283
Rolex
Ref. 1016
Explorer
A very rare stainless steel wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, black lacquer 'tropical' dial and bracelet
- Estimate
- HK$80,000 - 150,000
HK$237,500
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1966
- Reference No
- 1016
- Movement No
- 52'596
- Case No
- 1'380'636
- Model Name
- Explorer
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Calibre
- Automatic, 1570, 26 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Stainless steel <em>Rolex Oyster </em>bracelet, 175 mm. maximum length
- Clasp/Buckle
- Stainless steel<em> Rolex</em> folding deployant clasp stamped 4.66
- Dimensions
- 36 mm. diameter
- Signed
- <em>Case, dial and movement signed </em>
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Explorer watches were produced to withstand the perils of alpine expeditions and the elements. This watch is among the last examples of reference 1016 to be fitted with a lacquer dial and gilt lettering. The black lacquer dial has aged to a beautiful and even tropical colour which completely transforms the look of this watch. The numerals have also aged to an ivory colour which match the hands on the watch. This watch is preserved with very sharp and original edges, and is furthermore accompanied with a bracelet stamped for the fourth quarter of 1966, which leads us to believe that it is original to the watch. Overall, this watch is a fantastic example.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.
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