Rolex Explorer 1016 MK1

How about another 1016 Explorer – One of the most beautiful and perhaps most balanced designed vintage Rolex watches ever created. The 1016 is in our personal top five of best vintage Rolex’s around, because it offers an amazing vintage presence on the wrist. It’s a watch that not only holds it’s value, but keeps increasing – even in current times, and it’s a pretty undercover Rolex especially when worn on a leather strap.

As you can see this Explorer I has a beautiful matte black dial, also called a MK1 ‘frog foot’ dial, referring to the splayed points of the Rolex coronet. These early dials offer much more vintage flair as they were the first ones to be fitted into the 1016 Explorer watches after Rolex moved away from the Gilt dials. The dial on our Explorer I displays that fat and ‘greasy’ Tritium lume these early MK1 Explorer watches are known for, the same applies to the original hour and (longer!) minute and seconds hands. When hit with a UV torch the hands and indices immediately light up showing a bright green, only to completely disappear once the UV source is removed. To be clear; this is correct and what you’re suppose to see with these early Explorer watches – The correct set of hands on this 1016 are already very rare! The 53 year old case looks great with good lugs and bezel and of course a killer dial. The watch is fitted to a Black, smooth calf leather strap, but any other colour will also look excellent on this warmly aged Rolex. As you can see in one of the photo’s, a more modern 78360 Oyster bracelet is optional with this 1016. All in all a marvelous vintage Explorer with a wonderful patinated dial – A watch that will be harder to come by as time goes by…

The entire movement was fully serviced (but we didn’t touched the case) and this Rolex Explorer 1016 MK1 will be sold with our 12 month warranty.

reference: 1016
case number: 173XXXX
year of production: 1967
case diameter: 36mm
movement: automatic, caliber 1570
box and papers: no

Price: € 15.950,-