5500 Explorer "Facts" (?) and Myths

[Gugnunc]

OK, if you guys are getting tired of me rabbitting on about my 5500 Explorer then please let me know ( I guess you'll do that by not responding) - my excuse is that six months ago I knew nothing at all about this watch (or any other Rolex) and the intervening time has been such a period of learning from all sorts of sources, especially TRF, that I would like input from anybody on here who knows whether any of my conclusions are definitely right or wrong. I believe them to be right but am happy to be corrected if you know otherwise.

1) 5500 Explorers are basically Air Kings factory- fitted wih a classic gilt 3,6,9 Explorer dial.

2) 5500 Explorers came as two variants: Precision and Super Precision

3) I'm 95% confident that all original (not redialled) Precision variants were fitted a 1520 movement and that all Super Precisions had the 1530 movement.

4) The 1530 movement was also used in Rolex chronometers e.g. the Explorer 5504

5) No 5500 Explorers were ever certified Chronometers (one wonders why those fitted with the 1530 were not).

6) Genuine examples were produced only from 1958 to 1967

7) Some 5500 Explorers have the notorious "underline" and whilst I accept that the current "registration mark" theory for their existence is probably correct, I have seen an example with an underline but no overprinting which does tend to question it.

8) Most 5500 Explorers have tritium activated lume (I think that some very early ones may been radium activated) and the tritium types have the T<25 marking - but some have this marking in duplicate, symmetrically placed either side of the SWISS marking. Does anybody know why this duplication happens as I think it is only apparent in about 25% of cases?

9) I think that all examples were originally fitted with the 6635 expanding-link link bracelet, although most will long since have had this replaced with something else. Can any one confirm that 6635s were universally fitted as original equipment?

10) There is a widespread belief that 5500 Explorers were only sold through the NAAF ( British equivalent to the PX) to British serving officers. I do know for a fact that this is incorrect - though I am willing to agree that some of them might have been marketed that way.

As I say, any input which can definitely confirm or refute any of my "facts" or which can answer any of my questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[blaine mattison]

Phillip, keep on rabbitting about your watch. someone that has that much
passion and is will to share with the discovery of information as you have, keep
on rabbitting. BTW, could you share a some pix's of your watch set, so i
may enjoy.

keep up the passion, that is one model that has very little information out there

[bb3188]

Philip thank you for sharing this info........:)

I value info on the early explorers............perhaps a couple of pictures of a precision / super precision gilt gloss/ trit matte dials would be nice.......

thanks

[Gugnunc]

Hi Blaine and Mark,
Currently I'm still coming to terms with digital photography, having been a Kodachrome fan for many years, so I'm not ready to try to transfer any pictures to the Forum yet. However, I've noticed that there is another thread running in this vintage section (Is there such a thing as a starter vintage Rolex?) Which has a picture of a 5500 Explorer which clearly shows the double T<25 print that I was talking about. This one, like mine, is a Super Precision but unlike mine does not have the underline so I guess that this one is not an overprint (otherwise it would need the underline as a registration - if the current theory is correct) but a completed-in-one-go dial. I sometimes think that the more you find out the more confused you become - there seem to be no 100% guaranteed correct answers, and Rolex themselves are no help at all. As I've said before on this forum, I started out thinking that I would know all there is to know about this watch after a few days - and six months down the line I realise I'm nowhere near getting all the answers yet.

[Subfiend]

Here is my former 1963 5500 Super Precision with gilt underline dial. This watch was sold to the original owner through the British PX. I can't believe I let this one go.



And this is from a 1964 Rolex catalog in my collection. Apparently, Rolex offered the 5500 to the public as well.

[Gugnunc]

Hi Subfiend,
Thanks for the catalogue page; I've seen this before and always assumed that the Explorer illustrated was a 1016, however on closer examination it is a 5500 as you can see that the dial reads Super Precision and not Superlative Chronometer etc. etc. The picture of the 5500 which you once owned is almost identical to mine - underline, Super Precision and double T<25, the one small difference being that the T<25 overprint is, in your case, sitting slightly above the word SWISS whereas on mine the T<25 SWISS T<25 are all in direct line. Variation upon variation upon.......Gets confusing doesn't it?

[Subfiend]

Unfortunately, I can't find the catalog. (I recently "organized" my collection of vintage ads and catalogs, which only made it more disorganized.) If it is a US or North American catalog, this could tell is whether the 5500 was offered in the US.

This is the only image of a 5500 I have ever seen in a piece of Rolex marketing material. Note the 3-6-9 Sub above it. This must not have been popular either.

[Gugnunc]

Hi again Subfiend,
There seems to be something of a mystery regarding just how the 5500 Explorer was offered for sale. I have seen the following all offered as "facts" at various places on the 'net - especially if somebody is selling and wants to tie in the model into a military context.
1) It was only ever sold in Canada.
2) It was only ever sold through the NAAFI (PX) in the far East to serving British officers.
3) It was available to any serving personnel throughout the world via the NAAFI.
The only 100% cast iron fact which I can offer is that mine was bought new from a civilian Rolex AD here in Norfolk (England) in 1965. It may well be that some were sold via military outlets, but my experience alone proves that this was not exclusive. I took it back to the same AD a few months ago for servicing - they were quite pleased and intrigued to see it again!
Best Regards, Philip

[Subfiend]

Philip, mine was sold to the original owner at the NAAFI in the UK in 1964. I bought it from his son after his passing. This information came from his mother.

The catalog picture is not definitive. Rolex routinely used incorrect pictures of watches in their marketing in the late 1950s through about 1965. However, what I find interesting is that this is the ONLY 5500 picture I have seen in a piece of marketing material showing the Explorer model. Every other ad and brochure shows the 1016 Explorer.

I read somewhere that the 5500 found its way to Canada. This does not surprise me, given the close economic ties between Canada and the UK at the time.

[Gugnunc]

Hi Again Subfiend,
Yes this "sold only through the NAAFI" thread seems to run so strongly through any discussion of the 5500 Explorer that I'm beginning to wonder if it was the original intention of Rolex to market them all this way, where perhaps the majority were sold, but that sales did not live up to expectations so the surplus were then sold through normal high street ADs. The more I find out about this intriguing model the more I realise just how complicated its history really is; add to that the numbers of AKs which have been given Explorer dials (Quote from one source on the 'net - "Not all 5500 Explorers are fakes, just most of them") and sorting out a definitive and completely accurate history may well prove impossible until that mythical day when Rolex opens all its archives to researchers..... I shall not hold my breath.
Regards, Philip (suffering from raging toothache!)
P.S. That's the first time I've seen a 5500 Explorer in a catalogue too.

[adam78]

Originally Posted by Subfiend

Here is my former 1963 5500 Super Precision with gilt underline dial. This watch was sold to the original owner through the British PX. I can't believe I let this one go.

Wow. No, I don't think should have let that one go, unless it were to me! Fantastic gilt dial on that one.

[Acorncatcher]

This is fantastic! I can't believe I came accross such a brilliant forum and a thread that is trying to get the same answers I am. Philip, I too have a 60's Explorer 5500 'Super Precision' with the T<25 symbols in line with Swiss and it's an underline. My father bought it in 1964 from a Cardiff Rolex AD and I became the proud owner on my 21st birthday. Sometime in the late sixties my dad added a jubilee bracelet, but otherwise it has been serviced at that same AD ever since. Sadly my dad died a while back, so I can no longer ask him about the watch; I just remember that he paid 50 pounds for it and was a 26 six-year old student at the time. Six years before buying the watch, he did his national service in Germany, so there is always the outside chance he saw it first in the NAAFI (PX) and waited and saved! Recently I have become very interested in the history of this model and the more I read about it the more fascinating and mysterious it becomes. So Philip, please keep rabbiting on and Subfiend, thanks a million for all your knowledge. David

[Gugnunc]

Hi Acorncatcher,
Your watch appears to be the identical twin to mine, mine was made, I think, in late 1963 and bought new in June 1965 - serial no 979xxx, what is the number of yours? (but DON'T give the last three). Your watch would probably have had a 6635 bracelet when new (that's the one with expanding links) and these are quite hard to find now. I was kucky enough to find one in pristine condition on e-bay recently and have been able to restore my watch to the specification as sold 45 years ago - price then was fifty pounds and ten shillings!!! I'm still continuing the research concerning 1520 vs 1530 and I am becoming more sure that my earlier theory was correct i.e 1520 = precision and 1530 = super precision. The 1530 was used in chronometers too.
Welcome to the Forum, you can learn an awful lot here; as I said above six months ago I knew nothing about my Explorer - it's amazing how much material there is to be gleaned about one simple(?) watch. Philip

[Acorncatcher]

Hi Philip,
Good to hear from you so quickly. Yes, it appears we have the exact same model, right down to the underscore. When I first read about the Explorers, I felt a little irritated at my dad that he hadn't splashed out a little more in 64' and gone for a 1016. But now I realise that in many ways the 5500 SP is a much more more interesting model, if only because so little is known about it. It may have been a 'Boy's Explorer', but it really is an enigma in the Rolex line-up. As to the 1520 vs. 1530 debate, have you seen these photos? They clearly show a 1530 movement in a 5500 SP. If the SP truly had a 1530 as these pics seem to prove, was it an misbadged chronometer? In other words just a slightly smaller 1016? Fascinating stuff. David

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[Gugnunc]

Hello David,
Some interesting points there; yes I follow most of the 5500 sales (both Explorer and Air King) on E-bay as a means of tying up movements with variants i.e. P and S.P. The Air Kings (the "parents" of the 5500 Explorer) too seem to follow the same pattern P=1520 and S.P.= 1530. There is so much evidence for this now that if I find an example which does not follow the pattern then I shall begin to suspect "re-dial".
The really big question is why did Rolex market two variants of the same model which were so similar? Did they sell at different prices? If so, was the difference very great?
Why was the variant with the 1530 movement (the S.P. we think) not certified as a chronometer?
As you say, a much more intriguing watch than the 1016 whose history seems to be quite straightforward in comparison. As regards it being a misbadged chronometer - well it was Rolex's choice to sell it without certification but a well cared-for S.P. 5500 which has been carefully regulated is probably every bit as good a timekeeper as a 1016.
Regarding the description of the watch as a "boy's model" - I think that this is a relatively modern description, remember that, back in the sixties, a 34mm (5500) sized watch was considered normal for a man and a 1016 at 36mm would have been thought of as quite large. Go back to the late forties and early fifties and a 32mm watch would not have been considered as small for a man. It's all a matter of fashion and to my mind some of the monsters that are considered fashionable now actually look quite silly - but that's just me.
Again, welcome to the world of confusion and contradiction that is the inheritance of any interested 5500 owner! Regards, Philip

[Acorncatcher]

Hi Philip,

It does seem that this watch throws up more questions than answers! One thing that I am very keen to ask you about is servicing. My 5500 has lain idle awhile, as I have two hungry mouths to feed. However, I have finally decided to bite the bullet and put it in for a service. I seem to recall that you mentioned a service recently; can I ask what you paid for this and what you had done to the watch for your money? I think I really just need the internal mechanism oiling or whatever happens inside the watch during a service, the case polished and (if this is possible), a couple of scratches taken out of the crystal cover. I have heard that Rolex themselves don't service watches of this age anymore; can you add anything to this? As far as I recall, my AD in Cardiff were always shipping it off to Rolex in Switzerland.
Regards from Germany, David
P.S Do you wear your 5500 everyday?

[crombie]

what a great thread!
The 5500 and the Tudor Ranger are similiar models which I love, but there seems to be very little info/history available for them. Which is interesting since these 2 models would appear to be counterfeited often.
Keep up the great info!

[Acorncatcher]

Crombie, I am learning fast thanks to you lot! But it is a frustrating journey indeed

[Gugnunc]

Hi Again David,
Yes I had my 5500 serviced in July by the AD where it was originally purchased.
I don't know for sure if Rolex would still service this model but I would never consider letting them do it anyway. Reason - it is VITAL to the maintenance of the value of your watch that the hands and dial are not touched - they must remain just as they are with lume that no longer works. Rolex would possibly ignore any instructions to leave well alone and you might get back a watch that looked like new but was worth half of what it was previously. Get your AD to recommend a trusted watchmaker (you can probably do the whole thing through them). Mine had a full service plus new crown and crystal and it cost me £265 which seems to be about par for the course as there is quite a lot of work involved in this e.g all the gaskets will be replaced and it will be pressure tested for water resistance and that's only a tiny part of the story (see Vanessa's sticky on the Rolex Watch Tech page of this Forum) Unless your watch is very badly marked I would think twice about the polish as " battle scars" are part of its history and generally accepted as such; however this is not as vital as the status quo as far as the hands and dial are concerned.
I do wear my watch everyday but, as it is very precious to me (in all senses of the word - it was a 21st birthday present from my parents - now long gone), I tend to wear something else if I am doing rough work - I know it's probably not necessary and I'm being over fussy. Greetings from deepest Norfolk. Philip

[Acorncatcher]

Philip,

Thanks for the advice. I did read Vanessa's description of a service, it was fascinating. I might go back to Wales or look here in Germany for someone who can do a good job. Now I am the one who is worrying about rabbitting on too much, but I just have a couple more questions: where would I be able to find my serial number Philip and what exactly is a crown? I am assuming the crystal to be the whole domed glass-looking cover! I need to be well armed with the all the right vocabulary before I face my AD. And, going back to the 1520/1530 movement debate, did you confirm from the service what lurks inside your SP in July? I will certainly ask for confirmation from my dealer of the movement type. Since our watches are from the purest source available, i.e. brand new from an AD, whatever they carry must be the SP standard movement. And just to labour the point, if it is the same movement as the 1016, does the bigger watch have anything else that makes it a chronograph? Or in short, is the movement everything?
Best regards,
David

[Gugnunc]

David,
You will find the serial number and the model number on the side of the watch after you remove the bracelet - this is easy to do using a straightened paper-clip by pushing down on the spring-bar through the holes on the side of the lugs, do one side at a time and gently pull on the bracelet as you are doing so, once one is pushed thruogh then that end of the bracelet will come off easily. Do the same to the the other end. You will probably find a horrible load of krud on the side of the watch and no numbers will be visible - they ARE there - just clean off the rubbish with a toothbrush and soap and water. One side (I can never remember whether it is by the 12 or 6 index) it will say "Registered Design 5500", and on the other will be the serial/production number. When you find it please let me know what it is - but do NOT quote the whole thing on a public forum - use the form 123xxx; I am only interested in the first three digits. When you have done this you can replace the bracelet - fiddly and usually involves swearing but can normally be done in a few minutes using an old blunt knife blade to compress the spring-bar while you ease it back into its hole. (Or you can leave it for your dealer to do).
The crown is simply the winding button/knob and the crystal is the "glass" - plastic in our case. The latter will normally be replaced during servicing anyway.
I forgot (idiot) to have the movement number recorded when the back was off for service.
The 1530 is a chronometer movement but it is not the same one as in the 1016 this had the 1560/70 series which was a hacking movement (the second hand freezes when the crown is pulled out for synchronisation purposes) whereas ours does not. By the way don't get "chronograph" and "chronometer" miixed up. The former can be used for measuring elapsed time and the latter is a watch which meets specified performance standards. Philip

[Acorncatcher]

Hi Philip,

I should really be working, but I had to find out! The reg no. is the same as yours, 979. What does this tell us? Just out of interest, what is the danger in giving out the final three digits. I am merely curious. And, of course, it is chronometer and not chronograph. That's posting in haste for you!
Best regards, David

[Gugnunc]

Hi David,
That's great - at least we now know that our numbers are within one thousand of one another. I wonder if all Super Precision 5500's with the underline and double T<25 markings are within this range. Can anybody add more information? Alternatively did all 979xxx's find their way onto the civilian market only? The deeper you go the more questions there are.
The reason for not publishing the full serial number is that some crook will then have a complete description of the watch (and in your case a photograph as well) plus this number. He will then report this watch as belonging to him and as having been stolen in order to claim on his insurance. This will automatically be reported to the Rolex lost and stolen register and it will, of course, tie up exactly with their archives. Now when you take your watch in for service the watchmaker will check and see it reported as stolen and unless you have really good provenance (original receipt/handbook with no.) you may have a devil of a job proving it is yours - best to avoid.
By the way, do you have any idea of the commercial value of your watch? Have a look at http://www.watchclub.com/our-watches...rer/alpha.html those are the kind of replacement values you should have specified on your house insurance. Regards, Philip

[Acorncatcher]

Hi Philip,

It would be very interesting to find other 5500 SP 'underline' owners and indeed find out if they have the same reg. Do you have any idea how many of these SP watches were produced in total? Certainly you see more 5500 'Precisions' than SPs. There seem to be so many variations in the SP variations too: underline, no underline, one, two or no T<25 markings. Sometimes the two markings are in line with Swiss (like ours) or not (like Subfiend's). If, as you suggest, the SPs with symmetrical markings make up around 25% of total stock, what is more unusual, the 'in line' set up or the 'lower' setup? Fascinating stuff, though it is all starting to make my head ache a bit!! It seems like a lot of impossible questions, well without info from Rolex anyway. I bet you never guessed you'd find somebody who would be as interested in all this as you, even on this forum!
Thanks for the info on the reg number. Good advice, though thankfully I have some paperwork too.
Best regards,
David

[Gugnunc]

David,
You might want to try this site
http://stefanomazzariol.blogspot.com/
and select Explorer from the menu if you want to get really confused - but it is a remarkable site and well worth many visits. Philip

[Acorncatcher]

Hi Philip,

I just had a bizarre e mail exchange with my AD in Wales. Apparently, given the age of my watch and the fact that it is a sports model(!), they would send it out of house to be serviced at Rolex in Bexley Heath. Is this what happened at your AD, or did you have an in-house service? It seems to contradict the threads that say Rolex don't touch vintage models. Can anyone else add anything to this? Chrs. David

[Gugnunc]

Hi David,
My opinion remains - do not let Rolex sevice it. They will do a first class job but their remit is to return a watch in as near to as-new condition as possible; this means that the dial and/or hands may be refurbished or replaced and the consequence of this is that your watch will lose much of its value if you ever want to sell it. I know selling is unlikely in your (and my) case but nevertheless I would want to hang on to as much originality as possible, especially with a 5500 Explorer - a new dial/hands are often the sign of a converted Air King. My local AD uses an independent, but Rolex trained, watchmaker who has done a first-class job on my 5500 - it is actually running better than new. I don't think that we are allowed to promote a specific AD on this forum but if you wish to send me a personal message I can reply with their name, address, 'phone number and e-mail. No reason why you shouldn't use them if you want - but they do have a three month waiting list! They are based in Norwich. I was actually in that city last week and purely by chance, met their service manager - she is going search their records to check whether my Explorer contains a 1520 or 1530! I am to contact her next week. By the way, technically I believe all Explorers are Sports models. Philip

[thekwaze]

All of this is very interesting to me as I have a project in mind as follows:
I have a 1965 Air King 5500 with 1520 movement.
It is in fine condition, but on close examination through my loupe I can see the dial has been refinished or possibly just the lume dots.
Anyway I've always fancied an old Explorer (No jokes about Christopher Columbus etc., please) but can never really justify the cost to myself.
Thus I am thinking of changing the Air King Dial and hands to the Explorer style.
I don't see any problem, as long as I don't try and pass it on as an Explorer.
What does everyone think of this idea?
Secondly, does anyone know of any reason why it might not fit?
As always all comments much appreciated.

[digilux]

Originally Posted by thekwaze

All of this is very interesting to me as I have a project in mind as follows:
I have a 1965 Air King 5500 with 1520 movement.
It is in fine condition, but on close examination through my loupe I can see the dial has been refinished or possibly just the lume dots.
Anyway I've always fancied an old Explorer (No jokes about Christopher Columbus etc., please) but can never really justify the cost to myself.
Thus I am thinking of changing the Air King Dial and hands to the Explorer style.
I don't see any problem, as long as I don't try and pass it on as an Explorer.
What does everyone think of this idea?
Secondly, does anyone know of any reason why it might not fit?
As always all comments much appreciated.

I might do the same with my 5500 1972/73 Air-King. I also believe the Air-King I have have a redone dial + the hands.

Any thought on a remake like this?

[dysondiver]

i did the air king to explorer swap a couple of years ago , made a very smart cheap daily wear. well actually mr young did the job , threw in a case . my airking had the lug holes worn through the lugs. tightened the bracelet , and a light polish ,......... humble money and a nice wear.
why not , just dont try to sell it as an explorer.