Gilt Dial 1016 Rolex Explorer

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The 1016 has this quality very few watches can pull off. First, it’s never out of place. But more importantly, it is equally at home in a dive bar in rural New Mexico or at the Atlas Bar in Singapore. To put it another way, it’s classless, capable, and collected. If you just require one…

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‘Frog Foot’ Dial 1016 Rolex Explorer

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This is a 1016, which as we all know is the answer to every possible watch question. However, it’s a very peculiar sort. It’s the sort of 1016 for a collector who has already owned a 1016, who then looks down one day and thinks, ‘Yes, this is lovely, but I wish the Rolex coronet…

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‘Space-Dweller’ 1016 Rolex Explorer

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The Space-Dweller universally elicits one reaction in person, ‘Hey, lovely 1016 Expl . . .WTAF?!’ It is equal parts mythical creature and fuel for debate at the nerdiest, arguably highest levels of vintage Rolex collecting. A larger handful of examples are known, probably fewer than 25, but that’s not definite. There is a known history…

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Tropical 1016 Rolex Explorer

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There are a handful of watches so desperately attractive and simultaneously difficult to attain that any number of players have been known to attempt to reproduce them with generic components and a liberal interpretation of intellectual property. These players will go unnamed save to say that one starts with M and ends in assena Lab.…

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NAAFI 1016 Rolex Explorer

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Some watches are special not for complication, rarity, or brand, but rather the life they have lived. More often than not, watches that fall into that latter category are steel Rolex tool watches. For a multitude of reasons that encompasses advertising, reputation, and design, people who really do things seem to often align with Wilsdorf.…

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Tiffany Dial 1016 Rolex Explorer

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It is sometimes said that contrast is nature’s way of drawing attention. I was reminded of this recently by a friend, who often enjoys pairing a Royal Oak with Crocs. So is this Tiffany 1016 more attention-grabbing? Not really. At a glance, not at all. That’s its charm. We’re all used to Tiffany as a…

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Tropical 1016 Rolex Explorer

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No watch is more fit for purpose than a 1016. That purpose is adventure, it has been from the very start. So when you come across an example whose dial has clearly been used well and hard, well, this may be the reference’s ultimate expression. It’s kind of like seeing a Le Mans winning Porsche…

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Mk1, ‘Frog Foot’ 1016 Rolex Explorer

Have you ever looked down at your vintage Explorer and thought, ‘Yeah this lovely, but I wish the Rolex coronet looked a little more like a frog’s foot’? Me neither. And yet, there are those among us who do. Or at least the market would seem to indicate such, as Mk1 or ‘Frog Foot’ 1016s…

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Tropical Gilt 1016 Rolex Explorer

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Despite often speaking about striving to feature a diverse range of interesting wristwatches, here I am presenting another Explorer simply for the fact that I love its patina. Yes, there was a lovely 6150 here just last week. But I’m a simple man, and when a level of perfectly honest patina mixed with harsh UV…

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Value Prop: Tritium Service Dial 1016 Rolex Explorer

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I don’t even think it’s contentious for me to admit that I fundamentally distrust people who don’t love the 1016. An Alpinist for the affluent, the 1016’s humble can-do practicality and tritium dial prove irresistible in the long-term for the vast majority of watch collectors. Many Rolex devotees have a preference for fat font dials,…

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