The story of the Rolex Explorer was really made when it was the very first wristwatch worn on the summit of Everest by none other than Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa Tenzig Norgay. Launched in 1953, the Explorer was based on the Oyster “Bubbleback”, as these cases were robust, and it has an extra bulged screwed down caseback to fit a self-winding movement. Although Rolex had already begun testing their Oyster wristwatches on Himalayan expeditions in the 1930s, it was not until the successful climb of Everest in 1953 that the firm decided to launch their very first Explorer reference, 6150 and 6350 with its iconic 3-6-9 dial.

The ref. 6610 was launched shortly after the first two references. Featuring a beautiful galvanized gilt dial, the reference further retains its iconic 3-6-9 dial with radium luminous material to fill the indexes and hands. Encased in a robust 36mm Oyster case with a screw-down caseback, the Explorer is ready for any expedition. The dial featured in the present example displays a rare and unusual red depth rating printed underneath the “Explorer” signature.

Preserved in excellent overall condition with a nicely balanced case and a natural unrestored dial, the condition is impeccable with high radium reading under a Geiger counter. A superb red-depth Explorer to add to the collection.