(Photo credit: Nick Gould)
Rolex's future release of a white-dial Explorer could be justified more than ever, as the recent discovery of a vintage ad is shedding some light on one of the most mysterious Rolex examples. A Rolex ad was found in a 70-year-old publication promoting a white-dial Explorer.
Until now, it was unclear whether Rolex had ever sold so-called “Albino Explorers,” as their origin story is a mystery even to watch experts — they believe the printing on white dials was to ensure the proper functioning of a watchmaker’s equipment, and those rare test dials found their way onto the market. Auction house Phillips, which sold one last year, said they number in the “low single digits.”
But now, the discovery found in a Winnipeg publication printed in Aug. 1953 shows white-dial Explorers were actually featured in ads, like the one placed by Eaton’s, a department store chain that was once the largest in Canada.
The discovery was made by Nick Gould, a watch writer. Gould said the ad is interesting because “Explorer” is actually printed on the dial, unlike the black-dial version seen in the 1953 ad of Geographical Magazine.
