Reference:6150

Explorer › 6150

Rolex Explorer 6150, gilt dial with 3-6-9 layout

The 6150 is an early 36mm Oyster reference that sits immediately before the 6350 in the Explorer family. It uses the full-rotor A296 in a non-chronometer configuration. Most documented dials read "Precision"; some surviving examples add "Explorer" above it, while a smaller number use the plain Explorer wording. The reference is often linked to the 1953 Everest climb, but the documented 6150 expedition watches are the examples issued for the 1955 Kangchenjunga expedition.

Core facts

detail	value
reference	6150
family	Pre-Explorer / early Explorer-related reference
production	documented examples from the early 1950s through 1955–56; some catalogues extend the reference to 1959, but surviving case and auction evidence is concentrated in 1953–56
serial cluster	documented cases run roughly 930,908–945,096; the dated examples cluster around 1953, with some watches documented in 1955–56
case	36mm stainless steel Oyster with smooth bezel and bubble-back caseback profile
crystal	acrylic
movement	caliber A296, full-rotor self-winding, 18 jewels, 29.5mm (~13 lignes), non-chronometer-rated
dial	black 3-6-9 chapter-ring layout with "Precision" on most documented examples; some examples add "Explorer" above "Precision"
hands	Mercedes hour, baton minute, and lollipop seconds appear on many black 3-6-9 examples; alpha-style hands are documented on an early white-dial configuration

Where it sits in the line

The 6150 is the immediate predecessor to the 6350 and is closely related to the 6098 and 6298. The 6098, 6150, and 6350 share the 36mm Oyster case family and the A296 platform, but their dial wording and chronometer status differ. The 6098 is documented as a chronometer reference. Most 6150 dials say "Precision" and the reference is not chronometer-rated. The 6350 is the first reference for which the Explorer name appears consistently on the production dial, together with the Officially Certified Chronometer wording.

The 6610 followed the 6350 in the mid-1950s with caliber 1030 and a flatter caseback. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual describes the 6150 and 6610 as visually close, with the movement and caseback profile providing the practical distinctions. Other 36mm references from the same period, including 6298 and 6299, share parts of this case and movement development but should not be treated as 6150 variants.

Production outline

The most conservative dating is about 1952–1956. Hodinkee gives the reference as 1952–53, and the Vintage Rolex Field Manual places it in the early A296 group before the 6350. Auction catalogues document cases with 1953 dates and watches that were presented or used in 1955 and 1956. Some specialist catalogues extend the reference to 1959, but the surviving case numbers cited here do not show a continuous run that late. The 1959 date is also the end of the 6610 run, so it should not be used as an unqualified 6150 production date.

Documented case numbers include 930,908 (Bonhams 2024), 931,134 (Sotheby's 2025), 944,736 (Bonhams, inner-back date code IV.53), 944,811 (Bonhams), 944,925 (Antiquorum), 944,995 (Mondani Collection), 945,021 (Phillips, George Band), and 945,096 (Sotheby's). These examples fall in a fairly narrow 930K–945K range. The record supports early case production followed by later delivery or use, including the two Kangchenjunga watches, but it does not prove a separate stockpiling programme or a precise final production date.

Movement notes

The 6150 uses Rolex caliber A296, a full-rotor automatic movement generally listed as 29.5mm in diameter with 18 jewels. Auction catalogues and movement references also use the name caliber 775 for early A296 examples, so both names can appear in descriptions of the same watch. The movement is not a bumper design.

A260 is the smaller related automatic caliber used in some early Submariner references. A296 and A260 belong to the same period of Rolex automatic development, but the 6150 should be identified by the movement found in the individual watch rather than by a family assumption. No beat rate is given here because the available 6150 sources do not agree on a service specification.

The important 6150 distinction is certification. Its documented A296 examples are Precision watches without the Officially Certified Chronometer dial wording used on the 6350. The later 1030-powered 6610 belongs to the next stage of the Explorer sequence and has a flatter caseback.

Dial map

Early configuration (alpha hands, white dial)

The Vintage Rolex Field Manual places white dials and alpha-style hands among the early 6150 configurations, before the black 3-6-9 layout became standard in the Explorer story. The surviving record is small, and some descriptions group these early watches with the closely related 6098 and 6298. Treat the attribution as a documented configuration, not as a complete production sequence.

"Precision" dial (standard)

Most documented 6150 examples have a black gilt dial with a 3-6-9 chapter ring, "Oyster Perpetual" above the centre, and "Precision" below it. The Bonhams and Antiquorum examples cited in the auction record show this wording without an Explorer signature. Gloss level, lume condition, and hand pairing vary between surviving watches.

Rolex 6150 "Precision" gilt dial, 3-6-9 chapter ring

"Explorer Precision" transitional dial

Some 6150s have "Explorer" above "Precision". Bonhams lot 15298/261A and the George Band watch sold by Phillips document the combination. The number of surviving examples is not established, so the dial is best described as an Explorer-signed 6150 configuration rather than assigned a fixed production percentage or a definitive place at the end of the run.

Honeycomb and blackout claims

Dealer listings mention honeycomb and blackout 6150 dials, but the cited major-house record has no photographed example establishing either as a regular variant. The better-documented groups are the early alpha/white configuration, the black 3-6-9 Precision dial, and Explorer-signed examples.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The 6150 has a 36mm stainless-steel Oyster case, a smooth fixed bezel, and an acrylic crystal. The A296 case has the rounded bubble-back profile associated with this period; the later 6610 has a flatter back. Exact water-resistance figures are not consistent across the sources used for this page, so they are not assigned here.

The small Brevet crown and drilled-lug Oyster construction appear on documented examples, but crown and lug details should be checked against the individual watch. Polished chamfers, replaced crowns, and later crystals can change the appearance without changing the reference number.

Hands

The early alpha-style hands described in the Field Manual are associated with the white-dial configuration. Later black 3-6-9 examples are commonly shown with a Mercedes hour hand, baton minute hand, and lollipop seconds hand. Long-hour, pencil, and other hand combinations are documented in specialist and auction material, but the available record is too small to treat them as a complete sequence of factory variants.

Bonhams 2024 lot 29151/66 adds a documented outlier: case 930,908 was stamped 6150/6350 and carried blued leaf hands with a tropical brown dial. That lot is evidence of a dual-stamped case and an unusual surviving configuration. It does not establish that the hand set was standard delivery for either reference.

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

Auction descriptions document riveted Oyster bracelets on civilian 6150 examples. Sotheby's and Phillips also describe expandable or folding-clasp Oyster bracelets. Those descriptions date the bracelet as offered with the watch; they do not prove that every surviving bracelet is original to the watch head.

Rolex 6150 H.S.10 CD Navy-issue example, case 931,134, on a fabric strap.

The Royal Navy H.S.10 CD examples are a separate military branch. Sotheby's 2025 lot 931,134 is engraved H.S.10 CD with a crow's foot and is shown on a fabric strap. Its dial reads "EXPLORER" without "Precision", a wording distinct from the more common Precision dial and from the Explorer Precision examples. The lot documents that watch, not a universal issue configuration for all 6150s.

Bonklip and other bracelet claims appear in dealer descriptions, but the cited auction record does not establish them as original 6150 delivery. Treat them as possible later or service fitments unless the individual watch has matching period evidence.

Hillary and the 1953 Everest question

Available evidence identifies the Rolex supplied for the 1953 Everest expedition as a chronometer in the 6098 class. The 6150 is a non-chronometer reference, so its shared 36mm Oyster format does not identify it as Hillary's watch. Hillary also carried a Smiths De Luxe A409; period evidence and later specialist discussion disagree about which watch reached the summit, so the point should remain attributed rather than stated as settled fact.

Tenzing Norgay is also linked to a Rolex prototype in dealer and auction writing, but no surviving Tenzing watch has been authenticated as a 6150. The 6150's documented expedition association is later: Phillips records George Band's engraved watch and Tony Streather's watch from the 1955 Kangchenjunga expedition. Phillips says Streather received his watch before that expedition. Both examples fall within the early case-number range, but the available material does not prove when each case was assembled.

George Band's Rolex 6150, case 945,021, with the Kangchenjunga 1955 caseback engraving

Historical market and auction record

Sale	Lot	Year	Serial	Variant	Hammer
Phillips Geneva Watch Auction SIX	244	2017	945,021	"KANGCHENJUNGA 1955 G.C BAND" caseback, A296	CHF 200,000
Phillips Perpetual (private treaty)	,	2024	,	Tony Streather's Kangchenjunga 6150, fabric strap	private
Sotheby's London Fine Watches	,	2022	945,096	A296 18j, Oyster bracelet, no box/papers	~GBP 23,940
Sotheby's Important Watches	,	2024	945,096	same example reoffered, Oyster expandable	est. USD 20,000–40,000
Sotheby's Fine Watches L25713	,	2025	931,134	H.S.10 CD Royal Navy, crow's foot, A296 18j	est. GBP 8,000–12,000
Antiquorum Geneva	339-397	2021	,	Pre-Explorer 3-6-9 chapter ring, gilt	,
Antiquorum Geneva	349-152	2022	944,925	"Oyster Perpetual Precision" dial	est. CHF 15,000–20,000
Antiquorum Geneva (Mondani Collection)	,	2006	944,995	"Explorer Precision" dial	,
Bonhams	18849/181	2011	944,811	H.S.10 CD, Burford matte-black Swiss T Precision printing, MOD broad-arrow / crow's-foot	GBP 8,400 incl. premium
Bonhams London	28033/28	2023	944,736	Pre-Explorer gilt Precision dial, Cal.775/A296 movt. No.27166, date-coded IV.53	unsold, est. GBP 10,000–15,000
Bonhams Knightsbridge	28035/57	2023	944,736	same watch as above, reoffered	GBP 10,240 incl. premium
Bonhams London	15298/261A	2007	,	"Explorer"-signed gilt dial, riveted Oyster bracelet	est. GBP 3,000–3,500
Bonhams Knightsbridge	29151/66	2024	930,908	Ref: 6150/6350 dual-stamped case, tropicalised dial, blued leaf hands	GBP 4,096 incl. premium

These results belong to the individual watches and their provenance. The CHF 200,000 Phillips result is tied to George Band's Kangchenjunga engraving; it is not a general 6150 price benchmark. The military lots, standard Precision examples, and Explorer-signed watches also differ in condition, originality, provenance, and sale format. Use the records above as comparables, not as fixed price bands.

Related references

• Explorer 1016, Gilt to Matte (1963–1989)
• Explorer 6098, 1952–1953
• Explorer 6350, First 'Explorer' Dial (1953–1955)
• Explorer 6610, Cal 1030, Gilt Dial
• Explorer 14270, First Sapphire (1989–2001)
• Explorer 114270, 2001–2010

See also the Explorer family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

• 
  Early Explorer-related Oyster
• 
  Black 3-6-9 Precision dial
• 
  Royal Navy example
• 
  George Band example

Sources

• The History of the Rolex Explorer, Frank Geelen (Monochrome Watches, 2024)
• A Comprehensive Collector's Guide To The Rolex Explorer I, Jon Bues (Hodinkee, 2018)
• Pre-Icon Models: The Rolex References That Laid the Groundwork (Fratello, 2024)
• 70 Years of Rolex on Everest (Rolex Newsroom)
• The Rolex Explorer Everest Controversy (The Watch Collectors' Club)
• Why the Pre-Explorer Rolex Might Be the Most Interesting Explorer (A Collected Man)
• The Rolex Pre-Explorer Ref 6150 That's Just Perfect (Oracle of Time)
• Rolex 6150, George Band Kangchenjunga, Phillips Geneva Watch Auction SIX lot 244 (Phillips, 2017)
• Tony Streather's Kangchenjunga 6150 (Phillips Perpetual)
• Rolex Explorer 6150, Sotheby's London Fine Watches (Sotheby's, 2022)
• Rolex Pre-Explorer 6150 H.S.10 CD, Sotheby's Fine Watches L25713 (Sotheby's, 2025)
• Rolex Ref. 6150, Antiquorum Geneva lot 339-397 (Antiquorum, 2021)
• Rolex Ref. 6150 Oyster Perpetual Precision, Antiquorum Geneva lot 349-152 (Antiquorum, 2022)
• Rolex Pre-Explorer Ref. 6150 H.S.10 CD, Bonhams lot 18849/181 (Bonhams, 2011)
• Rolex Explorer Ref. 6150, "Explorer"-signed dial, Bonhams lot 15298/261A (Bonhams, 2007)
• Rolex "Precision" Pre-Explorer Ref. 6150, case 944736, Cal.775/A296, Bonhams lot 28035/57 (Bonhams, 2023)
• Rolex Ref: 6150/6350 dual-stamped case, leaf hands, Bonhams lot 29151/66 (Bonhams, 2024)
• The Rolex Explorer Buying Guide (Mark Littler)
• Rolex Pre-Explorer Buying Guide (Mostra-Store)
• The Rolex Pre-Explorer (10pastten)
• Rolex Movements Reference Table (Watch Doctor)
• The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
• The Vintage Rolex Field Manual (PDF)