Rolex Explorer 1016 and 6610 Dial Authenticity

Subexplorer shares his journey of finding the perfect Rolex Explorer, initially celebrating his acquisition of a vintage Ref. 1016 with beautiful patina and gilt dial. However, his post quickly evolves into a critical discussion when a second Explorer, a Ref. 6610, is questioned for its authenticity. This thread becomes a compelling case study in vintage watch authentication, highlighting the complexities and potential pitfalls collectors face.

I had expressed in some previous posts here, my fondness for the Explorer model.

Of the several references which have displayed the name “Explorer” on its dial, I had personally favored the reference 1016 as the most beautiful of all to my personal taste.

As a matter of fact, my search for an example for my own collection had always been directed to the 1016.

And after many examples came and went - always looking for the one I was expecting to find-  it finally arrived: sporting a beautiful patina of its tritum indexes, gilt inscriptions, making a nice contrast against a wonderful glossy dial.

This is a c.1965 watch, which I had shown in several pictures in my previous posts, but as you may understand, I´m more than pleased to share again in the following picture.

To say that I was completely satisfied and happy with that watch, may be an under statement.

 I definitively felt that this was MY Explorer, and thought that with this example I couldn´t take off my wrist during the following weeks after purchasing it, the Explorer chapter of my collection was completed and closed.

I was going to learn soon, that I was very wrong.

I´m still very happy with my 1016.

But the Explorer chapter, I couldn´t close.

After joining Purists at beginning this year, and after viewing some posts and pictures of Nicolas´own Explorer, and exchange some messages within his posts, he instilled me his fondness for another variant, the reference 6610.

I had never seen a 6610 in person myself. It is a very rare version in my country.

I was completely sold after viewing Nicolas awesome example and then, while searching in old Purists posts, I came across the great story of Baron and his own red date 6610 finding.

That post of September 2010, made me think a lot. The exchange of messages following Baron´s post, said something about the Cosmos intervention in the finding.

Well, I´m not a believer nor a knowledgeable person in Cosmos conspirations, nor in Magic or special powers, but I might confess, that I had several collecting experiences myself, which make me feel that these things occur from time to time, and that they are more than mere coincidences.

Let me explain: I´m a new comer to watch collecting, with just a few years of experience in this activity, but have a more than 30 years of collecting experience in other collecting fields.

A long time career during which the Cosmic Conspiration, or whatever you wish to call it, came to my help. That is, in at least a dozen occasions in which I talked to someone  that I was dying for finding “X” object, and I deeply wished to get a copy, some days, or some few weeks later, I came to find it, no matter how rare that piece was.

Please, do not misunderstand my words. I had wished very hard to own hundreds of things during my collecting years, and nothing happened.

But in that dozen or so cases, I recall talking to a fellow collector, or to a vintage dealer about something I was searching since long ago, and remember the vintage dealer telling me: “Mmm, that´s very rare, forget about it. I have never seen it (or I have seen it only twice in 30 years)”.

And then, some few days or weeks later, same dealer phoned me to say: “Do you remember that xxx object you were looking for last time we met…”.

Well, it happened again a couple of weeks ago.

I was rereading the Explorer post I have written about my 1016, and Nicolas comments, and those posts written by Nicolas and Baron. They had changed my mind about 6610 vs. 1016.

Now I badly wanted a 6610 for my collection.

I had called my few contacts here where I usually look for vintage pieces, and I was told that a 6610 in nice condition was something rare to come by, and not to expect to find one very easily. I decided to write it in capital letters in my wish list, and forget it for the moment. 

Then, some days latter a phone call from a friendly vintage watch dealer put me on the track again.

“I have something to show you. Something you´ll love” he said.

I couldn´t get any more words from him. He wanted me to visit him quick.

I know him well enough to be sure he wished to play mistery, and that I wouldn´t get any more information from him by phone. I just had to visit him. Fast.

Two days later I was seating in front of his desk, and he produced this watch.

I couldn´t believe my eyes.

And my friend confessed he was so surprised to find it, as he knew it was a difficult one to find. Yes, he had told me they were rare when I asked about it, just some days before!

Strangely enough, this one had appeared some days after our previous talk, when I had told him that I was eagerly looking for one.

(He recalled that a similar thing happened to us, a couple of years ago, with my first vintage ref 6609 TOG. It had appeared in his shop, some few weeks after I had talked to him about my interest in one. Two Cosmic Conspiration cases?)

Wow!... There is always a bit of magic and a feeling of butterflies in your stomach, in the unexpected finding of a desired new piece for your collection! You know the feeling… just like you are going to levitate.

Yes, my friendly dealer was showing me this 6610 Explorer, of 1956 vintage, with a beautiful and rare honeycomb black dial, nicely patinated tritum indexes and gilt inscriptions.

The watch came with a Nato band, of which I´m not very fond of. By some reason, they look terrific in other people wrists, but not in mine.

I took it home after a bit of dealing. It was a very happy ride glancing my new found Explorer strapped with its Nato to my wrist, while driving my car back to my office.

I will look for a riveted Oyster bracelet for it, in a near future.

In the meantime, I tried a couple different straps, one made of ostrich leather, very fancy colored, which matched the indexes colors, but looked rather showy.

So I changed them for the plain dark brown leather (vintage type) ones which I wear presently.

I like the look of this old Explorer with the leather straps, which makes for a different character of the watch compared with my 1016 Explorer´s Oyster bracelet.

Comparing the two watches together, I find them very similar, though I feel the 6610 got a more vintage look. May be because its thinner smooth bezel, which reaches a 34,5 mm diameter, against the 35 mm diameter of the 1016. Both watches got a 36 mm diameter case though.

Do I like one more than the other? I can´t say so.

Being so similar, each of them got their own character.

Each dial is beautiful, one glossy rich deep black, the other honeycomb.

Both are classic tool watches from a glorious Rolex past, when they designed and built these rugged watches for true explorers and adventurers of a long gone era.

I´m happy to share my new find here, with my Purists friends.

Best cordial regards, Abel.