Rolex Oyster Perpetual 1014
Oyster Perpetual → 1014
The 1014 is a time-only Oyster Perpetual with central seconds. Auction catalogues describe gold-covered steel cases, smooth bezels and 34–35 mm diameters. They name both Cal. 1530 and Cal. 1560, but the records do not establish a production span or a changeover year.
Catalogue dates range from circa 1951 to the 1960s. Bonhams dates a case numbered 769*** to circa 1951; Bellmans dates serial 769199 to 1962. The serial could fit Bonhams’ masked number, but the catalogues do not confirm that they describe the same watch.
Core facts
| Detail | Documented record |
|---|---|
| Reference | 1014, Oyster Perpetual, no date, central seconds |
| Dates | Catalogues date individual examples from circa 1951 through the 1960s; the full production span is unknown |
| Movement | Cal. 1530 and Cal. 1560 appear in exact-reference catalogue records; no changeover is established |
| Case | Steel with gold covering; catalogues use gold-plated, gold-filled and gold-capped for individual watches |
| Diameter | 34 mm, 34.5 mm and 35 mm in catalogue measurements |
| Bezel and crystal | Smooth bezel; acrylic crystal reported in two catalogue records |
| Dials | Silver, champagne, gold and one sigma-marked example are described or shown |
| Bracelet | Sale records show linked gold, third-party mesh and stretch bracelets, plus leather straps; standard fitment is not established |
Where it sits in the line
HODINKEE places the 1014 in the 1960s Oyster Perpetual range with the 1012, 1013, 1016 and 1018. Its description distinguishes the gold-plated 1014 from the solid-gold 1012 and 1013 and the steel 1016 and 1018. It is a retailer's retrospective lineup, without start or end dates for those references.
Production outline
Antiquorum dated its 2002 and 2006 examples to the 1960s. Its 2024 lot is dated circa 1962 and includes a chronometer certificate bearing that year. Bonhams described a 34 mm gold-plated steel 1014 with case number 769*** as circa 1951. Bellmans later listed case serial 769199 and dated it to 1962. Both catalogues give a 34 mm gold-covered steel case and Cal. 1560, and Bellmans’ serial fits the masked Bonhams number. The records do not confirm that these are the same watch, so keep each date with its own catalogue.
Pergola places 769199 in its 1961 band. The photographed Dowling–Hess chart lists 710,776 in 1951 and 840,396 in 1952, but it does not list 769199. It gives no direct date for this case. Bonhams’ circa-1951 estimate applies to the masked number 769***; the catalogue does not show whether it is this case. The serial-number guide records these details. RolexHaven's chart photographs
The separate Antiquorum 2024 watch has case 769921. Its catalogue date and certificate both read 1962. Taken together, the records place catalogued examples in the 1950s and 1960s without establishing the reference's first or last year.
Movement notes
The 2002 Antiquorum catalogue identifies Cal. 1530, with 26 jewels, in its 35 mm example. Antiquorum's 2006 lot names Cal. 1560 with 25 jewels; Bonhams, Antiquorum in 2024, Heritage and the Field Manual also list Cal. 1560 on 1014 records. Both caliber labels remain tied to their cited examples; the records give no serial boundary or changeover year. See Cal. 1530 and Cal. 1560.
Exact-reference auction descriptions and the Field Manual call the movements self-winding. HODINKEE Shop's 1014 listing names Cal. 1560 but says it is manually wound, a lone conflict with those records. The sources reviewed here give no separate manual-wind branch.
Dial map
Antiquorum's 2002 watch has a satin silver dial with geometric minute divisions, round tritium-coated markers and luminous baton hands. Its 2006 example has applied yellow-gold batons, luminous dots and dauphine hands on a satin silver dial. Heritage describes a gold dial with gold baton markers. The 2024 Antiquorum watch is catalogued with a sigma dial; the photograph shows the two sigma marks flanking “T SWISS T” at six.
The catalogue descriptions give individual examples rather than a full factory dial list. Vesper & Co.'s listing calls its dial champagne. Van Rijk's listing is the only source in this group for a glossy black dial it calls “Stella” and Cal. 1130; neither claim has independent support here, so both remain seller attributions.
Case, bezel, crystal, and crown
Source descriptions differ on the gold treatment: Antiquorum uses “gold plated” and “gold-filled,” while Bellmans calls its case gold-capped and a 2014 Vintage Rolex Forum seller calls another example “gold shell.” Keep each term with its individual watch; these records do not establish one construction specification for every 1014.
Catalogue measurements run from 34 to 35 mm. Antiquorum describes a three-body case with a screw-down back and crown. The Field Manual lists a polished, smooth bezel. Heritage and Bellmans report acrylic crystals. These are lot- and book-level descriptions; the sources give no 1014-wide factory specification for the bezel or crystal.
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Case profile and crown on Bellmans' serial 769199; the same lot identifies its mesh bracelet as third-party.
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Steel caseback and gold-covered middle case on Bellmans' serial 769199.
Bracelets, end links, and clasps
Antiquorum's 2006 watch was catalogued on a 14K yellow-gold link bracelet; the lot does not establish that it was delivered with the watch. Bellmans says the 9ct mesh bracelet on serial 769199 is third-party, and calls the Rolex pin buckle on its leather strap later. A 2014 forum seller reports a 19 mm strap width on a separate 1014. Vesper & Co. advertises a stretch bracelet on its own listing, but none of these records sets a standard bracelet or end-link specification.
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Third-party 9ct mesh bracelet shown with Bellmans' serial 769199.
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Clasp view from Bellmans' serial 769199 lot photographs.
Auction record
| Sale date | Record | Catalogue description | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 November 2002 | Antiquorum Geneva, lot 492 | Circa 1960s; Cal. 1530; 35 mm; gold-plated steel; silver dial | CHF 3,450 |
| 7 December 2006 | Antiquorum New York, lot 323 | 1960s; Cal. 1560; 34 mm; gold-filled steel; 14K link bracelet | USD 1,534 |
| 24 May 2017 | Bonhams London, lot 182 | Circa 1951; Cal. 1560; 34 mm; case 769*** | GBP 1,125 |
| 26 October 2024 | Antiquorum Hong Kong, lot 24 | Circa 1962; Cal. 1560; 34.5 mm; case 769921; certificate dated 1962 | HKD 21,250 |
| 20 November 2025 | Bellmans, lot 1569 | Serial 769199; catalogued 1962; Cal. 1560; 34 mm | GBP 1,700 |
Gallery
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Antiquorum, case 769921, catalogued circa 1962.
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Antiquorum, 2006, lot 323.
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Antiquorum, 2024, lot 24, sigma dial.
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Antiquorum, 2024, lot 24, papers.
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Bellmans, 2025, serial 769199, case profile.
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Bellmans, 2025, serial 769199, caseback.
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Bellmans, 2025, third-party mesh bracelet.
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Bellmans, 2025, bracelet clasp.
Sources
- "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1014, Antiquorum Geneva 2002 lot 492", Antiquorum, 2002-11-16
- "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1014, Antiquorum New York 2006 lot 323", Antiquorum, 2006-12-07
- "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1014, Bonhams London 2017 lot 182", Bonhams, 2017-05-24
- "Rolex ref. 1014, case 769921, Antiquorum Hong Kong 2024 lot 24", Antiquorum, 2024-10-26
- "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1014, Heritage Auctions 2026 lot 54111", Heritage Auctions, 2026-04-24
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Oyster Perpetual reference table — ref. 1014 — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra, 2020 digital edition
- "1962 Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1014", HODINKEE Shop, 2021 listing
- Maloja54, "Vintage Rolex Forum sale post for a gold-shell ref. 1014", Vintage Rolex Forum, 2014-05-28
- "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1014 gold-capped listing RA236", Vesper & Co. via 1stDibs, Listing date not stated
- "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1014 black-dial listing", Van Rijk Estate Jewellers, Listing date not stated
- "Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 1014, serial 769199, Bellmans 2025 lot 1569", Bellmans, 2025-11-20
- RolexHaven (anonymous specialist), "RolexHaven — Serial Numbers (Pergola + Dowling charts photographed)", rolexhaven.com
