Rolex Oyster Perpetual 4362

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual ref. 4362 is an early and seldom-encountered reference from the late 1930s, produced during Rolex’s foundational years in developing the waterproof, automatic wristwatch. It features a 30mm Oyster case crafted from stainless steel or gold, incorporating the brand’s signature screw-down crown and caseback to ensure moisture resistance, along with a domed acrylic crystal. This reference is believed to be powered by one of Rolex’s early bumper or rotor-based automatic movements, likely a precursor to the Perpetual rotor system, offering a modest 36-hour power reserve. Dial configurations were simple and functional, with small seconds at 6 o’clock, applied indices or Arabic numerals, and early radium lume on hands and hour plots. The lug-to-lug measurement is approximately 36mm and the lug width is 16mm, fitting the slim, understated proportions typical of the 1930s wristwatches. The ref. 4362 is valued today as a historically significant transitional piece, representing Rolex’s technical strides in combining waterproof design with automatic winding. Its scarcity and mechanical relevance place it among the early cornerstones of the brand’s legacy, making it an important find for collectors of pre-war Rolex models.