As much as I feel as if Rolex have lost their way and identity as of late, and am I not by any means enthralled by their current offerings; there is absolutely no denying that Rolex have a genuine, unsurpassed heritage. Produced between 1963 and 1989, the Reference 1016 shares a lineage with the custom ref. 6350 loaned to Edmund Hillary for his and Tenzing Norgay’s expedition to the summit of Mount Everest in 1953. Although the jury is out on whether Hillary’s 6350 was actually worn to the summit (An achievement which may actually be more correctly attributed to Smiths) the same jury can with no doubt agree that 1016 is decidedly one of the greatest watches ever produced by Rolex. A beat up and faded 1960’s era “369” dial 1016 is up there as being one of my most sought after pieces and is definitely at the top of my grail list. Whilst the likelihood of me ever owning one of my own is very slim, but after having the pleasure of handling one a few years back – I am very impressed by the quality of the Zeno-Watch Explorer which almost equals the 1016 in terms of quality and feel. I finally found one for a decent price in a suitably beaten up and patinated condition in Japan. With a 36mm case and powered by a Miyota Cal. 8215, the ZN-001 was produced for the Japanese and Hong Kong collector’s market in the early 2000’s in small numbers. I have yet to see another example of one in the UK. #1016 #369 #watchporn #rolex