2021 Rolex Explorer 1 36mm 124270 Box & Papers
Ref: 124270

Specification

Points of Mention

This watch is sold with its original Rolex box and paperwork. The watch comes paired with its original Rolex oyster bracelet, a full-sized bracelet. The watch is from August 2021 and is sold in worn condition, but is overall worn a handful of times, see the photos. The watch comes with its original Manufacturers Warranty.

The Watch

In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements which are 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 Datejust. The Datejust 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.

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 the perfect time at -50°C (-58°F) with 70% less oxygen than at sea level. This 2021 Rolex Explorer 1 124270  has a 36mm Oyster case made of Oystersteel, the use of Oystersteel which belongs to the 904L family makes the case more resilient to corrosion and highly durable. A lug-to-lug length of 43mm and a thickness of 11.5mm ensures a comfortable fit on your wrist, on the right side, is a Twinlock double sealing system for the screw-down crown. A smooth highly polished bezel holds a flat scratch-resistant sapphire crystal above a black dial, the applied highly legible 3, 6, and 9 have an infill of blue luminescence, and the applied baton indexes have the same infill and the text is precisely printed with the Rolex crown at 12. On the reverse, a coin-edged screw-down case back, inside we have the Rolex Cal. 3230 considered a very accurate automatic movement with Chronometer Certification of -2/+2 seconds a day, 31 jewels and beating at 28,800 BPH. The use of a Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring for its speed, it’s 10 times more accurate in case of shocks, resistant to extreme temperatures and unaffected by magnetic fields and gravity. The 904L Stainless Steel Oyster bracelet has the Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink micro-adjustments up to 5mm extension and the watch comes with its Rolex presentation box and papers.

Personal Note

This new 124270 embodies everything the Explorer 1 is and should be, perfectly proportioned for all wrist sizes at 36mm it looks truly at home and if you are unsure you need to come to try it on for yourself. I have always considered the Explorer a true "Go Anywhere, Do Anything" watch, and I'm sure most would agree.