1962 ROLEX EXPLORER Ref. 5501 Vintage Mens Watch -
Stainless Steel & 14K Gold
Rare Explorer Reference - Original
- 1 Year Warranty
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Rare
Rolex "Dress Explorer" Watch - Original - Serviced with
1 Year Warranty
Among the
rarest and most charming offshoots of the Rolex Explorer line
is the so-called "Dress Explorer"—a term collectors
have affectionately given to the Ref. 5501.
There’s
something inherently captivating about the name “Explorer.”
It evokes rugged cliffs, alpine wind, and the thrill of charting
the unknown. Rolex didn’t just name a watch this—they
earned it.
The Explorer was born from Rolex’s deep involvement with
real-world exploration. In 1953, when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing
Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest, they did so with Rolex
Oyster Perpetual watches strapped to their wrists. Their watches
were very similar to this model.
That moment
wasn’t just a marketing milestone—it was the birth of
a legend. The watches survived the ice, altitude, and brutal cold,
proving Rolex’s Oyster case and Perpetual movement weren’t
just for show. Later that year, Rolex launched the Explorer, a
model designed to carry the spirit of human achievement on the
wrist.
This very
rare ref. 5501 model is believed to have been only for the Canadian
market, and only in the early 1960s, where Rolex was experimenting
with unique dial configurations and region-specific offerings.
It combines the technical prowess of a true Oyster Perpetual with
the elegant design cues of a Datejust - all while Rolex through
their Explorer marketing was trying to maintain the spirit of
the original Explorer - hence the name collectors have given it,
the "Dress Explorer."
It’s a particularly seldom seen variant: the Ref. 5501. A
unique blend of rugged utility and quiet elegance, this reference
combines the iconic Explorer dial with the warmth of a gold fluted
bezel and riveted Oyster bracelet. It’s a hybrid watch that
feels just as ready for a Himalayan basecamp as it does a candlelit
dinner.
It presents in pleasing
condition.
Its case presents
in excellent condition with only light signs of previous polishing.
The engine turning on the bezel still retains much of its detail.
Its rare smoky gray
original
"Explorer"
signed dial is original and untouched. It is very honest with
a light tropical look. Our photos couldn't do justice to its details.
Its
period correct Rolex Oyster "rivet" bracelet is just
short of mint with only light signs of previous polishing and
virtually no stretch.
One of
our Master Watchmakers, who used to be the watchmaker for an authorized
Rolex dealer and was given special training by Rolex at their
Beverly Hills Service Center to be an authorized Rolex watchmaker,
has fully serviced the watch which consists of fully disassembling
the movement, carefully inspecting each part, replacing any overly
worn components with genuine Rolex parts, installing a new correct
mainspring and crystal, reassembling and lubricating the movement,
and extensive timing testing and regulation (a $995 value).
We
have also timed it on a machine that simulates it being worn on
the wrist. It is keeping time on par with a new Rolex in our testing.
For the finishing touch, we have
meticulously detailed it making it ready for immediate enjoyment.
Included
with the purchase is a one-year international C.O.T. warranty
on the movement and its function and a custom printed Connoisseur
of Time Certificate of Authenticity.
This Rolex Explorer Ref. 5501 isn’t just rare—it’s
evocative. It speaks to a time when Rolex was building tools for
the edge of the world, but also trying to do it with unmistakable
elegance. The gold fluted bezel adds a quiet flash to the wrist;
the Explorer dial whispers of summits reached and boundaries pushed.
If you’re looking for a vintage Rolex with a story that’s
both adventurous and refined, this is your watch.
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Timepiece's
Finer Points:
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Dial: Smoky gray
with applied gold baton indexes, luminous hour dots, outer minute
track, signed Rolex Explorer, original and untouched with slight
tropical look
Our
photos couldn't do justice to its details.
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Crystal: Acrylic, mint condition
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Case: Stainless
steel with 14K gold bezel, signed Rolex, three-body, polished
and brushed, screwed-down case back and crown, 34mm diameter,
12mm thick
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Band: Period correct
Rolex Oyster "rivet" bracelet ref. 7205 with correcte
6 end links, stamped 4/70, adjustable through the clasp, sized
to fit a wrist up to approx. 7.75 inches on largest setting, just
short of mint with virtually no stretch
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Movement:
Rolex cal. 1530, self-winding, rhodium-plated,
25 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance,
shock absorber, self-compensating Breguet balance spring
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Function: Hours, Minutes, Automatic,
Sweep Seconds
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| Crown:
Gold, Rolex Twinlock, screws down well |
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Detailed
Appraisal:
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Manufacturer: Rolex
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Country of origin: Switzerland,
made for the Canadian market
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Model: Ref. 5501, Oyster Perpetual
Explorer
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Case no.: 846,380
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Year made: Case back is date
stamped the 2nd quarter of 1962
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Functions: Hours, Minutes,
Sweep Seconds, Automatic
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Designed for: Men
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Case material: Stainless steel
and 14K gold
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Case
condition: Presents
in excellent condition with only light signs of previous polishing.
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Dimensions:
34mm diameter, 12mm thick
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Dial: Smoky gray
with applied gold baton indexes, luminous hour dots, outer minute
track, signed Rolex Explorer, original and untouched with slight
tropical look
Our
photos couldn't do justice to its details.
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Hands: Original,
gold, luminous "alphas"
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Movement type: Rolex
cal. 1530,
self-winding, rhodium-plated, 25 jewels, straight-line lever
escapement, monometallic balance, shock absorber, self-compensating
Breguet balance spring
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Jewels: 25 rubies
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Band: Period correct
Rolex Oyster "rivet" bracelet ref. 7205 with correct
6 end links, stamped 4/70, adjustable through the clasp, sized
to fit a wrist up to approx. 7.75 inches on largest setting, just
short of mint with virtually no stretch
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Width between
lugs: 19mm
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Crystal type: Acrylic,
mint condition
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Serviced:
One of our Master Watchmakers, who used to be the watchmaker
for an authorized Rolex dealer and was given special training
by Rolex at their Beverly Hills Service Center to be an
authorized Rolex watchmaker, has fully serviced the watch
which consists of fully disassembling the movement, carefully
inspecting each part, replacing any overly worn components
with genuine Rolex parts, installing a new mainspring, reassembling
and lubricating the movement, and extensive timing testing
and regulation (a $995 value).
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Timing:
Timed to precision on a state-of-the-art computerized system. We have also
timed it on a machine that simulates it being worn on the
wrist. It is keeping time on par with a new Rolex in our
testing.
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Warranty:
1-year international warranty. Please message us for details.
Your watch is important to us, and we will take care of
it for its lifetime. We provide the best after sale care
in the business with an extremely experienced team of four
Master Watchmakers all of whom each have over thirty-five
years of experience and a large number of parts. As mentioned,
one used to be the watchmaker for an authorized Rolex dealership
and was given training by Rolex at their Beverly Hills Service
Center.
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Box/Papers:
BOX - Connoisseur of Time watch presentation box; PAPERS
- Connoisseur of Time Certificate of Authenticity
Designated trademarks and brands
are the property of their respective owners. Connoisseur
of Time is not affiliated with Rolex USA, Inc. or Rolex
International
100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are in any way unsatisfied
with the watch we will fully refund the purchase price.
Simply notify us and send it back anytime within 30 days
after it has been received. Our goal is to exceed your expectations
throughout the buying experience. View our feedback and
shop with confidence.
Connoisseur
of Time, Inc.
1000 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Suite 6-343
Suwanee, GA 30024
U.S.A.
Phone: eBay does not allow our contact information to be
displayed. Please Google our name and visit our website
if you would like to contact us by phone. It is listed toward
the bottom of our homepage and prominently on each watch's
listing page.
Hours
of Operation:
Monday
- Friday
10am - 4pm EST
Closed
Saturdays & Sundays.
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| Connoisseur of
Time Recently In the News: |
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Connoisseur of Time Owners
Pay Off $1.8 Million of Medical Debt for 1000 Families
- WSB-TV, Channel 2 ABC Atlanta
Click here for the story
Paul Hoyt, Owner of Connoisseur of Time, Named to WatchPro's
Hot 100 List of the Top 100 Influencers of the U.S. Watch Industry
Click here for the story
eBay's National Watch Day Highlights Timeless, Historical Watches
from Connoisseur of Time
Click here for the story
Connoisseur of Time Sells
Special Timepiece to the Omega Museum
Click here for the story
Vintage
Watch Company Helps Neuhaus Museum Fill New Permanent Exhibit
Click here for the story
Steve Lundin
with IW Magazine asked Paul to collaborate on his article about
rectangular watches,"Hip
Squares."
Melissa Pearce with Australia's Sydney Morning Herald asked
Paul to collaborate on her article about trends in mens antiques:
"Mantiques:
The New Boys' Toys".
Hodinkee did a
feature piece on this vintage 14K Omega chronograph of ours.
Jeff Stein of OntheDash featured one of our watches in his article
“Project 99: The History of the Chronomatic” written
for the March issue of International Watch magazine.
TIME+TIDE, Australia's leading online watch media group, asked
Paul to collaborate on an article on vintage men’s watches
for women: “11 Vintage Watches for under $2000 That Look
Superb on Women”.
Leaders Magazine featured one of our watches in their article
"Defining Luxury: Ensuring Authenticity" (Volume 33,
Number 4).
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| Contact us |
|
Connoisseur of Time, Inc.
1000 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Suite 6-343
Suwanee, GA 30024
U.S.A.
Phone: eBay does not allow our contact
information to be displayed. Please Google our name and visit
our website if you would like to contact us by phone. It is
listed toward the bottom of our homepage and prominently on
each watch's listing page.
Hours of
Operation:
Monday
- Friday
10am - 4pm EST
Closed Saturdays & Sundays.
Our
Selling & Shipping Information:
- 100% satisfaction guarantee for all of our watches. If
you are in any way unsatisfied with it, you are welcome
to return it in the condition it was sold anytime within
30 days for a full refund of the purchase price. Our goal
is to exceed your expectations throughout the buying experience.
We hope you love it!
- The water
resistance of vintage watches can no longer be guaranteed
and is not covered under the watch's warranty. We don't
recommend getting a vintage watch wet - and really don't
recommend showering or diving with it - even one that
was originally designed to be waterproof.
- We have
extensive international shipping experience. In the last
12 years we have safely shipped thousands of high value
watches around the world (to over 70 countries!).
- All items are packaged very carefully and mailed in large
reinforced shipping boxes appropriate for high value items
so you don't need to worry about your watch arriving safely.
Wait until you see how big the box is that your watch
is coming in!
(Please do remember though that while we do our very best
and have careful procedures and quality control inspections
- we will again fully re-test the proper functioning of
your watch after you pay, right before we send it to you
- from time to time
some courier workers don't handle packages the way we
think that they would want their own packages to be handled.
Watches are ultra-precision instruments, and the timekeeping
of most is governed by a small spring that is only about
1/8 the thickness of a human hair.
The vast majority of our watches arrive safely and problem
free. However at times vintage watches
and their hairsprings can be sensitive to rough courier
handling or just having a difficult trip to you.
But even on a bad day there's still good news... We offer
a full one-year warranty on virtually every watch we sell
(unless occasionally specifically stated otherwise), so
if anything happens to it in transit or goes wrong anytime
in the first year, we will gladly repair it for you at
no charge. Yes, even the older vintage watches. So sit
back, relax, and dream about the first place where you're
going to wear your new watch!
- Our official
warranty in many ways mirrors those of a number of the
watch manufacturers and covers the proper timekeeping
of the movement. It does not cover things like abuse,
being dropped, crystals, bracelets, crowns, case parts
etc. or water resistance. While we are the sole determinants
of what qualifies for warranty work.... even if you have
a problem that you don't think will qualify for coverage,
tell us about it anyway. We are here to serve and just
might be able to help you.
- Winning bidders must fully pay within 48 hours of the end
of the auction. After 48 hours the watch will be relisted.
- To be fair to all bidders, we make it our practice not
to end an auction early.
- Because of the high rate of lost items and number of fraudulent
payments, we do not sell or ship to Indonesia or Africa.
_______________________________________________________
Payment
information - we accept:
- Paypal
- Visa, American Express, Mastercard, and
Discover via eBay checkout
- Check (We have to hold the watch until
the check clears.)
If eBay doesn't calculate
your shipping and other shipping exceptions:
Domestic
shipping is normally by FedEx Ground or USPS Express Mail. All
shipments are fully insured. An estimate can be obtained by
using eBay's shipping calculator found in this listing.
International
shipments will sent via U.S. International Express Mail or FedEx
fully insured. An estimate can be obtained by using eBay's shipping
calculator found in this listing. A $5 (USD) handling fee applies
to all international orders. We will e-mail the winning bidder
at the end of the auction with the exact shipping cost.
The shipping cost to most countries
not covered by eBay's shipping calculator is $68.90 plus insurance.
Insurance charges are $1.55 for every $100 of coverage needed.
This includes the following countries:
The UK, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland,
Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Singapore, Hong Kong,
and all other countries for which eBay's shipping calculator
does not generate a quote.
The insurance fee for certain “high-risk” countries
not in the above list is a flat rate of $50.
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