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Vintage Rolex Explorer

Vintage Rolex Explorer - Previously Sold Examples

Vintage Rolex Explorer Orange 1655 1982 UK One Owner Watch Box & Papers
SOLD
Rolex Explorer Orange Hands 1655 - 1982 UK supplied and purchased from the original owner! This is the first orange hand Explorer we have stocked in over 2 years and what a catch this is! We are very 
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Vintage Rolex Explorer 1655 Orange Hands AKA Steve McQueen from Original Owner
SOLD
Vintage Rolex Explorer 1655 Orange hands - First sold to its original owner in 1980 by Watches of Switzerland and due to the value he has decided not to wear it any more and has replaced it with the new 
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Please note: Due to the diminishing supply year on year of quality vintage Rolex sports models we would strongly erge you to register your requirements through our "Watch Alerts" facility which will give you a "heads up" when a particular vintage sports Rolex comes into stock. Unfortunately these days there are more clients looking to purchase than watches that come to market so the examples we display above are for your information and research.

Vintage Rolex Explorer

The Rolex Explorer is a very popular watch that has been around for many years.  In fact, the Explorer model was originally manufactured especially for adventuresome, explorer-type people and the name “Explorer” was registered by Rolex in Geneva, Switzerland in January of 1953.  Shortly thereafter, the Explorer became one of the first timepieces to make it to the top of Mount Everest on the wrist of a mountain climber named Tenzing Norgay.  A group of adventurers that included Norgay and Edmund Hillary scaled the behemoth in 1953 and the entire group was issued “official” timepieces, but only Norgay (and one other climber) wore a Rolex during that expedition and the exact Explorer wristwatch worn by Norgay is now on display at the Rolex Museum in Geneva.  Edmund Hillary wore a Smith, which was also an official supplier of timepieces to climbers of the Everest expedition. 

The initial Rolex Explorer wristwatches were specifically designed to be worn by explorers so this model includes a highly visible dial with a large, luminous, triangular marker at “12” to mark the top of the hour and luminous numbers in Arabic for the other quarter-hour markers.  It also has an extremely strong case and the option of being lubricated with a special type of oil that retains its viscosity and enables the watch to tolerate extremely cold temperatures from –20 to +40 degrees Celsius, making it the perfect watch for mountain climbers and other adventurers whose watches may be subjected to a variety of hazards that are easily withstood by the Explorer.

Vintage models of this popular Rolex watch are often overlooked in favor of the GMT, Daytona or Submariners, but the more knowledge you gain about collecting vintage wristwatches, the more valuable the Rolex Explorer becomes.

 A true iconic sports watch and whether you are looking for a Rolex Explorer  orange hands "Steve McQueen" 1655 with full box and papers or its smaller brother Rolex Explorer 1016 with 36mm case then Dream Watches will be able to help you. We always strive to purchase from original owners which guarantees originality and investment potential and as they are very hard to come by most of the time watches sell before they even hit out web site! 


Vintage Rolex Explorer

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