Rolex Explorer
A simple, tough watch for mountaineers, with a black dial and the numerals 3, 6 and 9.
Rolex had supplied watches to the expedition that climbed Mount Everest in 1953, and the Explorer came out the same year. The dial was made to be read quickly even in poor light. The model has been made in almost the same form ever since.
Materials: Stainless steel; self-winding movement
Manufacture: Made in Geneva; the case is an Oyster with a screw-down crown.
The black dial with large numerals at 3, 6 and 9.
The smooth steel case without a rotating bezel.
A black dial with the numerals 3, 6 and 9, triangles and bars for the other hours and an hour hand with a circle at its tip.
Reference 1016 was made from 1963 to 1989 almost without changes. The Explorer II from 1971 is a different watch, with a 24-hour hand, and has its own page here.