Rolex reference 2318

A checked version of this page, approved on 7 October 2026, was based on this revision.

Early Rolex wristwatches → 2318

Steel Rolex ref. 2318 with a silvered quartered Arabic dial — Ref. 2318, case 033015, catalogued circa 1934. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.

Ref. 2318 appears in auction and dealer records as a small, hand-wound Rolex wristwatch. The photographed examples have steel cases and small seconds, but their dials differ: Toovey's records a quartered Arabic dial, WatchNet shows a black Roman sector dial, and Shellman documents a Gammeter-signed dial with applied markers and baton hands. Toovey's WatchNet Shellman

Core facts

Detail	Documented information
Reference	Toovey's photographs show ref. 2318 above case number 033015. Lot-Art identifies its separate watch as ref. 2318 and records case number 026247. Toovey's Lot-Art
Case material and size	The examples cited here are steel. Catalogue measurements run from 30 to 31 mm; WatchNet and Bold Timepieces give 30.5 mm for their examples. WatchNet Bold Timepieces
Date evidence	Separate catalogue estimates place examples circa 1929, in 1932, circa 1934, in the 1930s and in the 1940s. Amsterdam Watch Company Vintage Watch Centre Toovey's WatchNet Lot-Art
Movement	Hand-wound. Toovey's photograph of case 033015 reads “15 RUBIES”; other listings report 15 jewels. No reviewed source identifies a numbered caliber. Toovey's Vintage Watch Centre
Case and dial	Snap-on or press-fit backs appear in several listings. Toovey's, Amsterdam Watch Company, Lot-Art and Bold Timepieces document silvered dials with Arabic numerals; WatchNet shows a black Roman sector dial, while Shellman records a Gammeter-signed dial with applied markers and baton hands. The examples have subsidiary seconds. Toovey's Amsterdam Watch Company Lot-Art Bold Timepieces WatchNet Shellman
Strap and buckle	Toovey's and Amsterdam Watch Company show leather straps. Lot-Art lists a Rolex steel buckle with its example; Amsterdam Watch Company describes an aftermarket buckle. Neither catalogue establishes original delivery. Toovey's Amsterdam Watch Company Lot-Art

Where it sits in the line

WatchNet and Shellman describe their ref. 2318 examples as non-Oyster. These dealer descriptions support the site's placement of 2318 under Other; they do not establish Rolex's factory family terminology. “Calatrava style,” used by several sellers, is a case-shape comparison rather than a documented Rolex model name.

Production outline

Amsterdam Watch Company estimates its example at circa 1929; Vintage Watch Centre dates case 033064 to 1932; Toovey's dates case 033015 to circa 1934; WatchNet gives only the decade; Lot-Art calls case 026247 a 1940s watch. These are estimates for individual watches. The records do not establish a serial sequence or the start and end of 2318 production. Amsterdam Watch Company Vintage Watch Centre Toovey's WatchNet Lot-Art

Movement notes

All reviewed descriptions identify a manual movement. Toovey's photograph of case 033015 shows the movement marked “15 RUBIES.” Bold Timepieces and Vintage Watch Centre also describe 15-jewel movements, while WatchNet gives a 10¾-ligne size for its example. These details belong to the cited watches. No source reviewed here supports assigning a numbered caliber to ref. 2318. Toovey's Bold Timepieces WatchNet

Hand-wound movement in Toovey's Rolex ref. 2318, marked 15 rubies — Movement in case 033015; the visible inscription reads “15 RUBIES.” Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.

Dial map

The catalogue descriptions document several layouts, but there is no evidence for a sequence among them.

Example	Published description
Toovey's, case 033015	Silvered quartered dial, Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds. Toovey's
Amsterdam Watch Company	Silver dial with raised gilt Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds. Amsterdam Watch Company
Lot-Art, case 026247	Silver-and-pink three-tone dial with painted Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds. Lot-Art
Bold Timepieces	Restored silver “bow-tie” dial with Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds. Bold Timepieces
Private Eyes / WatchNet	Black sector dial with Roman numerals and baton hands; the dealer calls the dial original. WatchNet
Shellman, case 20050	Gammeter-signed dial with applied bullet-shaped markers and baton hands. Gammeter-signed ref. 2318 listing

Each row describes a separate catalogued watch; the table does not imply a dial sequence.

Case 033015, quartered Arabic dial. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
Separate silver-dial example. Photo: Amsterdam Watch Company archive.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The catalogued cases are round and steel, with reported diameters from 30 to 31 mm. WatchNet, Shellman, Toovey's and Bold Timepieces describe snap-on or press-fit backs on their examples. WatchNet lists its watch as non-water-resistant. Bold Timepieces describes an unsigned crown and a replacement acrylic crystal on its restored example; AWCo lists acrylic for a different watch. These details do not establish the original crown or crystal specification across the reference. WatchNet Shellman Toovey's Bold Timepieces Amsterdam Watch Company

Toovey's photographs also show the inside of the caseback, stamped “Rolex 27 Records Universels.” The same wording appears in Bold Timepieces' description of a separate watch. The material reviewed here does not establish when or across which cases this marking was used. Toovey's Bold Timepieces

Case profile and crown, case 033015. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
Inside caseback of case 033015. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

The reviewed examples are shown on leather. Lot-Art records a Rolex steel buckle with case 026247; Amsterdam Watch Company describes an aftermarket steel buckle on its archived watch. These are sale-time pairings, not proof of original delivery. The available records do not establish a bracelet fitment or reference-specific packaging. Lot-Art Amsterdam Watch Company

Special branches

Shellman records a Gammeter double-signed example, case 20050, sold by the Singapore jeweller. Its description and photographs document that individual dial; no evidence reviewed here shows how many such watches were made. Shellman

Historical market and auction record

Sale	Recorded details
Toovey's, lot 1110, 7 December 2023	Case 033015; circa 1934; 30 mm steel; silvered quartered Arabic dial; leather strap. Hammer: £500.
Lot-Art, lot 158, 6 November 2021	Case 026247; described as 1940s; 31 mm steel; silver-and-pink dial; Rolex steel buckle. The archive does not identify the auction house or expose the result.

Gallery

Case 033015, silvered quartered dial. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
Separate silver-dial example. Photo: Amsterdam Watch Company archive.
Case profile and crown, case 033015. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
Inside caseback, case 033015. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.
Movement marked 15 rubies, case 033015. Photo: Toovey's, lot 1110.

Sources