Rolex Chronograph 2226
Pre-Daytona chronographs → 2226
Rolex ref. 2226 appears in surviving records as a large, open-face, single-button chronograph with two registers. Catalogued examples have steel or yellow-gold cases, silvered or black dials, and manual movements. Sale catalogues date individual watches from circa 1920 to circa 1940; the reference's production dates remain unverified.
Christie's titled its 48 mm steel example a wristwatch; Antiquorum calls similar open-face examples pocket watches. The catalogues do not settle whether ref. 2226 was intended for the wrist or pocket.
Core facts
| Detail | Documented record |
|---|---|
| Reference | 2226 |
| Type | Manual, single-button chronograph; two registers |
| Dated examples | Individual catalogue estimates run from circa 1920 to circa 1940; they do not set the reference's production dates. |
| Case | Round, open-face examples; snap-on backs are described in several records |
| Documented metals | Stainless steel and yellow gold |
| Reported diameters | 47–48.2 mm across catalogue records; these are example measurements, not a factory specification |
| Movement | Manual lever movements; several catalogues report 17 lignes and 17 jewels. The movement number is not identified. |
| Dial | Silvered and black examples with two registers and tachymeter or telemeter scales |
Where it sits in the line
The 2226 belongs with Rolex's early single-button chronographs. Christie's describes a crown-operated pusher, a 30-minute register and subsidiary seconds; the 2011 Antiquorum transcription records the same two-register layout. The surviving catalogues present it both as a wristwatch and as a pocket watch, so each label stays attached to its own lot.
Production outline
The catalogue dates run from Christie's circa-1920 estimate for steel case 1004619 to Antiquorum's circa-1940 estimate for steel case 1004623. Antiquorum dates gold case 1005651 and steel case 1004626 circa 1925. These are dates assigned to individual watches; they leave the reference's production endpoints open.
Collector Square preserves Tajan's 2007 entry for a gold ref. 2226 marked “No 105650” and dated circa 1935. Auctionata's 2014 entry gives case 1005650 and circa 1930. Their low-resolution images show the same Ronchi Milano signature and two-tone dial, which points to a repeat offering. The number discrepancy remains unresolved, so the entries count as one candidate watch.
| Catalogue record | Case or number | Description and date |
|---|---|---|
| Christie's, London 2000, lot 713 | 1004619 | Stainless steel, 48 mm; circa 1920. Christie's calls it a wristwatch. |
| Antiquorum, Geneva 2011, lot 203 | 1004626 | Stainless steel, 48.2 mm; C. Bucherer retailer signature; circa 1925. |
| Antiquorum, Geneva 2023, lot 504 | 1005651 | 18-carat yellow gold, 48 mm; black sector dial; circa 1925. |
| Tajan, Paris 2007, lot 39; Auctionata 2014, lot 48 | “105650” / 1005650 | Yellow gold, two-tone silver dial signed Ronchi Milano; circa 1935 / circa 1930. Likely a repeat offering; the case number is unresolved. |
| Antiquorum, Geneva 2024, lot 10 | 1004623 | Stainless steel, 48 mm; silver-toned dial; circa 1940. |
Movement notes
Antiquorum describes the 2023 and 2024 movements as 17-line, 17-jewel manual movements. Its 2011 record gives the same size and jewel count for case 1004626; Christie's reports 17 jewels for case 1004619. For case 1004623, Antiquorum also lists a straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, Breguet spring and index regulator. The photographed 2023 movement bears a Rolex signature; the image shows no readable caliber number.
Dial map
The documented dials include a black sector dial on yellow-gold case 1005651 and pale or silvered dials on steel examples. Christie's describes black Arabic numerals, an outer seconds scale and a blue tachymeter scale on case 1004619. The Tajan and Auctionata images show a telemeter scale on the two-tone Ronchi Milano dial. The C. Bucherer-retailer example has a two-tone brushed-silver dial with black Breguet numerals. These are catalogue-level examples; they do not define the full factory range or establish the originality of every dial.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
The catalogued round open-face cases measure 47 to 48.2 mm. Antiquorum's 2011 record describes a three-part case with a curved bezel and snap-on back; Christie's and Antiquorum's 2023 catalogue also specify snap-on backs. Christie's places the single chronograph button in the crown. The catalogues reviewed here leave the crystal material and any case-construction change unspecified.
Antiquorum's 2024 steel watch is shown with a chain, listed as an accessory to that lot. The catalogue does not describe it as original delivery.
Bracelet, clasp, and packaging
The catalogued examples are open-face watches; Antiquorum lists a chain with its 2024 steel example. The reviewed records give no standard bracelet, clasp or box fitment for ref. 2226.
Auction record
Tajan's “105650” and Auctionata's 1005650 may describe the same gold watch, so they appear as one candidate rather than two confirmed examples.
| Date | House and lot | Case or number | Catalogue description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Christie's London, lot 713 | 1004619 | Steel, 48 mm; circa 1920; 17 jewels. |
| 2007 | Tajan Paris, lot 39 | “105650” | Yellow gold, two-tone dial, Ronchi Milano signature; circa 1935; not sold. Preserved in Collector Square's archive. |
| 2011 | Antiquorum Geneva, lot 203 | 1004626 | Steel, 48.2 mm, retailer-signed C. Bucherer; circa 1925; 17 lignes and 17 jewels. Preserved in Collector Square's archive. |
| 2014 | Auctionata / ISA, lot 48 | 1005650 | Yellow gold, 47 mm, silvered dial signed Ronchi Milano; circa 1930; 17 lignes and 17 jewels. The lot did not sell. |
| 2023 | Antiquorum Geneva, lot 504 | 1005651 | Yellow gold, black sector dial, 48 mm; circa 1925; 17 lignes and 17 jewels. |
| 2024 | Antiquorum Geneva, lot 10 | 1004623 | Steel, silver-toned dial, 48 mm; circa 1940; 17 lignes and 17 jewels. |
Gallery
-
Yellow-gold case 1005651, Antiquorum 2023 -
Black sector dial, case 1005651, Antiquorum 2023 -
Movement in case 1005651, Antiquorum 2023 -
Steel case 1004623 with listed chain, Antiquorum 2024
Sources
- "Rolex ref. 2226, case 1005651, Antiquorum Geneva 2023 lot 504", Antiquorum, 2023-11-05
- "Rolex ref. 2226, case 1004623, Antiquorum Geneva 2024 lot 10", Antiquorum, 2024-11-09
- "Rolex ref. 2226, case 1004619, Christie's London 2000 lot 713", Christie's, 2000-06-12
- "Antiquorum Geneva 2011 lot 203, case 1004626 — Collector Square archive", Collector Square, reproducing Antiquorum, 2011-05-15
- "Tajan Paris 2007 lot 39, ref. 2226 — Collector Square archive", Collector Square, reproducing a Tajan catalogue record, 2007-12-10
- "Rolex ref. 2226, case 1005650, Auctionata 2014 lot 48 via iCollector", ISA Auctionata / iCollector, 2014-09-30