The Rolex Explorer 🏔️
Calendar day 23 of 24 🎅 This is maybe the most iconic from The Crown. Yet one of the least imitated which makes it one of the easiest to spot. A product of legend building and marketing. A pioneer in the sports watch category.
All hype and iconic quality?
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Now this definitely is a legend for all the watch nerds. Legendary marketing story. Legendary for it's 'fits all occasions' appeal. You see 3-6-9 and think Explorer.
I am not a Rolex fan boy but I do rate the explorer as a watch. I have ticked classic. If Rolex were the first to use this face design I would change that to Legendary but knowing Rolex I suspect someone else did it first? Tell me if I'm wrong?
This is the dream... The 1016 with the old school indices especially keeping it low key. I swear, if Tudor revamp the Ranger in a few years, drop the diameter to 37mm (can't imagine Rolex would let them go to 36mm), get the thickness to ~10mm and put a tapered T-fit bracelet on that thing it's a license to print money. Every watch nerd who likes quality, understated field watches will be lining up.
Definitely legend. However I much prefer 1016 aesthetics to more modern dials. White gold coated hands/indices are unnecessary on an exploration tool watch. 1016 was about all about the necessities to be a survivalist tool.
Yet another fad that I don't really understand. It's a field watch with a goofy Mercedes hand and a 1950's cardinal point numerical indices dial. What do it do that any other watch don't (or didn't) do?
All I can think of is that it has the notoriety of specious Everest claims. I never even heard of this watch till a year or two ago, and if not for its current popularity I'd continue to forget that it exists, as it's definitely not in the top half of Rolex models I could name or want.
Legend. I've seen people who use this for just about everything. Office work? Explorer. Land surveying? Explorer. Weddings and fancy dinners? Explorer (after having the watch and bracelet polished of course).
Yet another fad that I don't really understand. It's a field watch with a goofy Mercedes hand and a 1950's cardinal point numerical indices dial. What do it do that any other watch don't (or didn't) do?
All I can think of is that it has the notoriety of specious Everest claims. I never even heard of this watch till a year or two ago, and if not for its current popularity I'd continue to forget that it exists, as it's definitely not in the top half of Rolex models I could name or want.
Honest question..Which other field watches do you consider as alternatives to this legend?
Yet another fad that I don't really understand. It's a field watch with a goofy Mercedes hand and a 1950's cardinal point numerical indices dial. What do it do that any other watch don't (or didn't) do?
All I can think of is that it has the notoriety of specious Everest claims. I never even heard of this watch till a year or two ago, and if not for its current popularity I'd continue to forget that it exists, as it's definitely not in the top half of Rolex models I could name or want.
It's definitely not showy but if under-the-radar is what you're going for, it's about as perfectly sized and executed as a tool watch can get. You look at the package and think 'there must be a no-frills field watch that delivers in terms of luxury-level design and fit & finish'... But with the exception of the BB36 there is nothing that strikes me as a decent comparison. And for me the BB36 dial is a turn off - the circular indices and snowflake hand seem to me too large for the dial. The Explorer, even in the current 36mm configuration looks, again to my eye, harmonious in a way the BB36 doesn't.
Now this definitely is a legend for all the watch nerds. Legendary marketing story. Legendary for it's 'fits all occasions' appeal. You see 3-6-9 and think Explorer.
3, 6, 9, damn you’re fine. Wish I had you on my wrist all the time.
It depend. The new models are just too pretty to be Explorers anymore. The tarted up dial and strange Air-King style numerals turned the Explorer from a watch that had pretentions of, well.. exploring, to a wrist accessory.
The older models, like the 1016 for example, are much nicer.
It's definitely not showy but if under-the-radar is what you're going for, it's about as perfectly sized and executed as a tool watch can get. You look at the package and think 'there must be a no-frills field watch that delivers in terms of luxury-level design and fit & finish'... But with the exception of the BB36 there is nothing that strikes me as a decent comparison. And for me the BB36 dial is a turn off - the circular indices and snowflake hand seem to me too large for the dial. The Explorer, even in the current 36mm configuration looks, again to my eye, harmonious in a way the BB36 doesn't.
What 😜?
Classic choice for the archetypal go-anywhere-do-anything watch, but not quite a legend. The Everest story is all marketing. None of the Rolex watches that went to Everest had the 3 6 9 dial. And then there was this Smiths watch that shares the Everest achievement:
I feel this watch is more interesting for its style (which is a nice mix of dressy and sporty elements) rather than its supposed mountain climbing heritage.
No comment, since I just bought the modern version last week and still honeymooning. But if I had the cash I would definitely buy the 1016. Don't tell the 124270...
No comment, since I just bought the modern version last week and still honeymooning. But if I had the cash I would definitely buy the 1016. Don't tell the 124270...
We are talking the Explorer in general here ♥️ So share the love!! Enjoy your new piece!!
Honest question..Which other field watches do you consider as alternatives to this legend?
Sorry to preface, but first of all I consider field watches to be possibly even more interchangeable than dive watches, as most stick to the formula. Second, the idea of a field watch beyond CWC or Hamilton price levels is kind of laughable to me in that it is the same as the luxury SUV's that have stellar capabilities for which almost nobody is reckless enough to use them.
So being a Rolex, it has innards that are presumably more durable and precise than the competition, as should be expected given the magnitudes of price difference. I'm not really up on which current production higher-end field watches are polished enough to be comparable, so I daresay any traditional field watch would do.
Am I right in hearing that the "exceptionality" of this watch is either that it somehow hits more inscribed area on a Venn diagram or just because coronet?
I go classic but perhaps thats because Im treating "legend" as a really high bar - a watch that changes the direction of the industry, or even just the brand - I don't see the explorer did either.
Possibly its also got to do with my relationship to rolex in general. Since Im unmoved by the idea of a rolex in general and that adds little extra "oomph" to the watch I can acknowledge its classic status as an objective reality (eg we are having this poll) but don't feel any more.
Heavy is The Head That Wears The Crown
(see what I did there?)