The Rolex Explorer ref 214270 is one of the original tool watches with a remarkable history. When Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first humans to summit Everest in 1953, they did so with a Rolex Explorer on the wrist. The Explorer was built early on as a watch that could withstand a wide range of extreme temperatures, and it’s safe to say it’s been put to some real world tests and passed with flying colors. The modern Explorer ref 214270 is equally as capable, providing a simple, time-only watch with a Rolex caliber 3132 built to chronometer standards and featuring a Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers. Legibility is impeccable thanks to the Chromalight hour markers and hands, and wear on the wrist is effortless thanks to its 39mm case diameter and svelte depth. The dial is a simple affair with only the 3, 6, and 9 hour markers labeled with Arabic numerals, just as they have been since the venerable reference 1016 Explorer. The Explorer 214270 retails for $6,550 with pre-owned examples trading around $5,000.
Style: Tool
Release Date: 2010
