Help identify this strange franken bubbleback

[sport778]

So I bought what I thought was a Rolex Bubbleback 20ish years ago and have basically never looked at it until the other day when I decided to part ways with it.

From what I can tell it has an Oyster Watch Company 15 jewel chronometre movement.

The strange thing is it does not have an Oyster Watch Company dial but rather a Rolex Chronometre dial. I tried to find a similar one from google images and old auction listing but literally cannot find the same dial/watch combo.

So do I potentially have something very rare that has a factory rolex dial from the in-between stage when Rolex phased out Oyster Watch Company into Rolex or is it just franken junk? Would appreciate any insight from the experts.

[MILGAUSS88]

Not a bubbleback, and the dial has been redone.

[U5512]

Yup, dial has been refinished. You can make it super rare by having your own name below the Rolex:

"Rolex Oyster"
"sport778"

[offrdmania]

Looks like one of those popular fake California dials that were all the rage in the 80s.

[motoikkyu]

It's not junk, but it's definitely a repainted dial.

[R.W.T.]

Looks like a reference 3478. Gold filled top stainless back. Movement is right for the watch.

There are are no Oyster Watch Company dials.

There are Oyster dials...but this is all not a linear progression. The oyster watch company was in all of the cases...at one point...It wasn't Oyster Watch Company and then all of a sudden Rolex....Rolex watches were branded Rolex and the cases were Oyster Watch Co. They were also Rolex Cases. SAR also...Societe Anonym Rolex.


That movement is not a Rolex chronometer movement but rather an FEF calibre 59 or 65 contracted by Rolex for their sub line which is basically the predecessor to Tudor.

As has been stated it's a refinished dial.