Is the 369 more than just an entry-level Rolex watch? A look back at the history of the Rolex Explorer

Rolex Explorer has been on the market for more than 60 years, and the combination of steel case and black face has remained unchanged. It has quietly adhered to this tradition, which is more unwavering than the promise of “50 years unchanged”. The new Rolex Explorer also follows this tradition, but before that, did you know this series? There is no date magnifier, no chronograph dial, no GMT hand, and no colorful bezel; the most prominent feature is the “3-6-9” time scale numbers. Compared with some gorgeous designs, it seems not very conspicuous, but at first glance, it is clear, easy to recognize, and vivid. This most primitive and simple, most practical and unpretentious taste can only be found in Explorer. And the most low-key classic in the Rolex lineup may be Explorer.

Before getting into the topic of talking about watches, let’s talk about a little history. As early as 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay successfully climbed to the top of Mount Everest, reaching an altitude of 8,848 meters, becoming the first two explorers to climb the world’s highest peak. Both wore the Explorer prototype when they climbed Mount Everest. The watch still worked normally after experiencing the temperature difference of -20 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius. It can be seen that the durability of Rolex watches has been proven in actual combat and is definitely not just an advertising slogan.

In 1953, in order to commemorate this historic initiative, Rolex officially launched the Explorer watch, model 6350, with a diameter of 36mm and an Oyster steel bracelet. The word “EXPLORER” is written at 12 o’clock on the dial. The original watch uses a honeycomb dial with a “Benz” needle. Of course, the classic Arabic numerals “369” can still be seen on the dial today, and the font style used at that time was also more classical.

The 6610 launched in 1955, with a gilt dial (commonly known as a “gilt dial”), is the favorite of old Rolex fans. More than 60 years ago, the Explorer’s nearly perfect line proportions and surface layout had been determined.

The 1016 launched in 1963 is the most famous model of Explorer. It was produced for more than 30 years and was officially discontinued in 1989. The waterproof performance of the watch has also been improved to 100 meters. The words “SWISS T<25” are written at 6 o’clock on the surface, indicating that the luminous paint is the radioactive element Tritium, and the radiation is less than 25mCi. The current market price of 1016 is about 150,000 yuan (the price will vary in different periods), which is not much different from some antique Submariners.

It is also 1016, but the “EXPLORER” at the 12 o’clock position on the surface of this watch has disappeared and replaced with a line of English words “SPACE DWELLER”. The reason behind it is quite interesting. Because the astronauts who carried out the Mercury Project visited Japan that year and were very popular with local citizens, Rolex launched this limited edition for the Japanese market in the 1960s. The current market price of this “space version of Explorer” is as high as 200,000 to 300,000.

In 1989, the 14270 was launched. The watch was replaced with a matte black dial, the “369” font style also moved towards a contemporary art style, and inlaid hour markers were used. Another major change was the replacement of the previous plastic lens with a sapphire crystal lens, which gave the watch a stronger protection. The only thing that remained unchanged was the 36mm case diameter. Thus, the modern Explorer was roughly finalized, but the concise design essence remained unchanged.

By the way, the watch worn by the male god Takuya Kimura in the classic Japanese drama “Love Generation” in the 1990s was the 14270. At that time, his clothes and accessories were all trend indicators. After Kimura wore it, the Explorer was once very popular. More than 10 years later, in “HERO 2”, Kimura took out this Explorer and wore it on his wrist again.

The 114270 launched in 2001, replaced with a more stable 3130 movement, looks roughly the same, except the hour markers are slightly thicker. The most important change is that the dial no longer uses the radioactive luminous material Tritium, but SuperLumiNova. Rolex also began to add an anti-counterfeit crown mark at the 6 o’clock position on the mirror of Explorer.

2010 can be said to be a watershed in Explorer’s history, because Rolex suddenly expanded the diameter of the Rolex Explorer Ref. 214270 from 36mm to 39mm to cater to the size of modern watches (I personally always prefer the thinner but authentic 36mm).

The word “EXPLORER” was also moved from 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock. There were two other controversial changes that year, one of which was the removal of the luminous coating of the “369” hour marker; the other was that the case was enlarged, but the hands were not enlarged in proportion.

The later Rolex Explorer Ref. 214270 Mark II was fine-tuned, the hands were slightly larger, the reading and overall proportions were improved, and the classic “369” number was once again covered with luminous coating. The watch is equipped with the latest 3132 automatic winding movement, with an average error of plus or minus two seconds per day!

The current Explorer is the latest version of 2021. The size returns to the 36mm case, equipped with the latest 3230 automatic winding movement, with an average error of plus or minus two seconds per day, providing 70 hours of power, and the technical level is already quite outstanding. The official price of the current Explore is $55,700. I would not describe it as an entry-level Rolex watch, which is an underestimation of it, and its market price has long been more than just this official price, but also because it is the only steel case-limited watch in the Rolex family that is consistent with the black surface. The most unwavering and timeless is the Explorer.

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