MK Personal Collection Ultra Rare Rolex Explorer With Gilt Red Meters Dial Ref 6610 Circa 1956

MK Personal Collection The present lot is part of a larger privately held collection and is intended for exhibition purposes only. Ultra Rare Rolex Explorer With Gilt Red Meters Dial Ref 6610 Circa 1956. This is an ultra rare Rolex Explorer with Gilt Red Meters Dial, Ref 6610, Circa 1956. This is a fine and extremely rare, center seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, stainless steel wristwatch. It features a three piece steel oyster case with a screw down waterproof back, Ref 6610, Serial # 113.162. It is stamped on the inside back cover "6610 1.56". It has a super high grade Swiss Rolex Cal. 1030, rhodium-plated automatic movement with 25 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to temperatures and 5 positions, shock absorber, self-compensating blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator Serial # 557.802. It is topped with an ultra rare original glossy black painted dial, luminous Arabic numerals and baton indexes, outer minute/seconds divisions, signed "Oyster Perpetual, Explorer, 50m=165ft (in ultra rare red print) Officially Certified Chronometer" with Luminous gilt skeleton hands and over sized center sweep second hand. As you can see from the photos, the watch is in overall excellent condition. These Red Meter gilt Rolex dials are super rare and not often seen. They are highly prized by vintage sport model Rolex collectors. This is a great watch that is in overall excellent condition. The story of the Rolex Explorer was really made when it was the very first wristwatch worn on the summit of Everest by none other than Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa Tenzig Norgay. Launched in 1953, the Explorer was based on the Oyster “Bubble back”, as these cases were robust, and it has an extra bulged screwed down case back to fit a self-winding movement. Although Rolex had already begun testing their Oyster wristwatches on Himalayan expeditions in the 1930s, it was not until the successful climb of Everest in 1953 that the firm decided to launch their very first Explorer reference, 6150 and 6350 with its iconic 3-6-9 dial. The ref. 6610 was launched shortly after the first two references. Featuring a beautiful galvanized gilt dial, the reference further retains its iconic 3-6-9 dial with radium luminous material to fill the indexes and hands. Encased in a robust 36mm Oyster case with a screw-down case back, the Explorer is ready for any expedition. The dial featured in the present example displays a rare and unusual red depth rating printed underneath the “Explorer” signature.