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|title=Rolex 6298 — Pre-Explorer, 1953 | Rolexopedia
|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 is a 36mm steel pre-Explorer reference associated with caliber A296 and, in the Field Manual, a second 1030 variant. Auction records document Explorer-style and Precision dials from the early 1950s.
|keywords=Rolex, 6298, pre-Explorer, cal 1030, cal A296, vintage Rolex, 1953
|keywords=Rolex, 6298, pre-Explorer, cal 1030, cal A296, vintage Rolex, 1953
|type=Article
|type=Article
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<small>[[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] -&gt; '''6298'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:explorer|Explorer]] -&gt; '''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.
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 6298 Christies 5130488.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex 6298 Precision Explorer with cream dial and Explorer text, Christie’s case no. 912917|Rolex 6298 Precision Explorer, case no. 912917, manufactured in 1952; Christie’s lot 5130488]]
</div>


'''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.
The 6298 is a steel Oyster Perpetual in the early Explorer cluster. The Field Manual lists 1953, a 36mm case, and caliber 1030 or A296 variants. Christie’s records checked for this audit identify A296 examples from 1952–1953, with both Precision and Explorer-style dial wording. The 6298 belongs with the closely related [[Reference:6098|6098]], [[Reference:6150|6150]] and [[Reference:6350|6350]].


== Core facts ==
==Core facts==


{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
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|-
|-
| production
| production
| 1953
| Field Manual: 1953; auction records checked: 1952–1953
|-
|-
| case
| case
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|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| Two variants: caliber 1030 and caliber A296, both self-winding
| Field Manual lists caliber 1030 and A296; auction records checked identify A296
|-
|-
| dial text
| dial text
| "Perpetual, Precision" (one variant) or "Perpetual Chronometer" (the other)
| Documented wording includes "Perpetual, Precision," "Perpetual Chronometer" and, on some examples, "Explorer"
|}
|}


== Where it sits in the line ==
== 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 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 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.
The Field Manual lists both 1030 and A296 for the reference. The auction records checked here identify A296, including Christie’s examples from 1952 and 1953. The 6350 provides the chronometer-certified comparison within the same cluster, but its specification should not be applied to every 6298.


== Production outline ==
==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.
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 ==


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.
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 "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.
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.


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


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


== Shared references ==
==Shared references==


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


== Sources ==
==Auction record==
 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! source !! case / date !! movement !! dial or provenance
|-
| Christie’s lot 5130488 || 912917, manufactured 1952 || A296 || Explorer, Self-Winding; white dial
|-
| Christie’s lot 5209535 || 928419, manufactured 1953 || A296 || Precision Explorer; matte silvered dial
|-
| Christie’s lot 5841626 || 930159, circa 1953 || automatic (catalogue page) || Precision; white dial
|-
| Christie’s lot 5992879 || 928359, circa 1953 || A296 || Precision; matte silvered dial
|-
| Christie’s lot 6394636 || 929708, manufactured 1953 || automatic (catalogue page) || expedition-worn Jürg Marmet watch
|}
 
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==


* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.christies.com.cn/lot/lot-5130488 Christie’s, ref. 6298, case 912917, manufactured 1952]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5209535 Christie’s, Precision Explorer ref. 6298, case 928419, manufactured 1953]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5841626 Christie’s, Precision ref. 6298, case 930159, circa 1953]
* [https://www.christies.com.cn/lot/rolex-a-stainless-steel-automatic-wristwatch-with-5992879/ Christie’s, Precision ref. 6298, case 928359, circa 1953]
* [https://www.christies.com.cn/lot/lot-6394636 Christie’s, expedition-worn ref. 6298, case 929708, manufactured 1953]
* [https://www.watchtime.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/WT_Rolex_Special.pdf WatchTime, “The story of the world’s most popular dive watch,” Explorer evolution section]
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-explorer-reference-points Jon Bues, "A Comprehensive Collector's Guide To The Rolex Explorer I", Hodinkee, 2022]
* [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]
* [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]
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