Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6332

Steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 6332 with a blue enamel outer dial ring, catalogued by Antiquorum in 2024 — Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 2024, lot 315.

The 6332 is a mid-century automatic Oyster Perpetual with centre seconds and a screw-down Oyster case. Catalogues describe steel and gold-plated steel examples, usually measuring 33–35 mm. Most dated examples in the available record fall between about 1953 and 1956. A circa-1947 attribution and a circa-1963 catalogue date sit outside that cluster; neither sets a production boundary.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	6332
family	Oyster Perpetual
function	hours, minutes and centre seconds; no date
dated examples	catalogue attributions range from circa 1947 to circa 1963, with the strongest group around 1953–56
case materials	stainless steel; steel and gold-plated examples also catalogued
case diameter	33–35 mm in exact-reference listings; individual measurements vary
case	screw-back Oyster case; straight-sided or slab-sided flanks noted on individual examples
bezel	smooth in the photographed examples
crystal	not consistently specified; some listings call it plastic or acrylic
movement	catalogues and collectors variously identify Cal. 645, A296 or A260; see movement notes
dial	silver, cream, black and blue examples described; these records do not form a complete variant list

Where it sits in the line

The 6332 belongs to the time-only Oyster Perpetual line. It has no date window or rotating bezel. The reference appears in catalogues as an Oyster Perpetual; the records reviewed here do not establish a separate model name. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual

Production outline

The records date individual watches, not the full run. The circa-1953 to 1956 cluster is supported by several catalogues and, in one case, a clear date stamp inside the case. Two outlying dates need to stay attached to their own sale records.

example	source description	limit
case 504967	Waddington’s catalogued a steel and gold-plated 34 mm watch as circa 1947, with a black gilt dial and Cal. 645.	The photographs do not show the case engravings or an inside-back date. The number is plausible in the pre-reset sequence, but the date remains the auction house’s attribution.
serial 0.979M; case number not given	A dealer listing dates a 34.5 mm steel watch with serial 0.979M to 1953. Dorotheum separately dates case 981576 to circa 1953. Dealer listing	These records describe individual watches and do not show a production start.
case 981817	Antiquorum dates this 34 mm steel watch to circa 1954. Its photograph shows the inside back stamped “6332” and “III.54.”	The image confirms this case’s reference and date stamp; the serial is not visible.
case 978073	Heritage gives an inner-back mark of “II.54”; Kaplans dates serial 981043 to the third quarter of 1954.	These are separate catalogue records; dates should not be inferred from serial alone.
watch 4486	Olde Timers reports an inside-back date of November 1956.	The dealer does not give a serial or movement number.
case 977978	Sotheby’s catalogues case 977978 as circa 1963 with Cal. A296. Sotheby’s, 2019 lot 8055, archived catalogue record	Rolex restarted its numeric sequence after 1954, and published charts differ on the exact year boundaries. The case number alone cannot settle the date; circa 1963 remains Sotheby’s catalogue attribution.

Movement notes

Several exact-reference auction catalogues assign Cal. 645. Antiquorum gives it for its 2012 case 978455 and 2024 case 981817; Waddington’s and Olde Timers also list it. The 2024 Antiquorum lot shows the movement, but no caliber number is readable in the photograph; the attribution comes from its catalogue text. Antiquorum, 2024, lot 315; Antiquorum, 2012, lot 97

Other records use A296 or A260. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists A296 for the 6332; Mokum and collector Ross Povey also identify A296 in individual watches. Kaplans and Watchnet use A260. Rolexopedia’s movement guide treats A.260 as a size-family designation shared with Cal. 645. These names may overlap, but the surviving listings do not settle whether every 6332 used one caliber or whether fitment changed during the run. Mokum Watches; Kaplans, 2013, lot 129; Watchnet RolexForums discussion

Antiquorum photograph of the automatic movement in ref. 6332 case 981817 — Movement view, case 981817. Antiquorum lists Cal. 645; no caliber number is legible here.

Dial map

Catalogued 6332 examples show several dial layouts. Antiquorum’s 2024 case 981817 has a blue outer ring, gilt Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9, dart markers, centre seconds and “Officially Certified Chronometer” text. The catalogue calls it a blue enamel dial. The photograph documents this watch; it does not establish how many such dials were made or whether every component is original.

Other photographed or catalogued examples have a matte silver dial with steel darts and a concentric seconds track; gilt Arabic numerals on silver; a stepped cream dial; a non-luminous cream dial; and black dials with gilt 3/6/9 and dart markers. Christie’s lot 811730 describes a 33 mm steel watch with a matt silver dial, batons, Arabic quarters and centre seconds. Watchnet calls one black honeycomb dial “Explorer” style; Reeman Dansie records a separate black dial with gilt 3/6/9 and darts. These descriptions belong to individual watches and do not establish a complete production sequence or dial originality. Watchnet; RolexForums discussion; Antiquorum, 2012, lot 97; Christie’s, lot 2077576; Christie’s, lot 811730; Mokum Watches; Dealer listing; Reeman Dansie, 2019, lot 600

Close view of the blue and silver dial on Antiquorum's 2024 Rolex 6332 — Dial detail, Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 2024, lot 315.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Exact-reference listings give case diameters from 33 to 35 mm. The Antiquorum photographs show a smooth bezel, a screw-down crown and a broad, flat case flank. A collector who identifies his watch as a 6332 also describes brushed sides and a plus-marked Brevet crown; that is an owner’s report, not a reference-wide specification. RolexForums discussion

Antiquorum’s caseback image is unusually useful for identification: the inside back carries both “6332” and the date stamp “III.54.” Kaplans calls its 1954 example’s crystal plastic; other listings use acrylic. The records do not document crystal changes through the run. Kaplans, 2013, lot 129

Antiquorum photograph of the 6332 inside caseback stamped III.54 — Inside caseback of case 981817, stamped 6332 and III.54. Antiquorum, 2024, lot 315.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

The photographed Antiquorum watch was sold on a leather strap. A dealer listing describes a steel 6332 on an Oyster bracelet dated to the fourth quarter of 1952; that date belongs to the bracelet, not the watch head. Other sale records show leather, riveted or expansion bracelets. These are sale configurations; the reviewed records do not establish standard factory fitment, a reference-specific end link, or original packaging. Reeman Dansie records a bracelet clasp stamped “1 66” on a watch whose consignor recalled buying it in 1954 or 1955. The stamped date applies to the bracelet. Dealer listing; Reeman Dansie, 2019, lot 600

Historical market and auction record

sale record	catalogue details
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 25 April 2012, lot 97	Steel case 978455; 34 mm; Cal. 645; matte silver dial with steel dart indexes and a concentric minute/seconds track.
Christie’s, lot 2077576	Steel case 193860; dated 1954; 33 mm; silvered dial with gilt Arabic numerals and centre seconds.
Dorotheum, 19 March 2015, lot 2928893	Steel case 981576; circa 1953; silver-colored dial; movement number 85403, with no caliber named.
Kaplans, 9 November 2013, lot 129	Serial 981043; Cal. A260; movement 80063; steel, 34 mm; catalogued to Q3 1954.
Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 26 October 2024, lot 315	Steel case 981817; movement 79673; Cal. 645; 34 mm; circa 1954; blue enamel dial; inside back visibly stamped III.54.
Waddington’s, 4 December 2025, lot 4	Steel and gold-plated case 504967; 34 mm; Cal. 645; circa-1947 catalogue date. Case engravings are not shown.
Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, 13 June 2019, lot 8055	Steel case 977978; circa 1963; 34 mm; Cal. A296; silvered dial. The condition text says the crown had been replaced during servicing.

Gallery

Antiquorum, Hong Kong, 2024, lot 315. Case 981817.
Blue-ring dial with applied Arabic numerals and dart markers, same watch.
Inside back stamped 6332 and III.54, same watch.
Movement view from the same lot; caliber number not legible.

Sources