New Frontiers
The Oyster Perpetual Explorer and Explorer II have been given aesthetic and technical upgrades as part of Rolex’s constant quest for excellence
Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual Explorer and Explorer II get aesthetic and technical upgrades
For over five decades, the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer and Explorer II have been indispensable to explorers and adventurers alike. Each watch has served as vital equipment on expeditions into hostile environments from the deepest caves to the highest mountaintops, where the greatest precision and robustness are demanded. Rolex has always delivered in spades with these watches, which have seen technical and design updates over the years. This is a demonstration of the brand’s philosophy to constantly deliver—and further—excellence in watchmaking.
The Explorer and Explorer II have evolved beyond their raisons d’être though. Their elegant designs also make them eminently suitable as everyday companions on the wrist. This year, Rolex has updated both timepieces with subtle design tweaks to enhance their visual harmony and aesthetics. In turn, these changes are accompanied by technical improvements that remain faithful to the watches’ roots as timekeeping instruments that are often relied upon for survival.
The new-generation Explorer has been refreshed in several areas. What’s arguably the most significant change is the size of its case, which has been reduced from its predecessor’s 39 mm diameter to clock in at just 36 mm. With this, the Explorer’s size has come full circle—its reworked case diameter harks back to the original Explorer from 1953, which also measured 36 mm across. On the wrist, this gives the watch a classic, understated vibe. Rolex has accentuated this by offering the new Explorer in yellow Rolesor—a
bimetal combination of Oystersteel and
18K yellow gold—and pairing it with an elegant lacquered black dial. The result? A performance-focused timepiece with a dressy slant.
Do not be mistaken though: at its heart, the Explorer is still a bona fide tool watch. The upgrades made to its other components attest to this, beginning with the optimised Chromalight display. According to Rolex, this luminescent material, which has been coated or filled on the hands and hour markers, has been improved for a brighter white hue in daylight and a longer lasting glow in the dark. Legibility has thus been improved under all conditions.
The Explorer’s movement has also been upgraded to Rolex’s calibre 3230, which is part of the manufacture’s latest generation of movements. It comes with improved precision and reliability and an extended power reserve of approximately 70 hours.
ANOTHER TECHNICAL LEAP
Like the Explorer, the Explorer II has received updates as well. In terms of aesthetics, subtle tweaks have been made to components such as the watch’s lugs and bracelet. Instead, the major change for the newgeneration Explorer II is the new calibre 3285. Also among the latest from Rolex, it contains many improvements that result in a power reserve of about 70 hours. Ditto the optimised Chromalight display on the dial, similar to that on the Explorer.
What’s perhaps equally important are the areas that Rolex has chosen to retain. Among them is the Explorer II’S iconic orange 24-hour hand, which can either be a day/night indicator or a second time zone display. The case also remains a beefy 42 mm for maximum legibility, while sporting the Explorer II’S signature Oystersteel bezel with black-coated markings.
Like Rolex’s releases in the previous years, the changes to the Explorer and Explorer II are incremental. They point at the manufacture’s constant process— and quest—for refinement in timepieces that have long become classics.