Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 6352

Auction catalogues describe ref. 6352 as an Oyster Perpetual and date examples from 1953 to circa 1955. The records place surviving examples in the mid-1950s; factory production endpoints are absent from the published record. They describe black and pale honeycomb dials, a matte white dial, and a silvered dial on a jointly attributed 6350/6352. Movement labels vary by watch: A296 in some catalogues, 775 in others.

Core facts

Detail	Documented record
Model name	Oyster Perpetual in Phillips, Antiquorum, and Cambi catalogues; other listings use collector labels
Reference	6352; one Christie's record is jointly catalogued as 6350/6352
Dated examples	Catalogue dates span 1953 to circa 1955; case stamps and guarantee dates conflict with some estimates
Case material	Stainless steel in the reviewed exact-reference records
Case diameter	34–36 mm in reviewed catalogues; measurements are specific to the listed watches
Movement	A296 and 775 are catalogue attributions on different examples; see Cal. A296
Dial	Black or light honeycomb, black gloss “waffle,” matte white, and one silvered 6350/6352 example are documented
Caseback	Two Phillips records show or describe 6350 struck through; the lot 92 photograph shows 6352 added beside it. Phillips says the reason was parts reuse
Bracelet	Jubilee and Wandayke expandable examples are catalogued; leather straps also appear. Original delivery is unproved

Where it sits in the line

Phillips and Antiquorum catalogue the 6352 as an Oyster Perpetual. Phillips also uses “Big Bubble” and “Ovettone” in its lot title; sellers and collectors use “Pre-Explorer.” Another Phillips lot describes Explorer wording on a black dial. These names refer to catalogue descriptions or details on individual watches. Oyster Perpetual is the most consistent model name in the exact-reference catalogues, so the 6352 sits in that family here; the Explorer index covers references catalogued as Explorers.

Phillips' 2016 essay names ref. 6352 as Hillary's Everest watch. Rolex confirms that Hunt's 1953 expedition carried Oyster Perpetuals, while the Science Museum Group identifies the Smiths De Luxe presented by Hillary as his summit watch. The summit-watch attribution to a 6352 remains disputed.

Production outline

Published dates attach to individual watches. Phillips dates case 28,506 to 1953 and reports I.54 inside the caseback; it dates case 28,524 circa 1954. Christie's describes jointly attributed 6350/6352 case 30,266 as made in 1954, with I.54 inside. Other catalogues date cases 29,307 and 29,773 circa 1954. Antiquorum dates case 129,781 circa 1955, after cataloguing the same case circa 1954 in 2017. The repeated case number identifies one watch across two sales.

An Omega Forums owner described a 29xxx 6352 in 2016 with 6350 crossed out inside the back and a 775 attribution. The partial number and markings resemble Phillips Hong Kong case 29,773; the forum report is a possible duplicate rather than another confirmed watch.

The catalogued examples fall in the mid-1950s. I.54 is an inside-caseback stamp; catalogue dates are estimates. No factory production sequence or end year appears in the cited records.

Movement notes

Phillips lists an automatic A296 with 18 jewels in case 28,524. Other Phillips catalogues and Antiquorum identify 775 on separate examples; the 2016 Phillips lot and Christie's joint-reference lot each state 18 jewels. The current movement guide explains that A.296 is a size-family designation and 775 a commercial number used for this movement group. The available listings omit a readable caliber-stamp photograph, so these remain catalogue attributions tied to individual watches.

Dial map

Documented configuration	Evidence and limit
Black honeycomb dial with luminous markers and red depth text	Phillips lot 45 (case 28,506) and Antiquorum (case 129,781) describe this layout. Antiquorum also records a Joyeria Riviera signature on its watch.
Black gloss honeycomb or “waffle” dial with Explorer wording	Phillips describes case 29,307 this way. Its structured text gives the additional caseback stamp as “6532,” while the lot heading identifies ref. 6352. The two entries conflict.
Light honeycomb dial with Arabic 3, 6, and 9	Phillips Hong Kong describes a white honeycomb Explorer dial on case 29,773. Its essay later calls the dial pink gold, despite the stainless-steel structured fields and photograph; use the item-level image and structured fields cautiously.
Matte white dial with triangle markers and an extra luminous plot above 12	A specialist seller's listing describes this configuration on a 36 mm steel watch with serial shown as 38XXX. Originality is the seller's assessment.
Silvered brushed dial with applied dagger numerals and luminous accents	Christie's records this on a steel case jointly attributed as 6350/6352. Keep it with that joint attribution, separate from the 6352-only examples.

The catalogues describe several dial treatments, including one with Explorer text. Their order and production counts remain undetermined.

Close view of the black honeycomb dial, gilt markers, luminous plots, and red depth text on ref. 6352 case 28,524 — Dial detail, Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction XIX, lot 92 (2024).

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Auction catalogues measure the steel cases between 34 and 36 mm. Christie's describes one tonneau-shaped case with a screw back and screw-down crown; Phillips records smooth fixed bezels. The published descriptions document no case, bezel, crystal, or crown transition across production.

Phillips lot 45 describes case 28,506 with 6350 struck through and I.54 stamped inside the back. In lot 92, the inner-back photograph for case 28,524 shows 6350 struck through and 6352 added at an angle. These are two separate watches with related markings; the records leave the person and scope of the alteration unidentified.

Phillips' 2016 catalogue says the overstrike was a common way to reduce spare-parts waste. The two casebacks establish the stamp pattern; its cause and frequency remain unverified against factory records.

Inside caseback of Rolex 6352 case 28,524 showing 6350 struck through and 6352 stamped beside it — Inside caseback, Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction XIX, lot 92 (2024).

Bracelets, clasps, and packaging

Phillips records a Wandayke expandable bracelet on case 28,524. Antiquorum lists a Jubilee bracelet dated 1954 with case 129,781; Phillips Hong Kong also lists a Jubilee, end link 55, and clasp dated 2.54 on case 29,773. Other watches are shown or sold on leather straps. These are component pairings on individual examples; original delivery remains specimen-specific. Bracelet and clasp dates belong to those components, not to the watch head.

Antiquorum's case 129,781 appeared in its 2017 and 2020 sales with different catalogue dates, circa 1954 and circa 1955. Both records describe the same case. The 2020 entry's closing note concerns ref. 6152 and a different caseback mark; its lot heading and structured fields identify the pictured watch as a 6352.

Identification notes

Check the reference between the lugs, the caseback, and the movement together. A 2026 Rolex Forums thread discusses a watch marked 6352 whose movement appears to lack its automatic bridge and rotor and whose caseback may come from a later Datejust. Contributors disagree about its dial. The incomplete movement and questionable caseback make this a case-specific identification problem.

Historical market and auction record

Sale record	Case / movement	Catalogue details
Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction: FOUR, lot 45 (2016)	28,506 / 775	Catalogue year 1953; I.54 inside caseback; 34 mm; black depth-rated honeycomb dial; 18 jewels; guarantee dated 1956
Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction XIX, lot 92 (2024)	28,524 / A296	Circa 1954; 35 mm; steel; black honeycomb dial; 18 jewels; Wandayke expandable bracelet; photographed inner caseback
Phillips, New York Watch Auction: NINE, lot 120 (2023)	29,307 / A296	Circa 1954; 35 mm; steel; black gloss “waffle” dial with Explorer text. The caseback stamp is inconsistently transcribed as 6532 in the catalogue.
Phillips, Hong Kong Watch Auction: THREE, lot 1040 (2016)	29,773 / automatic; caliber omitted from catalogue	Circa 1954; 35.5 mm; 17 jewels; white honeycomb Explorer dial in the heading; Jubilee bracelet with end link 55 and clasp dated 2.54. The prose has a conflicting pink-gold dial description.
Christie's, lot 4483164	30,266 / caliber omitted	Jointly attributed 6350/6352; I.54 case stamp; described as made in 1954; 36 mm; silvered brushed dial; 18 jewels
Cambi, lot 67 (2022)	masked as 29.xxx / 775	Circa 1954; 34 mm; steel; white honeycomb dial; leather strap and buckle described by the catalogue
Antiquorum Geneva, lot 85 (2020)	129,781 / 775	Circa 1955; 36 mm; cream honeycomb dial, red depth text, Joyeria Riviera signature; 1954-dated Jubilee bracelet. Same case appeared in Antiquorum's 2017 sale.
Rolex Forums sales post (2021)	38XXX / movement unreported	Seller describes a 36 mm steel example with a matte white OCC dial, triangle markers, and handmade leather strap.

Related references

Explorer 6350 — adjacent early automatic reference; its Explorer dial and chronometer claims are covered separately.
Movements — A.296 and 775 movement notes.
Serial numbers — how to read case numbers and catalogue dates.

Gallery

Phillips, Geneva Watch Auction XIX, lot 92: full watch, case 28,524.
Dial detail, same watch.
Inside caseback, same watch.

Sources