Reference:6298 - Revision history

Klaudiusz: Add 6298 case, crystal, crown, and bracelet evidence

2026-09-28T19:53:17Z

Add 6298 case, crystal, crown, and bracelet evidence

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:53, 28 September 2026
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	\|-		\|-
	\| case		\| case
	\| 36mm, stainless steel		\| 36mm stainless-steel Oyster case in the Field Manual; individual Christie’s records give 34–36mm
			\|-
			\| crystal
			\| plastic/acrylic in the Christie’s records checked
			\|-
			\| bezel and crown
			\| smooth bezel; screw-down back and crown, Twinlock noted on one Christie’s record
	\|-		\|-
	\| movement		\| movement
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	\|}		\|}

	== Where it sits in the line ==		==Where it sits in the line==

	The 6298 sits in the 36mm early-1950s Oyster cluster with the [[Reference:6098\|6098]], [[Reference:6150\|6150]] and [[Reference:6350\|6350]]. The Field Manual places the 6150-to-6298/6350 transition in 1953, while Christie’s describes the 6298 as the first reference with Explorer-type quarter Arabic numerals. These sources support a transitional family relationship; they do not show that every 6298 carried the Explorer name.		The 6298 sits in the 36mm early-1950s Oyster cluster with the [[Reference:6098\|6098]], [[Reference:6150\|6150]] and [[Reference:6350\|6350]]. The Field Manual places the 6150-to-6298/6350 transition in 1953, while Christie’s describes the 6298 as the first reference with Explorer-type quarter Arabic numerals. These sources support a transitional family relationship; they do not show that every 6298 carried the Explorer name.
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	The Field Manual lists the reference in 1953. Public auction records broaden the dated examples: Christie’s records case 912917 as manufactured in 1952, while cases 928359, 928419, 929708 and 930159 are catalogued circa 1953. Christie’s describes the reference as in production between 1953 and 1955, but that range is a catalogue statement rather than a published Rolex production record. No total is available.		The Field Manual lists the reference in 1953. Public auction records broaden the dated examples: Christie’s records case 912917 as manufactured in 1952, while cases 928359, 928419, 929708 and 930159 are catalogued circa 1953. Christie’s describes the reference as in production between 1953 and 1955, but that range is a catalogue statement rather than a published Rolex production record. No total is available.

	== Movement notes ==		==Movement notes==

	The Field Manual lists caliber 1030 and A296. The Christie’s 6298 records located for this audit identify A296: one gives a 1952 case with an Explorer dial, and another gives a 1953 case with a matte silvered dial. Christie’s also lists A296 with 18 jewels in one 1952 catalogue entry. No checked auction record establishes a 1030 movement in a 6298, so that attribution remains literature-only here.		The Field Manual lists caliber 1030 and A296. The Christie’s 6298 records located for this audit identify A296: one gives a 1952 case with an Explorer dial, and another gives a 1953 case with a matte silvered dial. Christie’s also lists A296 with 18 jewels in one 1952 catalogue entry. No checked auction record establishes a 1030 movement in a 6298, so that attribution remains literature-only here.

	== Dial map ==		==Dial map==

	The dial record is broader than the two Field Manual text entries. Christie’s describes a 1952 Explorer, Self-Winding example with a white dial, luminous dagger numerals and case no. 912917; another 1953 lot has a matte silvered dial and A296. Other catalogue records describe “Perpetual, Precision,” “Perpetual Chronometer” and Explorer wording. These are documented examples, not a complete dial taxonomy.		The dial record is broader than the two Field Manual text entries. Christie’s describes a 1952 Explorer, Self-Winding example with a white dial, luminous dagger numerals and case no. 912917; another 1953 lot has a matte silvered dial and A296. Other catalogue records describe “Perpetual, Precision,” “Perpetual Chronometer” and Explorer wording. These are documented examples, not a complete dial taxonomy.

			==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

			The 6298 uses the large early-1950s Oyster case associated with the pre-Explorer cluster. The Field Manual gives 36mm; Christie’s records range from 34mm to 36mm, reflecting individual catalogue measurements. The checked Christie’s descriptions specify a three-part steel case, screw-down caseback, plastic crystal and screw-down crown; one record calls the crown Twinlock. These are lot-level descriptions, not a guarantee that every 6298 shares every service component.

			==Bracelet and strap==

			The auction records show both leather straps and Rolex steel buckles. Bracelet or strap fitment is therefore example-specific. A buckle or later strap dates that component, not the watch head, and the checked sources do not establish one factory bracelet reference for the 6298.

	==Related references==		==Related references==

Klaudiusz: Normalize 6298 Sources heading

2026-09-28T19:52:45Z

Normalize 6298 Sources heading

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:52, 28 September 2026
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	The catalogue pages consulted do not expose a result for every listed lot. These records are used here for configuration and dating evidence, not as a price guide.		The catalogue pages consulted do not expose a result for every listed lot. These records are used here for configuration and dating evidence, not as a price guide.

	==Sources==		== Sources ==

	* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra		* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra

Klaudiusz: Deep audit 6298: added auction evidence, image, and anti-slop corrections

2026-09-28T19:52:32Z

Deep audit 6298: added auction evidence, image, and anti-slop corrections

Show changes

Admin: site-wide: layout classes (core-facts card, breadcrumb, entry-point cards)

2026-09-05T01:22:10Z

site-wide: layout classes (core-facts card, breadcrumb, entry-point cards)

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:22, 5 September 2026
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	== Core facts ==		== Core facts ==

	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable rp-facts"
	\|-		\|-
	! detail		! detail

Admin: site-wide: domain move BezelBase → Rolexopedia (rolexopedia.net)

2026-09-05T00:38:19Z

site-wide: domain move BezelBase → Rolexopedia (rolexopedia.net)

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:38, 5 September 2026
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	{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Explorer 6298}}		{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Explorer 6298}}
	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Rolex 6298 — Pre-Explorer, 1953 \| ~~BezelBase~~		\|title=Rolex 6298 — Pre-Explorer, 1953 \| Rolexopedia
	\|description=The Rolex 6298, 1953 — a 36mm steel pre-Explorer offered in two movement variants, cal 1030 and cal A296, closely related to the already-covered 6098, 6150 and 6350.		\|description=The Rolex 6298, 1953 — a 36mm steel pre-Explorer offered in two movement variants, cal 1030 and cal A296, closely related to the already-covered 6098, 6150 and 6350.
	\|keywords=Rolex, 6298, pre-Explorer, cal 1030, cal A296, vintage Rolex, 1953		\|keywords=Rolex, 6298, pre-Explorer, cal 1030, cal A296, vintage Rolex, 1953

Admin: New reference article: 6298 (pre-Explorer, 1953, cal 1030/A296 variants) — single-source (Field Manual), image sourcing still needed

2026-08-10T21:45:09Z

New reference article: 6298 (pre-Explorer, 1953, cal 1030/A296 variants) — single-source (Field Manual), image sourcing still needed

New page

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Explorer 6298}}
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 6298 — Pre-Explorer, 1953 | BezelBase
|description=The Rolex 6298, 1953 — a 36mm steel pre-Explorer offered in two movement variants, cal 1030 and cal A296, closely related to the already-covered 6098, 6150 and 6350.
|keywords=Rolex, 6298, pre-Explorer, cal 1030, cal A296, vintage Rolex, 1953
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}

<small>[[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] -> '''6298'''</small>

The 6298 is a 1953 pre-Explorer, 36mm steel, offered in two movement configurations — caliber 1030 and caliber A296 — with dial text reading either "Perpetual, Precision" or "Perpetual Chronometer" depending on configuration. It belongs to the same 1953 cluster as the already-covered [[Reference:6098|6098]], [[Reference:6150|6150]] and [[Reference:6350|6350]], the year Rolex moved several related references toward the naming and specification that would settle into the Explorer line.

'''Source density note.''' This reference is documented from a single primary source — Colin A. White's ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — corroborated only by a passing mention in Hodinkee's Explorer guide ("The reference 6150 is similar to the 6098 and 6298") and Monochrome's Explorer history. No auction lot or dealer listing specific to the 6298 was located. The article is written to that evidence level; claims are not padded beyond what the Field Manual and its two corroborating mentions support.

== Core facts ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! detail
! value
|-
| reference
| 6298
|-
| family
| Explorer (pre-Explorer cluster)
|-
| production
| 1953
|-
| case
| 36mm, stainless steel
|-
| movement
| Two variants: caliber 1030 and caliber A296, both self-winding
|-
| dial text
| "Perpetual, Precision" (one variant) or "Perpetual Chronometer" (the other)
|}

== Where it sits in the line ==

The 6298 sits inside the cluster of 1953 references — alongside [[Reference:6098|6098]], [[Reference:6150|6150]] and [[Reference:6350|6350]] — that Rolex used to work out the case size, movement, and dial-text formula that became the Explorer. Colin A. White's Field Manual records that the 6150 "evolved into the 6298/6350 in 1953," placing the 6298 as a direct step in that progression rather than a separate, unrelated reference. Hodinkee's Explorer guide makes the same connection in passing: "The reference 6150 is similar to the 6098 and 6298."

The two-movement split (cal 1030 vs cal A296) mirrors a pattern seen elsewhere in this cluster, where Rolex ran parallel movement options on the same case and dial-text family rather than a single fixed specification — the same period that produced the chronometer-certified 6350 alongside the non-chronometer 6150.

== Production outline ==

Both configurations are dated to 1953 by the Field Manual. No production window beyond that single year has been documented, and no total production figure has been published or recovered.

== Movement notes ==

Two movement variants are documented: caliber 1030 (a self-winding movement shared with several contemporaneous Oyster Perpetual references, including [[Reference:6098|6098]] and its siblings) and caliber A296. No jewel count, beat rate, or chronometer certification detail was recovered for either variant.

== Dial map ==

The "Perpetual, Precision" dial text and the "Perpetual Chronometer" dial text are the only two configurations documented, tracking the two movement variants rather than representing independent dial choices. No further dial detail — colour, marker style, or hand type — was recovered from the located source.

== Related references ==

* [[Reference:6098|6098]], [[Reference:6150|6150]], [[Reference:6350|6350]] — the other members of the 1953 pre-Explorer cluster.
* [[Reference:explorer|Explorer family index]]

== Shared references ==

* [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers by year]]
* [[Reference:Movements|Movement reference]]
* [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelet & clasp guide]]

== Sources ==

* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-explorer-reference-points Jon Bues, "A Comprehensive Collector's Guide To The Rolex Explorer I", Hodinkee, 2022]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-from-1953-36mm-1016-14270-114270-214270-124270-in-depth-review/ Frank Geelen, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Explorer", Monochrome]

[[Category:Explorer]]
[[Category:References]]