Explorer
Rolex's adventure-oriented sport watch family. The Explorer is the spare three-hand reference launched after the 1953 Everest ascent; the Explorer II adds a 24-hour hand and fixed bezel, originally aimed at speleologists and polar researchers.
At a glance
- Introduction
- 1953 (Explorer), 1971 (Explorer II)
- Current Explorer
- 124270 (36 mm, calibre 3230)
- Current Explorer II
- 226570 (42 mm, calibre 3285)
- Dial
- black with 3-6-9 arabic numerals (Explorer); black or Polar white (Explorer II)
- Water resistance
- 100 m (10 bar)
- Material
- Oystersteel (904L stainless)
- Key vintage references
- 1016, 1655
- Movement frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
The Explorer is Rolex's most austere sports watch family — a tool, not a statement. The original Explorer launched in 1953 following Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's successful ascent of Everest, where Oyster Perpetual references were part of the expedition kit. The Explorer II followed in 1971 as a more complicated tool watch, targeted at speleologists and polar researchers who needed to distinguish AM from PM during continuous darkness.
Explorer (three-hand)
The classic Explorer is a spare three-hand black-dial watch with luminous 3-6-9 arabic numerals — a configuration unchanged in spirit since the earliest references.
- Current reference 124270 (since 2021), 36 mm, in-house calibre 3230. The return to 36 mm was welcomed by the vintage-oriented collector base.
- Previous reference 214270 (2010–2020), 39 mm, calibre 3132. The larger format suited early-2010s taste but remained polarising.
- Vintage references 1016 (1963–1989), 6610 (1955–1959), 6098 / 6298 (1953–1955) — the line's roots.
The 1016 is one of the most-collected modern vintage Rolex references. Clean, original examples trade at five-figure prices depending on dial type — gilt pre-1967, matte from 1967 on.
Explorer II
The Explorer II adds a 24-hour hand and a fixed steel bezel with 24-hour markings — a function for telling AM from PM during continuous darkness, not a second time zone like the GMT-Master.
- Current reference 226570 (since 2021), 42 mm, calibre 3285. Black or white ("Polar") dial.
- Previous reference 216570 (2011–2020), 42 mm, calibre 3187.
- Vintage 1655 (1971–1985), often called the "Steve McQueen" — McQueen never actually wore one, but the myth persists. Orange 24-hour hand, asymmetric date window, the early Explorer II face.
- References 16550 and 16570 (1985–2011) — the transitional generations that introduced the black/Polar choice.
Market position
The Explorer lines are less hyped and more available at the authorised dealer level than the Submariner, GMT-Master II and Daytona. They trade close to or at retail without the steep premium attached to the steel sports references. For collectors who want a Rolex to wear rather than flip, the Explorer 124270 is often the more pragmatic entry than a Submariner Date.
At our atelier in Munich we see both generations regularly — the contemporary 36 mm 124270 alongside vintage 1016 references that have been worn for nearly half a century. With a vintage Explorer, originality is everything: dial type, hands (mercedes vs baton), crown-guard era, and an original 7836 or 9315 bracelet are the markers of a serious appraisal.
Frequently asked
- The Explorer is a pure three-hand watch without date and without rotating bezel — designed for land expeditions, not diving. The Submariner has a rotating dive bezel, a date with cyclops lens, and 300 m water resistance. The Explorer is the most austere of the Rolex sport lines; the Submariner is the most functionally specialised.