blue.

Hehe, nice "cheating" technique

Congratulation on the fine results Wear it often and in good health.

PM sent

Congratulations on the nice timepiece. You even have a small booklet?

Thanks. Never had a doubt! @automatico: Thank you for your feedback on the lugholes, dial, spring bars. Actually as far as I know the "Swiss- T<25" means that the light mass on the dial is tritium. The sign "<25" means that the radiation of the tritium is lower than 25 microsieverts/hr. For some vintage Sub models, the newer service dials are marked "Swiss Made" (Super Luminova?). I have no clear explanation why the new service dials for the Explorer 1016 keep that "Swiss- T<25" still written on. I find the MBK Explorer dial with the "Swiss Made" as passable. That marking is really small, barely notable, except you look for it. If one receives some questions why the dial states "Swiss Made" and not "Swiss- T<25", you may answer that is is a newer service dial, for example. Other (for me minor flaw) is the "OYSTER PERPETUAL EXPLORER", which is written not in a sherif font but with size and proportion that are very close to the genuine. Again, those markings are small enough and in the right sizes and positions. One would need time and an armed eye (or to look from a really close distance) to see those flaws. There is a watch for each and every occasion. Finally, I personally doubt I would wear the Explorer out on Gala nights (black tie), where the watch may be exposed to an unforeseeable number of people, taking in account some of them are Rolex experts and would be interested in my timepiece.

Interesting. Thanks for the info, LHOOQ. I couldn´t see in my rough research any 14270s (non Blackouts) with lugholes, from that era.

They do have more than one, as I assume, on the parts used to assemble the 1016 model. Has anyone seen an "Explorer 14270 Blackout" made by MBK? Seems they make that model, because the case is marked 14270. Sizes and proportions, lug holes seem quite close to the gen, but I can not prove 100% since I have no access to the gen.

Thank you for the feedback @LHOOQ : Thank you for the information about the "Calatrava cross".

Well, quite some time has passed since my entry into RWG and collecting some gen and rep watches. Thanks to all of you, I managed to gather some special info on a, for me, special Rolex. It is the Rolex Explorer 1 1016. Here is also the place to thank the members LHOOQ, JMB, ricou2273 (from another forum) and not at last Reg. One month of investigation, some minor parts & tools orders, as well as waiting for the MBK Explorer 1016 to arrive, has ended the last Friday. I would like to gradate the review of the MBK Explorer 1016 in to some pre history steps leading me to this model and some technical details about it, because information about this rep is as good as non present here on this forum. Pre- history The love for the Explorer 1016 stared last year as I was viewing some mood pictures, looking for inspiration (working in the design field). All of a sudden there was this Rolex Oyster Precision 5500. At that time I wasn´t much aware of the existence ofvintage Rolex models and a friend of mine mentioned that there is a more famed model, called the Explorer 1016. I was hooked. Some months have followed, when I was into homage watches and almost forgot about the Explorer 1016, then I saw an interesting Homage series of Explorer watches, like the MKII Vantage, Sandoz Explorer. They were pretty close to the gen style, but didn´t convince for two reasons. The first is that they look like, but are not (no brand logos, not correct case, dial, bracelet etc.) the famous watch brand. The second reason was the availability. Those homage watches are in fact highly seeked, but cost even as second hand about $200 up to +$500 and on top of that are almost impossible to find on the forum markets. The only solution to have the Explorer feeling was the rep market, offering the "real" thing with correct proportions, brandigs etc., without paying a small fortune for the genuine for example. All in all, taking part in the history (owning a vintage Rolex), by being on the safer side in terms of financials. I wasn´t aware the rep market offered vintage time pieces, so I was quite pleasantly surprised when I saw some interesting threads here on rwg and another forum. Asked for some advices and information and became 2 clear routes, regarding the Explorer 1016. The first was buying an out of the box rep, where the MBK version was mentioned to be the best (so far), or as second option building a custom Explorer. JMB was referred as a possible address for the second option, but as he was (or still is) swamped with work, fell out of the possibilities. Having a clear decision I contacted Reg and got lucky on having him to find that specific rep for me right from the source. The deal Before the MBK Explorer 1016 arrived I received some pictures of it (as usual as this step is). I got confused with the dial and hands. The dial actually states "Swiss made". Historically, the Explorer 1016 has "Swiss", "Swiss- T<25". Even the new service dials have "Swiss- T<25" written on them. Despite this fact (now for me a minor one), the dial is very crisp. The hands seemed to be missing a bit of lume on some of the images. It turned out those hands had some "casual" patina already, lets say a bit of corrosion, some small dots, giving a more aged feel for a vintage time piece like this. Technical details The Case It was mentioned that the case isn´t 100% gen specific, which I can confirm. Lug holes are small and on a different position in contrast to the gen 1016 Explorer. I first wanted to re-drill them, but as I removed the bracelet to inspect the case much closer I saw near the obligatory "ORIG POLLX DESING" (not typical MBK -"... POLEX DESIGN") the model marking 14270, which surprised me quite a lot. I did a fast research of that model. Results gave me a lot of confidence, because the 14270 had a limited version "Blackout". That specific version had the drilled lugs and reference pictures show those diameters and position to be very close (in not the same) to the lug holes on the MBK Explorer. Otherwise, case height, profile, crown position and bezel look OK for me. The crystal is OK too, since the were also some 1016 Explorer with super dome crystal profiles. Inspecting the Lug holes a bit closer, I realised they do not lie on the same axis. Meaning a completely new drill through would result in bracelet misalignment and crooked holes. I decided not to ruin the case and left the holes as they are, where they are. Good that I haven´t bought drill bits, drill press etc. prior to the watch arrival. Finally my case is a 14270 Blackout case and doesn´t need any modifications The Bracelet The bracelet is a solid oyster type. It has the correct spring bar hole diameters in the end links, meaning that you can place genuine Rolex 23-9293 (Explorer 1016, Sub) spring bars, as I did of course Those gen specification spring bars enter not fully into the lug holes of the case but enter just enough to stay bomb proof there! The best part is that the bracelet does not need any type of modification and accepts the gen spring bars without compromise. The Movement The movement seems to be a genuine (vintage in all means) Swiss ETA 2824-1 (yes 2824-1 not -2) with custom rotor. It keeps good time, but I am unable to be specific on this topic, neither see any indication if the jewels are 17 or 25. Any detailed information is welcome, also what the meaning of the symbol of the rotor means? Is it a common symbol with which MBK ETA´s are marked? [*]Conclusion In reality the MBK Explorer 1016 is an Explorer 14270 Blackout, modified with a 1016 dial and crystal. Despite the steeper price I am pleased by the good material finish. The dial, the bracelet and overall feeling are satisfying for me. Having a case laid out for a Swiss ETA makes this time piece suitable for a movement swap with another genuine Swiss ETAm should there be any need to do so.

Wow Good luck on the assembly.

A threatening fact! When the "mystery" around a special brand gets washed out, all of us would "loose". The Brand itself, the buyers of the gen product and at last us (the rep collectors, franken modders and vice versa). Rolex stands for top quality, historic heritage roots, tradition, eliteness, adventure, limited affordability and so on. The more the brand gets a mass presence, the more it loses from that special appeal. Rolex wouldn´t be the same if there weren´t also the celebrities (Ian Flemming, Paul Newman, Steve Mcqueen ...). They have created a unique appearance around wearing a Rolex as result we all want to be part of that history. Chances are slim that Rolex would loose this majesty lead, but the brand gambles with it pretty hard. An important part of maintaining a cult Brand is the loyalty to the customer.

Pristine Congratulation. Wear it often and in good health!

Congratulation Ronin, That service dial can not get more gen than that Please add some picture of the misalignment of the bracelet with the case so we can see where the problem exactly is?

Hmm, rather strange. I had some answers on some inquiries at the end of September... Have you tried to mail him from a different email?

Hmm, tough one. Sorry for this. Anyway I see 2(3) solutions: 1. If you have the ambition and tools, you can open the watch and try to rotate the marker counter clockwise, carefully.Taping your tools in order to avoid scratching the dial or marker, applying firm power. I do not know exactly how that 6 o´clock marker is attached to the dial, but it seems well centred and being connected via 1 pivot to the dial plate. The only issue is that the marker is rotated some degree clockwise. 2. Sending the watch back to China. The less stressful way. No risk to screw up with watch opening & vice versa, but there is again the risk with the customs. This time I would insist having some QC pics, so you know what to expect. 3. Send the watch to a watch modder or watchmaker, near you. Wish you good luck on fixing this issue and please keep us updated.

Thanks!

That is a really good looking result! Love it. I wouldn´t go a route to vintage the hands and dial. They look just right. If you get a comment regarding the appearance of the dial and hands, being too new, you can always say that the Explorer has been serviced not long ago That gen bracelet looks nice. What size of springbars have you used for the bracelet? Diameters of the pistons would be interesting? Can you please tell some measurements or point to the source where you got them? Wish you a lot of wrist time with the Explorer and wear it in good health.

Having been attracted to Rolex not that long ago, I pretty fast realized how strong this brand lives from great stories. A watch brand that is continuously being strengthen by adventurers, influential individuals, personalities with character, celebrities. Being a passioned Explorer 1016 fan I seem to need a bit of time to get warm with the Submariner and the GMT or let say tool style appearance. No doubt, I always had an eye on them, but would prefer the simplicity of the Explorer. Each of us has different reasons of being attracted to a Rolex watch. One of my strongest personal reason is the application intent in mind, the sporty Rolexes have been created for. That reason is almost unimportant if there isn´t any great adventure or story, which proves the watch´s function and design. Therefore as with many events in life "It is the story behind it, that bounds". I recently discovered a nice article about the Rolex GMT-Master showing why and in what kind of age it came out, also who was wearing it at that time. Timekeeping Icon: Rolex GMT-Master bonus (Nasa background...)

Awesome Even if that post isn´t fresh, the story is always actual to me. I may add up some more information on how Rolex was priced back in the years. In my Watches Mood-Picture collection I have an advertisement of my all time favorite the Rolex, the Explorer 1016. The year of when the ad was published is bit of unclear. Should be around 1965 + Price according to the ad: " ... The Explorer sells for $180 (with authentic Rolex bracelet, $195) at fine jewelry shops. Other waterproof, self-winding chronometers from $ 175" $15 for a folded SS genuine Rolex bracelet ... We all know how much most out of the box 1016 Reps and after market parts (gen or near gen) cost. Sure, inflation and commodity prices have changed drastically in the last 40+ years, but nevertheless still interesting differences. From time to time I keep asking myself how much the production costs of a modern Explorer 1 for example are?! In between $500 - $800?

Nice details, for sure! The hands look pretty good too. Wish you success with the whole assembly so the final result is as expected.

Great one, congrats If the Ex II gets boring with the stainless steel bracelet you always have the option of putting a NATO on it. Maybe with an orange accent on it like rileywiley mentioned. Wear it often and in good health.

Wow, impressive DRSD! Wear it often and in good health

Thanks I had talked to him but he is unable to take any orders at the moment. He seems quite busy.

Hi, I have been around this topic for a while now, have talked to some of you regarding the MBW 1016 Explorer. Many would rank it among the best out of the box Rep, that is as close to the gen as possible. Though they are quite pricey. As pricey as a watch can get with a gen Swiss ETA. I have some questions regarding the overall quality and the movement. 1. Movement. I had talked with Reg regarding the movement of the MBW ("Maria´s Best Watch" or MBK 1016), if it is a cloned ETA or not. He and one other forum member replied that the ETA in the MBW 1016 Explorer is an original Swiss movement. So I assume if it really is, then it might be a refurbished movement? Has anyone of you had a closer look inside the MBW 1016 Explorer, or even identified the ETA, or serviced it? How reliable is it, how is time keeping? 2. Overall build quality. Is the build quality of the MBW 1016 Explorer consistent over the years? Has anyone of you had purchased one the last months? How is it compared to the same watch model bought the years before? Are the lugs drilled all the way through or are they drilled half way? Would be thankful for any opinions on the topics.