Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1967 Reference No: 1016 Case No: 1'590'630 Model Name: Explorer Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, max. length 190mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp Dimensions: 35mm diameter Signed:case, dial and movement signed Accessories: With Rolex punched registration card stamped by Santander retailer Hijos De Pablo Galan dated August 28, 1969 COSC Certification dated July 5, 1967 with additional Rolex sticker, Rolex via Joyeria Pardo service documents dated July 28, 1978, Rolex via Joyeria Pardo service papers dated June 16, 1980, Rolex service card dated February 13, 2015, product literature, green document holder and presentation box.
Catalogue Essay
The Rolex Explorer is arguably one of the cornerstones of Rolex's success. Reliable and sporty, yet at the same time elegant and understated, with an immediately recognizable and readable dial, it truly can be considered an icon of watchmaking.
The present example not only features a wonderfully preserved dial, but furthermore comes accompanied by an astoundingly complete documentation, detailing its history from the moment of purchase, through the two services in 1978 and 1980, down to the last service in 2015.
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.