Rolex Oyster 1073

Steel cushion-case Oyster with white enamel Breguet numerals, subsidiary seconds, ribbed bezel, and wire lugs — Antiquorum's ref. 1073, catalogued circa 1926.

Reference 1073 is a manual-wind Rolex Oyster with a cushion case and subsidiary seconds in the auction records. Auction and dealer records date individual examples to circa 1926, circa 1930, the 1930s, and 1934. They describe different dials, case finishes, and movement grades; they do not establish a production span.

Core facts

Detail	Documented record
Reference and model	Oyster, ref. 1073 in the Antiquorum, Christie's, Bonhams, Bachmann & Scher, and Watch Guru records cited here
Production dates	Individual attributions range from circa 1926 to 1934; no start or end year is established
Winding and seconds	Dealer listings explicitly describe manual winding; subsidiary seconds appear in the three auction catalogues
Movement	Auction catalogues give 10½ lignes and 15 jewels for Antiquorum's Extra Prima; Christie's calls its 15-jewel movement Prima, and Bonhams calls its 15-jewel movement Ultra Prima
Case	Cushion-shaped cases, with wire or fixed-wire lugs; records describe stainless steel, steel, or chrome-plated metal
Diameter	31 mm (Christie's) or 32 mm (Antiquorum and Bonhams)
Dial examples	White enamel with Breguet numerals; silvered with Arabic numerals; two-tone enamel with Roman numerals; dealer-described California and black dials
Bracelet or buckle	One Antiquorum lot included a steel Rolex buckle; Bonhams showed another watch with an associated adjustable ladder bracelet. Both remain lot-specific; a standard 1073 fitment has not been documented.

Where it sits in the line

Reference 1073 is a manual-wind Oyster with a cushion case. Antiquorum describes a screw-down crown and case back; the auction records show wire lugs and subsidiary seconds. It appears in the early Oyster index with other manual-wind Oyster references.

Production outline

The catalogues and dealer listings assign dates from circa 1926 to 1934 to individual watches. Those dates do not show when the reference entered or left production.

The cited records omit case serial numbers, so their catalogue dates cannot be checked against a serial chart. Circa 1926 is Antiquorum's estimate for its individual watch, not a reference launch date.

Movement notes

Antiquorum lists a 10½-ligne, 15-jewel Extra Prima in its circa-1926 watch. Christie's calls its 15-jewel movement Prima; Bonhams calls another 15-jewel movement Ultra Prima. David Boettcher reports that the Prima movements he has examined are generally 15-jewel, while Extra Prima and Ultra Prima examples are 18-jewel. Antiquorum's description is an exception to that pattern, and the catalogue does not explain the mismatch. None of these records identifies a shared caliber number or establishes a reference-wide grade. Dealer listings describe manual winding; the auction catalogues do not state it explicitly.

Dial map

Antiquorum's watch has a white enamel dial with painted Breguet numerals, subsidiary seconds, and blued-steel Breguet hands. Christie's records a silvered dial with Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds. Bonhams describes a two-tone enamel dial with Roman numerals, subsidiary seconds, and blued-steel axe hands. Bachmann & Scher calls its 1934 example a California dial, pink in the data panel and salmon in the prose; the listing's originality claim is not independently supported. Watch Guru's sold listing labels a 32 mm, 1934 ref. 1073 as having a black dial. That is a dealer record, not evidence that black dials formed a reference-wide branch.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The three auction descriptions share a cushion case and subsidiary seconds, but their case-material wording differs. Antiquorum calls its 32 × 32 mm case stainless steel, Christie's describes a worn chromed case at 31 mm, and Bonhams records a 32 mm chrome case. Bachmann & Scher's data panel says steel while its prose calls the case chrome-plated; Watch Guru also lists a steel case. Keep those descriptions with their respective listings.

Antiquorum describes a three-piece case with a screwed back and crown, ribbed bezel, and wire lugs. Christie's also records wire lugs and a screw back; one lug was missing from its worn example. Bachmann & Scher describes fixed wire lugs and an Oyster crown. The sources do not identify the crystal material. Antiquorum's water-resistant wording applies to its historical lot; it says nothing about the watch's current performance.

Bracelet, clasp, and packaging

Antiquorum's lot included a stainless-steel Rolex buckle and fitted box. Bonhams records an adjustable ladder bracelet, described as associated. The buckle, bracelet, and box remain lot-specific until provenance establishes original delivery. Bracelet reference and end-link fitment remain undocumented for 1073.

Auction and dealer records

Record	Catalogue details
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 8 June 2001, lot 258	Ref. 1073, circa 1926 attribution; stainless-steel 32 × 32 mm case; white enamel Breguet-numeral dial; 10½-ligne Extra Prima, 15 jewels; steel Rolex buckle and fitted box.
Christie's, lot 811717	Ref. 1073, circa 1930 attribution; 31 mm chromed cushion case; silvered Arabic-numeral dial; 15-jewel Prima movement. The catalogue notes wear and one missing lug.
Bonhams, Knightsbridge, 20 September 2005, lot 172	Ref. 1073, 1930s attribution; 32 mm chrome cushion case; two-tone enamel Roman-numeral dial; 15-jewel Ultra Prima movement; associated adjustable ladder bracelet. The catalogue entry survives in a secondary auction archive.
Bachmann & Scher, sold listing AW700	Ref. 1073, dated 1934; dealer describes a California dial and radium numerals and hands. The listing gives conflicting steel and chrome-plated case descriptions.
Watch Guru, sold listing	Ref. 1073, dated 1934; dealer data lists a 32 mm steel case, manual movement, and black dial. The listing gives no auction provenance.

Related references

Sources