Explorer

Born from the 1953 Everest expedition. Pared-back, time-only, designed to do nothing wrong — the Rolex that traded fewest aesthetic compromises for legibility under stress.

Year introduced: 19532 references2 sub-lines

Sub-lines

Explorer I
The original Explorer line — time-only, no date, 36mm (vintage) to 40mm (modern). The 1016 is the family’s canonical reference.
1 reference
Open
Explorer II
The 24-hour-hand Explorer introduced in 1971 for cave explorers. Polar dial (white) and black dial both ship. Larger case than Explorer I.
1 reference
Open

References in this family

Rolex Explorer II (Polar) — 16570
Explorer IIluxuryvintage318540mm1989–2011~$9,463editorial
Open
Rolex Explorer (vintage, "the 1016") — 1016
Explorer Iluxuryvintage157036mm1963–1989~$15,867
Open

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