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Rolex 4643 square Perpetual

From Rolexopedia



Early Perpetuals and Bubblebacks → 4643

Yellow-gold Rolex ref. 4643 with silver dial and applied markers
Antiquorum, 2017 lot 339; catalogued as a late-1940s example.

Ref. 4643 is a square-cased automatic Rolex with subsidiary seconds. Catalogues variously call it a Perpetual, an Oyster Perpetual, or a Bubbleback; this page uses “square Perpetual.”

Core facts

Detail Documented record
Model wording Auction titles use “Perpetual” and “Officially Certified Chronometer”; Christie’s also uses “Super Precision” for its 1952 example.[1][2] Display Hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds[3][4] Case Square, usually described as about 28 × 28 mm. Other listings give 26 mm length, 36 mm length, 28 × 29 mm, or 28 × 37 mm including lugs.[5][6][7][8] Case metals Auction records describe 10K, 14 ct and 18 ct gold examples, in yellow and pink/rose gold[5][9][10] Movement Automatic with subsidiary seconds. Lot descriptions give 8¾- and 9¾-ligne sizes. Ineichen names Cal. 620 on one 1940s example; Antiquorum’s 2006 note separately mentions Cal. 520.[11][12][13] Dated records Auction catalogues date examples to the 1940s and 1952; factory production endpoints remain unresolved[14][2][12]

Where it sits in the line

Christie’s calls the 4643 the first non-Oyster watch to use the Perpetual movement; a separate Christie’s lot calls it an Oyster Perpetual.[14][15] The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists a square yellow-gold chronometer, while Antiquorum and HVMC apply “Bubbleback” to individual examples.[16][17][8]

“Square Perpetual” is used here as a neutral working label.

Production outline

Auction catalogues date individual examples from the 1940s to 1952. Christie’s describes the model as produced from 1946 to 1952 in one entry and from the mid-1940s to the early 1950s in another.[18][2] Antiquorum’s 2002 Hong Kong note gives 1946–1952; its 2006 note gives 1946–1956.[19][12] The auction notes leave the end date unsettled.

Auctioneers date individual cases rather than a continuous serial run. Antiquorum assigns case 641390 to 1948.[12] Christie’s dates case 568342 to circa 1950 and case 824707 to 1952.[9][2]

Movement notes

Catalogues describe automatic movements with subsidiary seconds in 8¾- or 9¾-ligne sizes. Ineichen names Cal. 620 on case A60906.[13] Antiquorum’s 2006 note mentions Cal. 520 but leaves its link to case 641390 unclear; Christie’s gives 8¾ lignes for case 824707.[12][2] The records leave any caliber changeover unresolved.

Catalogue Movement description Lot-specific detail
Ineichen, 2017 Cal. 620 Case A60906, catalogue dates it to the 1940s
Antiquorum, 2006 8¾′′′, 19 jewels Case 641390, dated to 1948; Cal. 520 appears in a separate catalogue note
Christie’s, 2012 (watch dated 1952) Cal. 8¾′′′; 16 jewels Lot 204, case 824707
Antiquorum, 1994 and 2017 9¾′′′; 19 jewels Separate 28 mm gold examples

Ligne notation records a movement’s size; a numbered caliber needs a separate attribution. The catalogues leave the 9¾-ligne examples without a more exact assignment.

Dial map

Auction lots document several layouts; the table keeps uncommon configurations tied to their individual watches.

Documented dial Details Record and limits
Matte silver with pyramidal and baton markers Applied yellow-gold markers, dauphine hands and small seconds Antiquorum’s 2017 example; the catalogue describes its hands as original.[1]
White or silver with dart, lozenge or triangular markers Examples use different applied markers; Christie’s also records down-turned lugs and a monogrammed case on one pink-gold watch Antiquorum 2002 and Christie’s circa-1948 lot.[11][6]
Glossy black with Arabic and baton numerals Subsidiary seconds; the listed case is 10K gold and measures 26 mm in length Christie’s circa-1950 lot; dimensions and metal apply to that watch.[5]
Grené cream with Roman numerals and applied markers 18K rose-gold example, catalogued at 28 × 28 mm Finarte, 2025.[10]
Silvered matte with dagger numerals and diamond indexes at 3, 9 and 12 Christie’s describes an 18K gold example made in 1952 One documented gem-set dial configuration.[2]
Reprinted silver dial Antiquorum identifies the dial as reprinted; this documents condition rather than an original dial branch.[7]
  • Finarte, 2025 lot 186: grené cream dial with Roman numerals and applied markers.
    Finarte, 2025 lot 186: grené cream dial with Roman numerals and applied markers.
  • Antiquorum, 2025 lot 464: silver dial identified in the condition report as reprinted.
    Antiquorum, 2025 lot 464: silver dial identified in the condition report as reprinted.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Catalogues describe stepped sides, straight lugs and a domed crystal. Antiquorum’s 2017 Geneva and 2025 Hong Kong examples have snap-on backs; Christie’s records the same construction on its 1952 watch.[1][8][2]

Most catalogued examples measure about 28 mm square. Christie’s gives 26 mm length for a 10K example and 36 mm for a monogrammed pink-gold case; Antiquorum gives 28 × 29 mm for its 2025 Hong Kong example and 28 × 37 mm including lugs for another. The listings use different measurements, with no explanation of the method.[3][12][7][8][5][6]

The front-view photographs show a crown at three o’clock. The catalogues leave its type unnamed.[1][10]

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

The cited examples are shown on leather straps. Christie’s records signed Rolex gold buckles; Finarte describes its Rolex buckle as gold-plated. Bracelet fitment and original delivery remain unverified.[20][10]

Auction record

Sale Lot Example described by the catalogue Result
Antiquorum, Geneva, 1994 143 18 ct gold; silver dial; 9¾-ligne movement; 28 × 28 mm CHF 6,900[3]
Antiquorum, New York, 2002 111 18K pink gold; white dial with dart markers; 8¾-ligne movement; 28 × 28 mm USD 4,140[11]
Christie’s, London, 2003 97 14 ct gold; case 568342; silver dial; snap-on back; 28 mm GBP 1,997[9]
Christie’s, New York, 2008 47 Pink gold; movement A78921; silvered dial with lozenge and triangular markers USD 11,250[6][21]
Antiquorum, Geneva, 2006 5 18K yellow gold; case 641390; 8¾-ligne movement; 28 × 28 mm CHF 8,850[12]
Christie’s, Hong Kong, 2012 4997 10K gold; glossy black dial; Arabic and baton numerals; 26 mm length HKD 11,250 (USD 1,448)[5][21]
Christie’s, Geneva, 2012 204 Case 824707; 18K gold; diamond-set indexes; 8¾-ligne movement; watch dated 1952 CHF 6,875[2][21]
Antiquorum, Geneva, 2017 339 18K yellow gold; silver dial; 9¾-ligne movement; 28 × 28 mm —[1]
Finarte, Milan, 2025 186 18K rose gold; grené cream dial with Roman numerals; 28 × 28 mm €5,040 including buyer’s premium[10]
Antiquorum, Geneva, 2025 464 18K pink gold; 9¾-ligne movement; 28 × 37 mm including lugs; dial reprinted CHF 8,125[7]
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 2025 241 18K yellow gold; case 95966; 9¾-ligne movement; 28 × 29 mm; dial reprinted HKD 22,500[8]

Gallery

  • Antiquorum, 2017 lot 339: yellow-gold example with silver dial and subsidiary seconds.
    Antiquorum, 2017 lot 339: yellow-gold example with silver dial and subsidiary seconds.
  • Finarte, 2025 lot 186: cream Roman-numeral dial.
    Finarte, 2025 lot 186: cream Roman-numeral dial.
  • Antiquorum, 2025 lot 464: reprinted silver dial.
    Antiquorum, 2025 lot 464: reprinted silver dial.

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Antiquorum, Geneva, 14 May 2017, lot 339.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Christie's, ref. 4643, case 824'707, 1952.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Antiquorum, Geneva, 15 October 1994, lot 143.
  4. ↑ Christie's, Watches, 17 December 2003, lot 97.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Christie's, ref. 4643, circa 1950.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Christie's, ref. 4643, circa 1948.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Antiquorum, Geneva, 10 May 2025, lot 464.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 31 May 2025, lot 241.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Christie's, ref. 4643, case 568342, circa 1950.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Finarte, Milan, 15 December 2025, lot 186.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Antiquorum, New York, 13 March 2002, lot 111.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Antiquorum, Geneva, 14 May 2006, lot 5.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Ineichen, Auction 166, 2017, p. 143.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Christie's, model 4643, 1940s.
  15. ↑ Christie’s, Geneva, 13 May 2013, lot 165 (archived catalogue entry).
  16. ↑ Colin A. White, The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, reference table, entry 4643.
  17. ↑ HVMC Monaco, December 2024 catalogue, lot 55.
  18. ↑ Christie's, ref. 4643, circa 1950.
  19. ↑ Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 8 June 2002, lot 295.
  20. ↑ Christie's, ref. 4643, movement A78794.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Archived auction-results index, ref. 4643.
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