Why the Rolex Zerographe is the coolest Rolex you’ve never heard of

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Rolex fans start each new year with the same question: “Which model is the brand going to relaunch, resize or upgrade?” Archive revivals are rare, as Rolex favours continuity over reinvention. The Cellini Moonphase and Cellini Prince, call-backs to the “Padellone” and the Prince respectively, were fine timepieces in their own right – yet steel sports watches tend to cause greater paroxysms of excitement among enthusiasts. That’s why I have a humble suggestion. If there is one watch in the Rolex archive that would roundly reward a whole new reimagining, it’s surely the almost legendary Zerographe.

Many people believe that calibre 4130, launched in 2000 to power the mighty Daytona, was Rolex’s first in-house chronograph movement, but actually it had created one before, back in 1937. This first step was a decidedly hesitant one, with the Zerographe being produced in remarkably small numbers. Estimates differ between 12 and “less than 50” but, as is often the case, Rolex is saying nothing. These numbers were split over two models, the smooth bezelled ref 3890 and the far more interesting ref 3346, the company’s first watch to feature a rotating bezel. Perhaps the Zerographe was a test of concept, perhaps the Second World War interrupted production plans, or maybe the classic chrono with a borrowed movement was more popular with customers and easier to produce. Whatever the reason, the Zerographe remains an intriguing offshoot of Rolex history.

The Rolex Zerographe ref 3346 © CHRISTIE’S IMAGES LTD. 2021

The chronograph function was rudimentary, but teamed with the elapsed minute bezel the 3346 could be used to time intervals of up to an hour – sufficient for most day-to-day purposes. (Tell me that the hour register isn’t the least used part of an already little used complication, honestly?) The seconds hand ran continuously until the two o’clock pusher was pressed, which sent the hand back to zero, remaining there until the pusher was released. Given that most modern owners only fiddle with their chronographs to watch this return-to-zero action, the Zerographe captures the most satisfying part of the process.

Of the few that were made, the most striking Zerographe has to be the black “error-proof” dial version of the 3346 (showing a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals), an example of which has now changed hands at auction three times, most recently at Phillips in 2016 for CHF 389,000. The combination of large, luminous hour markers and sword/Mercedes hands contrasted against a black dial makes it immediately identifiable as Rolex, while the broad, utilitarian bezel with red and black accents set atop the classic Oyster case marks it out as a purposeful sport watch.

The only detail not apparent from the catalogue images is the size – a diminutive 32mm. Much as I love an era-appropriate case on a vintage watch, this is just too small for contemporary taste. Imagine, however, if it was reissued with modern sizing: not a 2020 Submariner-style 1mm tweak but a full 8mm growth spurt. All Rolex would have to do is upgrade the movement but keep its simple quirkiness, put it on a modern Oyster bracelet and prepare for the avalanche of orders. As I said, just my humble suggestion. But I’d gladly wear-test the prototype.

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Luxury Watches – Why the Rolex Zerographe is the coolest Rolex you’ve never heard of

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Luxury Watches – Why the Rolex Zerographe is the coolest Rolex you’ve never heard of

This Is the Most Important Rolex Watch You’ve Never Heard of

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Welcome to Watches You Should Know, a biweekly column highlighting important or little-known watches with interesting backstories and unexpected influence. This week: the Rolex Zerographe.

When the modern dive watch emerged in the early 1950s, it was a winning combination of elements that had evolved over decades: water resistance via a unique case design, strong legibility with luminescent dials, automatic winding and, of course, the distinctive timing bezel that defines the look. Though the clever bezel design found its perfect niche on the dive watch, a mysterious Rolex watch from over a decade earlier was a pivotal evolutionary link.

In 1937, Rolex created the reference 3346 Zerographe. It came in different variations, but the most famous model has a captivating look: With a “California dial” (half-Roman, half-Arabic numerals) and prominent steel bezel with a 60-minute scale, it looks thoroughly modern in its design (though it’s only 32mm wide). You could easily mistake it for a dive watch (and in fact it did use Rolex’s “waterproof” Oyster case) — but a pusher at 2 o’clock hints that there’s more going on.

Antiquorum

The Zerographe looks little like any chronograph as we know them today, but it features a strange take on the stopwatch function and was Rolex’s first stab at an in-house chronograph movement. When taken together with its rotating bezel (a first for a Rolex model), this stopwatch movement means that the Zerographe is the progenitor of the two most significant Rolex watches ever: the Submariner (dive watch) and Daytona (chronograph).

Most chronographs have many subdials and hands with a couple of pushers to stop, start and reset the stopwatch function. But the Zerographe dial looks like that of a typical time-only watch — and it functions in the same way too, displaying hours and minutes with the seconds hand sweeping continuously around the dial. So where’s the chronograph? How do you use it to time something? The answer turns out to be simultaneously clever and crude:

Depress the pusher at 2 o’clock and the seconds hand will snap back to zero and stay there as long as you hold it down. It’ll restart again when you let go, and in this way you can time something up to 60 seconds. If you first align the bezel’s red lines with the minute hand, you’ll also be able to measure minutes. (Unfortunately, you can’t simply stop the seconds hand as users of typical chronographs would expect.) This feature is quirky as hell and definitely less convenient than the more standard chronograph, but it sure is interesting.

Though its functionality is basic, the watch was an experiment for Rolex. Essentially a prototype, it’s not even certain how many examples were produced, but some estimates indicate there were possibly less than a dozen. Further, the known examples feature different designs, not all of which includea rotating bezel. Zerographes are as rare as just about any prototype watch, but the same movement and concept saw a bit more production under the name Centregraph.

Phillips/Fabio Santinelli

The Zerographe wasn’t the first watch in history to feature a rotating bezel (John Harwood used a rotating bezel to both set the time and wind a movement back in 1924, and Weems' 1929 patent for Longines established its more familiar use), but it was an important one for the industry and Rolex in particular — the brand that would later define the genre with its iconic Submariner.

The Zerographe provides a look into the evolution of sport and tool watches, and shows how the elements that define them were in fact in development well before such products would be available (or palatable) to the public. Watches with rotating bezels like the Glycine Airman, Rolex Submariner, Zodiac Sea Wolf and Blancpain Fifty Fathoms would define the segment around 1953, but the Zerographe is the germ of the great watches we love today.

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