164 Rolex Esteemed and Historic Explorer Automatic Wristwatch in Steel, Reference 5500, With Black Dial

Estimate: € 4.000 –⁠ 8.000

Model: Explorer Reference: 5500 Case Material: Stainless Steel Bracelet Material: Leather Strap Year: 1963 Movement: Automatic Caliber: 1530 Case N°: 971978 Dimensions: 34 mm Signed: Dial, movement and case The Explorer is simply an expression of the basic Oyster Perpetual: it doesn’t boast construction like Deep Sea or Sea-Dweller beasties, nor does it feature a revolving bezel. It simply promises the wearer absolutely faultless legibility, abetted by all of the security imparted by the standard Oyster case. That why, this very model was the one chosen by Rolex experts to accompany Sir Edmund Hillary on his successful ascent to the top of Mount Everest. Immediately after this quest, this very model gained popularity so that Rolex decided to produced different variations. One of them is the reference 5500, that was essentially an Air King with Explorer dial. The present specimen is a fair and gorgeous 550 with a three body stainless steel case preserved in fair conditions still maintaining the original proportions. The black dial has the iconic configuration with the luminous triangle at 12, luminous Arabic numerals at 3, 6, and 9 and luminous baton numerals for the remaining hours and the “Super Precision” designation at 6 o’clock.