Rolex ref. 8952 Precision

A checked version of this page, approved on 17 October 2026, was based on this revision.

Found 5 images across 6 slots for 8952

Reference:8952

Ref. 8952 is a manual-wind Rolex Precision with central seconds. Auction catalogues document yellow- and pink-gold cases, several bezel treatments and dial layouts, and both snap-on and screw-down casebacks. The records describe individual watches; the production sequence remains uncharted.

Sotheby's dates examples to circa 1952, 1955 and 1968. Phillips dates one to circa 1945 but also assigns it Cal. 1210, which Colin White's The Vintage Rolex Field Manual dates from 1954. That early date and caliber pairing is unresolved, so it does not set the reference's start date.

Core facts

detail	documented information
line	Precision; auction catalogues identify ref. 8952 as a manual-wind watch
date evidence	Catalogue dates include circa 1952, 1955, 1956 and 1968; the case number on the circa-1952 example also fits other serial-chart periods
movement	Cal. 1210 is named for some examples; 17 and 18 jewels are both reported
seconds	Central seconds in the catalogued examples
case material	14K and 18K yellow or pink gold, as described by the catalogues
case diameter	35 mm and 35.5 mm examples
bezel	Engine-turned, milled, reeded or graduated, and calibrated descriptions appear in separate records
bracelet and strap	Catalogues show leather straps and list Rolex buckles on some watches; original delivery status is unknown
production span	Start and end dates remain undocumented

Where it sits in the line

The catalogues place the 8952 among hand-wound Precision watches. Collector sources sometimes call it a Metropolitan and group it with ref. 4325, a separate small-seconds design. Metropolitan is informal collector usage; whether the two references share all case details remains unclear.

Production outline

The clearest date anchors come from separate auction records. Sotheby's dates a 14K yellow-gold example, case 351427, circa 1952. Crescent Watch Guys' collector chart places that number in both its mid-1940s pre-reset band and its late-1950s post-reset band. The chart is an estimate and cannot corroborate Sotheby's circa-1952 date. (Crescent Watch Guys serial chart) Another Sotheby's lot dates a pink-gold 8952 circa 1955; Monaco Legend dates a second pink-gold example to 1956. Sotheby's places an 18K yellow-gold case, number 1944365, circa 1968.

Phillips dates its 14K pink-gold 8952 to circa 1945. That same catalogue assigns Cal. 1210, while White's Field Manual gives 1954–1964 for that caliber. Other auction records place Cal. 1210 on circa-1955 and circa-1956 examples. The Phillips date and movement attribution conflict with White's chronology. Keep circa 1945 as a disputed catalogue date, not a production start.

The 1955, 1956 and 1968 catalogue dates place the reference in use by the mid-1950s. The first and last production years remain unknown, as does any chronology behind the metal and dial differences.

Movement notes

Sotheby's identifies manual Cal. 1210, movement N99027, with 18 jewels in its circa-1955 pink-gold example. Monaco Legend also lists Cal. 1210 for a 1956 pink-gold watch but gives no jewel count. Phillips assigns Cal. 1210 and 17 jewels to its circa-1945 watch. Sotheby's describes a 17-jewel movement in its circa-1952 example and does not name the caliber; its circa-1968 record also leaves the caliber unnamed.

The 17- and 18-jewel reports belong to different lots; no changeover is documented. The Sotheby's 1952 photo set shows the outside of the watch, while the movement remains unseen. Phillips's circa-1945 attribution conflicts with the Field Manual's Cal. 1210 chronology. None of the cited catalogues includes a photograph of an 8952 movement.

Dial map

The catalogues show several layouts without a dated progression. Phillips describes an ivory honeycomb dial with an inner ring of pink-gold pearls. Sotheby's 2025 photographs a gilt dial marked “Precision,” with applied markers and central seconds. A separate Sotheby's example has a black dial and applied batons; its 1968 yellow-gold watch has a gold dial with baton indexes.

Monaco Legend describes a silvered dial marked “Officially Certified Chronometer,” with applied rectangular markers and alpha hands. That is one documented dial branch; its frequency and relation to “Precision”-signed dials remain unclear.

Gilt dial marked Precision; Sotheby's 2025, lot 8932

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The catalogue measurements are 35 mm and 35.5 mm. Sources describe both yellow- and pink-gold cases in 14K and 18K. These records document examples; the full material range remains unknown.

Bezel descriptions include engine-turned, milled, reeded or graduated, and calibrated treatments. Sotheby's reports a snap-on back on its circa-1952 and circa-1955 examples, while its circa-1968 entry says screw-down. The records leave the order and scope of these case variations open. Catalogue sources leave standard crystal and crown details unspecified.

Crown-side profile of the Sotheby's 2025 example, lot 8932.
Opposite case profile of the same watch.
Outer caseback of the same watch; the photograph shows the exterior surface only.

Bracelets, clasps, and packaging

The sourced examples are shown or catalogued on leather straps. Sotheby's lists Rolex buckles with its circa-1952, circa-1955 and circa-1968 watches; Phillips lists a gilt Rolex buckle. Original delivery status remains unknown for each strap and buckle. Bracelet, end-link and clasp-code fitments have no reference-specific map in the records reviewed. The auction records used here describe no box or paper set.

Historical market and auction record

catalogue date	example	record
circa 1945, disputed	14K pink gold, 35.5 mm, ivory honeycomb dial, central seconds; Cal. 1210 and 17 jewels as catalogued	Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction: THREE, lot 1037
circa 1952, Sotheby's attribution	Case 351427; 14K yellow gold, gilt Precision dial, 17-jewel mechanical movement, 35 mm; serial charts also allow other periods	Sotheby's, Fine Watches 2, lot 8932
circa 1955	Pink gold, 35.5 mm, black dial, Cal. 1210, 18 jewels, movement N99027	Sotheby's, Important Watches, Geneva, lot 263
1956	Case 232949; pink gold, 35.5 mm, Cal. 1210, Officially Certified Chronometer dial	Monaco Legend Group, lot 57
circa 1968	Case 1944365; 18K yellow gold, 35.5 mm, gold dial, 17-jewel manual movement	Sotheby's, Fine Timepieces, Hong Kong, lot 683

Gallery

Gilt Precision dial and yellow-gold case; Sotheby's 2025, lot 8932.
Dial detail from the same watch.
Crown-side profile.
Opposite case profile.
Plain outer caseback of the Sotheby's 2025 example.

Sources

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 [hero] Ref_8952_hero.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/8952/images/public/Ref_8952_hero.webp
 [dial-detail] Ref_8952_dial-detail.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/8952/images/public/Ref_8952_dial-detail.webp
 [crown] Ref_8952_crown.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/8952/images/public/Ref_8952_crown.webp
 [opposite-flank] Ref_8952_opposite-flank.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/8952/images/public/Ref_8952_opposite-flank.webp
 [caseback] Ref_8952_caseback.webp <- /Users/pawelb/workspace/rolexopedia/deliverables/references/8952/images/public/Ref_8952_caseback.webp