Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date Ref. 15010 — Steel, ca. 1987

Identity

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date Ref. 15010, ca. 1987. Self-winding mechanical movement. Oyster case in steel, 34 mm diameter, signed screw-down crown, striated steel bezel. White porcelain dial, painted black Roman numerals, date window at three with cyclops. Sapphire crystal. Steel Oyster bracelet, signed original deployant clasp.

Horological context

The Oyster Perpetual descends in direct line from the original Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch patented by Rolex in 1926. The addition of the Perpetual rotor in 1931 — the first self-winding mechanism with oscillating weight — completed the maison's founding concept: a waterproof, self-winding, chronometer-certified watch. The Date variant appeared in 1953 with Ref. 6534, adding the date window at three o'clock within a case kept at 34 mm, a sleeker and more compact format than the Datejust opened in 1945. The lineage unfolds through Ref. 1500, 1501 and 1503 (1960-1989, powered by calibres 1565 then 1575), then Ref. 15000 and its variants from 1977 with calibre 3035 introducing the quickset date and sapphire crystal. Ref. 15200 takes over in 1989 with calibre 3135. The three-piece Oyster bracelet, designed by Hans Wilsdorf and patented in 1947, accompanies the lineage as its historical companion alongside the dressier Jubilee.

Character

White porcelain dial with black Roman numerals. Striated bezel and steel Oyster bracelet.

Serviced watch. Very good condition. Delivered with the brand box and the Contre-Temps 24-month warranty certificate.