Rolex Explorer*** 1016 Box & Papers*** 1973

OUR ARCHIVE » Rolex Explorer*** 1016 Box & Papers*** 1973

ROLEX Explorer Ref. 1016, Box & Papers, Military Base Guam, 1973
Serial: 3692618
Circa: 1973
Reference No: 1016

DIAL: Black matte ‘Explorer’ dial with 3-6-9 and baton luminous hour markers

MOVEMENT: Caliber 1570, self-winding mechanical movement with 26 jewels

CASE: 36mm, stainless steel with smooth bezel, acrylic glass

BRACLET: Stainless steel Rolex USA Oyster folded bracelet, Ref. 7386 with 358 endlinks

CONDITION REPORT: Excellent overall condition. The dial tiritium indexes have aged with a rich patina and the tritium hands are also tritium and slightly darker.

NOTES: This watch comes complete with its original box & warranty papers showing the stamp sold in Guam on a US Military Base.

The Explorer I is widely known as the tribute for the first Rolex watches to have been at the top of Mount Everest; a record feat. Rolex had been sponsoring Himalayan expedition since the early 1930’s and also equipped climbers with watches for the extreme conditions they would encounter. On May 29, 1953, Rolex automatic chronometer watches accompanied Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, led by Sir John Hunt, as they completed the historic achievement of reaching the top of Mount Everest.
The epic feat was so emblematic of the robustness Rolex was putting into its watches that it this occasion sparked the launch of the Rolex Explorer in 1953. It incorporated the technical features improved upon during the Himalayan expeditions over twenty years to make it one of the most rugged of all Oysters.

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