1993 Rolex Explorer 1 36mm Tritium 'Grainy Dial' 14270
Ref: 14270
Specification
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold “Watch Only” and, therefore, without its Rolex box or paperwork. The watch comes paired with its original 20mm Rolex Oyster bracelet secured by a folding Oyster clasp and will fit up to a 7.1-inch wrist. The watch is from Circa. 1993 and is sold in worn condition but overall in very fair condition; the glossy lacquered dial has developed a grainy texture, as you can see in the photographs. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VHhaKVVpQczkHGBRxYufvLAKEY8vjwND?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 11:10 - https://youtu.be/asMahBxhbR4
The Watch
Here we have a 1993 Rolex Explorer 1 Tritium 'Grainy Dial' 14270 with a 36mm stainless steel Oyster case that gently curves over your wrist towards the finely tapered lugs, its curvaceous flanks lead to a lug-to-lug length of 43.5mm and a case thickness of 11mm giving the watch an impressive wrist presence. On the right side, a screw-down TwinLock signed crown. A smooth bezel holds a flat sapphire crystal above a glossy black lacquer dial, and an outer minute track is precisely executed with the applied White Gold baton, triangle and 3, 6 and 9 indexes Tritium T< 25 infilled marking the hours, Mercedes’s hands are complemented by a lollipop counterweighted sweeping second hand, Tritium T< 25 infilled, at 12 o’clock we have the Rolex motif and “Oyster Perpetual Explorer” printed underneath and at 6 o’clock “Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” complete this rugged explorers timepiece. On the reverse, a coin-edged screw-down case back, inside an automatic Rolex Cal. 3000, 27 jewels, beating at 28,800 beats per hour, this workhorse movement was launched in 1990. The watch comes fitted with its 20mm Rolex Oyster bracelet secured by a folding Oyster clasp and will fit up to a 7.1-inch wrist.
Personal Note
I have seen this 'Grainy' effect only twice before, and both were on Explorer 14270 from the same serial range. I can only assume that whatever dial process was used on some of these models reacted a certain way to humidity or something along those lines. Regardless of the reason, it looks amazing and is super subtle and would likely go unnoticed by those who care to look closer. If you are in the market for a 14270 but want something a little different, you've found it. Add this gem to your collection today!
The Brand
In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements, which were installed in British cases and sold to jewellers who put their names on the dials. Recognising the potential for their brand, Wilsdorf created the brand name Rolex in 1908. In 1910, a Rolex became the first wristwatch to carry the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision, awarded by the Official Watch Rating Centre in Bienne, Switzerland. Demand for Rolex watches rose swiftly, and British taxes on the Swiss movements Rolex used prompted Wilsdorf to move the business to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1919. With production costs lowered, Wilsdorf quickly set out to solve the age-old problem of moisture and dust entering a watch case and damaging the movement. The Rolex watchmakers came up with a fully sealed watch case, which Wilsdorf named the Oyster, and released to an appreciative audience in 1926. In 1931, Rolex introduced the first automatic winding wristwatch, giving it the legendary name Oyster Perpetual. In 1945, they released Datejust. The Datejust was the first watch to have the date jump instantaneously at midnight. The 1950s saw a whole lot of releases, such as the Air-King (1958), the Explorer (1953), the Submariner (1953), the GMT Master (1955), the Day-Date (1956), the electromagnetic field resistant Milgauss (1956), the Lady-Datejust (1957) and the first Deep Sea model (1960). Wilsdorf’s death in 1960, saw ownership of Rolex S.A. (a collection of sub-companies) passed to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, which was founded by Wilsdorf in 1945, the mission of which is simply to sustain Rolex S.A. indefinitely.