Rolex Explorer I Ref. 1016 - Gilt 'Chapter Ring' Dial w/ 'Underline'

May 29, 1953

After an arduous journey starting on March 10th of 1953, and an extremely difficult assault on the summit, Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary became the first people to successfully summit Mt. Everest. On their wrist? NOT a Rolex Explorer.

Whoops.

Well, to be fair the Rolex Explorer wasn’t created yet. So why the hullabaloo about Sir Edmund Hillary? Well - he was wearing a Rolex. A Rolex Oyster Perpetual. After hearing of the success of this expedition and ruggedness of the watch - the decision was made to replace the Oyster Perpetual with a new model named in Hillary’s honor - The Explorer. Or so the story goes.

Either way, the Rolex Explorer I was introduced in 1953 but like many Rolex models, the first series was not considered ‘the best’ reference. For many collectors - the ultimate Explorer I is the reference 1016. It’s clean, highly legible and still tough enough for use in modern day wear. While using the same case as a Datejust, the smooth bezel and applied luminous Arabic 3,6,9 lend a more rugged and utilitarian aesthetic to the watch. Early models, like this, were made with gilt dials. Gilt dials are when the lettering and fonts are punched out of the dial so that the brass ‘gilt’ color shows through creating a golden text appearance. These are not very easy to produce and were ultimately discontinued by Rolex in the later half of the 1960s as they couldn’t be produced in the same quantity as a matte dial - but nothing shines and glows like a Rolex gilt dial.

The example that we have here is a Reference 1016 dating to circa 1963. The case remains strong condition overall, retaining correct proportions throughout. Likely previously polished a long time ago, it shows normal, honest signs of wear throughout with a seemingly unpolished bezel that shows matching wear. It is fitted to a correct, yet slightly later 'rivet' Oyster bracelet with a blade clasp. The dial within, however, is the clear highlight of this piece. It exhibits an attractive and honest patina from age, with a light surface patina when inspected closely. The Tritium indices exhibit a uniform patina, with a slightly darker handset. Last but not least, this piece features a small silver 'underline' under the text on the bottom half of the dial. Almost unnoticeable and easy to miss if you are not looking for it, it is widely agreed that this was one of the ways that Rolex denoted that they had transitioned to using Tritium from Radium. Found exclusively on pieces from this era, it has become one of those small details that collectors go crazy for.

All in all, an attractive, well-rounded, and totally unique example of what many consider to be a perfect watch!