Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5003

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

The 5003 is a small, ladies’ automatic Oyster Perpetual with subsidiary seconds. Christie’s dates individual examples to circa 1949–1953. Antiquorum and Montagne Sakaechika place other watches in the 1960s; Lot-Art’s transcription of a Wannenes sale gives a partial serial a circa-1972 date. These catalogue attributions leave the factory production span unknown. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists three slash-suffix versions; the sale records leave those suffixes unidentified.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	5003
family	Oyster Perpetual; grouped with Bubblebacks by collectors and reference books
documented dates	catalogue estimates include circa 1949–1953; later 1960s attributions conflict, and a circa-1972 transcription is low confidence
case diameter	23–27 mm in catalogued examples
case materials	steel, steel with gold bezel, 10K gold-and-steel, 18K gold; Montagne Sakaechika lists a 9K example
movement	automatic; numeric caliber remains unidentified
seconds	subsidiary seconds, usually shown at 6
dial	silvered, gilt, champagne, and retailer-signed examples are recorded; see Dial map
bracelet or strap	Oyster bracelets and leather straps appear in individual records; original reference-wide fitment remains undocumented

Where it sits in the line

Reference 5003 belongs to the small, time-only Oyster Perpetuals. Collectors and reference books group this case generation as Bubblebacks; auction catalogues describe the watches as Oyster Perpetuals. The records describe domed or “bubble” casebacks, automatic winding, and a small seconds dial.

Production outline

Christie’s dates one Serpico y Laino example to circa 1949, and other Christie’s lots to circa 1950 and circa 1951. Bonhams’ 2016 catalogue transcription assigns circa 1952 to a 10K example; Antiquorum dates case 849609 to circa 1953. Each date belongs to an individual catalogue record. The factory production span remains unknown.

Later attributions conflict with the earlier examples. Antiquorum dates case 565407 to the 1960s, and Montagne Sakaechika dates its 9K example to 1962. Lot-Art’s transcription of Wannenes lot 112 assigns circa 1972 to partial number 65**35. That low-confidence date sits apart from the better-documented earlier examples. These estimates describe individual listings, not the reference’s production span.

Movement notes

The catalogues describe automatic movements with subsidiary seconds. In Antiquorum lot 324, the detached inner caseback is marked 5003, supporting the catalogue identification; the photographed rotor reads “Rolex Perpetual Patented Swiss Made,” but no caliber number is legible. Antiquorum’s “8’’” and the “7.75” notation in Montagne Sakaechika’s listing and the Rolex Forums chart refer to movement size. The reference-specific numeric caliber remains unidentified. See Movements.

movement — Antiquorum

Dial map

The lots show several individual dial treatments. Christie’s 1999 describes a silver matte dial with applied triangles; its 1998 Geneva lot has a gilt matte dial with dagger numerals. The 2012 Christie’s watch has a silvered dial with dagger and triangle markers, some described as luminous. Bonhams’ catalogue transcription records a champagne dial with gilt darts and Arabic numerals at the quarters. Antiquorum’s 2021 watch is signed “Oyster Perpetual Super Precision,” while Christie’s 2019 lot is signed Serpico y Laino. The examples document variation; the dial chronology remains unresolved.

Christie’s, 2019, lot 170: Serpico y Laino signature
Antiquorum, 2021, lot 324: “Super Precision” dial

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Catalogue measurements run from 23 to 27 mm. Christie’s and Antiquorum describe tonneau-shaped or bubbleback cases, screw backs, and screw-down crowns. Materials vary between records: steel with gold bezel, steel and 10K gold, solid 18K gold, and other gold alloys. The Field Manual’s suffix table lists 5003/3 as steel and yellow gold, 5003/7 as yellow gold, and 5003/8 as rose or yellow gold. It pairs /3 and /8 with engine-turned bezels and /7 with a smooth bezel. The reviewed lot descriptions leave the suffixes unidentified; the table records the Field Manual’s variant listing, without matching suffixes to photographed examples.

The Antiquorum 2023 photograph shows an 18K yellow-gold case and engine-turned bezel. The Antiquorum 2021 example is catalogued as 10K gold and steel, also with an engine-turned bezel. A 2012 Christie’s lot has a coin-edge bezel with engraved hour marks. The records reviewed here leave the crystal type unidentified.

Bracelets, clasps, and packaging notes

The Christie’s 1998 example is catalogued with an 18K Rolex bracelet and clasp. Christie’s 2019 describes an 18K Oyster expanding rivet bracelet, but its condition report says that bracelet appears later than the watch. Christie’s 1999 records a steel Oyster bracelet; the Bonhams transcription and Antiquorum examples show leather straps. These records show individual bracelet combinations; original reference-wide fitment remains undocumented. Bonhams records a Rolex box with its ref. 5003 lot; that single record does not establish reference-wide packaging.

bracelet detail — Christie's

Reported suffixes

suffix	Field Manual listing	evidence limit
5003/3	ladies’; steel and yellow gold; engine-turned bezel	The inspected lots leave this suffix unidentified
5003/7	ladies’; yellow gold; smooth bezel	The inspected lots leave this suffix unidentified
5003/8	ladies’; rose or yellow gold; engine-turned bezel	The inspected lots leave this suffix unidentified

Auction and specialist records

record	date assigned to watch	details recorded
Christie’s Geneva, lot 122	circa 1950	24 mm, 18K gold, gilt matte dial, dagger numerals, small seconds, engine-turned bezel, 18K bracelet
Christie’s New York, lot 146	circa 1950	27 mm, steel and 18K gold, silver matte dial, applied triangles, small seconds, steel Oyster bracelet
Christie’s New York, lot 80	circa 1951	case 724279; 23 mm, 18K gold, silvered dial, coin-edge bezel with engraved hours
Bonhams London, lot 60	circa 1952	serial 892***; 24 mm, 10K gold, champagne dial, subsidiary seconds, leather strap; catalogue transcription
Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 125	circa 1953	case 849609; 24 mm, 18K yellow gold, silver dial, subsidiary seconds
Christie’s Watches Online, lot 170	circa 1949	24 mm, 18K gold, signed Serpico y Laino dial; catalogue says bracelet appears later
Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 324	circa 1960s	case 565407; 24 mm, 10K gold and steel; date conflicts with earlier catalogue examples
Wannenes, lot 112, via Lot-Art transcription	circa 1972	partial number 65**35; low-confidence date in a Lot-Art transcription

The case numbers and partial serials are listed as catalogued, without using them to set a reference-wide date range. For serial dating, see Serial-numbers.

Antiquorum, 2023, lot 125, case 849609: 18K yellow gold, engine-turned bezel
Christie’s, 2019, lot 170, Serpico y Laino dial
Christie’s, 2019, lot 170, bracelet described as later
Antiquorum, 2021, lot 324, “Super Precision” dial
Antiquorum, 2021, lot 324, movement and detached caseback