Friday, May 27, 2016

Vintage 1966 Rolex Submariner Sailing Advertisement...


...Rolex Studio Shot Of The Day...

Rolex Submariner with 3, 6, 9  'Explorer' Dial
Coming To Phillips Auction House in Hong Kong

Phillips Auction house in Geneva, Switzerland just had a very successful auction, and later this month, on May 31, 2016, they will have another auction in Hong Kong, which will offer this interesting Rolex Submariner. This is a rare Submariner that was made in 1963, which features what is known as the 'Explorer' dial.



Phillips Catalog Essay on this watch reads:

"Today, the so-called 'Explorer' dial is very fashionable and sought after. The name 'Explorer' stems from the original Rolex Explorer dial featuring the 3-6-9-numerals. Other than the Explorer, the only other Rolex watches to feature 3-6-9-dials are the Large Crown Submariner, reference 6200, 6538 and 5510 are known and the later reference 5512 and 5513 with crown guards. In production for only the first half of the 1960s, 5512 and 5513 are rare, however, it is virtually impossible to find these reference fitted with the Explorer dials.

The present watch was manufactured in the last half of 1963 and features the correct 'underline' and 'Swiss T 25' dial, which is the transitional period for when Rolex stopped using radium and transfer to tritium. The watch also features pointed crown guards, which is correct for the period. The dial itself is a gorgeous black lacquer and the case has retained with its original beveled edges and period bracelet. The present watch has great charisma and is an exceptional example."



The Rolex Submariner: 
A Salty Watch

I pulled up this early 1960s Rolex Submariner advertisement from my archive, which I originally published back in May 2008. It features the Rolex Submariner Reference 5513 as seen above.



On a personal note, despite the fact collectors go crazy over the Rolex Submariner models which feature the 'Explorer' 3, 6, 9 dial, I have never liked them! Why? I think having Arabic numerals on the dial, deeply conflict with the Arabic numerals on the bezel insert. In other words, I think the watch ends up looking way too busy, as there is no longer a focal-point. That is why, I believe Rolex never made any more of these models with the conflicting design language, as they realized the circular and rectangular indices found on a standard Submariner look much, much better, and give the watch a far greater balanced look...