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Rolex Explorer Ref. 5500 - Gilt Explorer Dial
SOLD
Straight Facts
Did you know they made Air-King Cased Explorers?
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, there are many combinations and variations, and the Ref. 5500 Explorer is one of them! While most Explorers use the 36mm Datejust case, the 5500 Explorer used the 34mm Rolex Air-King case (hence the reference) the smooth bezel and applied luminous Arabic 3,6,9 are all the same as a 1016, lending a rugged and utilitarian aesthetic to the watch. The principle dial difference is that the ‘EXPLORER’ text moves to the ‘6’ Position to free up space at the top of the dial.
As if that wasn’t rare enough, the present example has very early gilt dial in it. The beautiful gloss-gilt dial, is in excellent collector condition as has perfect lume that aged evenly across indices and handset. The case has likely been polished in the past, but sympathetically and certainly not overpolished. Finished off on a period Rolex riveted oyster, this is a true rarity from the world of Rolex, worth of any serious collection.
*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.
Condition Report & Details
Condition:
Movement:
Bracelet/Strap:
Shipping, Returns, & Warranty
At Oliver & Clarke, we offer free global shipping on all orders over $150.
Returns (accepted within 3 days of initial delivery of your purchase) must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. For payments via Credit Card, a 5% restocking fee will be in place for any returns or cancellations in order to cover our processing fee. Of course, watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.
If you happen to trade a watch with us, which we welcome, trades are final, except of course if the watch is grossly misdescribed or misrepresented.
We back each Oliver & Clarke timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty starting at the date of first delivery. We service or perform necessary maintenance to the extent necessary to all of our watches, unless otherwise noted. All watches are listed and sold running and functioning as intended.
*Please note that due to the vintage or antique nature of many of our watches, these machines may not run as accurately as they did when new, nor will any mechanical timepiece keep time as accurately as a quartz or electronic device.
We do not guarantee water resistance, thus do not warranty against moisture incursion or water damage.
*We also do not recommend deliberate exposure to water or worse - steam!
Our warranty is voided under the following circumstances:
- Internal or external damage caused by an accident, mishandling, abuse, modification, or handling/service performed by a third party individual other than one of our own.
Our warranty is non-transferable.
The Oliver & Clarke Guarantee
Through rigorous vetting of each watch offered, we’re able to guarantee authenticity of our pieces. Ultimately, your satisfaction is our mission, as is helping you get YOUR perfect watch. If you have any questions at all, we will get back to you ASAP.
Each of our timepieces are vetted, evaluated, authenticated, and approved by our experienced team prior to sale. We guarantee the period-correctness of all components unless otherwise disclosed. We guarantee the authenticity of each watch in perpetuity.
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Rolex Explorer Ref. 5500 - Gilt Explorer DialSale price$0.00 USD Regular price
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