Rolex Oyster Perpetual 134303: specifications and what to check

Oysterclasp and Oysterlock are not the same part

Rolex uses two clasp names across the references documented on this site, and they are separated by one feature.

Oysterlock carries a safety catch — a hinged cover that folds over the closed clasp and latches, so the clasp cannot be opened accidentally. It is fitted to the sports references here: the Submariner, the Deepsea, the Yacht-Master, the Air-King.

Oysterclasp is the same folding clasp without that catch. It is what this reference carries.

So on this watch the absence of a safety catch is correct, not a missing component, and a dealer who expects one will flag a perfectly good example. The reverse mistake is worse: describing this reference as having an Oysterlock puts a claim in your listing that the buyer can disprove at a glance.

Both clasps here are combined with the Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link — a hinged section in the bracelet that adds five millimetres without tools. Unfold it, refold it, and confirm it lies flat. It is used rarely, which is exactly why it is worth checking.

The gold is in the case, not the bracelet

The case material is Yellow Rolesor — a combination of Oystersteel and yellow gold. The bracelet material is listed separately as Oystersteel.

That distinction generates real disappointment if it is not made clear before the sale. A buyer reading "steel and gold" reasonably pictures gold centre links, and this bracelet does not have them.

Say where the gold is: the bezel and the case elements, with a steel Oyster bracelet.

For inspection, that also tells you where to look. The domed gold bezel is a soft, polished, unbroken surface — no flutes to break up the reflection, so flattening and handling haze show plainly. And it cannot be replaced from a steel parts donor, which makes any damage there a genuine deduction rather than a cheap fix.

Hold it so a straight edge reflects across the dome and follow the reflection round. It should stay smooth.

No date, and nothing where a date would be

The published function list runs to three central hands and a stop-seconds feature. No date, and consequently no Cyclops on the sapphire.

Both absences are the specification. Check the dial has no aperture, the crystal no magnifier, and move on — a correct Oyster Perpetual has neither, and finding either would mean you were looking at something else.

The movement is the calibre 3230, approximately 70 hours, −2/+2 seconds a day after casing, Superlative Chronometer. That is the same no-date movement Rolex fits to the Air-King and the no-date Submariner.

Twinlock, and a hundred metres

The crown is screw-down with the Twinlock double waterproofness system — two sealing zones, not the three of a Triplock — and the rating is 100 metres / 330 feet.

A hundred metres behind a screw-down Twinlock covers ordinary life comfortably. What it is not is a dive rating, so leave the wording Rolex keeps for its Submariner and Deepsea pages where it belongs.

Screw the crown home half a dozen times, watching for the thread to bite immediately rather than needing to be hunted for. The tube is part of the case, and damaged threads there are an expensive discovery.

The dial is listed as slate, with a Chromalight display: check the luminous material matches across every marker under a torch, which is the clearest sign a dial has been apart.