The “Explorer” was introduced in 1953 to celebrate the ascent of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzig Norgay. Marketed to adventurers and in particular mountaineers, early prototypes used the bubble-back case as Rolex sought to improve upon their early success with this design. Created with active clients in mind, the Explorer featured clear, legible dials, the earliest of which were white with steel or brass triangular markers and numerals. Rolex continued to evolve the design, and by 1953 the reference 6350 was launched with the word “Explorer” on the black dial. Rolex promotional material from the period refers to the case as a reinforced Oyster. The present example features the early and highly sought after black honeycomb dial. In lovely original condition with gilt lettering, the black dial stands out with its quarter Arabic dial, displaying only the numbers 3-6-9, with the remainder being baton numerals. The original pencil shaped hands, which are found on the later Submariner, are common on the earliest examples. Further dating the watch, the case back is stamped IV.53. The “Explorer” wristwatch has had a long and important history with new and subtle variations over the years, and is still retailed today by the manufacturer.