Rolex Oyster Perpetual 1008
Oyster Perpetual → 1008
The 1008 is a no-date, self-winding Oyster Perpetual with a decorated bezel. Auction catalogues often call it “Zephyr”; Antiquorum sometimes qualifies that label as “so-called.” Documented examples have a graduated, milled bezel; many also have quarter lines and luminous dots on the dial.
Auction records date individual 1008 watches from about 1961 to 1967. Antiquorum's production estimate ends around 1966, while its later catalogues include 1967 examples. The production boundaries remain unsettled.
Core facts
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Reference | 1008 |
| Family | Oyster Perpetual, no date |
| Observed dates | Auction examples dated circa 1961–1967; production span unresolved |
| Movement | Cal. 1560 and Cal. 1570 appear in auction records; changeover date not established |
| Case | Three-body Oyster case, screw-down back and crown |
| Diameter | Most catalogues give 34 mm; some give 33.7 or 35 mm |
| Case materials | Documented steel with gold components and separate 14K-gold examples; catalogues vary in karat descriptions |
| Bezel | Graduated, milled or reeded gold bezel; family references classify it as engine-turned |
| Dial | Sector lines and luminous dots appear on many examples; white baton and black lacquered dials are also documented |
| Crystal | Acrylic, as listed for the four-digit no-date Oyster Perpetual family |
| Date | None |
Where it sits in the line
The 1008 belongs to the 34 mm, four-digit no-date Oyster Perpetual family. In that group, the 1002 has a smooth bezel, the 1003 and 1007 have engine-turned bezels, and the 1005 has a fluted gold bezel. Auction catalogues describe the 1008 bezel as “reeded,” “milled” or “graduated”; family literature groups it with the engine-turned models. Those terms describe the surface, not separate 1008 sub-references.
The 1018 is the larger 36 mm relative. It shares the 1560/1570 movement generation but has its own case and dial proportions. The 1008 is also distinct from date-equipped Oyster Perpetual Date models that used related case and bezel patterns.
Production outline
The available dates come from auction catalogues rather than a factory production list. They place examples in 1961, 1963–1966 and 1967. Antiquorum's 2003 and 2007 catalogues estimate production through around 1966; its 2018 and 2023 catalogues date watches to circa 1967. The later examples leave the end date unsettled.
Case stamps provide firmer anchors for individual pieces. Antiquorum dates case 666,184 to 1961. Christie's records a 1008 with an inside-caseback stamp of IV.63. Other catalogues date cases 1,284,790 to 1965/66, 1,450,709 to circa 1966, and 1,619,991 to circa 1967. These examples do not create a serial chart.
Movement notes
Auction catalogues identify Cal. 1560 in examples dated 1961 and 1963–1967, and Cal. 1570 in the 1967 black-dial watch and a 14K-gold example. Both calibres are documented; the changeover year remains unresolved. A single serial or auction date cannot settle it.
The 2008 Antiquorum lot catalogued a gold watch as ref. 1008/1005 with Cal. 1570. Keep both numbers when describing it; that paired reference-and-case designation is not a separate calibre variant.
Dial map
Sector dials are common in the auction record. They have two lines crossing the dial at the quarters, with luminous dots at the hour positions. Catalogue color descriptions vary: silvered, champagne, satiné and gilt-brushed. Several examples use gold Alpha or dauphine hands. These words come from individual lot descriptions and should not be collapsed into one standard color.
Antiquorum also catalogued a black lacquered sector dial in steel and pink gold. Two sales show the same watch, identified by case 1,612,569 and movement D190288; they are repeat appearances of one example. A separate 14K-gold watch had a white dial with applied baton indexes and tritium dots, a different layout from the sector dials.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
The auction descriptions call the case three-body, with a screw-down back and crown. They usually measure 34 mm; Christie's gives 35 mm on two examples, and Antiquorum gives 33.7 mm on another. The differences are small enough to report as catalogue measurements, not as distinct case sizes.
Steel cases with yellow- or pink-gold bezel and crown are documented, along with 14K-gold examples. Antiquorum catalogued one 18K yellow-gold watch under the paired designation 1008/1005. Preserve both numbers for that lot; its material description applies to that example.
The bezel distinguishes the 1008 within the 34 mm no-date family. Christie's describes it as milled; Antiquorum calls examples reeded and graduated. Family literature groups the 1008 with engine-turned bezels. The four-digit family uses an acrylic crystal, and the catalogues reviewed here list no alternate crystal for this reference.
Bracelets, clasps, and packaging
Auction records show several bracelet configurations on individual watches: a 7205 rivet Oyster, an expandable Oyster, an 18K-gold rivet Oyster and steel-and-gold Jubilee bracelets. Freeman's photographed a US-made oval-link Jubilee on a circa-1966 watch; Crédit Municipal de Paris also catalogued a US Jubilee on a 1008. Other watches were sold on leather straps. These lots document individual pairings; they do not provide a factory fitment table.
Freeman's records a 5-9 stamp on its Jubilee clasp. The stamp belongs to the bracelet assembly; it cannot date the watch head. One 14K-gold 1008 came with a warranty, chronometer certificate, 1968 bill of sale and an 18K-gold rivet bracelet. Those items document one sale, not a standard package or original bracelet fitment.
Special branches
Auction catalogues often call the 1008 and related watches “Zephyr.” Antiquorum uses “so-called Zéphir” in several records. Treat Zephyr as auction-market nomenclature unless a factory source confirms its use as the model name. The quarter-line dial, luminous dots and graduated bezel help identify examples; check each watch’s case, dial and movement individually.
Antiquorum catalogued one 18K-gold watch as 1008/1005 with Cal. 1570. Keep both numbers when describing that lot.
Auction record
| Date | Auction | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 May 2006 | Antiquorum Geneva, lot 29 | Steel and yellow gold, gilt sector dial, Cal. 1560; case 1,284,790 | CHF 5,310 |
| 18 June 2008 | Antiquorum New York, lot 57 | 18K yellow gold, paired ref. 1008/1005, Cal. 1570 | USD 2,400 |
| 25 April 2012 | Antiquorum New York, lot 9 | Steel with gold bezel, champagne sector dial, Cal. 1560; case 666,184 | USD 2,500 |
| 11 May 2014 | Antiquorum Geneva, lot 103 | 14K yellow gold, Cal. 1560, with 1968 sale papers | CHF 8,750 |
| 8 March 2023 | Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 140 | Black lacquered sector dial, pink gold and steel, Cal. 1570 | HKD 31,625 |
| 15 June 2024 | Crédit Municipal de Paris, lot 336 | Steel and yellow gold, champagne sector dial, Cal. 1560 | EUR 1,950 before fees |
| 3 December 2025 | Adam's Auctioneers, lot 25 | Steel with gold bezel, silvered dial, Cal. 1570 | EUR 3,200 hammer |
The table records individual results. Antiquorum’s 2022 Geneva and 2023 Hong Kong lots show the same black-dial watch, so count it once as a physical example.
Gallery
-
Freeman's circa-1966 steel and gold example, champagne sector dial -
Antiquorum's black sector-dial example, case 1,612,569 -
Freeman's caseback and US-made Jubilee bracelet
Sources
- Christie's, ref. 1008, lot 5008636
- Christie's, sale 17565, lot 23
- Antiquorum, Geneva 2003, lot 104
- Antiquorum, Geneva 2006, lot 29
- Antiquorum, Geneva 2007, lot 64
- Antiquorum, New York 2007, lot 284
- Antiquorum, New York 2008, lot 57
- Antiquorum, New York 2012, lot 9
- Antiquorum, Geneva 2014, lot 103
- Antiquorum, Hong Kong 2018, lot 296
- Antiquorum, Geneva 2022, lot 458
- Antiquorum, Hong Kong 2023, lot 140
- Freeman's, lot 39
- Crédit Municipal de Paris, lot 336
- Adam's Auctioneers, lot 25
- Watch Wiki, Rolex calibre concordance
- BeckerTime, 34 mm no-date Oyster Perpetual bezel and specification overview