Hodinkee
In-Depth: In Defense Of The New Two-Tone Rolex Explorer
This thing is improved in just about every way. What's everyone complaining about?
91 articles · 69 videos found · page 3 of 6
Every Rolex Explorer (1953-) and Explorer II (1971-): 6098, 1016, 14270, 124270; 1655, 16550 Polar, 226570.
Every enthusiast has this thought at 3am: sell everything, keep one watch, be done. If we had to pick, we would pick an Explorer 39mm. But is it still a collection with one, and can any watch enthusiast actually sit still?
Hodinkee
This thing is improved in just about every way. What's everyone complaining about?
Hodinkee
And some things you don't.
Hodinkee
The differences are in the details.
Time+Tide
It is time for another round of “Don’t Feed the Hype“. As a refresher for those who may not have seen previous entries in the series, my goal is to showcase readily available alternatives that provide a similar essence or merit to watches that have become increasingly unobtainable. It is my hope that these lesser … ContinuedThe post DON’T FEED THE HYPE: 3 alternatives to the Rolex Explorer II ref. 226570 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Now updated with the in-house 3285 caliber.
Video
Five watch experiences completely blew my mind! From Switzerland to Argentina, culminating in the ugly truth about why Hodinkee and Silicon Valley tech culture completely lied to us about two-tone Rolex watches. Are t...
Hodinkee
This week brings the funk.
Hodinkee
Sid Mashburn on his favorite watch.
Hodinkee
Merriam-Webster defines patina as "a surface appearance of something grown beautiful, especially with age or use."
Hodinkee
This week is all about the deeper vintage details.
Hodinkee
Five video stories from HODINKEE readers.
Video
I think most watch geeks have experienced the complicated Rolex Arch. Where we go from loving Rolex, maybe it is the one luxury watch brand you can name. Then you learn other brands, and suddenly Rolex feels beneath y...
Revolution
Cool Tool: The Story of Rolex Explorer II
Revolution
Time+Tide
Early on when I joined the Time+Tide team, I wrote a story that detailed how I got my Rolex Submariner. As both a watch collector and journalist, I felt the subject would resonate and, as that became my most read story ever, it would seem I was right. Just to recap: as a 27-year-old, I … ContinuedThe post TRADING FACES: Why I swapped a birth year Rolex Explorer and Ming 27.01 for my grail watch… appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
It’s fair to say the Rolex releases last week were simply whelming – neither under or over. The highlight of the 2021 collection was the return of the 36mm Explorer and the first ever Explorer in a two-tone configuration. Many expected big changes for the Explorer II, after all, it is the 50th anniversary of … ContinuedThe post The small change that makes a BIG difference to the new Rolex Explorer II 226570 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Revolution
Rolex celebrates one of its most historically significant lines, the mighty Explorer, as its flagship launch of 2021. Both the Explorer and Explorer 2 have been revisited this year and fans of the venerable tool watches won’t be disappointed.
Video
After years of seeing the Rolex Le Mans Daytona from afar, I finally had the opportunity to spend proper hands-on time with what might be the most desirable modern Rolex ever made.
Time+Tide
Each of the models in the Rolex Professional series is a tool watch made for a man on a mission. While the Submariner and Sea-Dweller are diving watches, the Rolex Explorer II was originally built in 1971 for speleologists or cave explorers who required a sturdy, functional and highly legible watch while working in almost … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: The Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570 is the unsung hero in the Professional series appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Question: How do you catch and wrestle a giant Pacific octopus? The answer, of course, is very, very carefully. That’s according to the Canadian Television Network who reported the extraordinary tale of a veteran octopus wrestler whose 1953 Rolex Explorer sold at a New York auction house last month for $126,000 USD. Bill Hook is … ContinuedThe post This tale of an octopus wrestler’s Rolex Explorer worth $126,000 will change the way you view your watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Will you fall for the understated charm of the Rolex Explorer II?The post HANDS ON: Is the Rolex Explorer II enough of a value proposition to be the Crown’s ultimate tool watch? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
There’s no Baselworld this year, but in April we will have the “phygital” Watches & Wonders to look forward to. Thirty-four brands will be in attendance, among them Rolex and Patek Philippe – two horological heavyweights whose potential novelties will, as always, be eagerly awaited. Back in September we saw Rolex refresh the Submariner collection, … ContinuedThe post Predictions: Will we see new Rolex Explorer watches in 2021? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
We're feeling grateful for the watchmaking on display in this pre-Thanksgiving lineup.
Video
1966s Rolex GMT-MASTER Folded Jubilee Steel Bracelet Restoration done 🤩🍾🎉
WatchAdvice
Rolex is a brand filled with iconic model lines, from the famed Submariner to the beguiling Daytona. The brand has managed to churn out generations of their core models with only the slightest misstep here and there. One of the most recent miscalculations came out of the Explorer range. A line famous for scaling Mount Everest strapped to the wrist of the courageous Sir Edmond Hillary, braving some of the harshest conditions found on Planet Earth, the Explorer proving to be a reliable companion for such a daring endeavour. So, when it came time for Rolex to modernise the piece, and growing to its current 39mm design, it was somewhat bewildering that the Swiss giant forgot to also scale up the hands of the watch. Fear not however, never one to sit on a mistake for long, Rolex released the mark 2 spec of the newer, larger Explorer, this is the watch featured in this hands-on review. Few dials are as iconic and recognisable as the legendary Explorer 3, 6, 9 configuration. The watch being balanced, and imperfectly asymmetrical all at once, never have I looked down at the dial of the Explorer reference 214270 and thought it looked anything but ideal. At 39mm the increase in case diameter has given the dial room to breathe, the prominent Arabic numerals so synonymous with the Explorer are allowed to stand proud, not interfered with or cramped as they may feel on a lesser case size. There is a brilliance to how the dial is proportioned here, the blackness of the dial creates a...
Time+Tide
I’m not alone in considering the Rolex Explorer one of the best examples of clean, sharp, monochromatic watches out there. But it’s fair to ask – for any of a host of very fair reasons – what are the best Rolex Explorer alternatives if you can’t get a direct path to the Crown? It’s not … ContinuedThe post Cut costs, not quality: 5 superb Rolex Explorer alternatives, including Grand Seiko, Tudor and more appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Five video stories from HODINKEE readers.
Hodinkee
Five video stories from HODINKEE readers.
Revolution
Video
The watch industry is finally healing. For years since the pandemic, watch collecting devolved into a toxic, clout-chasing game of who could get an allocation for a Rolex Daytona, Patek Philippe Nautilus, or Audemars...
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