback” for larger Oyster Perpetual cases. Ref. 5029 is close in size to 5028; the records reviewed place both in the same broad era but do not sequence them. Christie's catalogued case 654'202 under the joint designation 5029/5028. That attribution belongs to this cloisonné watch. Christie's, case 654'202; Le Monde Edmond

Production outline

Hodinkee dates two-tone case 610727 to circa 1947. Phillips dates yellow-gold case 651'517 to 1949; Antiquorum also dates pink-gold case 673206 and yellow-gold case 660596 to 1949. These catalogue dates attach to individual watches. The production span remains unresolved.

Antiquorum's case 660596 appeared in its 2008 and 2010 sales. The matching case number identifies one watch, not two examples.

A Bonhams 2017 listing, preserved in a catalog archive, dates a steel 5029 to circa 1960 and gives the partial case number 610***, which may overlap Hodinkee's case 610727. The index lists a date complication; the description says centre seconds and gives no date detail. With the case number abbreviated and the catalogue data in conflict, the watch's identity and date remain disputed. Bonhams lot 134 transcription

Movement notes

The movement descriptions differ. Hodinkee calls case 610727 an automatic A.295. Phillips identifies movement G19331 in case 651'517 and calls it “Automatic, Super Balance, 730.” Antiquorum gives a 9¾-line, 18-jewel Superbalance movement for cases 673206 and 660596, without a numbered caliber. No movement photographs are provided for these case-numbered watches; keep each description tied to its catalogue. Hodinkee; Phillips; Antiquorum

Dial map

Phillips describes a honeycomb dial on case 651'517, with faceted batons and Arabic numerals at 3, 6 and 9. Le Monde Edmond groups this layout with collector-described “Explorer dials.” The term is a later visual label rather than Rolex model nomenclature. Phillips; Le Monde Edmond

Antiquorum's pink-gold case 673206 has a silver dial with Arabic numerals and batons. Hodinkee's two-tone case 610727 has luminous dart indexes and Alpha hands; its listing reports radium lume. These are three separate watches. Antiquorum; Hodinkee

File:Ref 5029 honeycomb dial.webp

Honeycomb dial on case 651'517. Phillips, The Watch Auction: One, lot 144.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Hodinkee describes case 610727 as stainless steel and gold, with a gold engine-turned bezel, plexiglass and an original crown. Phillips measures its yellow-gold case 651'517 at 35 mm. Antiquorum gives 36 mm for pink-gold case 673206 and describes a graduated bezel. Hodinkee; Phillips; Antiquorum

Crown-side view, case 610727. Hodinkee Shop.
Opposite case flank, case 610727. Hodinkee Shop.

Opposite case flank, case 610727. Hodinkee Shop.
Exterior caseback, case 610727. Hodinkee Shop.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Phillips lists a yellow-gold Rolex Oyster stretch bracelet with case 651'517 and gives clasp stamp 4.51. Antiquorum describes a pink-gold expandable riveted bracelet with case 673206 and says its clasp is dated 2.51. Those codes apply to the bracelet components. Hodinkee shows case 610727 on a green leather strap; that sales configuration says nothing about original delivery. Phillips; Antiquorum; Hodinkee

Special branches

Christie's catalogued case 654'202 under the joint reference 5029/5028. The 36 mm, 18K-gold watch has a whale-and-frigate cloisonné dial with star and baton numerals. Christie's 2014 catalogue lists Sotheby's New York, 9 March 1998, lot 58, and Christie's Geneva, 16 May 2005, lot 45, as earlier sales of this case. Christie's, 2014 lot 207

Historical market and auction record

Sale record	Example and result
Phillips, Geneva, The Watch Auction: One, 10 May 2015, lot 144	Case 651'517, 18K yellow gold, honeycomb dial; CHF 40,000
Antiquorum, Geneva, 13 May 2012, lot 295	Case 673206, 18K pink gold, Arabic-and-baton dial; CHF 28,750
Antiquorum, Geneva, 13 November 2010, lot 433	Case 660596, 18K yellow gold; CHF 5,250. The same case appeared in Antiquorum's 2008 lot 533
Christie's, Geneva, 12 May 2014, lot 207	Case 654'202, jointly attributed 5029/5028, cloisonné dial; CHF 1,097,000. The catalogue lists Sotheby's New York, 9 March 1998, lot 58, and Christie's Geneva, 16 May 2005, lot 45, as earlier sales of this case

Gallery

Two-tone case 610727, circa 1947. Hodinkee Shop.
Crown-side profile of case 610727. Hodinkee Shop.
Opposite case flank of case 610727. Hodinkee Shop.

Opposite case flank of case 610727. Hodinkee Shop.
Exterior caseback of case 610727. Hodinkee Shop.
Honeycomb dial on separate yellow-gold case 651'517. Phillips, lot 144.

Honeycomb dial on separate yellow-gold case 651'517. Phillips, lot 144.

Sources