Rolex 6074 Oyster Perpetual Date

Platinum Rolex 6074 with black honeycomb dial, smooth bezel and red roulette date — Published platinum example of the 6074, photographed by John Goldberger and reproduced by Le Monde Edmond

The 6074 is a date-equipped Big Bubbleback. Antiquorum and John Goldberger describe a platinum commission made in 1950 in two examples; the illustrated watch has a black honeycomb dial, smooth bezel, roulette date and platinum Jubilee bracelet. Their measurements differ: Antiquorum gives 35mm, while Goldberger gives 36mm.

Auction houses have also catalogued gold watches as 6074. The 1990 catalogue omits a case number, and a gold watch examined in a 2015 restoration had earlier 6030 and 6031 numbers struck out before 6074 was stamped on the caseback. The gold 6074 remains a disputed attribution.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	6074
family	Oyster Perpetual Date / Big Bubbleback / Ovettone
date	Date at 3 o'clock; date-change behavior varies across the movement descriptions
platinum example	Two watches reported made in 1950; black honeycomb dial; smooth bezel; platinum Jubilee bracelet
gold attributions	Listed by Antiquorum in 1990 and 2025; factory status unresolved
case diameter	Platinum lot: 35mm in Antiquorum, 36mm in Goldberger; 1990 gold lot: 34mm
case construction	Tonneau Oyster with screwed back; Goldberger describes the platinum case as two-body
case material	Platinum commission documented; 18K gold examples catalogued with uncertain attribution
movement	Watch-specific caliber attributions; see Movement notes
dial text	The pictured platinum dial reads "Oyster Perpetual"; the "Datejust" signature is absent
bracelet	Platinum Jubilee described for the platinum example; clasp stamped 1-50 in Goldberger's published photograph

Where it sits in the line

The 6074 belongs to the date-equipped Big Bubbleback group around refs. 6031 and 6075. Italian auction houses use Ovettone for the larger 36mm Bubbleback form and distinguish it from the smaller Ovetto; the 6074 appears in that larger group. The exact case measurements reported for individual 6074 examples vary, so the family label should not be used as a measurement for every watch.

The platinum example is an unusual commission in that group. Antiquorum and Goldberger both describe two platinum examples made in 1950. Gold watches catalogued as 6074 remain disputed attributions.

Production outline

Antiquorum's 1992 catalogue dates its platinum lot to 1950 and says two were made for the caseback inscription, "The Rolex Jubilee-Custom made The noblest of metal." Goldberger's 2013 book also gives two examples and reports that one is unaccounted for. The engraving, bracelet and description suggest that the 1992 lot and Goldberger's published watch may be the same example; their chain of custody is undocumented. The published records date the platinum pair without naming their case serials.

A separate gold watch identified as 6074 by Henrik Korpela at SJX had movement 56567, which Korpela identifies as Cal. 630 NA. Its caseback showed 6030 and 6031 scratched out with 6074 stamped over them. Antiquorum's 1990 gold lot omits a case number; its 2025 gold lot says the number was no longer visible. These catalogues document gold watches assigned the number, while the case evidence leaves their factory status open.

Movement notes

The surviving records give different movement descriptions, and only the SJX restoration names a caliber. Antiquorum's 1992 platinum lot lists a 9¾-ligne, 17-jewel movement with shock protection; the catalogue leaves the caliber unnamed. Its 1990 gold lot lists an 11-ligne, 18-jewel movement, also without a caliber name. Korpela identifies Cal. 630 NA in the restored gold watch; that watch's caseback had been reworked. Keep the attribution attached to that watch, since the records do not establish a reference-wide assignment.

The movement index gives the broader Cal. 630 lineage and keeps the 6074's watch-specific caliber descriptions separate.

Dial map

The published platinum example has a black honeycomb dial, applied faceted markers, a printed minute track, "ROLEX / OYSTER PERPETUAL" below the coronet and "OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED CHRONOMETER" above six. Its date wheel shows alternating red and black numerals. The dial carries the "Oyster Perpetual" signature, without the later "Datejust" wording.

The 1992 Antiquorum catalogue describes the platinum lot's hands as platinum Dauphine. Goldberger's photograph shows long alpha-style hands with luminous inserts. The sources appear to describe the same watch, but leave the difference unexplained. Antiquorum's 1990 gold lot describes a white dial with applied gold indexes and radium feuille hands. The published examples offer a limited dial and hand record.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The platinum example has a tonneau-shaped case. Antiquorum measured its 1992 lot at 35mm; Goldberger gives 36mm for the illustrated watch. Antiquorum describes a screwed back and crown, and Goldberger calls the case two-body. The 1990 gold lot is listed at 34mm, a separate example and material attribution.

The platinum watch's bezel is smooth. Watchlover's reference-specific caption describes it that way, and the published photograph shows a plain polished bezel. The reeded bezel pictured on adjacent 6075 examples should not be carried over to the 6074.

The inner caseback of the platinum example is stamped 6074 and marked PT 0,950, with a Geneva assay poinçon. That is direct evidence for the photographed case's material. Published 6074 descriptions leave the crystal material and exact crown type open.

Inner caseback of the platinum example, stamped 6074 and PT 0,950

Caseback engraving

The outer caseback carries the inscription, "The Rolex Jubilee-Custom made the noblest of metal." Goldberger reproduces the wording and identifies the watch as platinum. It links the Jubilee bracelet and case metal in one presentation line; the recipient remains unnamed in published accounts.

Goldberger, 100 Superlative Rolex Watches, p. 164: engraving and clasp stamped 1-50

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

Antiquorum's 1992 platinum lot and Goldberger's book describe a platinum Jubilee bracelet with a deployant clasp. Goldberger's photograph shows the clasp code 1-50. That code dates the bracelet component, not the watch head, and cannot show whether Rolex delivered the bracelet with it.

The gold lots from 1990 and 2025 are described on leather straps with gold buckles. The strap details belong to those individual watches; a standard gold 6074 configuration remains undocumented.

Special branches

The platinum commission and the gold attributions form separate evidence groups. Antiquorum's 1990 lot lists an 18K gold 6074 with a white dial, 34mm case and 11-ligne, 18-jewel movement. Its 2025 lot also lists 18K gold, at 35mm, but gives no readable case number. Korpela's restored gold watch has Cal. 630 NA and a caseback re-marked from 6030/6031 to 6074. Taken together, these records leave the factory status of a gold 6074 unresolved.

Auction record

Antiquorum's Geneva sale on 14 October 1990 offered a gold watch catalogued as ref. 6074, dated to the 1950s and measured at 34mm. It sold for CHF 6,325; the lot omits a case number. Antiquorum's Vicenza Oro sale on 18 January 1992 offered the platinum 6074, dated 1950, with a 35mm measurement and an estimate of ITL 30,000–35,000; the archived listing carries no result. Antiquorum's Geneva sale on 8 November 2025 again catalogued a gold 6074, dated circa 1950s and measured at 35mm. It sold for CHF 7,500; the case number was recorded as no longer visible.

Related references

Platinum 6074 with black honeycomb dial and smooth bezel
Inner caseback stamped 6074 and PT 0,950
Goldberger's published page with engraved caseback and clasp