Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1503

Yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1503 with black dial and fluted bezel — Ref. 1503, Sotheby’s, Geneva, lot 253.

Ref. 1503 is an Oyster Perpetual Date. The auction and Field Manual examples reviewed here have gold cases. Auction catalogues give case diameters of 34–35 mm and place individual examples from circa 1968 to circa 1980. They document 14K and 18K cases, fluted bezels, and champagne, black lacquer and black matte sigma dials; the records do not establish production boundaries. Rolex parts catalogues list date components for ref. 1503 under Cal. 1565 and Cal. 1575. Auction houses identify individual watches as Cal. 1570, but neither record type verifies the caliber inside a particular watch.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	1503
model	Oyster Perpetual Date
documented catalogue dates	circa 1968–1980; a sample of dated watches, not production endpoints
documented case materials	14K and 18K gold in separate auction records
case diameter	34–35 mm in the records reviewed
bezel	Fluted on photographed and described examples; the available records do not establish every bezel configuration
movement evidence	Auction catalogues identify Cal. 1570 in examples; Rolex parts catalogues list date components for refs. 1500, 1501 and 1503 under Cal. 1565 and 1575
dial examples	Champagne; black lacquer; black matte sigma; one blue dial was reported as a later replacement
recorded bracelets	Gold riveted Oyster, Florentine-finish bracelet, gold Jubilee and 14K U.S.A. Jubilee; catalogue descriptions apply to individual lots

Where it sits in the line

The 1503 belongs to the Oyster Perpetual Date line. Sotheby’s 2026 lot details and the photographed dial identify its example as Oyster Perpetual Date, although the page title says Datejust.

Production outline

The dated catalogues reviewed here place examples at circa 1968, 1970, 1971, circa 1976, circa 1977 and circa 1980. Their case numbers range from 1,765,968 to 6,275,775. These are catalogue estimates for individual watches, not a serial-year chart or evidence of the first and last years of production. The 2025 Monaco listing repeats case 6,275,775 from its 2022 lot, so it is a re-offering of the same watch rather than a later date point.

The serial-number notes link each dated lot and keep the auction estimates separate from serial ranges.

Movement notes

Phillips, Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Heritage list Cal. 1570 in individual ref. 1503 watches. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual also lists 1570 for the 1503. Rolex’s Cal. 1565 and Cal. 1575 parts catalogues list date-indicator components for ref. 1503. Those parts records establish service applications; they do not identify the caliber inside a particular watch. The available examples do not establish a movement changeover. See Cal. 1565 and Cal. 1575.

Dial map

Phillips catalogues a black lacquer dial on a 1970 example, and Sotheby’s describes a black matte sigma dial on a circa-1971 watch. Sotheby’s also records a champagne dial on a circa-1968 example. These entries document individual watches; they do not show how often each dial appeared or whether it was fitted at first delivery.

Christie’s describes a blue dial on its circa-1976 example, but the condition report says the dial and hands are later replacements. It should not be counted as evidence for an original blue-dial branch.

Black matte sigma dial, Sotheby’s, lot 253.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The case sizes in these catalogues range from 34 to 35 mm. The 2024 Sotheby’s lot gives 34 mm, Phillips gives 34.5 mm, and Sotheby’s 2026 and Heritage give 35 mm. The catalogues do not explain the spread or show a size change during production.

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists the 1503 with a fluted bezel; Heritage describes one and the Sotheby’s 2026 photographs show the same treatment. The Dial Atlas lists smooth or engine-turned bezels. The records establish fluted examples but do not resolve the full bezel range. Heritage identifies an acrylic crystal on its individual example; the other records do not define a reference-wide crystal or crown specification.

Bracelets, clasps, and packaging notes

The catalogues record several offered configurations: Sotheby’s describes a Florentine-finish bracelet on its circa-1968 example and a gold riveted Oyster bracelet on its circa-1971 example. Christie’s lists a 14K U.S.A. Jubilee bracelet with the circa-1976 watch; Monaco describes a gold Jubilee bracelet with the clasp marked D’A on its circa-1980 lot. These records show what accompanied those watches at auction. They do not establish original delivery for the reference.

Monaco re-offered case 6,275,775 in 2025 on a leather strap. The change in the listing documents a later sale configuration, not a bracelet variant or a production change.

Caseback and bracelet from Sotheby’s, Geneva, lot 253.

Special branches

Heritage describes a circa-1977 14K-gold 1503 with a fluted bezel. Christie’s also titles a circa-1978 14K watch as ref. 1503, but its condition report says the inside caseback is stamped 1500. A separate 2026 Christie’s 14K example is catalogued as ref. 1503, though its blue dial and hands are reported as later replacements. The reciprocal caseback conflict with Christie’s 2018 listing of a 1500 stamped 1503 leaves that pair of 14K attributions unresolved; see ref. 1500.

Material descriptions also conflict. Bob’s Watches lists steel examples, while The Dial Atlas says the case can be steel or gold-capped. The auction lots and Field Manual examples reviewed here are gold; they do not settle whether the reference was also made in those other materials.

Historical market and auction record

watch date	sale date	house and lot	recorded example
circa 1968	11 June 2024	Sotheby’s New York, lot 321	18K yellow gold; case 1,765,968; Cal. 1570; champagne dial; 34 mm; Florentine-finish bracelet
1970	31 May 2016	Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction TWO, lot 214	18K yellow gold; case 2,326,051; Cal. 1570; black lacquer dial; 34.5 mm
circa 1971	13 May 2026	Sotheby’s Geneva, lot 253	18K yellow gold; case 2,841,395; Cal. 1570; black matte sigma dial; 35 mm; gold riveted Oyster bracelet
circa 1976	17 June 2026	Christie’s New York, lot 284	14K gold; case 5,004,120; 34 mm; blue dial and hands reported as later replacements; U.S.A. Jubilee bracelet
circa 1977	18 November 2011	Heritage, lot 60276	14K gold; case 5,004,222; Cal. 1570; fluted bezel; acrylic crystal; 35 mm
circa 1978	25 June 2019	Christie’s, lot 88	Titled ref. 1503, but condition report says the inside caseback is stamped 1500; excluded as clean 1503 evidence
circa 1980	23 April 2022	Monaco Legend, lot 147	18K yellow gold; case 6,275,775; Cal. 1570; gold Jubilee bracelet with clasp marked D’A; 34 mm
circa 1980	19 October 2025	Monaco Legend, lot 245	Same case 6,275,775; re-offered on a leather strap

The watch dates above are the auction houses’ estimates. They document the cited examples only.

Gallery

Sotheby’s, lot 253, front view
Sotheby’s, lot 253, dial detail
Sotheby’s, lot 253, caseback and bracelet