Rolex Oyster Centregraph 3462

Steel Rolex Centregraph 3462 with one pusher, central chronograph hand and silver dial — Rolex Oyster Centregraph ref. 3462, case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.

Ref. 3462 is the Oyster Centregraph, a steel, single-button chronograph with a central timing hand. Auction catalogues date individual watches from the 1930s through circa 1942; those estimates do not define the factory production span. Christie’s and Antiquorum describe 29–29.5mm cases; The Vintage Rolex Field Manual gives 32mm.

Core facts

Detail	Documented information
Reference	3462
Name	Oyster Centregraph; catalogues also use Centregraph Chronomètre and Oyster Chronometre Centregraph
Type	Manual-wind, single-button chronograph with central timing seconds
Production	Individual catalogue dates run from the 1930s to circa 1942; start and end are unknown
Case	Stainless steel in the auction examples reviewed
Diameter	29–29.5mm in auction descriptions; 32mm in The Vintage Rolex Field Manual
Movement	Manual; 10½ lignes in auction descriptions and 10 lignes in the Field Manual; no numeric caliber established
Dials	Two-tone silvered Arabic-numeral and matte silver Roman-numeral examples documented

Where it sits in the line

White’s The Vintage Rolex Field Manual groups refs. 3346 and 3462 as early Oyster monopusher chronographs. It says the names Zerographe and Centregraph were used for both at first, then maps Centregraph to 3462 and Zerographe to 3346. Auction catalogues continue to use both names for ref. 3346, so the labels are useful clues rather than a reliable way to identify a case.

The manual also gives a shared 32mm diameter and a 10-ligne Hunter movement for the pair. Auction descriptions of ref. 3462 instead measure cases at 29 or 29.5mm and report 10½-ligne movements. The catalogue record contains both measurements. A factory drawing or movement photograph could settle the difference; neither appears in the sources cited here.

Antiquorum's 1938 Centregraph catalogued as ref. 3642 is a separate record. White's timeline gives that number to the Centregraph, while its reference table lists 3642 as a twin-register monopusher and 3462 separately. The caseback shown here is stamped 3462, and Christie's identifies case 161'489 as 3462. The sources reviewed leave the relationship between the two numbers unresolved.

Production outline

The named auction records identify cases 161’489 and 161’501. Christie’s dates both to circa 1939; Loupe This dates case 161’501 to circa 1942. The shared case number ties those two listings to one watch, with conflicting catalogue dates. Antiquorum’s 1992 and 2000 records date their examples to the 1930s but give no case numbers in the accessible entries.

Christie’s and Antiquorum say fewer than 50 Centregraphs were made; Phillips gives an estimate below 100. The estimates conflict and none cites a factory production register. They remain auction-house estimates rather than a production count.

Movement notes

Christie’s and Antiquorum describe manual 10½-ligne movements with 17 or 18 jewels. White’s Field Manual gives 10 lignes and calls the movement a Hunter. The catalogues report movement size and jewel count without a caliber number; the image sets reviewed show no open movement.

Antiquorum describes the single pusher as start-stop-reset. Christie’s identifies a zero-reset function, while White calls the Hunter movement a flyback modification. The catalogues describe the operating sequence differently. See Movements for the distinction between movement size and caliber number.

Dial map

Christie’s describes two-tone silvered dials with Arabic numerals; its 2017 case 161’489 entry also records a gilt center, baton and Arabic numerals, and luminous accents. Antiquorum’s 2000 example has a matte silver dial with painted Roman numerals and indexes. The catalogues document both layouts; their dates leave the sequence uncertain. The dial in the image set below belongs to case 161’501.

Silvered Centregraph dial with Arabic numerals, red 24-hour scale and central chronograph hand — Dial of case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Christie’s describes case 161’501 with a two-part case, domed crystal, finely milled bezel, screw-down back and crown, and a pusher in the case band. Its case is 29mm. The 2017 Christie’s record gives 29.5mm for case 161’489 and describes a screw-down back and crown with a pump pusher.

Antiquorum calls the bezels graduated or reeded. White’s Field Manual first groups both 3346 and 3462 with rotating bezels, then describes the 3462 as fixed and polished. Auction descriptions use graduated, reeded, or milled for the 3462 bezel; none specifies whether it rotates.

Exterior caseback of case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.
Case side, crown and pusher on case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.

Bracelets, clasp, and packaging

Christie’s describes an associated leather strap and Rolex steel buckle with case 161’489. Loupe This shows case 161’501 on a Gay Frères expansion bracelet; the clasp carries a GF mark. Both describe sale configurations. Original delivery, reference-wide bracelet use, and end-link fitment remain unverified. Christie’s also records a fitted Rolex box with the 161’489 lot; that pairing applies to the sale, not every 3462.

Inside of the Gay Frères expansion bracelet clasp shown with Centregraph case 161501 — Clasp shown with case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.

Special branches

All catalogued 3462 examples reviewed here are stainless steel. These records document no precious-metal, retailer, or military branch. Dial and bezel descriptions vary; the examples do not establish a production sequence.

Auction record

Sale record	Case	Catalogue description
Antiquorum, Geneva, 17 October 1992, lot 184	Not stated in accessible record	1930s; 29mm steel; two-tone dial; 10½-line, 17-jewel movement
Antiquorum, Geneva, 19 November 2000, lot 71	Not stated in accessible record	1930s; 29mm steel; Roman-numeral dial; 10½-line, 18-jewel movement
Christie’s, lot 5091717	161’501	Circa 1939; 29mm steel; 10½-line, 18-jewel movement
Christie’s, lot 6079995	161’489	Circa 1939; 29.5mm steel; 10½-line, 17-jewel movement
Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction: SIX	Not stated in accessible record	Circa 1940; 29mm steel; 10½-line, 17-jewel movement
Loupe This, lot 3040	161’501	Circa 1942; same case Christie's listed in 2008; 19-view photo set

Case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.
Dial of case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.
Exterior caseback of case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.
Case side, crown and pusher. Loupe This, lot 3040.
Gay Frères clasp shown with case 161501. Loupe This, lot 3040.

Sources