Rolex 5015 Oyster Perpetual Bubbleback

The 5015 is a self-winding Oyster Perpetual documented in a 14k solid-yellow-gold watch with an engine-turned bezel and champagne dial, and in an 18k yellow-gold-and-steel watch with a simpler dial. The dates disagree. Robert Maron dates the 14k example to about 1948–1950; a separate eBay listing identifies a 10k example as 1948. Antiquorum dates its 18k-and-steel lot to about 1961. These are source-specific dates, not a settled production range.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	5015
family	Oyster Perpetual (Bubbleback)
common name	"Bubbleback"
production	disputed — two dealer sources give circa 1948–1950; one Antiquorum auction lot gives circa 1961
case	documented in 14k solid yellow gold (engine-turned bezel, ~30.8mm) and 18k yellow gold with stainless steel (32mm)
movement	self-winding; one example specifies caliber sized 9¾ lignes, another an 18-jewel COSC-certified automatic caliber
dial (documented)	champagne with applied gold Arabic numerals, gold leaf hands, blued seconds hand (14k example); unspecified signed dial (18k/steel example)
documented examples	Antiquorum lot 47 (case no. 647355, movement no. 81376, 18k gold and steel, unsold/passed); a 14k solid gold example with engine-turned bezel, sold "mint+"

Where it sits in the line

“Bubbleback” is a collector nickname, not an official Rolex designation, for early Oyster Perpetual watches with a domed caseback around the automatic rotor. General histories place the family mainly from the 1930s into the mid-1950s. That makes the 1948–1950 dates consistent with the usual chronology; the 1961 Antiquorum date falls later and remains unresolved by the sources checked here.

The 14k example has an engine-turned bezel. A similar treatment is documented on the 3725, but the checked sources do not establish how often Rolex offered it across the family.

Production outline

The 14k Robert Maron listing gives circa 1948–1950, while a separate eBay listing identifies a 10k 5015 from 1948. These are dealer and marketplace records, not production documents. Antiquorum’s formal catalogue gives circa 1961 for its 18k gold-and-steel lot. The checked sources do not resolve the discrepancy.

Movement notes

The Antiquorum lot specifies a self-winding movement sized 9¾ lignes and identifies movement no. 81376. A separately documented 14k gold example specifies an 18-jewel automatic caliber with COSC chronometer certification. Both are self-winding, consistent with the Bubbleback family's defining mechanical feature; neither source gives a numbered caliber designation.

Self-winding rotor, movement no. 81376, case no. 647355

Dial map

The 14k gold example carries a champagne dial with applied gold Arabic numerals, embossed gold dot minute and second markers, gold leaf-style hands, and a blued steel seconds hand — a dressier configuration than the plainer signed dial documented on the 18k gold and steel Antiquorum example.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Two case treatments are documented: solid 14k yellow gold with an engine-turned bezel, measuring approximately 30.8mm diameter and 38.5mm lug-to-lug; and 18k yellow gold paired with stainless steel at 32mm, bezel style unspecified in the auction catalogue. The 14k example's crystal is bombé acrylic, a period-correct domed plastic crystal rather than sapphire or flat mineral glass.

Caseback, case no. 647355

Related references

Bubbleback 3130 (same self-winding family, solid-gold construction documented)
Bubbleback 3725 (same era, also documented with an engine-turned bezel)

Auction record

Sale	Lot	Case no.	Configuration	Estimate	Result
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 31 May 2026	47	647355	18k yellow gold and stainless steel, self-winding, circa 1961 (per lot catalogue)	HKD 30,000–60,000	Unsold

The Antiquorum lot was unsold. The 14k gold engine-turned-bezel example appears in a dealer archive without a disclosed sale price.

Gold 5015 Bubbleback example
Movement no. 81376, Antiquorum lot 47
Caseback, case no. 647355