Timely facelift for a Rolex icon
The ever popular Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer I and II are overhauled for a new generation of adventurers.
THE ICONIC ROLEX Oyster Perpetual Explorer II turns 50 this year and to celebrate its golden anniversary, the brand has given the popular tool watch a makeover.
Its predecessor, the Explorer, which was first introduced in 1953 has also undergone a similar facelift.
The changes on both are subtle but practical, simply because there is no reason to mess with a winning formula.
First, a bit of history behind the timepiece that has adorned the wrists of adventurers on their expeditions to the deepest caves and highest peaks.
The Explorer was born on top of the world literally when Rolex started equipping mountaineers who were trying to conquer new heights in the Himalayas way back in the 1930s.
Feedback on how their watches performed under extreme conditions at high altitude was collected so the brand could make improvements for future models.
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The original Explorer - or Explorer 1, as it's commonly known - was unveiled in 1953, the same year Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay finally conquered Mount Everest. Both men were part of an expedition led by Sir John Hunt, who wrote that his climbers' Rolex Oysters "performed splendidly" and were "an important part of high climbing equipment".
Fast forward to 2021 and the new Explorer is a throwback to the 1953 OG with its return to the original watch's 36mm dimension.
Despite being slightly smaller than the nowdiscontinued 39mm version introduced in 2010, the difference is barely noticeable because of the redesigned Oyster case, lugs and sides.
What is more striking about the new generation Explorer 1 is that it is being offered in yellow Rolesor (combining Oystersteel and 18 ct yellow gold) for the first time.
The result is a dressier two-tone watch that can be worn both day and night; and looks equally good in the great outdoors, as well as indoors at a dinner party.
It also gets a new movement in the form of the calibre 3230, while the Chromalight display will ensure the updated Explorer 1 glows longer in the dark and has a brighter white hue display in the light.
The now-lacquered black dial gives the watch a bolder and more striking form; and its legibility is also improved as the underside of the crystal comes with anti-reflective coating.
Like all Rolex watches, the Explorer bears the Superlative Chronometer certification that promises excellent performance; and the Twinlock winding crown keeps the watch waterproof to a depth of 100 metres.
Besides the Rolesor version, the watch is also available in Oystersteel.
Moving on to the Explorer II, the facelift gets even more subtle at one glance but the biggest and most important overhaul on the new generation is the introduction of the calibre 3285.
This movement - like the calibre 3230 found on the Explorer - is more efficient, robust and accurate, thanks to Rolex's patented Chronergy escapement; and boasts approximately 70 hours of power reserve.
Elsewhere, the updated Explorer II continues to bear the trademark looks of its predecessor with its distinctive orange second time zone hand and fixed brushed 24 hour display steel bezel.
The case still stands at 42mm - larger than most Rolex sports models - though it is now slimmer and the bracelet has also been widened to give the watch better proportions.
Just like the new Explorer, the Explorer II - which comes in either white or black dial - also features the Chromalight display to make it easy to read both in the dark as well as in daylight.
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