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Lot 11

Rolex. A stainless steel automatic bracelet watch with rare gloss underline dial
Explorer, Ref: 5500, Circa 1964

19 June 2019, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£10,000 - £15,000

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Rolex. A stainless steel automatic bracelet watch with rare gloss underline dial

Model: Explorer
Reference: 5500
Date: Circa 1964
Movement: 26-jewel Cal.1530 automatic
Dial: Glossy black, underline Super Precision, luminous baton hour markers, Arabic numeral quarters, outer minute divisions, polished Mercedes hands with luminous inserts, centre seconds
Case: Brushed and polished tonneau form, screw down back and crown, inside back date coded II64, No.102****
Strap/Bracelet: Fitted rivet Oyster link
Buckle/Clasp: Signed folding clasp, stamped 4 64
Signed: Case, dial & movement
Size: 35mm
Accompaniments: Rolex box, outer card, Guarantee, documentation of service history with original Rolex watch sticker on inside back cover, insurance valuation dated 1966, letter from original owner with mention of watch being inherited

Footnotes

Traditionally, the reference 5500 is associated with Rolex's Air-King design. For a few years in the 1960s however, Rolex also produced a small number of reference 5500 watches with Explorer dials that were almost indistinguishable from the classic Explorer Reference 1016. Instead of "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" the dials would spell out "Precision" or "Super Precision" below the hands.

The current example is an exceedingly rare variation of the Explorer dial with a number of features to set it apart. The beautifully preserved gilt lacquer finish showcases the Underline beneath the Super Precision and a double -T25 printing perfectly.

Additional information

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