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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.