Time to focus on the great Explorer

Although revised in 2011, this year’s upgrades of the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer and its sibling the Explorer II are perfectly timed. Rolex models other than the usual suspects – Daytona, Submariner, GMT-Master II and Day-Date – tend to go in and out of fashion, but because the Explorer is a minimalist time- only model, and the two-time-zone Explorer II has been overshadowed by the GMT-Master II, the duo are Rolex’s ‘sleepers’. That’s no longer the case if the current prices of vintage examples are an indicator, so Rolex is prescient in choosing both for 2021’s focus.

Rolex dubbed the line ‘Explorer’ because the original is based on the timepieces supplied to the team ascending Everest in 1953. Rolex has always associated itself with those who achieve feats of derring- do and the expedition led by Col. John Hunt, which included Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary, who reached the summit on 29 May 1953, proved that the Rolex Oyster could survive one of the world’s toughest challenges.

Known for its distinctive ‘3-6-9’ dial, the Oyster Perpetual Explorer has been in production for nearly 70 years, along the way acquiring enough detail variations to make it a single-model collection. What Rolex has never veered from is the dial’s pure look and ‘Mercedes’ hour hand.

Although sizes have ranged from 34mm to 39mm, for the most part the Explorer measured 36mm and Rolex now returns to this much-beloved and original size, as well as introducing a steel and yellow-gold

Rolesor bracelet. Also new is the calibre 3230 movement that debuted last year.

Launched in 1971, the Explorer II’s revisions mark its 50th anniversary. Like the original, the watch features a fixed bezel with engraved 24-hour markings and a distinctive orange 24-hour hand. Designed for wearers subjected to prolonged periods without natural light, its large luminous hand allows them to keep track of AM or PM. As with the Oyster Perpetual Explorer, Rolex has been careful to preserve the character of the original; over five decades, its orange hand has changed to red and back again. The 2021 iteration updates the 2011 edition, again with a choice of white or black dial. Nestled inside is Rolex’s latest Calibre 3285 movement, while the case is slimmer in the lugs, and the bracelet now features an Oysterlock clasp for added security. Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer, from £5,150, Rolex Explorer II, £6,800; rolex.com

Clockwise from above:

Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay; the Oyster Perpetual Explorer and d Explorer Explore II