Rolex Explorer*** 1016*** 1972
ROLEX Explorer Ref. 1016, Beautiful Patina, 1972
Serial: 295XXXX
Circa: 1972
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
Inner case dated I.72
BRACLET: Stainless steel Rolex USA Oyster rivet bracelet CI, dated 7-72
CONDITION REPORT: Excellent overall condition. The dial tiritium indexes have aged with a rich patina and the tritium hands match this aging.
NOTES: 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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