

These early pieces had cases with eagle beak guards as opposed to later rectangular crown guards. Also nicknamed 'cornino', these cases are extremely sought-after by collectors. The faded bezel perfectly complements the case.
The dial of this watch gathers some most attractive particularities.
Indeed, this dial is characteristic of the early production of the 1675.
First of all, it is a gilt glossy dial, referring to the gilt lettering that was used during the 8 first years of production.
Secondly, it has the small GMT hand which is another feature of the early GMT production.
It is also a 'Swiss only' dial as per the signature at 6 o'clock, which indicates that the dial had radium as luminescent material in opposition to the tritium used from 1963 by Rolex.
Furthermore, the gilt glossy Swiss only dial has a small luminescent dot below the 6 o’clock index. These so-called exclamation point dials were produced during a short period between 1960 and 1963, making them highly desirable among aficionados. It is usually believed that it was used to indicate the lower radioactivity of the luminescent material.
Nonetheless, the most striking element of the dial is its even and extremely desirable natural tropical patina. The type of coating originally designed to protect the dial from UV radiation and prevent its discolouration has instead turned the dial colour to an attractive warm brown over time.
A 'standard' tropical dial is extremely rare and desirable already but this all matching tropical gilt glossy Swiss only exclamation point dial with small GMT hand and cornino case is a true dream for a collector.