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 Ice Quartz
Reference 97038OR.49
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Rolex
- Collection
- Oyster Perpetual
- Model
- Rolex Oyster Perpetual 43 mm Ice Quartz
- Reference number
- 97038OR.49
- Year / era
- 1996 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Ice blue
- Strap / bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 43 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Ice blue
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- Jubilee bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 12C — In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 45 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1996 – 1999
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
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 Ice Quartz sits within Rolex's Oyster Perpetual line, introduced in 1996. It carries the house codes established since 1905 — quartz tpt case, ice blue dial and in-house automatic, superlative chronometer — 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.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
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.