291
Rolex
Ref. 16550
Explorer II
A very rare stainless steel dual time wristwatch with sweep centre secon0ds, date, ivory 'rail' dial, bracelet, guarantee and fitted presentation box
- Estimate
- HK$80,000 - 150,000
HK$125,000
Lot Details
- Manufacturer
- Rolex
- Year
- 1986
- Reference No
- 16550
- Movement No
- 1'499'904
- Case No
- 9'623'448
- Model Name
- Explorer II
- Material
- Stainless steel
- Calibre
- Automatic, 3085, 27 jewels
- Bracelet/Strap
- Stainless steel <em>Rolex Oyster </em>bracelet, 175 mm. maximum length, end link stamped 78360
- Clasp/Buckle
- Stainless steel <em>Rolex</em> folding deployant clasp
- Dimensions
- 39 mm. diameter
- Signed
- <em>Case, dial and movement signed </em>
- Accessories
- With <em>Rolex</em> Garantie dated 28 September 1987, sales tag, product literature, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
This Explorer II features a beautiful dial that has aged from white, to a rich ivory tone over time. The white version of reference 16550 is famous for 'turning' after decades of use, and the present watch captures the myriad of ways Rolex dials can change with time.
This example is also known as the 'rail dial', as the words "Chronometer" and "Certified" line up together. Complete examples are rare to come by these days, and the watch is further highlighted by the presence of its original guarantee and full accessories.
This example is also known as the 'rail dial', as the words "Chronometer" and "Certified" line up together. Complete examples are rare to come by these days, and the watch is further highlighted by the presence of its original guarantee and full accessories.
Rolex
Swiss | 1905Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.
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