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Curiosity about Rolex: The Explorer and the summit of Mount Everest

Taken from the book Collecting Rolex Milgauss, Explorer I, Explorer II, Turn-O-Graph and Yacht-Master

Unquestionably loved among collectors in all the world, the Explorer is born as a professional model intended for extreme environments, like polar regions which Rolex has always considered as natural laboratories to test the Oyster watches. On the Rolex website we can read:

“The Oyster Perpetual Explorer, built to meet the demands of professionals, is the successor to the original Explorer that accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to the summit of Mount Everest.”

“The first victorious ascent of Mount Everest was led by Sir John Hunt: on 29 May 1953, the New-Zealand explorer Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, with their Oyster, took their first steps on the roof of the world, at an altitude of precisely 8,848 metres. The same year, in a tribute to this historic feat, Rolex officially launched the Explorer model”.

The trademark “Explorer” was registered on January 26, 1953 by Rolex. The Oyster Explorer, as Rolex states, has been “designed to conquer the world”. The watch which accompanied the participants on this grand enterprise of climbing the world’s highest summit, could be the reference 6098, in the version featuring the dial with Arabic numerals 3, 6 and 9, without the writing EXPLORER but with the wording PRECISION.

The reference 6098, with two body screwed back case measuring 36 mm in diameter and Super Oyster crown, was replaced by the 6298 with three-piece case, 6 mm “Twinlock” winding crown and also marketed with the writing EXPLORER. Rolex also produces the references 6150 and 6350 with three-piece case, 6 mm “Twinlock” winding crown, caliber 10 1⁄2 A.296 and different types of printing on the dials.

Taken from the book Collecting Rolex Milgauss, Explorer I, Explorer II, Turn-O-Graph and Yacht-Master