Rolex Explorer I Ref. 1016 - Mk 1 Dial 'Frog Foot'

Straight Facts

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.

This present example represents a unique opportunity, while the case dates to 1964, it was likely fitted with a service dial in the late 1960’s and today presents just as beautiful as any other Mk1 Matte Dial Explorer I. However, due to its later dial it is available as a fraction of what a either a perfect Mk1 Matte Dial OR a 1964 Gilt 1016 would go for! This lends itself to be the ultimate vintage daily wearer! The dial is a beautiful crisp black with perfect lume and printing, while the case appears to be in possibly unpolished condition. A true win-win scenario for all collectors.

*Some marks or spots on the dial are reflections or dust on the crystal and are due to high intensity strobe lighting used while photographing. They are not actually on the watch or visible in natural lighting.