Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date 1512

14K yellow-gold Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date ref. 1512 with champagne crosshair dial and patterned bezel — Ref. 1512, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 137.

The ref. 1512 is an Oyster Perpetual Date recorded in solid 14K yellow gold and in steel with a gold bezel. Auction and dealer records place individual examples around 1969–1972, while the production endpoints remain unrecorded. Sellers and collectors use “Zephyr” for the patterned bezel, alongside other descriptions.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	1512
model	Oyster Perpetual Date
documented dates	Individual listings date examples circa 1969–1972; production endpoints are unknown
case	Oyster case with screw-down back and crown
diameter	Catalogue measurements range from 34 to about 35 mm
documented materials	Solid 14K yellow gold; stainless steel with a 14K yellow-gold bezel
bezel	Patterned; catalogued as engine-turned or faceted, and often called Zephyr
crystal	Acrylic, in dealer and auction descriptions
date display	Date at 3 o’clock under a Cyclops lens
movement evidence	Cal. 1570 and 1575 both appear in listings; the individual movement labels are unresolved
bracelets and straps	Leather, riveted Oyster, and President-link examples are documented; original fitment is unproven

Where it sits in the line

The 1512 is a 34 mm Oyster Perpetual Date from the 1500 series. It pairs an automatic Oyster case with a date display and a patterned bezel. A collector reference list calls the square markers Zephyr; Monaco Legend calls its example engine-turned, while a retail listing describes another as faceted and Zephyr. The records use overlapping terms without identifying a single Rolex catalog name.

Production outline

The dates attached to surviving watches are a narrow sample. A 1stDibs listing dates a gold 1512 with serial prefix 2651xxx to circa 1969; a 2014 Rolex Forums owner reports serial 2,651,051 and appears to show the same watch. Treat these as one likely object. Worthy records serial 2,775,439 as circa 1971, and Freeman’s dates serial 2,777,651 to 1971. Monaco Legend dates case 3,101,989 to 1972. The earliest and latest dated examples located are circa 1969 and 1972; they mark the edges of this sample, not the production run.

A dealer listing dates what appears to be the same gold watch as Monaco Legend’s case 3,101,989 to 1973. The serial is not readable in the listing, so the two records do not give independent support for a later production date. A separate Hampton Estate Auction lot is dated circa 1970, but its listing says the serial was re-engraved; it cannot anchor the watch to a year.

Movement notes

Monaco Legend and two dealer listings call their examples Cal. 1570; an Omega Forums seller also lists Cal. 1570, while another retail listing gives Cal. 1575. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual identifies Cal. 1575 as a Date movement. Rolex parts-manual pages reproduced in a 2018 Rolex Forums discussion show the 1575 calendar parts and a 1570 bridge engraving. These records explain the label difference; movement photographs would identify the caliber in a particular 1512. The inspected Rolex date-parts sheet lists refs. 1500, 1501, and 1503. Time Connection II’s commercial parts table lists Cal. 1575 for 1512-3 and 1512-8.

Dial map

Champagne crosshair dials appear on the gold Monaco Legend watch and on several two-tone listings. A photographed listing shows a silver or light-colored crosshair dial. Another lists a blue crosshair dial without a serial or movement photograph; a Reddit collector post shows a brown-dial example and repeats the seller’s originality claim without supporting records. These blue and brown examples remain seller and collector identifications, with factory status unconfirmed.

The Monaco Legend photograph shows applied markers, a date at 3, and a Cyclops lens. The reviewed material documents examples, not a full factory dial range or color chronology.

Close view of the champagne crosshair dial, applied markers, date and Cyclops on Rolex ref. 1512 — Dial detail, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 137.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The documented gold examples are 14K yellow gold or steel with 14K-gold bezels. One seller advertises an 18K two-tone version; its listing gives no readable serial or visible hallmarks, so the material remains a seller attribution. Listed diameters range from 34 mm to approximately 35 mm.

Monaco Legend calls its gold bezel engine-turned. A retail listing calls its example faceted, while collector and seller descriptions commonly use Zephyr. A Rolex Forums participant reports the catalog term “guillochee 12 index”; the wording is second-hand because the linked catalog image is unavailable. Sanderson & Son describes an acrylic crystal, and the Monaco lot photograph shows a Cyclops over the date. The auction descriptions call the crown and caseback screw-down; the available lot photographs show their exterior surfaces.

Angled view of the patterned bezel, acrylic crystal, lugs and screw-down crown on Rolex ref. 1512 — Case profile, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 137.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

The watches appear on leather straps, riveted Oyster bracelets, and a two-tone President-link bracelet. A listing also shows a two-tone Jubilee, with no serial or movement photograph. Two sellers describe gold-tone rivet bracelets as original to their watches. Freeman’s catalogues a two-tone President bracelet and warns that parts may have been repaired or replaced. These records describe individual watches. The available evidence does not define standard 1512 fitment or original delivery. A clasp code dates the bracelet component, not the watch head.

Monaco Legend records its gold example on a leather strap and lists a box among the accessories. The auction photograph shows the watch in a green Rolex presentation box, but neither the listing nor the image ties that box to the watch’s original sale.

Leather strap and buckle shown with Monaco Legend lot 137; original delivery is not established
Monaco Legend lot 137 displayed in a Rolex presentation box; period and reference match are unverified

Special branches

Time Connection II lists parts rows for 1512-3 and 1512-8, both with Cal. 1575; the rows specify different crown and tube parts. Its table does not explain how the suffix entries relate to plain 1512. The records reviewed here contain no identified military or retailer branch.

Historical market and auction record

date and sale	recorded example	result
21 October 2023, Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 137	Case 3,101,989; 14K yellow gold; champagne cross-line dial; Cal. 1570 as catalogued; 34 mm	€4,625 including premium
12 April 2023, Freeman’s, Sale 1098, lot 8	Serial 2,777,651; steel case and 14K-gold bezel; champagne dial; two-tone President bracelet	$4,095
12 February 2026, Worthy	Serial 2,775,439; 34 mm; two-tone case and bracelet; listing notes prior polishing and service needs	$2,348
31 August 2026, Hampton Estate Auction via Bidsquare	34 mm two-tone example; listing flags a re-engraved serial and possibly aftermarket dial	$2,768, as reported by EveryWatch

Monaco Legend Auctions, lot 137: complete 14K-gold example
Champagne crosshair dial and date
Bezel and crown profile
Closed caseback; no serial is legible
Leather strap shown with the auction watch
Box pictured with the auction watch

Related references

Oyster Perpetual 1002 — Smooth Bezel, 34mm, 1959–1980s (1959–1980s)
Oyster Perpetual 1003 — Engine-Turned Bezel & Coca-Cola Dials (1959–1970s)
Oyster Perpetual 1005 — Fluted Gold Bezel, 34mm, 1959–1980s (1959–1980s)
Oyster Perpetual 1007 — Engine-Turned Bezel, 1959–1980s
Oyster Perpetual 1008
Oyster Perpetual 1010

Sources