Stunning 1960 Rolex Oyster Explorer 1016 36mm with Full Steven Hale Refurbishment

The Overview

Rolex released the Explorer in 1953 to celebrate the conquering of Everest by Sir Edmond Hilary and Tenzing Norgay. Both wore the Explorer prototype in marketing pictures and it showed a Rolex could be worn in the sea and the top of the World. Hilary later said he left his at base camp and wore a Smiths and Tenzing wore his own watch….. The iconic oversize 3, 6 and 9 along with the Mercedes hands dial was born.

This is a wonderfully original example dating from 1960. The original and untouched radium dial (denoted by the simple ‘Swiss’ reference under the ‘6’) has aged beautifully. The matt black background and dark mushroom lume looks stunning. The large size (for its day) steel case is again in excellent condition. The very high grade ‘Chronometer’ standard movement is again in excellent condition and has been fully serviced by Steve Hale. We have added a super high quality black Hirsch ‘London’ alligator strap with steel Hirsch buckle.

The watch is just back from a full refurbishment by Steven Hale, the UK’s best watchmaker at a cost of £2,600 – I’ve shown the work that was carried out. It also comes with the SHWR 2 year guarantee.

This is a simply stunning example of one of the most iconic watches in the Rolex range.

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The Case

The large size (for its day) steel case is again in excellent condition. The case measures 36mm across, excluding the Rolex crown and 43mm long including the lugs. The inside case is signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva Switzerland’, ‘Patented Stainless Steel’, ‘1016’ and the date reference is ‘IV.60’ dating it to quarter 4 1960.

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The Movement

The very high grade ‘Chronometer’ standard movement is again in excellent condition and has been fully serviced by Steve Hale. The movement is signed ‘Montres Rolex SA Geneva Swiss’, ‘Twenty Five 25 Jewels’, ‘Adjusted 5 Positions and Temp’ and the calibre is ‘1560’. The movement number is ‘11822’.

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The Box, Papers and Sonning Warranty

As with the majority of pre-owned watches that are 10 years or older, this particular watch does not come with its original box and paperwork. The watch is 100% genuine and rest assured we provide a lifetime guarantee on the authenticity and provenance of all the watches we sell.

Although there is no original paperwork, we do provide a written invoice and 3 page insurance valuation with the pictures of the watch and all available reference numbers. We also give a 12 month warranty on all our watches. We also stock a good selection of vintage watch boxes to help complete your purchase.

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About Sonning Vintage Watches

Sonning Vintage Watches are one of the largest prestige brand vintage watch retailers on the Internet carrying stock of around £900,000; we’ve sold over 3,000 vintage watches across the world since our formation in 2009. We’re based in Berkshire and Nottingham and spend 1- 2 days a week in London. Whilst we’re an Internet business we do ‘show’ 90% of our watches prior to sale and travel across England to meet prospective buyers.

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Why Purchase a Watch from SVW

We provide a lifetime guarantee on the authenticity and provenance of all our watches and come with a full printed Receipt of Sale and Insurance Valuation. Purchasing from SVW gives you the protection and reassurance of buying from an incorporated company with outstanding customer testimonials.

We provide a high quality box and use the Royal Mail Special Delivery for the UK and DHL for overseas sales. They are insured for the full purchase value.

See what our customers say – 100% positive feedback on all our sales sites and over 40% of our customers buy again or refer us!

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Couriering and Pre-Delivery Inspection

We use the Royal Mail’s Guaranteed next day service for UK sales and DHL for all overseas shipping. All our watches are fully serviced, but prior to couriering each one will undergo a 3 day pre-delivery check to ensure the watch is in perfect condition.

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The Conclusion

This is a rare and highly collectable vintage watch from one of horology’s most famous names and will, if history is any judge, provide an excellent financial investment as well as a possession to treasure and enjoy. I will provide an insurance valuation in excess of my asking price. Please appreciate the difficulty of photographing this piece, it looks even better in real life. Subject to your location I’ll happily show the watch.

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    £16,000
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