1942 Rolex Empire Sand Dial Ref. 3716

Rolex Empire – a rare Bubbleback

The Rolex “Empire” Oysters sit in that fascinating in-between era where Rolex was perfecting the waterproof, automatic Oyster Perpetual — yet experimenting with a case silhouette that doesn’t immediately read “Oyster” at all. Its bizarre, they are Oysters but they don’t look Oyster. The case is very interesting - perfectly round cylinder style, not the later C-shaped Oyster profile, generally around 32mm, the early era for the Bubbleback Oyster and yes – the Empire is a Bubbleback too. The Empire was produced in a very narrow window in the late 1930s to early 1940s.

Offered here is a rare Rolex Oyster Perpetual “Empire” ref. 3716 in stainless steel with a golden / sand-toned dial with subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock. We say sand because the dials shows a beautiful warm grainy finish which has an amazing visual effect. The Empire family consists only of a handful of very rare references, and ref. 3716 is one of the two steel references it was made in. 

Steel Empires are not a myth—we see them poppoing up on auctions every few years, even some times on the vintage dealer market – the supply is extremely dry. They appear very infrequently what’s telling us how rare they actually are, and how rarely they’re available outside of private circles. At the time of writing, we have not been able to locate another steel Rolex Empire ref. 3716 publicly listed for sale online, which underlines just how thin the market is when one appears.

To complement the watch, it is fitted with a new Oyster-style bracelet by Private Eyes (Japan)—a iconic choice that keeps the look period-correct in spirit while delivering a tight, wearable feel on the wrist. Cards on the table - why did we install it? We can’t find a good enough Rolex Oyster that fits the watch.

For the collector who already knows the usual playbook of early Oysters, the Empire is the detour worth taking: rarer, less “obvious,” and arguably more rewarding precisely because it doesn’t shout. This is one of those references you buy because you understand it—then enjoy the fact that most people won’t. Oh and it wears so well!