Exploring with an Explorer...
Having a tool specifically designed for a task, and seeing it perfectly perform said task is incredibly satisfying - a testament to the ingenuity of the Human Race. For me, this satisfaction extends to the positive click of a local hour hand as it accurately hops around the dial as I land in my next destination.
As a frequent flyer for both business and pleasure, the traveler GMT complication is a truly useful feature for me. However, I am faced with a dilemma for which I feel the need to consult the WC Hive Mind..
I would really like a Rolex Explorer II [16570] to travel with to exotic lands....but I don't necessarily want the connotations of a fricken Rolex on my wrist in an exotic land..
I would love to be somewhere objectively remote, to look down and see a little piece of gentrified North London calmly ticking away on my wrist... But I am acutely aware that such a timepiece is not cheap, is relatively recognizable, and I could well get my arm chopped off if I go too far east of Islington..
So what do I do? Do I buy the watch I want and never wear it outside the home!?
Do I take some judo lessons!!?
Do I try to ignore how chunky the tudor BB Pro is and enjoy a Crown approved homage? (It really is too chunky..)
Do I opt for something lesser (in my mind) and try to recalibrate? (GS, BB Pro, Longines...).
Or do I somehow try to put this itch to bed. And learn to love something much cheaper and less likely to attract a machete wielding moped rider?
These are the 1st world problems of travelling to 3rd world countries..
Enjoys; wild places, small details, engineering and design.
It’s easy to buy and easier to lose a Rolex these days.
I’d go for something much cheaper to use as tool.
It’s easy to buy and easier to lose a Rolex these days.
I’d go for something much cheaper to use as tool.
You're spot on with the first line. Pre-owned prices are very enticing now..
Of course I could just whack on my gshock.. (that would probably be the answer to every watch use case, ever.. besides maybe a black tie event!)
But especially when you're on vacation, part of the experience is kicking back and doing what you enjoy. And in this case, I would really enjoy having a great watch with me..
If I summit a Mountain in the Canadian Rockies, or Scuba Dive the Great Barrier Reef, I kinda want those memories to sink into an heirloom, rather than a very capable, but ultimately disposable watch.
I think the Explorer II over a GMT master II would be the way to dial down the flamboyance a bit..
I was toying with a non-GMT, jump-hour option from Omega - maybe a 38mm co-axial AT, pre-owned.. but it's not a million miles away from my Explorer I, and the GMT hand truly would be used a lot.
Get the one you want most and enjoy it. Life is short and I'm not settling on a watch of all things. Connotations be damned. Just be smart and not flashy. All will be okay. My 6 digit explorer II is my most worn and favorite of favorites.
Buy and wear the one you want. Life is indeed short.
(And wear long sleeves if you are worried. Linen shirts work well if you are going somewhere hot.)
So after a trip to the local Rolex AD to try on a new Explorer II, (fully expecting it to be too large, and then being instantly smitten - predictable), I decided to:
Pop my name down on the Rolex 'wishlist' for the 226570 to see how long it might take for a dreams to come true with zero buying history, and no pre-planned sob story about a milestone birthday, promotion etc. I won't be holding my breath..
As an interim, I decided to scratch a GS itch which I've been suffering from for a while (in the form of a SBGN003 orange handed quartz GMT). If it's really as good as I'm hoping, it could be a £2k solution to an £8k problem. It could also be a very good test pilot to see what attention this style of watch might attract on my travels to deepest of Hackney..