2018 Rolex Explorer 1 "Mark 2" Dial 39mm 214270
Ref: 214270
Specification
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box & Papers
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with its original Rolex box, original Rolex papers, and swing tags. The watch comes paired with its original brushed and polished 20mm Rolex Oyster 904L Stainless Steel bracelet and has the Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink micro-adjustments up to 5mm extension, all links included. The watch is from March 2018 and is in worn and enjoyed condition with a faint scratch on the crystal; as you can see from the photographs, a new crystal and full refurb can be done on request for an additional cost and the watch comes with our 12-Months Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BGtJbyKqFPzcywuzwfTQ49jQiBwYBnOP?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 4:25 - https://youtu.be/5qbh-PXqUg0
The Watch
The Rolex Explorer came about after 20 years of development in extreme environments, starting back in the 1930s. The goal of the watch was to create the perfect mountaineer's tool, keeping perfect time at -50°C (-58°F) with 70% less oxygen than at sea level. In 2010, the 214270 was fitted out with the black dial and 18ct white gold 3, 6, 9 and indices with an attractive blue Chromalight lume. Here we have a 2018 Rolex Explorer 1 "Mark 2" Dial 214270, now discontinued. It has a curvaceous 39mm case made of corrosion-resistant 904L Stainless Steel that curves over your wrist with tapered lugs and a lug-to-lug length of 47mm, and a case thickness of 11mm to ensure a comfortable fit. Polished and brushed surfaces transition with crisp lines across the case. Water resistance is thanks to a double sealing system for the screw-down signed crown. A smooth polished bezel holds a flat sapphire crystal above a black dial, and an outer minute track is precisely executed surrounding a “Mark 2” dial that they introduced in 2016 with longer hands that fit the overall design better, 18ct White Gold Framed Chromalight-filled batons and 3, 6 & 9 marking the hours, elegant 18ct White Gold Mercedes hands are complemented with a sweeping seconds hand, filled with Chromalight lume. At 12 o’clock, we have the Rolex motif “Oyster Perpetual'' printed underneath and at 6 o’clock “, Explorer Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified'' completes this striking, versatile sports watch. On the reverse, a screw-down coin-edged case back, inside we have the Cal. 3132 automatic movement, 31 jewels, beating at 28,800 BPH. The 904L brushed, and polished 20mm Stainless Steel bracelet has the Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink micro-adjustments up to 5mm extension. This watch is sold with its original Rolex presentation box, original Rolex papers, and swing tags.
Personal Note
This is the now discontinued Rolex Explorer 1 in 39mm, reference 21240 and replaced by Rolex with the 40mm reference 224270. This example features the 'Mark 2' dial, the preferred mark dial for most as it features the lumed 3, 6 & 9 and the longer handset, which is arguably much more aesthetically pleasing. The Explorer 1 is considered to be the best one-watch collection if such a thing can even exist. Do not hesitate to snap up this great watch and add it to your collection today!
The Brand
In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements, which were installed in British cases and sold to jewellers who put their names on the dials. Recognising the potential for their brand, Wilsdorf created the brand name Rolex in 1908. In 1910, a Rolex became the first wristwatch to carry the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision, awarded by the Official Watch Rating Centre in Bienne, Switzerland. Demand for Rolex watches rose swiftly, and British taxes on the Swiss movements Rolex used prompted Wilsdorf to move the business to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1919. With production costs lowered, Wilsdorf quickly set out to solve the age-old problem of moisture and dust entering a watch case and damaging the movement. The Rolex watchmakers came up with a fully sealed watch case, which Wilsdorf named the Oyster and released to an appreciative audience in 1926. In 1931, Rolex introduced the first automatic winding wristwatch, giving it the legendary name Oyster Perpetual. In 1945, they released the Datejust, which was the first watch to have the date jump instantaneously at midnight. The 1950s saw a whole lot of releases, such as the Air-King (1958), the Explorer (1953), the Submariner (1953), the GMT Master (1955), the Day-Date (1956), the electromagnetic field resistant Milgauss (1956), the Lady-Datejust (1957) and the first Deep Sea model (1960). Wilsdorf’s death in 1960 saw ownership of Rolex S.A. (a collection of sub-companies) passed to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, which was founded by Wilsdorf in 1945, the mission of which is simply to sustain Rolex S.A. indefinitely.