This Lot is to be Sold with No Reserve
929Σ
Rolex
Ref. 5030
Big Bubble Back, "Ovettone"
A fine and early yellow gold wristwatch with center seconds and date
- Estimate
- HK$31,000 - 47,000•€3,500 - 5,300$4,000 - 6,000
HK$50,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- Circa 1948
- Reference No
- 5030
- Movement No
- G29391
- Case No
- 648'173
- Model Name
- Big Bubble Back, "Ovettone"
- Material
- 18K yellow gold
- Calibre
- Automatic
- Bracelet/Strap
- Alligator
- Clasp/Buckle
- 18K yellow gold Rolex buckle
- Dimensions
- 35.5 mm Diameter
- Signed
- case, dial, movement and buckle signed
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The “Big Bubble Back” (Ovettone, for Italian collectors) is the oversize version of the Bubble back (Ovetto). One of the most appreciated configurations among the classier Rolex timepieces, the name stems from the dome-shaped caseback. The Big Bubble Back is particularly appealing in today’s market as it matches the vintage style of the Bubble Back with a larger diameter.
The present example dating back to the late 1940s is a very early example, and impresses with the honesty of its dial. Most notably, the luminous material is conceivably original and perfectly preserved, and has now aged to an intense camel hue highly amplifying the the vintage charm of this timeless wristwatch.
The present example dating back to the late 1940s is a very early example, and impresses with the honesty of its dial. Most notably, the luminous material is conceivably original and perfectly preserved, and has now aged to an intense camel hue highly amplifying the the vintage charm of this timeless wristwatch.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.
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