Which box for 16660

[bletch]

Hi

I was hoping for some help, I have a 1985 16660 with papers etc but no box, I want to try and source the right box for it but not exactly sure what it would have come with originally

Any help would be great, thanks in advance

[jdog111578]

See here for which box.

http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=425141

[swish77]

For mid-80s to early 90s, you need a moon-crater outer box with the flat top green inner box, with the little beige pillow set inside. Keep in mind that the accessories, booklets, boxes, etc ...., are all put together by the dealer and do not arrive from the Rolex factory as an assembled set. So, while the link listed above is helpful, it is not definitive. Dealers grab boxes that are available on their shelves, so trying to pin down an exact box number that should be "correct" for an exact model is impossible.

[NKflyer]

^^ That box didn't come out until the early 1990's, like 1992.

Mid-1980's would have been the "bufkor" box in the US and "slot card" box in rest of world.

[swish77]

Originally Posted by NKflyer

^^ That box didn't come out until the early 1990's, like 1992.

Mid-1980's would have been the "bufkor" box in the US and "slot card" box in rest of world.

Sorry, I don't think so. I've had several mid-to-late '80s sport models with the moon crater box, like this complete original set Sea-Dweller. By the early '90s Rolex had started to introduce the other outer-box style, the one with the green rocks.

[NKflyer]

The box set pictured in post #3 is, in my opinion, mismatched. The moon crater outer box should pair with the green "slot card" inner box. The tan pillow setup definitely was not used until the early 1990's.

[springer]

My personal observations from 30 years of collecting is similar to the other posts.

The moon crater box was not used in the USA. During the 1980s, there are two variations of the Bufkor box used in the USA. The first one had a large cowhide grain pattern on the outer and inner box lids and the box that replaced it had a smooth cowhide grain pattern. The change from the first box to the replacement box occurred around 1983. During the late 1980s, a new box was introduced that is green with an antique looking world map. The inner box has a vinyl covered green pillow that is very prone to cracking.

The moon crater box used during the late 1970s and into the 1980s had a slotted card to hold the watch found in the inner box. I have seen a few of these moon crater boxes with the tan pillow and pillow wrap which appears similar to the same pillow/wrap used by Rolex in the new box set introduced around 1993. I can not speak as to whether these sets are cobbled together or original, based on my observation that the tan pillow/wrap inner box does not appear until the early 1990s, , but I would prefer a moon crater box with the slotted card if I was on the hunt for one from the early 1980s.

Below are photos of the Rolex box used from around 1989-1992/93 and the marbleized box used from around 1993 up 2000 plus. Also the two Bufkor boxes from the 1980s, with the two-tone GMT inside of the large cowhide grain pattern box. As you can see in the photos, the Bufkor boxes are very similar in appearance.

[swish77]

Interesting about the USA box sets. Perhaps the OP could specify where the SD was originally purchased. I've owned several Rolexes from the mid and late '80s into the '90s that had the moon crater boxes, including a Sub I bought new in London. I currently own a 1988 DJ (originally sold in the Caribbean) and a GMT 16710, E serial, (originally sold in 1991 in Hong Kong), both with the moon crater box and beige pillow set in the inner box. There are inconsistencies in what the watches came with because dealers put the sets together, and apparently there were differences based on where in the world the watches were sold.

[fusionstorm]

All my triple 6s have the Bufkor boxes. 2 of the 4 have papers, both in English and both with info from ADs in the USA.

[swish77]

Just as an FYI in response to some of the comments above ... pictured below is a DJ 16030, R-serial, originally sold in 1988 in the Caribbean, 100 percent authentic complete set from the AD. Nothing added or cobbled together. Even the serial number and little blue dot to match the dial color on the side of the box. (I blurred out the full serial number.) So, we can see that the moon-crater box and the beige pillow set was definitely being used in the 1980s. I've had a couple of others with this set-up, too, I just don't own them any more, except my 1990 GMT 16710.

I think a lot of it comes down to what was used in the U.S. versus the rest of the world. Interesting stuff. And as if often the case with Rolex, very hard to pin down everything definitively.

[bletch]

First of all, thanks for all the info, it has been interesting :-)

The watch is a UK watch

[swish77]

Originally Posted by bletch

First of all, thanks for all the info, it has been interesting :-)

The watch is a UK watch

For the UK, looks like you should have the moon-crater outer box with the flat-top green inner box, with either the slot-card interior piece or the tan pillow set up. VRF might be your best bet. Good luck!

[watervolf]

Originally Posted by bletch

First of all, thanks for all the info, it has been interesting :-)

The watch is a UK watch

Hello, I know that this thread had been there for quite a long time. I am in the same situation than Bletch. Still looking for what would be the correct box number for a 1984 16660. This watch is unfortunately not in the list mentioned in the post n°2.

Any help will be greatly appreciated, many thanks in advance.

[cpefy3]

Here is another link some might find interesting. Best of luck!!!

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=74592

[Thuilln]

Originally Posted by swish77

Sorry, I don't think so. I've had several mid-to-late '80s sport models with the moon crater box, like this complete original set Sea-Dweller. By the early '90s Rolex had started to introduce the other outer-box style, the one with the green rocks.

That's a beautiful set!

[daniyo]

Originally Posted by cpefy3

Here is another link some might find interesting. Best of luck!!!

https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=74592

Couldn't find the triple-6 on there... or maybe it's my eyes going bad, checked twice, no 16660?