Rolex

Baron - Mr Red
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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 about its configuration. The watch is the Explorer 1 “Red Depth”. For so many, the vintage Explorer 1 represents a lot about what it means to be a Rolex. This is my personal journey for this specific watch….

A few years ago, I used to buy most of my watches through a particular London dealer. I mentioned to him that I was looking for an Explorer “Red Depth” and his response was that in all his time as a dealer, travelling everywhere, he had not once seen a “Red Depth.” A few weeks later, an elderly gentleman walked into a jeweler shop on Bond Street in London and asked if they wanted to buy his old Rolex. The jeweler had no idea what it was, but my dealer was a well-known name and had adverts in many places, so they called him. They described the watch. Then they sent a scan. The dealer forwarded me the scan. We couldn’t believe it. It was a Red Depth Explorer 1. I made an offer and the man accepted. Serendipity, eh?


The watch was in superb condition for one that was over 50 years old. It was also a first-owner watch. How do I know this? Well, I don’t for sure. The elderly gentleman who sold it said he had had it since he was a young man. ….it had been kept in pristine condition. This watch had been treasured. In some ways, it is sad that the original owner needed to part with it. However, it has come to a home that will keep it and treasure it. It could have gone to a worse home. I like to think it is a one-owner watch.

My original point of research on the watch came from the Skeet and Urul book. It is the case that the pictures in that book are not of actual watches but rather of stylised pictures…nothing is actual. So, when I saw two versions of my “Red Depth” in that book, it got me thinking…..thinking that I needed to hunt the other version! One version of the watch had the red depth writing at the top of the dial and the other version had it at the lower part of the dial. After 2 years or so, I am now of the view that there is only one version – the version I have pictured below. The Red writing comes at the top of the dial.






I have tried to keep track of the “Red Depths” that I have seen over the last few years, and here are my observations.

Serial 114XXX….i56
Serial 1139XX…i56
Serial 114XXX…..i56
Serial 168xxx ii56
Serial 1142XX…i56

I am spotting a trend here!

The reference on my watch is 113XXX, i56.

There is a collector in Munich who has specialised in Explorers. According to this anecdotal source, he has never seen a “Red Depth” with the printing of the red in the lower part of the dial. I have asked a number of vintage collectors the same question, and the response is always the same – the “Red Depth” is printed in the upper part of the dial. What I can say is that although it is plausible that Red Depths were produced later than 1956, I have only seen evidence of watches with identical dials from 1956 and they all had the depth writing at the top of the dial. Watches with a later serial number have a different dial configuration. With Rolex, one can never be too assertive, but a safe-bet with this watch is a serial range 113xxx-114xxx. It is of course plausible that the watch was made in two batches with a later serial number for the second batch. Indeed, as I have said, I have seen one example like that, but with that one the writing of the red depth was different to that of the 113xxx-114xxx batch. One easy-to-spot difference between the 113xxx-114xxx batch and the later possibility is the style of the writing  on the depth. On the left we have the 113xxx-114xxx watch, with the 6 "open". On the right is another Red Depth but with a much later serial number and with this one the 6 is "closed".






On to the 6610…..well, some brief history to put the 6610 in context. The trademark “Explorer” was first registered by Rolex on 26^th January 1953. Its launch coincided with the use of the Rolex “Explorer” Ref 6098 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in the successful conquering of Mount Everest. The reference 6098 was quickly followed by 6298, 6150 and 6350. All these early references started at some point in 1953 with various changes to the dial. The 6610 was introduced in 1955/56. It came with some identifiable changes including the words “Officially Certified Chronometer” positioned above the 6 and also the word “Explorer” positioned just below the 12.The movement was also upgraded from the A296 to the 1030.

All these early Explorer references came with a 36mm case. One of the things that made me buy the modern Explorer 1, reference 114270 is the fact that it was also 36mm, replicating the DNA of the very early Explorer versions. Yes, I appreciate that fashions have changed and that the latest Explorer 1 has been moved to 39mm. But fashions will change again. To me, a part of the charm of this reference is its 36mm size.

The heritage of the watch comes from its use as the ultimate adventurer’s watch. An advert taken from the era shows the launch of the watch and how it was marketed. It’s a pitbull of a watch. Small, but capable of survival in all manner of situations.





But now some close-up scans of the watch itself….
Several things to note…..
First, take a macro view of the writing of the words at the top of the dial. These words have an almost 3-D effect….there is a texture to them. It is not like these characters are just printed in the dial. It is a small point, but worth observing.






Another trademark for this watch is its hands. Mercedes hands on an Explorer first came with the 6350 reference. It continued with the 6610. Here is a close-up of the hands and it can be noted just how long they extend. The minute hand extends exactly to the edge of the ring. Again, not an obvious thing to watch for, but an intrinsic part of the DNA of this watch. 




This watch has a lot of charm. Not just because of its history. Not just because of its place in Rolex chronology. It oozes character. In some lights, the Red just vanishes. Yet in other light, the Red jumps out so prominently. It is a watch that wins many friends very quickly.

I have received a lot of questions over the last year or so from people interested in the 6610 and specifically the Red Depth. I hope this review answers many of those questions. And for those hunting one…..let me just say….good luck with that! I think it is harder to find than a Mk1 Patent Pending.













This message has been edited by Baron on 2013-07-29 04:29:24 This message has been edited by Baron on 2013-07-29 04:50:50 This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2013-07-29 19:30:39