Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6064

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual 6064 is a nice example of a classic Bubbleback with hooded lugs. The blued Mercedes hands (especially that tapered minute hand) are what set it off for me. I also like the dial, which I’ve seen called a “semi-California dial” because it looks like a California dial except none of the numerals are Roman.

Rolex’s revolutionary waterproof Oyster watches debuted in 1926, but they were all manual-wind at first. When they added an automatic winding rotor about 5 years later to make the Oyster Perpetual, the casebacks had to allow for the extra necessary room. This is why early OP’s (1931-1953ish) have curved backs and are nicknamed “Bubblebacks.” Italian collectors call them “ovettone” (“little egg”).