Rolex Oyster Perpetual 5010

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

The 5010 is a self-winding Oyster Perpetual with centre seconds. Auction and dealer records place individual examples between circa 1945 and 1955, but they do not establish the production span. Documented watches include steel and two-tone cases, several dial layouts, and one bezel engraved for the 1950 Holy Year.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	5010
model line	Oyster Perpetual; grouped with Bubblebacks by collectors
production	Catalogue examples circa 1945–1955; production endpoints unverified.
movement	Self-winding, centre seconds; catalogues describe a 9¾-ligne movement size. A numbered caliber remains unconfirmed.
case	Steel cases and steel cases with pink- or yellow-gold parts appear in catalogues; reported diameters are 31–33 mm.
dial	Catalogue and dealer descriptions include black Arabic-and-dagger, salmon Arabic-and-baton, silvered baton, white gilt-marker, and Arabic-numeral layouts; factory range unknown.
bracelet	One auctioned example has a C&I expandable Oyster bracelet; original fitment and end-link numbers remain unestablished.

Where it sits in the line

Collectors group the 5010 with Bubblebacks, the early automatic Oyster watches with a domed back. The term is a collector label; see the Bubbleback and early Oyster guide.

Production outline

Christie’s dates a steel-and-pink-gold example circa 1945. Burstow & Hewett dates case 625463 circa 1947. Antiquorum and a Barnebys archive list separate cases, 646'799 and 646740, as 1948 examples; The Auction Room estimates case 655756 at circa 1949, and Phillips dates case 655'677 to 1950. Bonhams describes case 35873, stamped II.55 inside, as circa 1955. These dates belong to individual watches; they do not establish the reference's production start or end.

Movement notes

Phillips gives the 1950 Anno Sancto watch an automatic 9¾-ligne movement with 18 jewels. Antiquorum lists a 9¾-ligne movement in its 1948 example; a 2004 Bonhams catalogue transcription gives 19 jewels for another 5010. Barnebys reports movement number N15018 in case 646740. Jewel counts and movement numbers belong to those individual watches.

The movement guide treats 9¾ lignes as a size class. The cited records give no numbered caliber for these specimens.

Dial map

Descriptions of individual watches include black Arabic-and-dagger, salmon Arabic-and-baton, silvered baton, white gilt-marker, and all-Arabic layouts. Christie’s describes applied dagger markers and Arabic numerals. Burstow & Hewett records a salmon-pink dial with quarterly Arabic numerals and batons, blued pencil hands, and red centre seconds; The Auction Room's circa-1949 watch has a silvered dial with gold-tone batons. Bonhams describes a circa-1955 white dial with gilt batons, alternating dart and Roman-numeral quarter markers, and gilt leaf hands. The circa-1948 listing for item SBUXYT2384 describes Arabic numerals and alpha hands. These are descriptions of separate watches; the factory range is not established.

The Auction Room London, lot 20: silvered dial with gold-tone baton markers.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Catalogue diameters range from 31 to 33 mm: Phillips and Antiquorum give 32 mm, The Auction Room gives 31 mm, and a 2004 Bonhams record gives 33 mm. Christie’s describes hooded lugs. Antiquorum calls its 1948 case stainless steel and gold and identifies the watch as retailed by Serpico y Laino.

Christie’s and Austin describe screw-down crowns. The catalogue descriptions reviewed here do not identify the crystal material.

The records include plain bezels. Phillips also documents case 655'677 with an engraved bezel reading “ANNO SANCTO” and a Latin dedication to the Holy Year of 1950. That catalogue treats the inscription as a feature of this watch; a reference-wide bezel range is not established.

Phillips, lot 282: bezel engraving on the 1950 Anno Sancto example
The Auction Room London, lot 20, case 655756: side profile and leather strap

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Most cited catalogue records show a leather strap. Phillips lists a gold-plated Rolex buckle; Antiquorum lists a stainless-steel Rolex buckle. These records describe buckles rather than bracelets.

Austin Auction Gallery's 2026 listing pairs case 625221 with a riveted expandable Oyster bracelet and clasp marked C&I 1-66. The 1966 stamp dates the clasp component, not the watch head; the bracelet guide explains the limits of clasp dating. The lot shows one bracelet paired with a 5010, but does not establish original delivery or a reference-wide end-link fit. A Rolex Forums owner example also shows a two-tone 5010 on a riveted bracelet, but supplies no factory documentation.

Austin Auction Gallery, 2026: expandable bracelet paired with case 625221
Austin Auction Gallery, 2026: clasp marked Rolex U.S.A., C&I, and 1-66

Special branches

Phillips records one 1950 “ANNO SANCTO” watch with an engraved bezel commemorating the Roman Catholic Holy Year and naming Pius XII. The catalogue describes a two-tone steel and yellow-gold case, a leather strap, and a gold-plated Rolex buckle.

Auction record

record	details recorded	limit
Christie’s, lot 856369	Ref. 5010; circa 1945; stainless steel and pink gold; black Arabic-and-dagger dial; hooded lugs; 32 mm	Catalogue date and description apply to this watch; no serial or caliber is given in the text.
Antiquorum, Geneva, 13 May 2018, lot 136	Serpico y Laino; case 646'799; dated 1948; steel and gold; 9¾ lignes; 32 mm; patinated dial	Catalogue reports a stainless-steel Rolex buckle; it does not establish bracelet fitment.
The Auction Room London, lot 20	Case 655756; estimated circa 1949; two-tone case; silvered baton dial; 31 mm	Listing supplies five photographs; no movement number or result is shown.
Burstow & Hewett, 27 February 2026, lot 1007	Ref. 5010; case 625463; circa 1947; two-tone case; salmon-pink Arabic-and-baton dial; 32 mm	Catalogue description of one watch; no numbered caliber is given.
Barnebys archived lot	Ref. 5010 engraved between lugs; case 646740; circa 1948; movement N15018; 32 mm	Archive does not identify the auctioneer; bracelet is described as non-original.
Jones & Horan, lot 366	Ref. 5010; serial 646754; stainless-steel case; refinished silvered dial toned tan	Archived catalogue transcription; no movement or date supplied.
Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction TWO, 7–8 November 2015, lot 282	Case 655'677; movement 29377/N134; dated 1950; “ANNO SANCTO” engraved bezel; 9¾ lignes, 18 jewels; 32 mm	One commemorative example; estimate CHF 30,000–60,000; sold CHF 37,500.
Bonhams, New Bond Street, 20 April 2004, lot 259	Ref. 5010; 1940s; two-tone case; silvered baton dial; 19-jewel automatic movement; 33 mm	Catalogue text does not name a caliber or give a case number.
Bonhams, Paris, 24 May 2022, lot 276	Ref. 5010; estimated circa 1955; case 35873; inner caseback stamped II.55; movement N98383; white dial; 32 mm	Catalogue record for one stainless-steel watch; estimate does not establish a production endpoint.
Austin Auction Gallery, 3 May 2026	Case serial 625221; black dial; gold-tone bezel; screw-down crown; 32 mm; expandable riveted Oyster bracelet; clasp C&I 1-66	The clasp code dates the bracelet component, not the watch head or original fitment.

Related references

See the Bubbleback and early Oyster guide, bracelet guide, movement guide, and serial-number guide. The case numbers listed here are individual catalogue observations; no 5010 serial chart has been established.

Gallery

The Auction Room London, lot 20, case 655756: silvered baton dial and two-tone case
The Auction Room London, lot 20: external caseback
The Auction Room London, lot 20: dial detail
Phillips, 2015, lot 282: Anno Sancto bezel engraving, a separate 1950 watch
The Auction Room London, lot 20: side profile
Austin Auction Gallery, 2026: C&I expandable Oyster bracelet paired with case 625221
Austin Auction Gallery, 2026: clasp marked Rolex U.S.A., C&I, and 1-66

Sources