POST EDIT: New Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer is perfect for adventurers – it can survive some of the most extreme environments

The first editions of the Rolex Explorer I were launched in 1953, after two mountaineers became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest
The 2021 Oyster Perpetual Explorer is waterproof to 100 metres, has improved Chromalight display and is made of a combination of 18-carat gold and Oystersteel

Timepieces

Carlos Escueta

Published: 6:15pm, 9 Jul 2021

Why you can trust SCMP

Designed using cutting-edge, new-generation technology, the latest Oyster Perpetual Explorer watch has been created to reflect Rolex’s dedication to exploration and discovery.

The first editions of the Rolex Explorer I were launched in 1953, after two intrepid mountaineers – New Zealand’s Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepali-Indian Sherpa – became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, at 8,848 metres (29,029 feet). The watches were based on the iconic “Bubbleback” model, a 1933 timepiece, and captured the imagination and style of the 1930s.

Rolex supported major Himalayan expeditions by providing adventurers with Oyster watches throughout the decade. The new Oyster Perpetual Explorer series showcases the Swiss brand’s long-standing commitment to use the world as a “laboratory” by placing its watches in extreme weather, from the highest peaks to remote polar regions, in a test of reliability.

The 2021 new-generation Oyster Perpetual Explorer measures 36mm, the same size as the original Explorer model that followed Hillary and Tenzing’s ascent. Released in yellow Rolesor, Rolex’s signature combination of 18-carat gold and Oystersteel, the timepiece displays only the symbolic numerals of 3, 6 and 9 – a key feature of the model’s identity as exploration apparatus.

Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on their climb to the top of Everest. Photo: Alfred Gregory/Royal Geographic Society

A Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch from 1947. Photo: Rolex

The watch is fitted with a robust, three-piece link Oyster bracelet first developed by Rolex in the 1930s. The winding crown, the bezel and the centre links of the bracelet are in 18-carat gold, while the case and outer links are made of Oystersteel.

Equipped with the recently developed Perpetual Calibre 3230, the Explorer’s Oyster case is waterproof to a depth of 100 metres, delivering optimal protection that is essential for the watch’s movement. The case back is firmly attached using innovative tools to which only the finest Rolex watchmakers have access.

Rolex winners, Swatch losers after rough year for Swiss luxury watches

Another signature of the Oyster Perpetual Explorer is its improved Chromalight display, wherein the intense luminescent blue glow of the hour markers and hands ensures enduring legibility in the dark.

As with all Rolex watches, the Explorer bears the Superlative Chronometer certification, a guarantee of exceptional performance. This certification is further enhanced by the green seal that accompanies each Rolex timepiece, signifying that it has met exacting criteria in a series of comprehensive tests carried out in the brand’s laboratories.

The Explorer bears the Superlative Chronometer certification. Photo: Rolex

A close-up on the Oyster Perpetual Explorer dial. Photo: Rolex

Forged in 1954 on the foundation of a shared spirit of discovery, Rolex’s partnership with the National Geographic Society has also seen the two organisations partner in groundbreaking expeditions to the deepest parts of the ocean, most notably filmmaker and Rolex Testimonee James Cameron’s 2012 solo dive into the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean aboard the Deepsea Challenger, during which he carried an experimental Rolex Oyster watch.

The new watches in the Oyster Perpetual Explorer series come as Rolex’s partnership with the National Geographic Society grows ever stronger, with the two organisations working to support scientific research in some of the planet’s most extreme environments.

Post