Rolex Explorer

The Explorer is Rolex's tool-watch collection designed for travellers and explorers. Hence its character: instant legibility, robust construction and no decoration for its own sake. The collection has two lines. The Explorer itself has three hands and no date, Arabic 3, 6 and 9 and a smooth bezel; the proportions of the Explorer 36 were set by Rolex as far back as 1953. The Explorer II, in full the Oyster Perpetual Explorer II, traces its lineage to the 1971 reference 1655. It adds an orange 24-hour hand, a fixed steel bezel engraved with a 24-hour scale and a date under the Cyclops lens.

The watches are in Oystersteel, with a Yellow Rolesor version of the Explorer 36 — steel with 18 ct yellow gold used for the smooth bezel and the 3, 6 and 9 numerals. Sizes range from 36 to 42 mm and years of production from 1979 to 2026. Dials are black or white; the white dial of the modern Explorer II is called Polar.

Each listing gives the reference, calibre, power reserve, size, material, condition and what is included.