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Rolex reference 1936

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Early Rolex wristwatches → 1936

Rectangular steel Rolex reference 1936 with Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds
Steel ref. 1936, case 032790. Photo: Loupe This, lot 2370.

Auction catalogues use ref. 1936 for rectangular, manual-wind Rolex watches in steel and 9ct gold. Their labels vary by lot: Christie’s called one gold watch “Egyptian,” Bonhams used “Prima,” and Loupe This titled its steel example “Prince.” The records describe individual watches; they do not settle a reference-wide family name or production span.

Core facts

Detail Documented information
Reference Ref. 1936 appears on rectangular Rolex watches in auction catalogues and in photographs of case 032790.
Family label Auction titles variously use “Egyptian,” “Prima,” and “Prince.” Each label remains attached to its own catalogue entry.
Date evidence Catalogued examples carry Glasgow import marks for 1933, 1934 and 1937; other lots are dated circa 1930, circa 1935 and circa 1938. These are lot-level dates and marks.
Case Rectangular, stepped cases with snap-on backs are described. Recorded examples include 9ct gold and stainless steel. Dore & Rees gives 34 × 20 mm; Loupe This gives 40 × 20 mm for its separate steel example.
Movement Manual wind. Christie’s, Bonhams and Dore & Rees describe 15-jewel examples. No caliber number is established across the records.
Dial Silvered dials with Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds appear in several lots. Bonhams also records a quartered two-tone layout with baton markers and Arabic quarters.
Strap and buckle The catalogues show leather straps. Dore & Rees records an 18k Rolex buckle with its lot; that pairing does not establish original delivery.

Where it sits in the line

The evidence supports a reference number and a recurring rectangular case form. Catalogues apply different model names to individual examples: “Egyptian” at Christie’s, “Prima” in Bonhams’ archived listing, and “Prince” in Loupe This’ title and description. Those names are useful when identifying the lots, but the records reviewed here do not establish one as the reference’s universal family name. Christie’s, ref. 1936 Bonhams, case 10065 Loupe This, lot 2370

Production outline

The surviving catalogue dates cluster in the 1930s. Bonhams records Glasgow import marks for 1933 on case 10065 and 1934 on a second listing; Dore & Rees records a Glasgow 1937 mark on case 35894. Christie's dates case 15055 to circa 1935, while Loupe This dates the steel case 032790 to circa 1938. Antiquorum includes ref. 1936 in a three-watch set dated circa 1930. These records place examples in the decade, but an import mark or auction estimate dates an individual watch’s documented history, not the reference’s manufacturing limits. Bonhams, case 10065 Christie’s, case 15055 Dore & Rees, lot 377 Loupe This, lot 2370 Antiquorum, lot 210

Movement notes

The cited watches are manually wound. Christie’s, the 2016 Bonhams catalogue and Dore & Rees describe 15-jewel movements; Antiquorum calls the movement mechanical without naming a caliber. Loupe This labels its case 032790 watch “cal. 877.” Rolexopedia’s Movements page identifies 877 as a Gruen designation, not a Rolex commercial caliber, so that label is not adopted here. The movement photographs show Rolex and 15-ruby markings but do not show a numbered caliber.

Manual Rolex movement and inner caseback photographed with ref. 1936 case 032790
Movement and inner caseback photographed with case 032790. Photo: Loupe This, lot 2370.

Dial map

The photographed steel example, case 032790, has a silvered dial with Arabic 12, 3 and 9, a subsidiary-seconds register, and a dark outer minute track. Its surface shows visible spotting and wear. The 2016 Bonhams catalogue describes another silvered dial divided into quarters, with black baton markers, Arabic quarters, an outer minute track and blued-steel sword hands. Dore & Rees records raised Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds on case 35894. The records document distinct layouts, not a dated progression. Loupe This, lot 2370 Dore & Rees, lot 377

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    Arabic dial and subsidiary seconds, case 032790. Photo: Loupe This, lot 2370.

Case, bezel, crystal and crown

The photographed steel case 032790 has stepped sides, a snap-on back and a fluted crown. Its caseback carries both “032790” and “1936”; the case number and reference are separate markings. Dore & Rees describes stepped lugs on its 9ct-gold example, case 35894, and measures it at 34 × 20 mm. Christie’s gives a 20 mm measurement for case 15055. Loupe This measures case 032790 at 40 × 20 mm. The differing dimensions come from separate catalogue records and may reflect measurement methods as well as different cases. The sources reviewed do not specify a reference-wide crystal material. Christie’s, case 15055 Dore & Rees, lot 377 Loupe This, lot 2370

Bracelet, clasp and packaging

The cited examples are shown or described on leather straps. Dore & Rees records an 18k Rolex buckle with case 35894, but the catalogue does not show when it was paired with the watch. No bracelet fitment or reference-specific box is established in the records reviewed.

Auction record

Sale record What the catalogue records
Bonhams, archived Rolex results Lady’s 9ct-gold manual-wind watch, ref. 1936, case 10065, Glasgow import mark for 1933; recorded as sold for £936 including premium.
Antiquorum, Geneva, 9 December 2020, lot 210 Three-watch set listed under refs. 1936, 1774 and 3889; circa 1930; case no. 032767 appears in the set description. The catalogue does not allocate every specification to an individual watch.
Christie’s, ref. 1936, case 15055 9ct gold, “Egyptian,” circa 1935; silvered Arabic dial, subsidiary seconds, 15-jewel manual movement and stepped snap-back case. A 2016 Bonhams catalogue mirror lists a ref. 1936 case 150** with Glasgow import mark for 1934 and similar dial and case details; it may be the same watch, so the two entries are not treated as separate examples.
Dore & Rees, 5 June 2024, lot 377 9ct gold, case 35894, Glasgow 1937, 34 × 20 mm, 15-jewel movement and 18k Rolex buckle. Hammer: £950.
Loupe This, lot 2370; previously Revere Auctions, 28 July 2021, lot 309 Stainless steel, case 032790, 20 × 40 mm. The matching reference and case numbers identify the Bidsquare/Revere and Loupe This records as the same watch, not two examples.

Gallery

Sources

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