Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5006

A checked version of this page, approved on 17 October 2026, was based on this revision.

Steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual reference 5006 with a rose-gold bezel and Bonklip bracelet — Finarte, Milan, 15 June 2026, lot 33. Bracelet originality is not stated.

The 5006 is a mid-size automatic Oyster Perpetual that collectors group with the Bubblebacks. Auction records and the Vintage Rolex Field Manual describe steel, two-tone, and gold examples dated from 1948 through the 1950s. Those dates attach to individual watches; they do not establish the production span. The sources record several dial layouts. One EBTH listing shows a Precision-signed dial on a watch the seller says may have been modified. Numeric caliber attribution remains unresolved.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	5006
family	Oyster Perpetual; grouped with Bubblebacks by collectors
production	Examples dated 1948, 1949, 1950, early 1950s, and broadly to the 1950s; production span unverified
movement	Automatic; Field Manual lists Chronometer Perpetual variants; numeric caliber unresolved
case	Steel, steel with yellow- or rose-gold bezel, and yellow gold listed; 29–30 mm in cited records
dial	Chronometer and Precision signatures reported; several marker layouts documented, factory range unresolved
bracelet	No original bracelet or end-link fitment established

Where it sits in the line

Collectors include ref. 5006 among the mid-size Bubblebacks. Antiquorum catalogues a 29 mm yellow-gold Oyster Perpetual; EBTH lists a 29 mm steel watch; TimeAnagram gives 29.3 mm for a steel example; and Finarte records a 30 mm steel case with a rose-gold bezel. The Field Manual lists 5006/3 in stainless steel and yellow gold, and 5006/7 in yellow gold. The measurements and finishes belong to those records; they are not a full factory specification. “Bubbleback” is a collector term for early automatic Oyster cases.

Production outline

The dated examples fall between 1948 and the 1950s. EBTH dates its serial-masked steel watch to 1948. TimeAnagram dates a steel example with a masked serial beginning “65” to 1949. A Japanese sponsored dealer feature lists a 1950 watch; Antiquorum dates case 671819 to the early 1950s; Finarte's lot title gives the broader date “50s.” Each date is an attributed estimate; the catalogues give no common dating method, production endpoint, or serial-year sequence.

Movement notes

The records identify the 5006 as automatic; numeric caliber attribution remains unresolved. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists 5006/3 and 5006/7 as Chronometer Perpetual variants without naming a caliber. Finarte's case 700389 has a dial reading “Certified Chronometer.” Antiquorum reports 17 jewels and a straight-line lever escapement, while its online text renders the caliber as “8???”. EBTH lists “4696” and 18 jewels for its 5006-attributed watch, and warns that the watch may have been modified. TimeAnagram puts “AR” in its caliber field while also using AR as a size label. The records document automatic chronometer examples; a numeric caliber remains unverified.

Antiquorum graded case 671819 as needing an overhaul and noted service hands and reapplied luminous material. Those condition notes describe that watch alone.

EBTH, item 14105766: automatic movement shown in the case. The auction lists caliber 4696, an attribution not independently confirmed here.

Dial map

Four records show distinct dial descriptions. Antiquorum's case 671819 has a matte silver dial, applied gold triangular indexes, luminous dots, an outer minute track, and luminous gold dauphine hands. Finarte's case 700389 has painted Roman numerals and mirrored-finish indexes; the dial reads “Certified Chronometer.” Anderson & Garland's indexed 2014 lot gives Arabic numerals at the halves, batons at the quarters, and square markers at the other hours. EBTH's photographs show a dial signed “Oyster Perpetual Precision”; its catalogue warns the watch may have been modified.

record	dial evidence	limit
Antiquorum, case 671819	Matte silver; applied gold triangles, luminous dots, outer minute track, luminous dauphine hands	One 14K yellow-gold watch
Finarte, case 700389	Silver; painted Roman numerals and mirrored-finish indexes; “Certified Chronometer”	One steel and rose-gold-bezel watch
Anderson & Garland, lot 760	Arabic numerals at halves, baton quarters, square markers at other hours	Indexed auction description; dial image not checked
EBTH, item 14105766	“Oyster Perpetual Precision” signature	Auction warns watch may have been modified

These descriptions document observed examples. A complete factory dial range remains unverified.

EBTH, item 14105766: the pictured dial reads “Oyster Perpetual Precision.” The auction warns that the watch may have been modified.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Antiquorum describes case 671819 as a 14K yellow-gold, two-body case with a screwed-down back, measuring 29 mm across and 14 mm thick. EBTH lists a 29 mm stainless-steel case and back; TimeAnagram gives 29.3 mm and 15 mm between the lugs; Finarte lists a 30 mm steel case with a rose-gold bezel. The Field Manual lists steel/yellow-gold and yellow-gold suffix variants. Antiquorum notes initials on its caseback and a crown. EBTH records an inscription dated 24 October 1951. These records give individual case details; the full bezel, crystal, crown, and case range remains undocumented.

EBTH, item 14105766: exterior caseback with a personal inscription.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Finarte lists a steel Bonklip bracelet with case 700389; its catalogue leaves originality unstated. EBTH calls its steel bracelet aftermarket; TimeAnagram shows a calf-leather strap. Original bracelet and end-link fitment remain unverified. The cited descriptions record no boxes or papers.

Special branches

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists two suffix configurations:

published suffix	Field Manual description
5006/3	Chronometer Perpetual; smooth/polished bezel; mid-size; stainless steel and yellow gold
5006/7	Chronometer Perpetual; smooth/polished bezel; mid-size; yellow gold

The book is a collector compilation rather than a Rolex factory record. The Finarte watch's rose-gold bezel does not match either material description exactly, so it remains an unsuffixed lot attribution here. EBTH's Precision-signed dial also remains an individual example because the auction warns that the watch may have been modified.

Auction record

sale	catalogue details	result or estimate
Antiquorum, Geneva, 12 May 2013, lot 142	Case 671819; 14K yellow gold; matte silver dial; 29 mm; dated early 1950s	Estimate CHF 5,500–7,500; result not shown in the catalogue record
Finarte, Milan, 15 June 2026, lot 33	Case 700389; steel with rose-gold bezel; Roman-numeral chronometer dial; Bonklip bracelet; 30 mm; described as 1950s	Estimate €1,500–3,000; result not shown in the listing
Anderson & Garland, Fine Art, 17 June 2014, lot 760	Auction-house index identifies a steel ref. 5006 and describes Arabic halves, baton quarters, and square markers	Index reports £300; it gives no serial or condition detail
EBTH, item 14105766, closed 19 May 2025	Steel watch listed as ref. 5006; serial masked; 29 mm; seller warns it may have been modified	Final result not recorded

Related references

See the Bubbleback family index, movement reference, and serial-number guide. The cited 5006 serials are masked or attached to individual catalogue dates; they do not establish a serial-year chart.

Gallery

Finarte, Milan 2026, lot 33: steel 5006 with rose-gold bezel and Bonklip bracelet as catalogued
EBTH, item 14105766: dial signed Oyster Perpetual Precision
EBTH, item 14105766: movement in case; caliber attribution not independently confirmed
EBTH, item 14105766: exterior caseback and personal inscription