Need help identifying 6150 Explorer

[robsteve]

I am just playing around with a copy stand to see if I could get a picture of the movement if I had the watchmaker open it for me.

I really need to rig up some type of lighting tent to get more even lighting. In more even lighting, all the Arabic numerals would be gold in appearance. It would do with a little dusting before shooting it as well.

[robsteve]

It looks like it is the real thing, a 1953 6150 :) I will post some movement pictures in an hour or so.



Here is the full size image just cropped a bit to save bandwidth. The file is about 1.2mb. If you download it into a web prowser, you may have to click on it to see it full size.

http://forum.getdpi.com/gallery/file...g_original.jpg

Robert

[acce1999]

I've just read through this thread. Very interesting, a great though partly tragic story. I did a quick search on the net and did find the following quote from Dowling and Hess: "Not all the 6150s were classic Explorers", saying that not all of them had the traditional black 3-6-9 dial, and if I am "removing" the paint on the re-painted dial (which can be seen very well in your macro) you can see the honeycomb pattern, which would have been more visible before the dial was painted. There is still paint on most of the hour markers.

All in all, a wonderful watch. I'll see if I can find more info. I have seen that dial before...

Best,

A

[acce1999]

There is something very similar on Stefano Mazzariol's blog. Follow the link, and scroll down:

http://stefanomazzariol.blogspot.com...er%201%20Story

I would guess that the white 6150 shown has pretty much the same dial, with the exception of the numbers on the dial.

There is also a second dial with many similarities (further down).

As Dowling and Hess said: They came in many different dial versions.

Best,

A

[kyle L]

This one's the closest:

[robsteve]

Originally Posted by kyle L

This one's the closest:

Kyle:

I think that is the closest, with the exception of the little triangles. On mine there is a little valley cut into them. My numbers are all gold plated, I am not sure bout this one, maybe just corroded.

Robert

[robsteve]

Here are the movement pictures. Does the number on the movement mean it is a COSC certified version?

[SubKing]

i believe this model was never made on a bracelet... only on strap.. looks like the bracelet is more current than the watch and could have been added after the fact...

[robsteve]

Originally Posted by SubKing

i believe this model was never made on a bracelet... only on strap.. looks like the bracelet is more current than the watch and could have been added after the fact...

I think the watch was originally on a Jubilee. There was at least one old USA Jubilee in my dad's jewelry box back in the 1970's and also a Rolex Swiss made Jubilee that was on the watch and lost in the car accident.

It ended up on the Oyster when the watchmaker serviced it after the accident. I asked him to order a new bracelet for it and did not specify a Jubilee. The watchmaker just put on what Rolex said was the current replacement for that model. This new bracelet has a date code of DE2, which dates it the same time as the service.

Robert

[snow_rocks]

This could be a Canadian model.

[robsteve]

Originally Posted by snow_rocks

This could be a Canadian model.

Probably bought at Birks or Eatons. There are only two Uncles left. One is too young to remember, the other was the eldest. I should invite him for lunch and see if he remembers anything about the watch.

Robert

[robsteve]

Anybody know how many beats per hour the A296 movement runs at? I tried googling it, but most links were the same old Explorer history that everybody seems to have cut and pasted off each others sites and or a book.

Robert

[robsteve]

Another quick question for the Experts. Was the hand lume on a vintage like this radium? Last night I woke up very early and with my eyes well adjusted to the dark, I could see a faint lume on the hands. I have never noticed it before and the hands are not reactive to being charged with a bright light, like the dots by hour markers are. Just to make sure I wasn't seeing something reflected on the crystal, I even tried it in different positions and different rooms and the faint lume was still there.


I assume it must be raduim and just at the end of its life. How long did Radium lume typically last?

Robert

[bb3188]

[QUOTE=robsteve;1614771]Another quick question for the Experts. Was the hand lume on a vintage like this radium? Last night I woke up very early and with my eyes well adjusted to the dark, I could see a faint lume on the hands. I have never noticed it before and the hands are not reactive to being charged with a bright light, like the dots by hour markers are. Just to make sure I wasn't seeing something reflected on the crystal, I even tried it in different positions and different rooms and the faint lume was still there.


I assume it must be raduim and just at the end of its life. How long did Radium lume typically last?
r
you know its weird, but mine glows ever so slightly in the dead of the night with absolutely no light. I am trying to take shot of it but have not been successful to date. my explorer is also around 58 years old.

how did you go with your watchmaker ? did he manage to take a pic of the caseback ?

[robsteve]

Originally Posted by bearbrass3188

how did you go with your watchmaker ? did he manage to take a pic of the caseback ?

The watchmaker photos were only of the movement and not very good. I had him loosen the case for me and I photographed it myself. The photos are on the previous page of this thread.

Robert

Here is the case back again:

[bb3188]

THis is mine

Its a second quarter 1953 explorer

[robsteve]

A bit different than mine. As noted elsewhere on this site, Rolex doesn't seem to be consistent with the parts amongst the same models of watches.

Do you have any pictures of the face and movement of your watch?

Anybody know what the "18" on my back means? It has been seen on a few other backs as well.

Robert

[bb3188]

PM sent

[robsteve]

My Rolex USA Jubilee bracelet arrived a few days ago. This is the type of bracelet I think the watch had most of its life. The only thing I don't like about it is the end links don't have the little tubes in them for the spring bars, so they float around a bit between the lug. I think this was a trait of the USA bracelet. Can anybody confirm this?

[robsteve]

Here is a better shot on the Rolex USA bracelet.

Does anybody know if the newer end links will fit the older Rolex USA Jubilee bracelets? Without the little tubes in the end links, they don't stay aligned to the watch case very well and flop around a bit.

[robsteve]

I posted this in the Watch tech section, but didn't get any response, so decided to try it here in the vintage and in the original thread I posted about my 6150.

When researching my 6150 Explorer, I had the watch maker take the back off so I can see the date and model number stamped on the back. Under this info there is also an 18. Just recently there was a thread here with a photo or a link to a Rolex where I noticed this also stamped on one of the case lugs. Is there a significance to this number 18?

On another note, why are some case backs more ornately engraved (like mine) than others? For example BearBrass3188's 6150 back pictured above, made in the same year but missing the engraved crown and scroll work, and also missing the 18.

Here is a photo of my case back as an example.



Robert

[robsteve]

Just bumping this thread to see if anybody else has any info on the 6150 Dress Explorers. I am back from vacation and put the 6150 back on today. Here is a picture of it from this afternoon. It is on a vintage Rolex USA bracelet, like the one I remember my dad wearing it with.

[jac67]

Robert, that's a nice 6150 (even with the re-done dial). It was common for dials to get re-done as well as bracelet changed.

I agree that the original bracelet could have either been jubilee or oyster. AD's often changed bracelets to suit customers requests.

Nice watch and great it's in good hands.

He is its cousin, my 1953 6298 prototype explorer.



Mark, I am a little concerned about your 6150 caseback.


John.

[robsteve]

Originally Posted by jac67

Robert, that's a nice 6150 (even with the re-done dial). It was common for dials to get re-done as well as bracelet changed.

I agree that the original bracelet could have either been jubilee or oyster. AD's often changed bracelets to suit customers requests.

John.

John:

In the first post of this thread I explained that the original Jubilee was lost in a car accident. This watch has been in my family since new and my Dad wore it all his life since he inherited it from his father about 1954. I only remember it on a Jubilee and at one point there was a second Jubilee with a broken clasp sitting around in my dad's jewelry box.

After the accident, the watchmaker that worked on the watch put an oyster on it, as that was Rolex suggested for that case. I hadn't told him that it was on a Jubilee. I just recently acquired the vintage Rolex USA Jubilee.

Any idea what the 18 on the case back means? Have you seen any other dress Explorers? I have not found a picture of another one yet.

BTW, the 6298 looks very similar to my 6150. What are the differences other than the face and hands ?

Robert

[kyle L]

Rob, I think in the past your Explorer may have been redialed:

Here's one that looks very similar and it's and Explorer.

[robsteve]

Originally Posted by kyle L

Rob, I think in the past your Explorer may have been redialed:

Here's one that looks very similar and it's and Explorer.

Kyle:

That looks like the same dial as on mine if it is the same diameter and or in a 36mm case. The only difference I see is that the little triangle indexes on mine have a little groove/valley in them and these plus the arabic numerals are gold plated. Which model is it on, which movement? I have seen similar looking dials, but they are smaller diameter and on smaller watches. My Explorer is 36mm with an A296 movement and the dial diameter looks to be about 29mm, not including what would be under the rehaut. The dial is actually about 2-3mm bigger than the new Turn-O-Graph I just bought.

As I said earlier in the thread, the dial was repainted in England about 25-30 years ago. I think the text has always been the way it is now. I notice the other two posted above are precisions. Though not marked on the face, mine has a chronometer movement in it. May just be a Canadian version.

Here is a better shot of mine showing the shape of the little triangle indexes and the gold plating.

Robert

[robsteve]

Originally Posted by SubKing

i believe this model was never made on a bracelet... only on strap.. looks like the bracelet is more current than the watch and could have been added after the fact...

Here it is on a curved end Hirsch Principal Leonardo strap. I think it looks good on a strap. The gold letters and hands go well with the brown strap.

It took a bit of work to get the Hirsch strap on because the springbars were too small in diameter (1.5mm) and the spring bar just slid through the lugs. This watch seems to have the Submariner size lug holes. It takes the 1.8 or 2mm springbars with 1.25mm ends. I had to drill out the little plastic Hirsch Leonardo inserts to take the 1.8mm Spring bars.

Robert

[basmannen]

Maybe interesting?

In 1953 National Geografic published a very large article about the summit of Mount Everest with a lot of pictures. None showed a black dialed Rolex.
So maybe your watch is not a dress watch but the real thing and black versions only
marketing queens...
Could be ;-)

Basmannen

[robsteve]

Originally Posted by basmannen

Maybe interesting?

In 1953 National Geografic published a very large article about the summit of Mount Everest with a lot of pictures. None showed a black dialed Rolex.
So maybe your watch is not a dress watch but the real thing and black versions only
marketing queens...
Could be ;-)

Basmannen

Any chance you have a link to a PDF copy of that article?

Robert

[DadsWatch72]

Very interesting thread and very nice looking watch.