Rolex 3068 Chronograph Pocket Watch

Yellow-gold Rolex ref. 3068 open-face pocket chronograph with pale dial and blue telemetric scale — Rolex ref. 3068, case 1008594, catalogued by Antiquorum in 2019.

Ref. 3068 is a Rolex open-face pocket chronograph with one button integrated into the winding crown. Auction catalogues describe gold cases, two-register dials and manual lever movements. Dated examples run from circa 1935 to circa 1950; those estimates apply to individual watches, while the reference's production span remains unknown.

Core facts

Reference	3068
Type	Open-face pocket chronograph; one crown-operated button
Dated examples	Individual catalogue estimates from circa 1935 to circa 1950; reference production span unknown
Documented case materials	18K gold, including yellow-gold examples; one 9K pink-gold example
Recorded diameters	48–49.5 mm; catalogues disagree on case 1008594
Movement	Manual lever movement; Sotheby's reports 16.5 lignes and 17 jewels for case 1008594; Antiquorum gives 17 lignes; caliber number unidentified
Chronograph	Single button in the crown; subsidiary seconds and a 30-minute register appear in catalogue descriptions
Dial scales	Tachymeter or telemeter scales are documented on individual watches

Where it sits in the line

Ref. 3068 is a pocket watch within the early single-button chronograph group, which also includes wrist monopushers and Oyster chronographs.

Production outline

The dated auction examples begin with case 1008591, catalogued by Christie's circa 1935, and case 1008593, catalogued circa 1937. Antiquorum reads Dublin import marks on case 1008656 as 1937. Case 1008594 is dated circa 1940; cases 1008610 and the unnumbered 2008 example are dated circa 1950. These are dates assigned to individual watches in auction catalogues.

The case number does not give a reliable date sequence. Sotheby's catalogued case 1008594 in May and June 2018; Antiquorum listed it again in 2019. The repeated number links the three sale entries to one watch. Sotheby's June description notes a personal inscription; Antiquorum transcribes the dedication in 2019. The 2008 Antiquorum listing has no case number, so its relationship to the numbered examples is unknown.

Movement notes

The auction descriptions identify manual lever movements. Christie's reports 17 jewels for cases 1008591 and 1008593; Antiquorum reports 17 jewels for cases 1008610 and 1008656. Sotheby's June 2018 description gives a 16.5-ligne, 17-jewel movement for case 1008594; Antiquorum gives 17 lignes for the same case in 2019. The catalogues leave the numeric caliber unidentified.

Rolex manual chronograph movement pictured beside the black dial of case 1008610 — Antiquorum's 2006 photograph pairs the dial and movement of case 1008610.

Dial map

The catalogued examples show several layouts, but the surviving sample does not establish a complete dial taxonomy. Christie’s describes case 1008593 with a two-tone rose sector dial and reports Stern Frères production codes on its reverse. That maker attribution belongs to Christie's description of this watch.

The 2006 and 2014 Antiquorum photographs show black dials with tachymeter scales. Case 1008610 has yellow-gold markers; case 1008656 is a 9K pink-gold watch with pink-gold markers. Christie's describes a pale dial with a telemeter scale on case 1008591. Antiquorum's 2008 image shows a pale dial marked “Chronographe Precision”; its case number is not recorded.

Case 1008656, 9K pink gold with black dial; Antiquorum, 2014
Unnumbered Antiquorum example with a pale “Chronographe Precision” dial, 2008

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Published descriptions record gold open-face cases measuring 48 to 49.5 mm. The 2018 Sotheby's record gives case 1008594 as 48 mm; Antiquorum's 2019 record gives the same case as 49.5 mm. Keep both measurements attached to their catalogues. Case 1008656 is described as a two-body case with a screw-down cuvette; case 1008594 has a snap-on back with a screwed gilded insert.

Christie's reports that case 1008593 is stamped inside with ref. 3068 and brevet 144357. Antiquorum attributes the case construction of 1008594 to Swiss patent CH144357A. The patent record names Safir Gabus Frères Usines and dates the filing to 30 June 1930, with publication on 31 December 1930. Its text describes a precious-metal case cap reinforced by a base-metal cup. The auction catalogues link two Rolex cases to the patent; its text names no Rolex model.

The crown operates the single chronograph button.

Historical market and auction record

Sale	Case and catalogue date	Description relevant to identification
Christie's Geneva, 14 November 2005, lot 28	1008591; circa 1935	18K gold, 48 mm, 17-jewel movement, pale dial with telemeter scale
Antiquorum Geneva, 15 October 2006, lot 326	1008610; circa 1950	18K yellow gold, 48 mm, black tachymeter dial; dial and movement pictured together
Antiquorum New York, 17 April 2008, lot 24	Case number not stated; circa 1950	18K yellow gold, 48 mm, pale “Chronographe Precision” dial
Antiquorum Geneva, 11 May 2014, lot 79	1008656; Dublin import marks read as 1937	9K pink gold, 48 mm, black tachymeter dial, 17 jewels
Sotheby's New York, 24 May 2018, lot 255	1008594; circa 1940	Secondary sale index records an 18K yellow-gold case measuring 48 mm
Sotheby's New York, 25 June 2018, lot 37	1008594; circa 1940	18K yellow gold, 48 mm, 16.5-ligne, 17-jewel movement
Christie's Geneva, 12 November 2018, lot 140	1008593; circa 1937	18K gold, 48 mm, two-tone rose sector dial; caseback marked 3068 and brevet 144357
Antiquorum Hong Kong, 28 April 2019, lot 157	1008594; circa 1940	Third recorded offering of this case; Antiquorum gives 49.5 mm and a 17-ligne movement

Antiquorum called its 2014 listing the third ref. 3068 appearance at auction. The earlier Christie's 2005 and Antiquorum 2006 and 2008 catalogues document three prior lot appearances. The two Sotheby's 2018 listings and Antiquorum's 2019 listing add three appearances of case 1008594. Lot appearances do not establish the number of distinct watches; the 2008 listing has no case number.

Case 1008594, Antiquorum, 2019
Case 1008656, Antiquorum, 2014
Case 1008610, Antiquorum, 2006
Unnumbered example, Antiquorum, 2008

Sources