Rolex Oysterdate Precision 6694

The Rolex Oysterdate Precision 6694 is a vintage, manually-wound Rolex wristwatch known for its classic simplicity and long production run. Introduced in the mid-20th century, this model served as an affordable entry into the Rolex lineup while maintaining the brand’s hallmark quality. Below is a thorough investigation of its production period, case materials, dial variations, movements, hand styles, and other notable characteristics from its original vintage era.

Rolex produced the Oysterdate Precision ref. 6694 for roughly three decades, from the early 1960s until the late 1980s. It was the final manual-wind Rolex sold by the company, remaining in catalogs as late as 1988 and officially discontinuing around 1989. The 6694 was introduced as the last evolution of Rolex’s manual-wind date watches (following earlier Oysterdate references 6094, 6294, and 6494 from the 1950s) and kept a consistent design through the years. Its longevity in the lineup – even after most other Rolex models had switched to automatic movements.

Case Materials and Design

The ref. 6694 features Rolex’s famed 34 mm Oyster case, providing water-resistant durability and a timeless profile. During its vintage production, the 6694 was offered in several material configurations: primarily stainless steel, but also in two-tone combinations and even solid gold for some versions. The most common models were all-steel with a smooth stainless bezel. Two-tone models (often termed Rolesor or “gold shell”) had parts of the case in gold – typically a gold bezel and crown on a steel case – achieved via gold cap or heavy gold plating, giving a dressier look without the cost of full gold. In addition, Rolex produced some ref. 6694 watches in 18-karat yellow gold with matching gold dials and hands, though these solid gold variants were relatively rare and high-end. Regardless of material, the case retained the classic Oyster design: a screw-down caseback and a screw-down “Twinlock” crown ensuring water resistance. Originally, the Oysterdate 6694 was rated for 100 m of water depth, thanks to its hermetically sealed Oyster case. The crystal was made of acrylic (plexiglass) and included Rolex’s trademark Cyclops magnification lens over the date window. The acrylic crystal was generally flat with the magnifier, although earlier 1950s predecessors sometimes had more domed crystals before the Cyclops became standard. Overall, the ref. 6694’s case is a modestly sized, robust design that stayed virtually unchanged through its life – a factor that makes it feel like a “time capsule” of mid-century Rolex design.

Dial Variations

One of the charms of the Oysterdate 6694 is the wide variety of dial options that emerged over its long production. Early in the 1960s, Rolex offered the watch with conservative dial colors such as black, silver, and white – often in elegant sunburst or brushed finishes. Black dials from the 1960s sometimes featured gilt printing (gold-colored text and minute track) which, along with glossy lacquer, gives a rich vintage look. Most 6694 dials are signed “Rolex Oysterdate” at 12 o’clock beneath the coronet and “Precision” above 6 o’clock, indicating its non-chronometer status. The hour markers were usually applied baton indices (simple stick markers), imparting a clean and legible look. Many dials have a luminous element – tiny lume plots at the hour markers and matching luminescent fill in the hands (originally radium in the ’50s and early ’60s, then tritium, marked “T<25” on later dials). There are also non-luminous dial variants (no lume dots) particularly on some colored or decorative dials from later years. As the decades progressed, Rolex expanded the dial palette for the 6694. By the 1970s and especially the 1980s, the Oysterdate Precision was available in a rainbow of vibrant dial colors, including options like blue, green, yellow, pink, and others. These colorful dials gave the otherwise traditional 6694 a playful twist and have become quite collectible today. For example, one could find 6694s with bright metallic blue dials, rich green or even salmon/pink tones, often paired with contrasting hand and marker colors. Champagne (gold-tone) dials were another popular option, frequently paired with yellow gold hands and indices; this yielded a two-tone aesthetic even on all-steel watches. In addition, some later-era dials featured decorative elements like applied Roman numerals or Arabic numerals instead of plain batons – these variants offered a dressier or unique look while using the same reference 6694 platform. Despite the multitude of colors, the design language remained consistent: minimalist and elegant. The dial text is sparse (just the Rolex logo, model designation, and “Precision”), and the absence of excessive writing gives the watch a clean appearance. Many vintage examples show beautiful patina – for instance, black dials aging to “tropical” brown hues, or tritium lume plots developing a creamy coloration – all adding to the vintage charm. Most 6694 dials were matte or sunburst, but a few rare versions even exhibit unusual finishes (one 1981 example showed a high-gloss black gilt dial that aged with a unique textured patina). Notably, Rolex also produced special-order dials for certain organizations or commemorative purposes during the 6694’s run. A famous example is the Rolex 6694 issued to the Abu Dhabi Defence Force (UAE) in the 1970s, which features the military crest printed on a silver dial above 6 o’clock. Such logo dials (sometimes seen with Middle Eastern crests or corporate logos) are quite scarce but are part of the ref. 6694’s lore and demonstrate the variety of dial customizations that occurred in the vintage era. Finally, early-production Oysterdate models had a quirky vintage detail on the date display: some came with a “roulette” date wheel, meaning the date numbers alternated red and black (typically red for even dates and black for odd, or vice versa). For example, the 28th of the month might display in red, as seen on some 1950s gold-shell 6694 pieces. This roulette date wheel was a charming mid-century Rolex trait that was eventually phased out; by the 1960s, most 6694 watches used standard all-black (or white on dark dial) date numerals.

Movements (Calibers)

The Oysterdate Precision 6694 was powered by a hand-wound Rolex movement throughout its life. Two closely related in-house calibers were used, corresponding largely to early vs. later production. Early 6694 examples (generally 1960s production) were equipped with the Rolex Caliber 1210 – a 17-jewel manual movement beating at 18,000 vibrations per hour. Later on, Rolex updated the model with the Caliber 1225, a 17-jewel hand-wound movement running at a higher frequency of 21,600 vph. The switch to Cal. 1225 brought a smoother second hand sweep and improved timekeeping stability; it also incorporated a Breguet overcoil hairspring (a refined spring shape improving isochronism) and a KIF shock protection system. Both calibers 1210 and 1225 provided a substantial ~58-hour power reserve when fully wound, reflecting Rolex’s focus on reliable daily wear performance. Importantly, neither movement has a quickset date function – even in later years the date must be advanced by rotating the hands repeatedly past midnight. This non-quickset date is a minor inconvenience by modern standards, but it is characteristic of the era and the simple construction of the watch. Additionally, these movements were not submitted for chronometer certification; hence the dials are marked “Precision” rather than “Chronometer.” This was deliberate – Rolex used the “Precision” label for watches that, while built to high standards, were not COSC-certified, thereby offering a slightly more affordable product without infringing on their chronometer models’ prestige. In practice, Cal. 1210/1225 are very robust and accurate movements for everyday use, lacking only the official chronometer paperwork. Rolex’s choice to keep the 6694 manual-wind is notable. By the 1970s and ’80s, almost all other Rolex models (except niche dress pieces like the Cellini) had automatic “Perpetual” movements. Yet the Oysterdate never received an automatic caliber – even as the Daytona chronograph was upgraded to automatic in 1988, the humble ref. 6694 persisted as a hand-wound watch until its retirement. This makes the 6694 somewhat special as “the watch that Rolex forgot” in terms of movement updates – a quirk which today endears it to collectors who appreciate its old-school charm. The upside of the manual movement is a thinner case profile and the vintage ritual of daily winding, which many enthusiasts find rewarding. Indeed, the 6694 is often cited as the last three-hand, manual-wind Rolex model ever produced, marking the end of an era in Rolex history.

Hands and Hour Markers

The style of hands on the Rolex 6694 evolved in step with Rolex’s design language over the years. Early Oysterdate models in the 1950s (e.g. ref. 6094) were fitted with dauphine hands – these are the broad, faceted hands with a pointed tip, often called “sword-shaped” or dagger-style hands. Dauphine hands, paired with applied arrowhead or dagger indices, gave those early models a distinctly 1950s elegance. However, by the time reference 6694 came to market, Rolex had moved to a more modern look. Reference 6294 (the immediate predecessor in the late ’50s) “replaced the elegant sword-shaped hands with straight hands”, and this carried over to the ref. 6694. Thus, the vast majority of Oysterdate 6694 watches feature straight baton hands: slender hands with flat tops (and a strip of luminous material on luminous-dial variants) that match the simple baton hour markers. These hands can be either steel or gold-colored depending on the dial and case combination (for example, a steel 6694 with a silver dial might have polished steel hands, whereas a steel 6694 with a champagne dial would often have gold-tone hands to complement the markers). In some descriptions, these later hands are also referred to as Alpha or stick hands, but essentially they are the minimalist straight style as opposed to the earlier dauphine style. It’s worth noting that Rolex did make slight changes to the hand style over the long production run. Early 6694 examples from the 1960s may still show a bit of a dauphine or alpha influence (for instance, a marginally broader base or a glossier finish), whereas by the 1970s and ’80s the hands became uniformly slim and flat, very much like those on contemporary Oyster Perpetual or Datejust models of that era. All versions include a sweeping center seconds hand, usually a simple needle-like hand sometimes with a small counterbalance at the rear. On most vintage dials with lume, the hour and minute hands have luminescent filling that aligns with the lume dots on the dial. On non-luminous variants (including some of the colorful dials or those with Roman numerals), the hands are all-metal with no lume. In summary, a typical Rolex 6694 dial layout consists of minimalist baton hour markers, each often accompanied by a small lume dot just outside the marker, and a set of matching stick hands for hours and minutes (lumed or unlumed as appropriate), plus a thin central seconds hand. This restrained configuration contributes greatly to the ref. 6694’s legibility and classic style. Only on a handful of special dial versions would you see different hand styles – for example, some custom logo dial models for the Middle East came with unique hand sets, and one late 1960s UAE military 6694 was noted to have “sword-shaped” hands despite baton markers, indicating Rolex was willing to mix styles for specific orders. By and large, however, the clean baton hands define the 6694, reinforcing its identity as a straightforward time-and-date watch without frills.