Good morning everyone. Yesterday, I made the trek from Guelph to Montreal (~600 KM's) to pick up the watch I've been dreaming about owning since first trying one on as a teenager, more than 25 years ago. Of course, it's not the exact model that I first fell in love with all those years ago (the 1016 Explorer) but it's the one that works best for me today. The size feels just right for my 7.25" wrist and the changes Rolex made in 2016 to add lume to the numerals and to lengthen the hands elevated the watch to just about as perfect a modern take on the Explorer as I think we're likely to see. Some initial impressions: -The Oyster bracelet is so, so very comfortable. -This is my first 4Hz movement. It as a pleasure to watch the seconds hand sweep along the dial. -The Rolex box: yes, it's a little stale design wise, but the effort that Rolex puts into the tactile feel of the box is sensational. The soft materials feel incredibly luxurious to the touch. -The watch looks much better in the metal than it does in most photos. Most notably, the bezel appears a touch larger in photos than it appears in reality. In person, it is much more balanced size-wise with the dial. I'll chalk this up to a lens perspective issue, as objects closer to the camera appear exaggeratedly large in photos, especially when shot with wide-angle lenses. -The precision of modern Rolexes is... I can't really describe it because there's nothing I can compare it to. Maybe Apple products? But they don't exude the same overall impression of total luxury that a Rolex does -The watch is only $2000 more expensive than my Speedy Pro, yet when walking to my car last night in a deserted parking lot, I felt inexplicably nervous about getting mugged in a way I never have with my Omega... I'm pretty sure that will pass... yay for insurance! -Many have commented on their distaste for the engraved rehaut. I find I don't notice it at all from normal viewing distances and actually enjoy looking at it from close-up. Thanks to everyone on the forum who chimed in with their take on the various Explorers as I wrestled with which one to go after! Here's a couple first photos of my new companion:
Congrats to a wonderful purchase! May you wear this beauty in good health! Classic rolex yet somewhat understated. Great choice!
Thanks very much! I love how versatile the watch is. Im not sure there's anything I wouldn't wear it with
Great pickup, the quintessential Rolex sport model in my opinion. With the lumed numerals it has a direct link back to the 1016 that neither of its predecessors could share. Enjoy it!!
That's a really good way of thinking about it! I will say, it's the lumed numerals update that I like the most. I've stared at the mk1 Explorer many times and never really saw an issue with the length of the hands. The lumed numerals on this new version skew the watch a tiny bit more to the sporty side, which I really appreciate. That said, any Explorer, in my view, can pull off the shorts to suit transition with style.
Bump it to the top! It's awesome ;-) Forgot to mention... I bought this used from the original owner who purchased it back in mid-February. He'd worn it sparingly (evidence of wear included only some very faint scuffing on the clasp and some tiny swirls on the bezel) and had mostly kept it in a watch winder. When I opened up the box, the watch was ticking away and was running about 25 seconds slow. I didn't think much of it in until later when I made a comment about how impressive it was the Rolex now guaranteed their watches to run within +/- 2 seconds per day. At that point he indicated he hadn't changed the time since his AD set it back in mid-February. Four months and it's only lost 25 seconds!!! My timing so far would seem to back up that number... it appears to be running roughly 1/4 of a second over the last 24 hours. I honestly don't care much about the accuracy of my watches. My Speedy Pro is consistently 8 seconds fast per day and frankly I enjoy the process of resetting it every now and then. But it really is hard to fathom how such a complicated mechanical device can be so darn precise. Amazing.
Congrats!! You made a great choice! Have you marveled at how the light reflects off the indices, numerals and hands in direct sunlight when you hold the watch at certain angles...outlining the edges? Wear in excellent health!
Thanks everyone! I can't seem to wipe this goofy grin off my face [QUOTE=" Have you marveled at how the light reflects off the indices, numerals and hands in direct sunlight when you hold the watch at certain angles...outlining the edges?[/QUOTE] Indeed, I have! Spectacular
Really nice watch. A friend of mine has one of these which is usually worn on a NATO strap. Looks great and a real tool watch. Wear in the best of health. The food looks good as well... which reminds me that it is breakfast time