Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1506

A checked version of this page, approved on 21 October 2026, was based on this revision.

The 1506 is a yellow-gold Oyster Perpetual Date with a patterned bezel, often paired in auction records with a matching bracelet. Catalogues measure examples at 34 mm and 35 mm and describe champagne, silver, brown, blue, and slate-colored dials. Auction catalogues date individual watches to 1964–1967; one seller dates a blue-dial example to 1960. These records do not establish the reference’s production span or full factory variant range.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	1506; one auction catalogue writes 1506/1503
model	Oyster Perpetual Date
documented dates	One seller dates an example to 1960; auction records date examples to 1964, circa 1965, and 1967. These are object dates, not production boundaries.
documented case material	18k yellow gold in several detailed records; one listing reports 14k yellow gold, and an archive title reports white gold without identifying details
case diameter	34 mm in the Heritage and Antiquorum catalogues; an EveryWatch transcription of the 1964 Christie’s lot gives 35 mm
movement	Cal. 1570 in two auction catalogues; a separate listing says 1575 although its movement photo shows a bridge marked 1570
bezel descriptions	“Chine” in auction descriptions and collector charts; some listings also call it “Greek Key”
documented dials	Champagne, silver/satiné, blue, brown, and slate; these are individual records, not a complete range
bracelet evidence	Gold tile-link or brick-pattern bracelets are paired with several examples; original delivery and reference-specific fitment are unproved

Where it sits in the line

The 1506 is part of the four-digit Oyster Perpetual Date group. A collector chart labels its bezel “Chine” and assigns “Greek Key” to the 1509. Some auction listings also call the 1506 bezel “Greek Key,” while other catalogues use “Chine.” That makes Chine the more consistent label in the records reviewed here; Rolex’s own terminology is not documented in the sources found for this page.

Production outline

Dated records run from a seller-assigned 1960 date on a blue-dial example to Antiquorum’s 1967 catalogue entry. Christie’s dates case 1,117,252 to 1964; Heritage dates case 1,063,296 to circa 1965. Those catalogue dates reverse the serial order, so they anchor the individual watches rather than a precise serial chronology. The records gathered here do not establish production start or end dates.

An EveryWatch archive title describes a white-gold, blue-dial 1506, but the entry gives no serial, movement, dimensions, or date. It is a useful lead, not a confirmed variant.

Movement notes

Cal. 1570 appears in the 1964 Christie’s record transcription and the 1965 and 1967 auction catalogues. One listing assigns Cal. 1575, while its open-watch photograph shows a bridge marked 1570 and an inner caseback stamped 1503. Date-capable movements in the 1575 family can carry a 1570 bridge marking; the bridge engraving records that component, while the listing supplies the 1575 designation. See Reference:Movements.

The photographed bridge reads 1570; the inner caseback is stamped 1503.

Dial map

Auction descriptions record champagne on Heritage’s circa-1965 watch, silver satiné on Antiquorum’s 1967 example, brown satiné in the Christie’s transcription, and blue on a seller-dated 1960 watch. Fourtane calls its slate dial “sniper,” the seller’s term. An EveryWatch archive calls a partial-serial 1.063XXX dial “Zephyr”; that prefix may match Heritage case 1,063,296, catalogued with a champagne dial. Bob’s Watches gives partial serial 1525XXX for a brown dial, which may overlap with Antiquorum case 1,525,920, catalogued with silver. Until the watches can be matched by photographs or full serials, treat these as conflicting descriptions rather than separate factory variants. partial-serial Zephyr listing partial-serial brown-dial listing

Blue dial on the watch in lot 4037.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The detailed auction catalogues describe yellow-gold cases. Heritage and Antiquorum give 34 mm; the Christie’s transcription gives 35 mm for case 1,117,252. A Fourtane listing reports 14k gold, though its page exposes no serial or movement photograph (archived listing). Heritage specifies a snap bezel, screw-down caseback and acrylic crystal. Antiquorum describes a screw-down back and crown, cyclops lens, graduated bezel, and tonneau-shaped case. Keep those construction details attached to their respective lot records.

The photographed inner caseback is stamped 1503; the listing identifies the watch as ref. 1506. Antiquorum separately catalogs a watch as “1506/1503.” The source records leave the relationship between the external reference and inner stamp unresolved. The image confirms the stamp on that watch only.

Auction catalogues and the collector chart most often call the patterned bezel Chine. The chart assigns Greek Key to ref. 1509, though some listings use that name for the 1506 as well. The sources gathered here document collector and auction usage, not Rolex’s own bezel terminology.

Lot 4037: patterned bezel
Lot 4037: exterior caseback

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging

Auction catalogues pair gold 1506 watches with tile-link or patterned gold bracelets. The blue-dial example has a brick-pattern bracelet with 38 links according to its listing; the circa-1965 catalogue records a Chine-finish bracelet whose clasp is stamped “65 1.” The Antiquorum catalogue describes a tile-link bracelet and deployant clasp. These records document sale-time pairings; original delivery to each watch remains unverified.

The “65 1” stamp dates the bracelet component, not the watch head. Bracelet reference, end-link number, factory delivery, and packaging remain undocumented for these examples.

Lot 4037: brick-pattern bracelet
Lot 4037: clasp stamped 760

Special branches

One archived listing describes a white-gold, blue-dial 1506 but supplies no case number, movement, or dimensions (archived listing). Its identification and metal remain unverified; it is a reported listing, not an established factory branch.

Historical market and auction record

record	object-level details
Christie's, lot 5158504	Gold Date ref. 1506; case 1,117,252; dated 1964. An EveryWatch transcription of the Christie’s record describes an 18k case, Cal. 1570 with 25 jewels, brown satiné dial, acrylic crystal, screw-down caseback and Twinlock crown; it gives 35 mm, against the 34 mm measurements in other catalogues.
Heritage Auctions, lot 54133, 16 November 2022	Circa-1965 18k yellow-gold 1506; case 1,063,296; 34 mm; champagne dial; Cal. 1570, 25 jewels; acrylic crystal; Chine-finish bracelet, clasp stamped 65 1. An archive listing partial serial 1.063XXX describes a “Zephyr” dial and could refer to this watch; the identity is unresolved.
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, lot 127, 8 June 2008	Catalogue uses 1506/1503; case 1,525,920; dated 1967; 18k yellow gold; 34 mm; silver satiné dial; Cal. 1570, 26 jewels; tile-link bracelet.
Loupe This, lot 4037	Seller-dated 1960; 18k yellow gold; 34 mm; blue dial; listed as Cal. 1575. Photographs show a movement bridge marked 1570 and an inner caseback stamped 1503.

Gallery

Lot 4037: blue dial
Lot 4037: bezel pattern
Lot 4037: movement and inner caseback
Lot 4037: caseback
Lot 4037: bracelet
Lot 4037: clasp