Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1983 Reference No: 1016 Movement No: D609664 Case No: 8'066'759 Model Name: Explorer Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped "78360" and "580" to the endlinks, max length 205mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp stamped "H" and "78360" Dimensions: 36mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
Catalogue Essay
One of the greatest classics in the entire history of Rolex, the Explorer is the simplest among the firm's sport models, a cornerstone of sorts from which the entire line of Oyster-cased models (Daytona, GMT, Milgauss, Submariner...) blossoms.
The present example belongs to reference 1016, arguably the last "old school" Explorer model. Featuring an immaculate matte dial whose luminous material has acquired a warm hue with age, the piece was produced in 1983, in the last decade of its 41-year production run, from its introduction in 1959 to the model’s discontinuation in 1990.
Founded 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.