Rolex

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...  

definitely ultra rare...I am really envious... You tease us until we want one...and then tell us it's impossible.... Very devilish ;-)

.....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.

... 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... 

I am so pleased you enjoyed it.

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... 

.....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.

I'll be reading this one again and again just so I can see pics of your beauty :-), thanks. S

.....it is a captivating watch

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... 

Quality on the 6610 Red. Best, Nicolas

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...... 

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... 

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 !!

besides the delay of 3-6 months .. the watch would have been produced in 1956 and not in 1955.

.....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

very informative, never read something on this rarity, really well done. i hope to see more picture in the future ave!

It is a stunning watch, my friend! And I really like the combo with the new starp. :) Best Blomman

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... 

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... 

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... 

Very nice watch!

Very informative write up. Thank you for posting that. And the pics are truly professional. Enjoy that rare watch! V/R Mike

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... 

....... 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 ... 

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... 

You are a lucky man to have her and your collection is nothing short of amazing! Cheers,

...i was VERY lucky to get this one for sure.

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

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... 

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...  

....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!!!

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.

closed .... ...  

this one (for sale some time ago ) seems to have the " open " 6 : ...  

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...  

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...  

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... 

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... 

Excellent review, Mr. Baron. I really enjoyed it. Any chance of a wrist shot??

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!

I am a little sceptical

......also the red writing just looks wrong to me.

to say the very least .. LOL LOL LOL numbers fonts are not even close to genuine ones seen in the years : ...  

No message body

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... 

full front pic of the dial ? thanks.

...  

this terrific pic ( with the most important detail of the dial almost hidden ) I can't see anything.

But also thought that it might just be good enough. Will send a better improved one. Thank you though! E

nt

......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 ... 

I'm still very skeptical as these red depth dials from the early 50s AFAIK all had " open 6 " such as this 6305-2 : ...  

...  

......i would be comfortable buying an open-6.

nt

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...  

I miss Marcello-- he knew or could find out any variation in a type of Rolex Watch-- good or bad. RIP.