Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1510

Yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1510 with textured bezel and bracelet — Monaco Legend's 1969 example, case 2,223,098.

The Rolex ref. 1510 is a 34–35 mm, 18K yellow-gold Oyster Perpetual Date with a textured bezel. Auction catalogues date individual examples from circa 1965 through circa 1970; production limits remain unknown. One circa-1971 listing conflicts with a second record for the same serial. Several examples have crosshair dials, which auctioneers and collectors sometimes describe as Zephyr-style.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	1510
model	Oyster Perpetual Date
catalogue dates	circa 1965–1970; a circa-1971 listing conflicts with another record for the same serial
case	Oyster case; screw-down caseback and crown described in catalogues
diameter	34–35 mm in auction descriptions
documented material	18K yellow gold
bezel	patterned/textured; catalogues and collectors use several names
date	date aperture at 3 o'clock; one photographed watch has a Cyclops lens
movement	auction catalogues say Cal. 1570; exact date-bearing variant unresolved
bracelet	textured 18K yellow gold examples; original delivery is unverified

Where it sits in the line

The 1510 sits among the four-digit Oyster Perpetual Dates. Collector charts distinguish its textured exterior from the plain bezel of the 1500 and the engine-turned bezel of the 1501. Auction catalogues identify the 1510 as an Oyster Perpetual Date.

Vintage Rolex advertisements use "Zephyr" for earlier Oyster Perpetual models. Phillips and Christie's apply the name to 1510 crosshair-dial examples. Collectors differ: in a Rolex Forums thread, powerfunk includes the 1510 but questions whether its Morellis bezel fits the Zephyr group. The Phillips dial is signed "Oyster Perpetual Date."

Production outline

Christie's dates examples circa 1965 and 1967; Phillips dates one circa 1968, and Monaco Legend dates one to 1969. Leonard Joel describes a circa-1970 example. A Grailzee listing records papers dated 11 September 1970 but gives no serial. Christie's also dates serial 2,860,900 to circa 1971; Gazette Drouot assigns that serial to a hand-wound watch from 1955–58. The catalogue dates apply to individual watches, and production limits remain unknown.

Christie's records cases 1,598,902 and 1,691,443; Phillips records 1,901,206; Monaco Legend records 2,223,098. The Phillips watch reappeared in 2026 with the same movement D186394, retailer number 135,020, clasp stamp "65 2," and paper dates. That catalogue prints case 1,906,206, one digit different from the 2019 record. The matching identifiers point to one watch; the correct case number remains unresolved.

Movement notes

Auction catalogues identify 1510 movements as Cal. 1570, usually with 26 jewels. Monaco Legend's photograph shows the movement in a watch catalogued as ref. 1510; the bridge is marked 1570 and the movement bears a 26-jewel inscription. Rolex parts literature distinguishes date-equipped Cal. 1575 from Cal. 1570, although 1575 components can carry a 1570 bridge marking. The parts lists cited name refs. 1500, 1501 and 1503; they give no 1510 fitment. The exact movement variant in the 1510 remains unresolved, so the catalogue label and photograph are recorded as separate evidence.

Open movement from a Rolex ref. 1510 showing the 1570 marking and 26 jewels — Movement photograph from Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 140.

Dial map

Auction and seller records describe several crosshair dials. The descriptions refer to individual catalogued watches; no factory color sequence is documented.

catalogue	dial description	limit of the record
Christie's, lot 5841772	silvered, with crossing lines	Catalogue description
Phillips, Geneva 2019, lot 4	silvered, with crossing lines	Dial visible in the lot photograph
Christie's, lot 5493400	gilt brushed, divided by two crossing lines	Catalogue description
Leonard Joel, lot 25 (2024)	champagne crosshair	Catalogue description
Grailzee lot 10265228214404, via EveryWatch	white	Seller field; no serial, and the archive page shows both Sold and Unsold

Catalogues describe silvered, gilt and champagne dials on individual watches. The white dial appears in a separate seller listing with no serial for comparison. The order of these colors is unknown.

Crosshair dial and textured bezel on the Phillips ref. 1510 — Phillips, Geneva 2019, lot 4.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Christie's and Monaco Legend list 34–35 mm cases in 18K yellow gold. Christie's describes screw-down backs and crowns; the Monaco Legend caseback photograph shows an inside stamp reading "1503" on a watch catalogued as ref. 1510. Phillips separately titles its 1510 "caseback stamped 1503." Both records report the 1503 stamp, while the watch is catalogued externally as a 1510. The meaning of the inside stamp remains unknown.

Bezel terminology varies. Phillips says textured or frosted; Monaco Legend says hammered; collectors use "Morellis"; Shellman uses the Japanese term "Mimolette"; Robert Maron calls its example "toscanized." These are source descriptions; a Rolex factory name remains undocumented. Several catalogued examples pair the patterned bezel with a similar bracelet, though original delivery is unconfirmed.

The Phillips and Monaco photographs show the bezel and case surfaces on individual watches. Christie's describes an acrylic crystal on serial 2,860,900, but Gazette Drouot assigns that serial to a hand-wound watch from 1955–58. Treat the crystal description as part of a disputed lot record, not a reference specification.

Inside caseback marked 1503 on a watch catalogued as ref. 1510 — Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 140.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Several catalogued 1510s have textured yellow-gold bracelets matching the bezel. Phillips records a textured Rolex bracelet and deployant clasp stamped "65 2"; the Monaco Legend photographs show the bracelet on the watch. Leonard Joel describes a detachable smooth-link gold bracelet. Its original delivery with the watch head is unconfirmed.

Phillips gives detailed records for this watch: its COSC certificate is dated 3 November 1968, its guarantee booklet is stamped by Joyeria Ricciardi and dated 8 September 1969, and the retailer number appears under a lug. The clasp stamp dates the bracelet clasp, not the watch head. None of the retrieved descriptions identifies an end-link number or bracelet reference. Boxes and papers belong to that sale record; the sources give no standard 1510 package.

Textured yellow-gold bracelet on a Rolex ref. 1510 shown with sale papers — Phillips, Geneva 2019, lot 4.

Special branches

Phillips catalogs one watch signed Joyeria Ricciardi S.A. Its guarantee booklet carries the retailer stamp, and the retailer number is engraved beneath a lug. The dated COSC certificate and guarantee booklet accompany the same watch. The re-offered catalogue carries a conflicting case number. No military or factory-designated branch appears in the records.

Retailer number engraved beneath the lug on the Phillips ref. 1510 — Phillips, Geneva 2019, lot 4.

Historical market and auction record

watch date / sale date	house and lot	recorded example
circa 1965 estimate	Christie's, lot 5841772	18K yellow gold, case 1,598,902, 35 mm, silvered crosshair dial, textured bezel and bracelet; Cal. 1570 as catalogued
manufactured 1967	Christie's, lot 5493400	case 1,691,443, 34.5 mm, gilt crosshair dial, textured bezel and bracelet; Cal. 1570 as catalogued
circa 1968; sold 2019	Phillips Geneva, lot 4	case printed as 1,901,206, movement D186394, Ricciardi retailer marks, 34.5 mm; CHF 15,000. Reoffered in 2026 with the same identifying details but case printed as 1,906,206
1969; passed 2019	Monaco Legend, lot 140	case 2,223,098, 35 mm, hammered/textured bezel and bracelet; movement labelled Cal. 1570
circa 1970; sold 2024	Leonard Joel, lot 25	movement D061736, 34 mm, champagne crosshair dial, textured bezel, detachable smooth-link bracelet; case serial not available in the catalogue text
circa 1971; sold 2023	Christie's online, lot 285	serial 2,860,900, 35 mm, gold dial, warranty dated 1974; catalogue says automatic and records bracelet clasp dated 1970. Gazette Drouot uses the same serial for a hand-wound watch dated 1955–58; the identification and date remain disputed
12–19 March 2026 listing	Grailzee, via EveryWatch, lot 10265228214404	34 mm yellow gold, seller-reported white dial, papers dated 11 September 1970; no serial or caliber. Archive page shows both Sold and Unsold

Gallery

Monaco Legend's ref. 1510, case 2,223,098
Crosshair dial and textured bezel on the Phillips watch
Ricciardi retailer number engraved under a lug
Phillips' ref. 1510 with its textured bracelet and Joyeria Ricciardi papers
Movement photographed by Monaco Legend; marked 1570 and 26 jewels
Inside caseback on the Monaco Legend example, stamped 1503

Sources