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snunez
·So, would a matte dial be correct for an early 60's vintage? Assuming they're correct about the serial number and date. I thought these would all have been gilt.
1016: What does it really sell for?
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Kazyole
·So, would a matte dial be correct for an early 60's vintage? Assuming they're correct about the serial number and date. I thought these would all have been gilt.
The earliest 1016s have a gilt glossy dial and a chapter ring. All these dials were made to be radium lumed watches so they just say "SWISS" at the bottom, but towards the end of the run the use of radium started to be more controlled. So you'll have exclamation dials and underlines, corresponding to less radiation and the use of tritium respectively.
They stopped with the chapter ring between 1963-64. Dials were still gilt/glossy for a few years, but these next generation 1016s stopped having the chapter ring. The watches in this generation were tritium, with the "SWISS - T<25" designation at 6. Though there are some very early examples from 64 that still have only SWISS but also have the underline, again denoting tritium.
MK1 matte dial 1016s started in 1967. These are commonly referred to as "frog foot" 1016s because of the shape of the coronet, and sell for more than later examples. Some MK1s also have really fat lume on the 3, 6, and 9 which is very attractive imo.
Here's mine, a late gilt example:
Edited:
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wkimmd
·What do you know, one pops up just a week or so after this posting. Does anyone have a pointer to a good 1016 FAQ or guide? I'm a little bit concerned by a couple of things in the description:
Original matte black dial with aged tritium markers
Newer set of original serviced hands
'Frog foot' coronet
Original stainless steel folded bracelet
744 xxx circa 1961
Wouldn't a circa 1961 1016 have a gilt dial if original? They're asking $10K. It's a Mom & Pop watch shop, located in a rather dubious mall, and I'm skeptical.
i would STUDY this reference guide, put together by OF’s own @t_swiss_t :
https://explorer1016.com/
W
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killer67
·You should be very skeptical because that dial is a MK 1 matte dial seen from 1964-1974 and possibly from 1976-1978 but definitely not from the serial given (1961/62) which would have a gilt chapter ring dial with a MK 2 or a MK 3 gilt variant. It would be interesting to see between the lugs if possible
The dial, even if the case were from the correct range, is of poor quality and has been tampered with. Not worth near 10K
The dial, even if the case were from the correct range, is of poor quality and has been tampered with. Not worth near 10K
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t_swiss_t
·i would STUDY this reference guide, put together by OF’s own
@t_swiss_t :
https://explorer1016.com/
W
Thanks, W. Happy to help anyone with their questions a 1016. The one posted here has already been well assessed by @killer67 .
Generally, I see very good matte 1016s in the mid $10's, gilt non-CR's in the high teens to low $20s, and CRs in the mid-high $20s (assuming a glossy dial without matting). Add more for B&Ps/provenance.
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wbfondren
·I’d love to find a perfect example but have always struggled with their rising prices. I also love a self-winding Tudor Ranger so that would be a great alternative for likely a more rare watch.
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westmouth
·Back in 2013 I could have bought this one for about Euro 1600. I was at the time even less familiar with watches then I am now so I didn’t dare buy such a small and expensive watch, even if it being a Rolex... Had I only known...
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Sanremo
·Here is mine from 1972. Frog foot mk I.
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CajunTiger
·1016 hit Hodinkee at 10am...before I could click the link it was sold.
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collectio...olex-explorer-ref-1016?variant=32266191241291
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collectio...olex-explorer-ref-1016?variant=32266191241291
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killer67
·Interesting that this watch during a pandemic can get $16,500 in minutes. The condition is very good but not excellent imo, attractive lume (though small piece missing in a couple spots) and a non-matching bracelet. I would expect a better example to fetch 20K and it would likely sell just as fast
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snunez
·It does make me wonder why we haven't seen some sort of reissue of this model in some form or fashion.
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Tri-national-man
·A collector near me (south west England) is thinking of selling several of his Explorer 1s.. He has Matte dial 1016s and gilt dial ones too.. Including a full set gilt dial one.. See link;
https://mwwatches.co.uk/mw-watches/1960-rolex-explorer-gilt-dial-full-set-poa/
https://mwwatches.co.uk/mw-watches/1960-rolex-explorer-gilt-dial-full-set-poa/
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southtexas
·It does make me wonder why we haven't seen some sort of reissue of this model in some form or fashion.
They’ve made various updates to this model for decades now (it’s still in production now, having started in 1953).
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JwRosenthal
·They’ve made various updates to this model for decades now (it’s still in production now, having started in 1953).
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