Mark 1 Brown

Serial Number Range:

• 88xxxx-99xxxx (No Ts)
• 97xxxx-16xxxxx (Low Ts)
• 160xxxx-18xxxxx (High Ts)

General Notes: Unlike other brown dials that are shared between the gold 1675/8 and the steel and gold 1675/3, the Mark 1 was only seen on the 1675/8 as it was produced in the 1960s before the 1675/3 was introduced. As there are relatively few 1675/8s from the 1960s–and many different parts used–there is less certainty about what parts are correct for which serial ranges. The transitions seen in 1675/8s with Mark 1 brown dials are the crown guards, the Swiss designation at 6 o’clock, the hour/minute hand shape, and the GMT hand size. Below is a chart that outlines these various combinations in estimated chronological order. This order is based on the serial ranges of examples that have been verified and catalogued, but both the order and ranges may change as more examples are uncovered. As this page focuses on the dial, please see the hand and case pages to look at those components in detail. There is also a separate Concorde GMT page (coming soon) as this model is thought of as its own subreference and spans two dial types.

Dial	Crown Guards	Hour/Min Hands	GMT Hand	Serial Range
Mark 1 (No Ts)	No	Alpha	Small	88xxxx-99xxxx
Mark 1 (Ts)	No	Alpha	Small	97xxxx-136xxxx
Mark 1 (Ts)	Yes	Alpha	Small	134xxxx-16xxxxx
Mark 1 (Ts)	No	Concorde	Small	137xxxx-16xxxxx
Mark 1 (Ts)	Yes	Concorde	Small	16xxxxx-178xxxx
Mark 1 (Ts)	Yes	Concorde	Large	170xxxx-18xxxxx

Subtypes: The Mark 1 brown dial has three subtypes based on changes to the Swiss designation at 6 o’clock.

1. Early Mark 1 (No Ts), SN 88xxxx-99xxxx: The earliest dials do not have Ts next to the “Swiss” designation at 6 o’clock.
2. Middle Mark 1 (Low Ts), SN 97xxxx-16xxxxx: As Rolex started to print “T” on their watches to designate the use of tritium, the early dials had Ts added to the low “Swiss” designation.
3. Late Mark 1 (High Ts), SN 160xxxx-18xxxxx: This late version has the “T Swiss T” printed higher up on the dial, about midway through the minute indices.

Distinguishing Characteristics: The Mark 1 brown dial is easily distinguished by the hyphen between “OYSTER–PERPETUAL”, which is only seen on this dial. Also note that while later dials have the “I” in Swiss completely replaced with the 30-minute index (e.g., “SW|SS”), the “I” on the Mark 1 is printed separately on top and usually just to the right of the minute index.

Unlike the matted appearance of most dials from the 1970s, the Mark 1 (and the early Mark 2s) are smooth and reflective in appearance. The earliest dials appear lacquered and the later dials are smooth but less glossy. Starting during the Mercedes-handed Mark 2s, the dials switch to a grainy, matte appearance. Below is a dial with the smooth, reflective surface.