Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6748

Ref. 6748 is a time-only Oyster Perpetual with automatic Cal. 2030. Auction records describe steel, steel-and-gold, and full-gold watches measuring 29–31.5 mm. The catalogued standalone examples so far range from circa 1972 to 1981.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	6748
collection	Oyster Perpetual
display	Hours, minutes and central seconds; no date
movement	Automatic Cal. 2030; Rolex's 1978 service manual gives sweep seconds, 28 jewels and hacking (Rolex service manual; Sotheby's, lot 115)
case materials	Stainless steel, steel and yellow gold, and full yellow gold in individual records (Bonhams, lot 100; Gazette Drouot archive of Fellows, lot 217)
diameter	29–31.5 mm across catalogued examples (Wannenes, lot 422; Sotheby's, lot 115)
crystal	Plexiglas in catalogue descriptions (Pandolfini, lot 1303; Wannenes, lot 422)

Where it sits in the line

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists the 6748 with Cal. 2030, a polished smooth bezel and a mid-size case. Auction catalogues use “mid-size” and “boy-size” and describe a no-date dial with central seconds (The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Oyster Perpetual table; Bonhams, lot 100; Dorotheum, lot 145-051725/0001).

Antiquorum lot 102, sold in 2006, describes a two-tone watch made in 1982 and jointly attributed to 6748/6751 (Antiquorum). Eguchi lists two steel 6748 watches and identifies their inner casebacks as 6751 and 6749 (6751 caseback; 6749 caseback). A 2014 Cornette de Saint Cyr catalogue also describes ref. 6748 with a 6749 caseback (archived sale record, lot 481). Sotheby’s case 4,180,498 shares its full serial and end-link number with an earlier Leonard Auction record, which also mentions 6751; the auction records differ on gold purity (Sotheby's, lot 115; Leonard Auction archive). In these records, 6748/6751 appears as a joint attribution; 6751 and 6749 also appear on casebacks. The sources leave the relationship among those numbers unresolved.

Production outline

Bonhams dates a steel-and-gold example to circa 1972 in its 2017 catalogue and circa 1973 in a 2014 record. Both records give case prefix 353 and movement prefix 316, which suggests a repeat listing rather than two watches. Nomisma dates a steel example to 1981. Watchpedia Japan groups refs. 6748 and 6748/0 through circa 1990, but gives no serial-numbered or auction example for that endpoint. Antiquorum lot 102 (2006) describes a watch made in 1982 and jointly attributed to 6748/6751. The dated standalone examples run from circa 1972 to 1981; they do not establish the factory production span. (Bonhams, 2017 lot 100; archived Bonhams record, 2014 lot 128; Nomisma, lot 3007; Watchpedia Japan; Antiquorum, lot 102)

The partial case numbers help compare individual catalogue records. The serial-number guide explains how to read catalogue dates alongside serial evidence.

Cambi and Eguchi each list a 6748 with a serial beginning 3,569. Both mask the remaining digits, so the records may describe the same watch (Cambi, lot 168; Eguchi listing).

Movement notes

Auction catalogues identify Cal. 2030 in steel, two-tone and gold 6748 watches. Rolex’s 1978 service manual gives 28 jewels, as does Bonhams' 2017 catalogue. Bonhams' 2014 lot 174R lists 23 jewels; that entry includes no movement photograph for comparison (lot 100; lot 174R). See Movements for the wider caliber index.

Dial map

Auction records show five dial treatments on 6748-attributed watches: white Roman, black baton, champagne, linen Sigma, and silvered with gilt markers. Each is tied to an individual lot; the sources leave the order of introduction open.

dial description	documented example
White Roman	Sotheby’s 2020 (lot 115); Dorotheum 2023 (lot 145-051725/0001)
Black baton with luminous details	Bonhams 2014 (lot 174R); Antiquorum 2006, in a lot jointly attributed to 6748/6751 (lot 102)
Champagne with applied baton markers	Pandolfini 2023 (lot 1303); Fellows, as recorded by Gazette Drouot (lot 217)
Linen-textured “Sigma”	Pandolfini's 2021 catalogue dates a steel 6748 to 1973 and describes a Sigma linen dial (lot 419)
Silvered dial with gilt baton markers	Bonhams 2017, circa 1972 ([https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Art/Auction/Bonhams/2017/20170221%20S-24033-0-1%20Watches%20and%20Wristwatches%20including%20the%20Collection%20of%20a%20European%20Nobleman.pdf lot 100)

Bonhams' 2014 lot 174R describes case prefix 377 with a black dial, 23-jewel Cal. 2030 and 7835/17 bracelet. Its 2020 catalogue record gives the same case prefix but describes a white Roman dial, 28 jewels and a 78350 bracelet (Bonhams, 2014 lot 174R; archived Bonhams record, 2020 lot 120). The masked serials leave the match uncertain. If the records describe one watch, they document different catalogue descriptions or states. Either way, the pair leaves the timing of any factory dial change unresolved.

Antiquorum lot 102 (2006), describing a watch made in 1982 and jointly attributed to refs. 6748/6751; black baton dial.
Pandolfini, lot 1303, 2023; champagne sunburst dial.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Sale catalogues measure individual examples at 29–31.5 mm; several lots give 30 or 31 mm (Wannenes, lot 422; Sotheby's, lot 115). The sources give catalogue measurements, while the factory tolerance for this reference remains open.

Cambi describes a smooth steel bezel. The Field Manual also lists a polished smooth bezel for the 6748; Pandolfini records an 18K fluted yellow-gold bezel, while Antiquorum's joint 6748/6751 lot describes a polished gold bezel (Cambi, lot 168; The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Oyster Perpetual table; Pandolfini, lot 1303; Antiquorum, lot 102). Dorotheum describes a screw-down crown; Pandolfini and Wannenes list Plexiglas (Dorotheum; Wannenes).

Sotheby's lot 115, caseback, crown, end link stamped 451, and bracelet code visible in the lot photographs.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Sotheby’s photographs show the two-tone 78353/17 stamp and 451 end links. Bonhams lists an Oyster 7835/17, while Pandolfini records a 7835 with 251 ends on its 1974 watch (Sotheby's, lot 115; Bonhams, lot 174R; Pandolfini, lot 1303). Pandolfini's 1973 steel lot and Nomisma's 1981 example both list 78350 bracelets with 551B ends (Pandolfini, lot 419; Nomisma, lot 3007).

The sale records pair 7835/17 with 251 ends, 78350 with 551B ends, and 78353/17 with 451 ends on individual watches. A factory fitment chart would be needed to extend those combinations across production. A clasp code dates the bracelet rather than the watch head; any box or guarantee belongs to the particular lot.

Sotheby's lot 115 bracelet detail; 78353/17 is stamped on the links.

Auction and catalogue record

record	catalogue details
Bonhams, 21 February 2017, lot 100	Steel and gold; circa 1972; case prefix 353; Cal. 2030, 28 jewels; silvered dial with gilt batons; 30 mm
archived Bonhams record, February 2014, lot 128	Steel and gold; catalogue dates case prefix 353 to circa 1973 and gives movement prefix 316; matching 2017 lot 100 details suggest a repeat listing
Bonhams, 20 May 2014, lot 174R	Steel; circa 1973; case prefix 377; Cal. 2030 described as 23 jewels; black baton dial; 30 mm; 7835/17 Oyster bracelet
archived Bonhams record, November 2020, lot 120	Steel; circa 1973; case prefix 377; Cal. 2030, 28 jewels; white Roman dial; 78350 bracelet; 29 mm. The shared prefix leaves the two lots' identity uncertain
archived Cornette de Saint Cyr record, April 2014, lot 481	Steel; circa 1976; catalogue describes ref. 6748 with a 6749 caseback, 7835 bracelet, white Roman dial and Cal. 2030
Cambi, lot 168	Steel; 1973; case 3,569,xxx; white Roman dial; smooth bezel; 31 mm
Wannenes, 2023, lot 422	Steel; 1973; case 3,573,990; 29 mm; automatic movement; Plexiglas
Dorotheum, 22 June 2023, lot 145-051725/0001	Steel; circa 1974; case 3,574,104; Cal. 2030, 28 jewels; white Roman dial; circa 30 mm; catalogue notes replacement parts and partial overhaul
Pandolfini, 2023, lot 1303	Steel and 18K yellow gold; 1974; case 3,796,9XX; champagne dial; Cal. 2030; 7835 bracelet with 251 end links; 30 mm
Pandolfini, December 2021, lot 419	Steel; catalogued as 1973; case 3,5740XX; linen Sigma dial; Cal. 2030; 78350 bracelet with 551B end links; 30 mm
Sotheby’s, 2020, lot 115	Steel and 18K yellow gold; circa 1976; case 4,180,498; Cal. 2030, 28 jewels; white Roman dial; 31.5 mm. Leonard Auction’s archive records the same serial and end link 451, but describes the gold as 14K.
Nomisma, Auction 72, lot 3007	Steel; catalogued as 1981; serial 51XXXXXX; white Roman dial; 78350 bracelet with 551B end links; Plexiglas; 31 mm
Gazette Drouot archive of Fellows, lot 217	Full 18-carat gold; circa 1973; champagne baton dial; Cal. 2030; Oyster bracelet; 30 mm
Antiquorum, Geneva, 14 May 2006, lot 102	Jointly attributed as 6748/6751; case 6,700,779; dated 1982; steel and yellow gold; black baton dial; Cal. 2030, 28 jewels; 31 mm

Gallery

Sotheby's lot 115, full watch
Antiquorum lot 102, black dial, jointly attributed 6748/6751
Pandolfini lot 1303, champagne dial
Sotheby's lot 115, caseback and end links
Sotheby's lot 115, bracelet code 78353/17

Sources