Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Rolex · Oyster Perpetual
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 43 mm Blue Ceramic
Reference 19519OR.19
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Rolex
- Collection
- Oyster Perpetual
- Model
- Rolex Oyster Perpetual 43 mm Blue Ceramic
- Reference number
- 19519OR.19
- Year / era
- 1955 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Minute repeater
- Movement
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 250 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 43 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Bezel
- Baguette diamond rainbow
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 68A — In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Minute repeater
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1955 – 1962
- Limited-edition quantity
- 250 pieces
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 43 mm Blue Ceramic sits within Rolex's Oyster Perpetual line, introduced in 1955. It carries the house codes established since 1905 — ceramic case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and in-house automatic, chronometer certified — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Rolex
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1905
- Founder
- Hans Wilsdorf
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Submariner, Daytona, GMT-Master II, Datejust, Day-Date, Yacht-Master, Sky-Dweller, Explorer, Oyster Perpetual, Sea-Dweller, Air-King, 1908, Milgauss
- Signature technologies
- Proprietary case-hardening and polishing · Composite and ceramic case materials
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house manual-winding
- Notable watches
- Rolex Submariner 44 mm Skeletonised Platinum (1978) · Rolex Submariner 36 mm Ice 18k (1981) · Rolex Submariner 42 mm Meteorite Quartz (1982) · Rolex Submariner 38 mm Silvered 18k (1989)
Brand history
Rolex has spent more than 121 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Submariner, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Hans Wilsdorf established Rolex in 1905, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Rolex calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1905
Hans Wilsdorf founds Rolex in Switzerland.
1969
The quartz era forces Rolex to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Rolex enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Rolex continues to produce Submariner, Daytona, GMT-Master II and other icons in limited numbers.