Wright Auction

The Rolex Explorer II has long been one of the most popular Rolex Sport models, and for good reason. This Watches auction includes two particularly impressive Explorer II examples: one a black reference 16570 and the other a white reference 16550. Both of these watches feature special dial configurations that are incredibly rare.

While one Explorer II watch appears to be a standard black dial 16570, a sharply defined Tiffany & Co. stamp is visible on the face upon closer inspection, indicating that it was retailed by the famed American jeweler. The other Explorer II has a "white" dial that is in reality cream! The mythical cream 16550 has long been touted by Rolex historians and collectors as the most beautiful dial created on a sports model.

With the dial configurations on these Rolex watch models both so uncommon, which Explorer II do you prefer? Would you rather have one line of extra text, bearing a high-end retailer's name, or a dial in a unique, cream hue?

Over the last four years, Tiffany & Co. dial watches have increased in popularity, sometimes garnering as much as ten times the original retail value. Basically, these are any old Rolex watch that has been stamped with 'Tiffany & Co.' on the dial. Usually, the logo is stamped right above six o'clock or right under twelve o'clock below the Rolex coronet and logo.

In the late 1950s, Rolex and Tiffany & Co. struck up a joint branding and marketing deal. The very early Tiffany & Co. dials were stamped by hand in the New York City flagship boutique on 5th Avenue, but later other major locations began stamping as well. Rolex stopped making stamped dials of any kind in the early 1990s and for a very long time these watches were not coveted by collectors.

During the last fifteen years, an overwhelming amount of scholarship has been produced on these dial variations; this has inevitably increased their value and popularity. The last five years, as the watch market has grown exponentially, the demand for Tiffany & Co. dials has exploded to unprecedented levels.

The present example features beautifully patinated dial markers that are natural, a sign of a watch that has aged gracefully. The Tiffany & Co. logo here is at six o'clock, making the dial symmetrical and nearly perfect. The desirability of these dials will very likely only increase due to the fact that Rolex no longer produces double-signed dials in any shape or form.