explorer 1016 - some questions

[ghinghi]

I'd like to buy a vintage explorer 1016 from the eighties and I'm doing my homework, is any 1016 savant out there that could help me?

Has the crystal changed during the years? I mean it has always been acrylic/plexiglass - I guess sapphire for exp came with ref 14270 - but did it change the profile (flatter at some point)? and if yes from which year/serial number?

I noticed many sellers stress the fact their 1016 is a R/L series to command for a premium price, what's the difference (if any) with numeric series only?

Any other hint/advice I should be aware of regarding a 1016 from the 80s?

Thanks in advance

[ghinghi]

any help? thank you

[adam78]

The movements stayed basically the same during the almost 30-year 1016 run (cal. 1560 for the first 5 years or so, then 1570). However, beginning around 1970, the hacking feature was added to the 1570. The crystals were always plexi, always (AFAIK) domed. The service tropic 22 crystals from the late '80s or '90s onward were flat profile rather than domed, for improved water resistance; that's why you see so many non-domed crystals on these now. There isn't really any appreciable difference between a hacking '70s model and '80s model, other than that the '80s 1016 came with a solid link 78360 bracelet originally and may not have been polished as much, given that it was likely not sent in for service as many times. Also there may be minor differences in the dial, especially the length of the coronet.

Hope this helps.

[ghinghi]

thank you Adam, very helpful indeed. As for the crystal I read in "Vintage Rolex Sports Models: A Complete Visual Reference and Unauthorized History" by Martin Skeet and Nick Urul that at some point in the 80s it became flatter (still plexi though) but they don't mention when (year/serial number). Any clue?

[adam78]

I've seen very late models (1989 or so) with domed crystals, so that's why I said I thought all had domed ones originally (unless these were retrofitted). I'm not sure when the service crystals were switched to the flat profile type.

[anemonedoves]

Here's a good online resource with excerpts from an Explorer collectors book.

http://rkeulen.home.xs4all.nl/watch/explorer.html

[Ubique]

Alright, I really don't have too much to back this up, but I own a 1969 1016, which means it's non-hacking. I don't know this for a fact, but I feel like I ended up with a nicer patina for a better price due to the lack of a hacking feature. The hacking models I've seen sold are usually more ivory white instead of creamy on the lume plots. Personally, I only cared about the hacking feature before I got the watch. The back-pressure second stopping trick allows me to sync it to a source pretty easily.

[apan]

Does anybody have a picture comparing the profile between the original and service crystals? In my opinion the 1016 loses a bit of its charm with a flatter crystal, but I would love to see the actual difference side by side.