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Explorer 1
I have only just seen you article which I read with great interest. I have had 3 Explorer 1 watches, the first being a Plexiglass model in the 70's. I read somewhere that the Explorer was originally created for deep caving exploration but I guess the mountaineering community have taken over the reigns somewhat with Sherpa Tensing Norgay summiting Everest in 1953 followed later by Reinhold Messner's oxygen free successful attempt, albeit he wears an early Explorer II. The Explorer I and II have always been dear to my heart as I have pursued mountain sports for many years and to me the whole ethos of this watch will be forever a mountaineering and caving symbol. I recently acquired a 40mm Explorer II white face which is in absolute mint condition and covered by a BQW 2 year warranty, sadly, my visits to the mountains has ceased now due to illness but my heart is still there and I have still not given up my ropes and climbing gear
The Rolex Explorer "Red Depth" 6610
I have definitely posted this watch a few times in the past. At GTGs, it is often this watch that gets the most appreciation from my non-Rolex friends. I would like to do a more detailed examination of the watch and discuss what I believe to be accurate a...
Great review of a spectacular watch !
definitely ultra rare...I am really envious... You tease us until we want one...and then tell us it's impossible.... Very devilish ;-)
That tease...
.....is inevitable!! But you are right....there is close-to-no-point in trying to hunt one of these. It just needs a lot of luck.
Hello dear Joe! Fantastic review of your one of a kind example...
... your "Red Explorer" is really an intriguing and haunting timepice. You are right when you say that the heritage of the 6610 Explorer was being the ultimate time tool for explorers during its age. We lovers of vintage Rolex view the Explorer 1 as the w...
This watch deserved such an article.
As you know, I am more comfortable with a Red 6610 in the 113 / 144 xxx SN, and in the same configuration than yours. A Watch which unveils all its beauty and interest in the real, only in the real, even if your pictures allow us to feel its charm and pow...
Thanks Nicolas....
.....i know this is one that you have a lot of time for. It is truly captivating in the real, but nice to catch some of that on a picture.
Bravo! Fantastic Report...
I'll be reading this one again and again just so I can see pics of your beauty :-), thanks. S
very interesting and ...
by the way also GMT 6542 with 1 or 2 " red-writings " also have the same case range ( 113.000 ). this works however deserves a more detailed answer , so I will take my time to read and absorb it before answering . in the meantime congrats to the writer as...
+1 on the writer's merit. I don't remember having read something of this
Quality on the 6610 Red. Best, Nicolas
Marcello...
Very kind of you to say so. I think what interests me is the possibility of a second serial number batch around the 168xxx range. I think it is fairly clear that the 113xxx-114xxx range has a handful of examples. But the 168xxx version that I have seen......
you're welcome but ....
a very complete research in the records of most collectors would be necessary to check if other explorers in this slightly later batch have ever appeared with the max. depth in red. keep however present that within a lot of nearly 100.000 watches produced...
oucch ...
too many things to do and I have done some " casino " again as, if the " out of range red explorer " is in the 168.000 case range then the elapsed time is roughly 3 months !!
moreover ..
besides the delay of 3-6 months .. the watch would have been produced in 1956 and not in 1955.
indeed....
.....and also corresponding with that the fact that 56q1 appears on all of the 113xxx-114xxx watches....so the period of production could have been very very narrow. I will wait with eagerness to see your research! Regards Joe
Thanks man!
very informative, never read something on this rarity, really well done. i hope to see more picture in the future ave!
Thank you for this great writeup, Baron! :)
It is a stunning watch, my friend! And I really like the combo with the new starp. :) Best Blomman
Another SN
Thank you for a great article. Recently I saw a Certificate of authenticity for a 6610 "Red Depth" made by local AD and it is showing 1633XX i56. However, the case back on this watch says IV/57, but according to the local expert (who has also worked sever...
Certificate of authenticity?
I am not sure that any such certificate can mean anything. Rolex themselves will not be able to verify that the watch is "as it was born" so long as all the parts are genuine Rolex. That is really the question. A certificate of authenticity will only real...
100% agree with you
Would I be comfortable in buying this watch - No, not based on this information. Like you, I would need to see more evidence confirming that the watch is really what it supposed to be. Unfortunately there are no original or service papers to give any addi...
Great Write Up
Very informative write up. Thank you for posting that. And the pics are truly professional. Enjoy that rare watch! V/R Mike
mmhhhh..................
a case in the 160.000 range ( produced at the beginning of 1956 ) matched to a back produced at the end of 1957 : with this back the consistent case number would have been in a range no lower than 320-350.000 ( roughly the case produced in the 4th quarter...
Well,
....... if a watch has been partially put together then, of course, it brings into question the authenticity of the rest of the watch. I think for me, I need this watch to be "without issues". Nicolas said it well when he said that he is comfortable with ...
bravo !
it's a problem of " consistance " .. when you find something " odd " or deeply different .... usually there are also other things non consistent : this doesn't mean by itself that the watch is not completely original .. but certainly that is not correct f...
What a great report Joe of a truly rare bird!!
You are a lucky man to have her and your collection is nothing short of amazing! Cheers,
Great writing Mr Baron. Your articles are really.....
starting to tickle my fancy :) I am starting to see Rolex in a different way..more like I am starting to feel Rolex. Thank you for sharing your passion and describing it so well. Cheers Francois
Beatifully written Joe...........
Like others in your superb collection an extremely rare piece. I have said it before...............If only watches could talk, I wonder what kind of history it could tell us. ;) Seeing the old advert, made me think of the magnificent achievement made by S...
after some researches ....
done either in my records and with some collectors .... the only decent pics I have found are these .. taken from a watch appeared in 2008 on another public forum ( case is in the 114.000 range ). unfortunately there is just a very small material about th...
Wow...
....is that 6 open or closed....... looks open. Yep, it is a hard watch to research! I told you it was easier to find a Mk1 Patent Pending!!!
rare indeed ...
will later do a further work on the pics to check if the 6 is open or closed ... from what I see at the moment it looks closed.
on the contrary ...
this one (for sale some time ago ) seems to have the " open " 6 : ...
another one ....
sold at an auction in 2012 : and now , ladies and gentlemen .. a fake one with his damned "spumoni" indexes .. case number in the 163.300 range and a bloody back punched " IV-57 " .... LLLOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL needless to say that...
and another one with ....
case in the 114.000 range : please note that like in other genuine ones ( besides that dials are not brand new ) the typical "bulky body" of all letters , the trapeizodal shape of the letter " A " in the word PERPETUAL and also the shape of the letter " f...
OK...some simple conclusions
So far then, on the basis of the handful of watches I have seen and the examples that Marcello has uncovered..... 1) The serial range 113xxx-114xxx has a standard format with a very typical dial layout., Open 6 standard. 2) 16Xxxx does appear, but it does...
I think in Scotland they call it "Unproven"
So far, the only versions of this later batch have come with dubious casebacks (ones from an incorrect period) and the style of writing is different to the uniform version of the 113xxx-114xxx....that makes me less than happy to be conclusive. With the 11...
Wrist shot for world peace?
Excellent review, Mr. Baron. I really enjoyed it. Any chance of a wrist shot??
Rolex Explorer 6610 Red Depth - Lower Dial
An example of the Rolex Explorer 6610 Red Depth, with the depth indication on the lower part of the dial, was sold in 2011 by Sotheby's: So, barring a redial, they do exist!
100 % skeptical ...
to say the very least .. LOL LOL LOL numbers fonts are not even close to genuine ones seen in the years : ...
Excellent write up of an Iconic watch
Joe- excellent write up of a great piece. I enjoy all your reports very much. A few things to note. 1) you mention the hands & how the minute hand extends to the edge. A good point. You never mentioned the hour hand? The hour hand has a long neck that...
thanks but from ...
this terrific pic ( with the most important detail of the dial almost hidden ) I can't see anything.
I thought it might be a problem
But also thought that it might just be good enough. Will send a better improved one. Thank you though! E
Edmond.....
......you are quite correct about the hour hand. It does deserve a mention. I don't know who gave it the name "Swan neck", but its fitting. Regarding the open versus closed 6, yes, the one in Geneva does have a closed 6 and that does go against the trend ...
waiting for good pictures....
I'm still very skeptical as these red depth dials from the early 50s AFAIK all had " open 6 " such as this 6305-2 : ...
Explorer 1
I have only just seen you article which I read with great interest. I have had 3 Explorer 1 watches, the first being a Plexiglass model in the 70's. I read somewhere that the Explorer was originally created for deep caving exploration but I guess the moun...
Very interesting watch and review
I miss Marcello-- he knew or could find out any variation in a type of Rolex Watch-- good or bad. RIP.
