The new Rolex Explorer II 42 mm is the epitome of luxury watches. This is a watch that effortlessly denotes style and sophistication; along with the invaluable Rolex seal of quality and status. This model is one of the final pieces in Rolex’s new collection and the task they set themselves to bring all of their old models up to their new and ever higher professional standard.
This year is the 40th anniversary of the first Explorer II watch and so it is the perfect time to release their brand new updated model. However, the list of similarities between these two watches is fairly limited. They both share the large orange 24hour hand that made the original so distinctive, but that is essentially the only reference that the two models of watch are related in any other way than name. This new Explorer deserves to be thought of as a sequel to the original make rather than anything approaching a re-edition; undeniably stylish in its own right.
This new model has been brought into the 21st century with all of the carefully developed technological advancements that Rolex has made since the first model was introduced. The Explorer II houses the latest in Rolex movement technology, calibre 3187. The Paraflex shock absorbers and non-magnetic parachrom hairspring make it phenomenally reliable and shock resistant. The oyster bracelet, folding clasp and chromalight dial have already become legendary staples of the new Rolex collection. The broad and distinct hands float over the dial with a ghost-like ease in the same way that the hands of the original Explorer were said to move with a “phantom†effect.
This watch is the modern iteration of the classic original and it speaks volumes about the advancements that Rolex have been able to make in the past 40 years whilst still maintaining their famous aesthetic excellence.