Rolex Oyster Chronograph 6034

Steel Rolex Oyster Chronograph ref. 6034, case 847307 — Steel example, case 847'307, circa 1953. Photo: Phillips.

The 6034 is a manual-wind, three-register Rolex Oyster chronograph introduced around 1950. Catalogued examples include stainless-steel, 18k yellow-gold, and 18k pink-gold cases. The end of production remains disputed. Christie's, 2019

Core facts

Field	Detail
Reference	6034
Type	Manual-wind chronograph with three subsidiary registers
Documented dates	Individual examples catalogued from circa 1950 to circa 1955; auction essays disagree on the production endpoint
Documented case metals	Stainless steel, 18k yellow gold, and 18k pink gold in reviewed lots; Christie's reports a small 14k series
Documented diameter	34–37 mm in the cited catalogues; most listed examples are 36 mm
Movement	Auction records identify manual Cal. 72, usually with 17 jewels; the designation is lot-specific
Case	Oyster case with round, non-screw-down chronograph pushers and screw-down back
Date display	None shown in the cited examples

Where it sits in the line

Christie's traces the Oyster chronograph line through the 4537, 5034, 6034, and 6234. Hodinkee places the 6034 and 6234 among Rolex's early-1950s three-register Oyster chronographs. “Pre-Daytona” is later collector terminology; Rolex catalogues the 6034 as an Oyster Chronograph. Piccinini places it after the 4500 and before the 6234 and 6238. Christie's 1951 Hodinkee A Collected Man Piccinini

Production outline

Hodinkee dates its release to 1950. Phillips and Christie's estimate a run of about five years, while Christie's 2014 and Antiquorum's 2004 essays place production into the early 1960s. Auction lots reviewed here carry dates from circa 1950 through circa 1955. Published estimates therefore leave the endpoint unsettled. Hodinkee Phillips, 2025 Christie's, 2019 Christie's, 2014 Antiquorum, 2004 Antiquorum, 2019

The reviewed sources give no production total. Auction frequency alone cannot establish how many Rolex made, especially for a reference sold in several case metals and dial layouts.

Movement notes

Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips describe individual 6034 watches with manual Cal. 72 movements, generally listed as 17 jewels. Antiquorum's 2004 pink-gold lot gives a 13-ligne, 17-jewel movement but no caliber number. These descriptions support Cal. 72 in the named lots; they do not prove that every 6034 left the factory with the same movement designation or suffix. Christie's 1953 Sotheby's 2009 Phillips 2023 Antiquorum 2004

Dial map

The catalogued examples show several distinct layouts, but no source provides a complete factory dial chart:

Documented appearance	Evidence and limit
Silvered dial with red and blue telemeter/tachymeter scales	Sotheby's records a circa-1952 steel watch with gilt square indexes and red telemeter and blue tachymeter tracks. Other steel examples use different scale colors or arrangements. Sotheby's, lot 116
Silvered dial with applied diamond-shaped markers	Christie's records this on the 1951 18k-gold example, with an outer tachometer and inner blue telemeter scale. Christie's, case 847'636
Black dial with Arabic numerals	Christie's records a circa-1953 steel example with Arabic numerals and mile scales. This is one documented configuration; the catalogue does not establish how widely it was used. Christie's, case 907'407
Black dial with gilt details	Sotheby's describes a circa-1952 steel example with gilt indexes and hands. Its catalogue compares it with another 6034 carrying steel indexes and hands, showing that metal color could vary independently of the case metal. Sotheby's, lot 116
Pink dial with gold dart indexes and blue telemeter	Antiquorum records this on an 18k-pink-gold example sold in 2004. One listing cannot establish production numbers or dial originality. Antiquorum, lot 11
White dial with square and baton markers	Christie's records this on a circa-1954 pink-gold case; its essay calls the square-marker form “Egyptian,” a collector nickname rather than a Rolex variant name. Christie's, case 944'146
Multi-tone dial with black numerals	Phillips describes this on case 847'307, estimated circa 1953, and calls it an early variant. Both are the auction house's assessments of this example; a single lot cannot establish the reference's production sequence. Phillips, lot 99
Black dial described as tropical	Antiquorum's 2026 catalogue describes a 1955 yellow-gold example this way. “Tropical” describes the dial's aged appearance; the catalogue does not show that this was a separate factory dial specification. Antiquorum, lot 573

The cited catalogues describe three registers for running seconds, a 30-minute counter, and a 12-hour counter. Perimeter scales include tachymeter and telemeter combinations. Some catalogues specify miles; others leave the units unstated. Christie's prints “Anti-Magnetic” on the dial; the cited evidence does not identify a shield inside the case. Christie's, case 847'636 Sotheby's, lot 116

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Christie's describes the 6034 as a tonneau-shaped, water-resistant-type case with two round chronograph buttons in the band, a screw-down crown, and a screw back. Sotheby's also describes round pushers and a screw-down caseback. The pushers are round pump buttons. Case construction terms vary: Phillips and Christie's call examples two-body, while Piccinini calls the case three-piece. Antiquorum's 2022 lot title uses “Monoblock Case,” but gives no construction detail. The catalogues do not define these terms consistently. Christie's, 2019 Phillips, 2025 Piccinini Antiquorum

The cited dimensions range from 34 mm at Sotheby's in 2009, through 35 mm in Christie's 1951 gold lot, to 36 mm in multiple lots. Antiquorum gives 37 mm for case 692'692, estimated circa 1950. Catalogue measurements are approximate, and the available examples do not resolve whether this spread reflects measurement methods or case variation. The sources describe a smooth or chamfered bezel on cited examples; no full bezel variant sequence is established. The catalogues do not provide a consistent crystal specification. Antiquorum, lot 669

Phillips case 847'307: crown and round pump pushers. Photo: Phillips.
Phillips case 847'307: case number stamped inside the caseback. Photo: Phillips.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Phillips records a stainless-steel Oyster bracelet with a clasp stamped WAB on its circa-1953 steel example. Sotheby's lists an Oyster bracelet on a circa-1952 steel watch; its condition note warns that components may have been replaced. A circa-1955 pink-gold Phillips example has a 14k pink-gold bracelet with a Rolex clasp stamped 8BK. The Phillips essay says the original owner bought that bracelet later. These catalogues document bracelet combinations on individual watches; original-delivery fitment and a reference-wide end-link code remain unestablished. Phillips, 2023 Sotheby's, 2009 Phillips, 2025

Auction lots sometimes include boxes or papers, but those are properties of the individual sale, not standard 6034 equipment. The cited records do not establish reference-specific packaging.

Special branches

Gold cases appear in yellow and pink gold. Christie's says a small 14k series was also made, but the catalogues cited here do not identify an individual 14k 6034. A 1954 Christie's pink-gold watch has a white dial with square and baton markers; a 2004 Antiquorum pink-gold lot has a pink dial. The catalogues do not establish production ratios or a rule pairing a dial with a case metal. Antiquorum, case 944'123 Christie's, case 944'146 Antiquorum, lot 11

Phillips' case 847'307 has a black-numeral, multi-tone dial; Sotheby's records both gilt and steel-colored indexes on steel cases. These are useful comparison points, not formal factory sub-reference names.

Historical market and auction record

The following lots anchor the physical and documentary details above. Sale prices are included only where the catalogue exposes a result:

Sale record	What it documents
Christie's, 2012, case 847'636, made in 1951	18k gold, 35 mm, three registers, diamond-shaped markers, tachymeter and telemeter scales, round pushers, screw-down crown, screw back. Catalogue
Sotheby's, 2009, case 847'427, circa 1952	Steel, listed at 34 mm, Cal. 72/17 jewels, gilt square indexes, round pushers and screw-down back; bracelet also catalogued. Catalogue
Phillips Geneva XVII, 2023, case 847'307, circa 1953	Steel, 36 mm, Cal. 72/17 jewels, WAB-stamped Oyster bracelet, multi-tone dial; sold for CHF 69,850. Catalogue
Christie's, 2019, case 907'407, circa 1953	Steel, 36 mm, Cal. 72/17 jewels, black Arabic-numeral dial, round pushers and screw-back case. Catalogue
Antiquorum Geneva, 2004, lot 11	18k pink gold, pink dial, 36 mm, 13-ligne/17-jewel movement (no caliber named); sold for CHF 55,200. Catalogue
Antiquorum Geneva, 2019, lot 669, case 692'692, circa 1950	Steel example catalogued at 37 mm with Cal. 72; the size is outside the 34–36 mm range in the other cited lots. Catalogue
Antiquorum Geneva, 2026, lot 573	18k yellow gold, black dial described as tropical, circa 1955, Cal. 72/17 jewels, 36 mm; sold for CHF 87,500. Catalogue

Steel ref. 6034, case 847'307, circa 1953. Photo: Phillips.
Same watch, crown and pump-pusher view. Photo: Phillips.
Same watch, caseback marking. Photo: Phillips.