Rolex Oyster Perpetual
The Oyster Perpetual combines an Oyster case with automatic winding. The name also appears on Rolex watches with their own model names. This page covers the lineages that carry the Oyster Perpetual name directly and have not split into their own hub: the 1950s flat-caseback generation and the four-digit time-only models of the following decades. Early manual-wind Oysters are covered on the Bubbleback and early Oyster hub. Bubbleback and Air-King are close relatives on the same case architecture and have their own family hubs.
References in scope
| Reference | Production | Movement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2136 / 2574 / 3139 / 3359 / 4220 | 1930s–1940s | manual-wind | Early Oyster / Oyster Royal / Speedking generation, before the Perpetual rotor became standard across the line |
| 6098 / 6085 / 6084 / 6564 / 6580 | 1950s; see individual references | Varies by reference | The 1950s flat-caseback group. Catalogues document 6085 in steel, gold, and a steel-and-gold example, with waffle, black, silvered, and cloisonné Dragon dials; these are individual watches, not a complete specification. Reference 6084 is described as a transitional "Semi-Bubbleback" case; 6564 is an 18k gold example with an early "Brevet" patent marking; 6580 has documented steel honeycomb-dial examples. Reference 6567 (gold, fluted bezel) is separately attested, but its place in this group remains uncertain |
| 1002 / 1003 / 1005 / 1007 / 1018 | 1959–mid-1980s | cal 1560 then 1570 | The classic 4-digit line, organised by bezel: 1002 smooth, 1003/1007 engine-turned, 1005 fluted (bezel always gold, case in steel or gold). 1018 is the 36mm model in this group |
| 1006 / 1008 | undated, same era | cal 1560/1570 per the Watch-Wiki caliber concordance | Named as siblings of the 1002/1005 pair by the caliber concordance and this family survey; no auction lot or dealer example for either has surfaced, so neither has its own article yet |
| 114300 | 2015–2020 catalogue period | cal 3132 in Rolex product material | Oyster Perpetual 39 in Oystersteel. Rolex documented dark rhodium, red grape, blue, black and white dials; Phillips later catalogued individual lots with a conflicting 3230 attribution, which does not establish a factory-wide change |
This index concentrates on early, four-digit and published 39 mm plain-name references. Rolex’s current catalogue uses newer Oyster Perpetual references, including 124300 (41 mm) and 124200 (34 mm); their current specifications belong to Rolex’s product pages rather than to the vintage rows above.
Where it sits across Rolex
The Air-King and Explorer use related Oyster cases and movements. Compare the specific references: shared components do not make watches with different sizes, dial markings or chronometer status interchangeable.
Related families
- Air-King — related time-only Oyster references, with their own dial and movement variants.
- Bubbleback — the earlier curved-caseback generation this line's flat-caseback references replaced.
- Explorer — related time-only watches, including the 36mm 1016.
- Serial numbers by year — serial ranges and the limits of dating
- Movement reference — the calibers used across the line
- Bracelet & clasp guide — bracelet types, end-links, and clasp date codes
Sources
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
- Phillips, ref. 6085 Oyster Perpetual
- Craft & Tailored, ref. 6084
- Hodinkee, ref. 6564
- Hodinkee, ref. 6580
- Rolex, Oyster Perpetual 39 product sheet for ref. 114300
- Rolex, Oyster Perpetual 41 product sheet for ref. 124300