I just wear mine and to hell with the scratches. A fab watch I have worn, even diving (25 meters), in the Himalayas on long 50-mile walks at altitude and always worn in the shower, big variances in temp. I just wear it all the time. I love my scratched up Explorer, worn daily not babied and not over scrutinized. Still working at +3 seconds. Happy with that. Oh, also been dropped and banged, endlessly! Just wear it and every knock and bang is a testament to adventure, even dare I say it exploring :)

That was really worth 1 hour of my time. Really enjoyed the review. Pls continue to do more of these for the high end watches - they’re expensive and we need someone to run the rule over it well. You earn the +1 subscribe!

The second pop after you unscrew the crown is a vestigial feature of screw-down crowns. In the days of manual wind watches the crown needs to decouple from the stem when you go screw in your crown on a fully wound watch otherwise you'd break your mainspring. When you unscrew the crown sometimes the clutch is already lined up and you don't feel the pop. But sometimes they don't come out already aligned and you have to rotate the crown a bit until things line up and the clutch engages, which is when you get that second pop. And about the clicking, that's from a unidirectional ratcheting clutch. There are 2 fail safes against winding the watch in the wrong direction and breaking things: a wig wag mechanism and the aforementioned clutch. The wig wag needs a bit of friction to function. If the clutch's friction is greater than that of the wig wag, you don't get clicking. If the friction of the wig wag overcomes that of the clutch, the clutch will slip and u get clicking. All perfectly normal scenarios. Also nothing to worry about the rotor. in fact I would be more worried if it was dead silent because that means it ain't moving.

Best review of the explorer on KZfaq. There is no way I would spend 6000 dollars on this and not watch this video first.

(Please pardon me if this has already been addressed.) At 49:50 you take note of how the minute hand won't allow you to precisely position it. You note that the minute hand "springs" either forward or backward and won't stay where you position it. The way to solve the problem is to torque up the mainspring; that is, fully wind the watch. That will transmit torque to the hands and get rid of that springy quality, thus allowing you to precisely position the hands. You also note how the fully extended crown wobbles. I asked the Rolex/Lititz, PA service center about that and I was told it's both normal and harmless -- although it is aggravating. I've noticed that same peculiarity in my 3255 caliber Rolex Day-Date. So wobbly crowns apparently extend across the Rolex line.

Beautiful watch, congrats again on purchasing it! I think one main thing is happening here. When we spend big money on something we tend to scrutinize it more than we do with something we don't spend as much money on. I was the same way when I first made my jump to watches that were past the entry range. I remember stressing over my Speedmaster thinking there was something wrong with the manual wind on it for at least a month before realizing all was good and I was just extremely paranoid. Your watch seems to be running fine. It's still a fantastic watch that is keeping very good time by luxury mechanical watch standards. I personally have never owned a Rolex but have heard from many that they aren't necessarily as great as they are made out to be across the watch world because they have gained such high regard even outside of the watch community. That doesn't mean I don't still plan on purchasing an Air King eventually, but I think sometimes we can scrutinize too harshly when it's something we have wanted for a long time and even more so when it is something that we constantly see receiving praise. Enjoy the watch and unless there is a major warning sign, don't worry too much about it. Congrats again and great, honest review!

I’ve got a 5146R and needed a daily watch. Recently got the 36mm Explorer 114270, absolutely love the dial and how it flies under the radar. I understand fully now why people mentioned the Explorer 1 can be the only watch you will ever need.

wow you are a tough customer...the oyster bracelet is one of the best designed and ever made.

Out of whole 55min of a watch review, you dont put it on your wrist?! Wtf

Thanks very much for the insights on this model. This is my fav Rolex of all times, in my opinion the most timeless timepiece from the brand.

The accuracy is great. It's a new watch. Just be happy that it's slightly fast. Cheers

To share my story on this watch, I kind of went to and fro between this and the 14270/114270/116000 (all 36mm) and the 214270. I never managed to find a good enough specimen of the former two models. I generally look for full box and papers for buying a used watch and the price of the 36mm versions are way overpriced with full box/papers. The 116000 feels nice (and very comfortable) but has a feeling of daintiness on it. I finally purchased the 214270 recently and so far its been fine. All my worries previously was on comfort (caused in some way by the review where you mentioned the case/bracelet was slightly uncomfortable and never fit you just right) and the size (I have pretty much a similar sized wrist to you); the 214270 doesn't feel too large or uncomfortable to me. In order to size the bracelet to me, I removed one link and left it in the second detent on the clasp with the easylink in the "on" position. Again thanks for the reviews and the channel..

Wow...you weren't kidding when you said this was going to be an "in-depth" review. Great vid!

damn.....the most thorough review of this watch I have ever seen and heard on the internet. Was looking at the Sub no date but now am seriously considering this watch.

Fantastic watch. I've worn mine for the last 9 months or so. Very comfortable on the wrist, I do use the link extension in the Summer, and don't mind the scratches. Simple, modern, not too large, and actually quite tough.

"The crown coming out in stages" is possibly due to the friction of the rubber ring that helps maintain the watertight seal on the case. Over time the seals do wear and require replacement. Generally, the seal is replaced and the case will be polished back to like new finish when you send the watch to Rolex for the servicing at an appropriate service interval. You would be amazed at what a professional can do without removing any metal from the case during polishing. There's a good reason you pay the $400 service fee. While I would take good care of the watch or any nice item I spend hard earned money to acquire, I wouldn't neurotically baby the watch. One aspect of enjoying your watch is the memories you make while you wear it. It will get nicks and scratches over time but that's part of the process. It simply adds to the wear history. This is not to say that you should go crazy and be careless but a few nicks and bumps are bound to happen. You've spent good money for a great timepiece. Savor it and experience your life as fully as you can while you wear it and or other nice things you acquire :)

Another top-notch review. I thoroughly appreciate the length and specificity you give to your reviews. I actually have no questions about a watch you review, you cover it so comprehensively. And in my opinion, 45-60 minutes spent on a watch review is time well spent.

Thank you for the honest review, its the exact content i need to hear as a consumer. So many people hype up an expensive purchase. Im glad your able to judge it fairly and have a higher expectation considering the cost. Great video, it doesn't stop me from wanting a rolex but it allows me to determine exactly what im getting for the money instead of lusting over a watch thinking everything going to perfect once you get it.

I picked up my Explorer 1 on Saturday. It’s just stunning and a fabulous dial. It does what it says on the box, perfectly. One good way of judging the true ability and performance of a watch is by how others judge it. The fact that there are so many homages and copies out there of both the Explorer and the Sub pretty much sums it up. No other watches have been copied as much. So why settle for a copy when you can have the real thing. It says more about you than a copy could ever do. Is it worth £5k? My heart says yes, but my brain and wallet say no. However, being a watch nut my heart was always going to win.

This has got to be the most beautiful rolex out there.

55 minutes to review the most simple watch there is? I would lose the will to live.

Thanks for your in depth review. I agree with all your comments. My watch runs -1 per day. I swapped the strap to an Everest rubber strap. Reduced weight and fitted great plus I could still use the original clasp.

Great honest review. I put a very small nick on my new BLNR within the second month of ownership. It bothered me at first since it is my first new Rolex. Since then, I have put more scratches on it. The scratches and dings are like patina over time. Now I dont worry about it anymore and just enjoy wearing this beautiful piece.

As a Watchmaker, I want to say that your watch is running GREAT if it is between -1 and +4 s/d. That is only a delta of 5 seconds. If you send it in to have it slowed down a bit, you could very well come out deeper in the negatives. You are a picky consumer. :) Enjoy the watch, wear it.

Rolex Explorer 214270 is one the of the best watch ever made

I'm glad I watched this video. While the most negative points could be considered nitpicks, overall it makes me want the watch less. What is great for my bank account and good night's sleep.

Regarding the hour hand snapping as you adjust it - it should actually snap, because it should correspond to the second hand position and point exactly to a marker as the second hand travels through twelve o'clock.

This could be a one only watch. Its great looking and under the rader.

Ahhh, what we've all been waiting for! Such an amazing watch.. Congratulations on all your success! Onward and Upwards in the KZfaq community, my friend!

The minute hand is designed to go back to the spot between the minutes in relation to the seconds. If you’re at 30 seconds the minute hand will always try to seat halfway between the minute markers. Great review, super in depth and professional. Thank you for taking the time to upload!👍🏽👍🏽

That was a heck of a review. Thank you! A lot of the detail you included you'd never find out until you have the watch in your hands for a few weeks. Very useful!

Mine has been gaining 0.4 sec per day according to my watchtracker app . In 52 days it gained 21.2 sec. At night I leave it crown down. I love this watch. A life time keeper and a classic. The only watch you need for every day.

Very informative vid! Just a quick note, the bracelet is the same as used on the Submariner 40, GMT, Milgauss and Airking. the taper has never been an issue on those references

The "problem" with the hand you mentioned at the end is because you stopped the seconds nearly half a min after the 0. Stop the seconds hand at 12 o'clock and check is there any difference.

Had no idea the indices line up with the R’s and X’s. Very interesting details. Thanks for pointing it out. 👍

I love this exact watch so much I bought a spare.....you blew it selling yours. Great review!

Whew! That is what I would call an "exhaustive" review. Well done.

Bought my first Rolex a year ago. Would love to get an Explorer even though I don’t really need another watch. Hmmm

Thank you for the vid. I have been obsessing over this watch over months, and finally purchased one last week. It runs +1s per day while wearing it every day and rest the watch face up during the night. I am really happy with it!!

I was torn between this explorer and the new air King 40 After watching this review I made up my mind, the explorer wins it for me Thank you

I know this is an old vid but a couple of little things, 904 is softer not harder hence the scratches (its still steel so no worries) the weird crown pop out thing seems to be normal on this model so no worries there, no AR coating at all on Rolexes and if the clicking while winding the wrong way bothers you wait till 4 years and 10 months and send it back. Same for the rotor noise as it should be silent on any modern Rolex. Enjoy the amazing watch!

Excellent video ! This is my absolute grail watch, thanks for sharing your knowledge about this beauty. Cheers !

If the engineering and accuracy is of key importance, you should try a Seiko with the Spring Drive movement.

So damn thorough. Now this is a proper review!

I retract my comments on the numerals. Completely. I must have this watch. Perfect

Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m sorry you didn’t have a good experience with the bracelet and great to know.

Omg I thought I was pedantic. But its good information. I heard that it was less scratch-resistant, but easier to polish out.

Hi there. The "sticky" crown you have/had with the explorer when unscrewing it, is normal. I have a submariner 114060 and it acts the same way. Sometimes it pops right out, sometimes i have to turn it clockwise a quarter turn for it to fully pop out.

Im watching with 1.75x playback speed, I assume one can even watch at 2x speed.

You guys just salty you bought the Explorer 214270 “Mk 2 or Mk 1” and realized that it is true when Guy said the easylink extension is literally useless. It is true, I had a 214270 and sold it to get a 114270. That’s the best Explorer! Before you make any comments about me buying a cheaper Explorer, I made a loss on the 214270 and spent more than the amount I sold the 214270 for the 114270. 214270 is just way too off-looking. Bezel is weirdly flatten out compared to the older 36mm models. It’s like it’s trying too hard to be big when it is not.

this is HANDS DOWN the BEST explorer video out there. i just got mine today and LOVE this video. i am a neurotic bastard with watch accuracy and keep neurotic track of it. this video was so helpful in terms of that. i learned a lot. i have had mine 12 hours and have been wearing it the entire time, so far, maybe 1/4 sec fast, if that. spot on almost. we will see by 11am tomorrow after i place it face up at night. thanks for this video.

a great video and it was a joy to watch, I just subscribed

Pay attention to where the seconds hand is parked when you're setting the minutes hand. If the seconds hand points to triangle, the minutes hand should behave.

Thanks for this review, Guy. Had I come across a new Explorer at an AD before I saw this, I would have bought it on the spot. This snapped me back to reality. I also viewed your Grand Seiko review. I buy watches to impress myself with their beauty, accuracy, build quality, innovation, etc. The Grand Seiko spring drive seems like the ticket. If only they made one without a date complication and with arabics at 3, 6, and 9 (the Explorer does have the basic look going for it).

Fantastic review of an incredible watch everything about it’s perfect. The only thing I could think that would make me second-guessing my choice is if they made the oyster perpetual 39 Blue dial with the 3, 6, 9 format...I don’t know why Rolex doesn’t offer that except in the 36. Also totally agree with you that the bracelet should only taper to minimum of 18 mm. Oh!! And why doesn’t Rolex offer the glide lock on all their models it’s excellent far superior to this half measure.

Dropped mine from 4 feet onto a stone floor. Landed face down. I was mortified! Outcome; not a scratch, perfect time maintained. All I need to know!

Great video. Thanks for sharing. You'll have more joy setting the time if you hack with the second hand at 12. All the hands sweep. Therefore, if you don't set the second hand to 12 the minute hand will try to find the right place. Hope this helps. Cheers Neil

there are many watches with excellent engineering, performance and design with out the Rolex price tag and prestige.

For anyone interested in the Explorer, whilst a nice watch; my choice was the Oyster Perpetual 36mm with a metallic blue face, 3, 6, 9 dial and 18ct gold coronet at 12 O'Clock. Many people mistakenly believe the Explorer was the watch of choice on expeditions such as climbing Mt Everest. The Oyster Perpetual was the original watch trialled for that expedition in 1953. A 36mm watch, in my opinion is the best proportioned watch and is very comfortable.

I have heard Rolex has not found an anti-reflective coating that meets their standards. Your long form reviews are the definitive reviews to watch in my opinion. Your dedication and honesty to the details is very impressive and deserves much respect. You gave this watch the detailed review it deserves! Thanks.

That's really helpful.. I wasn't expecting some of the minor imperfections you mentioned, so it seems like people (well, perfectionist OCD people like you and me) do need to spend time at the dealer before purchase to have them put it on a timegrapher to make sure you end up at the advertised accuracy. I'd say that if Rolex claims -2/+2 then that's what it should do, otherwise why make the claim. Yes that's insanely good accuracy, but why claim it if some watches don't achieve that.. Same with the rehaut: if Rolex puts that in as a counterfeit protection measure, then it needs to be perfect otherwise it actually makes it worse: when you sell it, people might wonder if it's real or not if it doesn't line up perfectly. Other than that I'd say it's a great watch; a little noise from the rotor seems unavoidable, the taper of the bracelet I think is very stylish and adds to wearing comfort while reducing weight; I have a watch on a heavy bracelet that hardly tapers and that really isn't a refined look. Like the shackle on this Panerai: www.ablogtowatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Panerai-Luminor-Marina-1950-3-Days-Automatic-PAM328-Bracelet-9.jpg And there is likely a reason to leave the caseback without printing or other decorations: you can engrave it when the watch commemorates a special occasion or person; once you put seahorses or Great Waves on there and engrave a copy of War and Peace on the caseback, there's no opportunity left for that. ;) Great watch, and an even better review!

Finally got some free time to watch this WHOLE video, and it was free time well spent 👍 Excellent video that shows there aren't perfect watches, although this gets damn close 😊

Also, it's my understanding that Rolex does not use AR coating because the substance of the coating itself is not durable enough to their standards, but that they might consider it in the future if the tech advances.

Excellent unbiased analysis. Was seriously considering moving on from my Grand Seiko to this watch. I too really critique any purchase that I spend an impractical amount of money on. I can say you really helped me understand why I went with a Grand Seiko to begin with. I don’t care at all about prestige or if anyone even notices what watch I’m wearing. I already know I’m paying way more then logical for a discretionary item. The last thing I need is feeling like not only did I over pay for a watch that just tells time but that every attentional detail isn’t up to snuff. The things you’ve mentioned that are disappointing with your particular watch would drive me nuts. Don’t like feeling I have to get lucky to get a watch that doesn’t feel slightly off. One thing I can say about my Grand Seiko is you don’t have to worry about attention to detail or consistency. I guess it’s the same old automotive analogy. Buy Japanese for perfection and reliability or European for character and always having to defend why it has obviously fixable faults. I guess if it’s one of many watches you own then who cares but I only want one do it all watch.

I have had this model watch for 3 years. I too, have noticed some change when I pull out the crown and wind the watch. Also, there does seem to be more rotor noise over the last couple of years. However, the watch still keeps fantastic time. Since I got this watch without box or papers, I will have to have it serviced in the not to distant future and have the jeweler/watch repair people address any concerns at that time. It is a great watch, and it will take a beating. I just enjoy it and don't worry as long as it keeps good time.

A true review, criticism is good to give an informed purchas, thanks, very meticulous

old video, but rockwell isnt going to be consistent for the same type of steel. the way they are heated and cooled will also make the difference. some steels will get harder than others, but they need to be heat treated to take advantage of that.

Hey mate, congrats for the good and honest review. I own one since oct 2016, I'll add a few things. Don't worry about scratches, past the first ten painful ones, the rest will just add character to what's essentially the historic beater watch . Something you didn't mentionned, when you replace the bracelet for a strap, the case will "eat" the middle of it because of its sharpness and how close to it the springbars are. Same thing if you wish to slide a NATO strap through. Concerning timekeeping, mine was +3 sec a day, got it regulated and now it's +1 (It was a very concerning issue for me, being a swiss railroad engineer thus basically working my day by the second). I disagree with you on the taper of the bracelet, I think it participates a LOT to the luxury feel of the whole watch.

I have three Rolexes: Air-King (2009), Submariner (2005) and a Date-Just (1982j. All three are still within COSC spec and only the DJ has been serviced once by Rolex. None exhibit any noise when shaking the rotor. I’ve also purchased two Grand Seiko watches that had to be returned due to not functioning right out of the box. The GS watches were beautifully finished but much too delicate to survive shipping (insert speculation).

totally agreed with your experience with 904L steel bracelet It still gets scratched but the color is different from other steel

when you try to set the clock and the seconds hand move.... that would bug me too !!! you find it heavy - how do you feel about S/G and solid gold watches ? how do it compare to a OP 39 ??

I bought one 3 weeks ago from an AD....excellent watch....your video helped me pull the trigger, many thamks:)

Are you happy with purchase ? Now you have had the experience of buying the Explorer would you still buy the Explorer or go for another Rolex or manufacturer?

I've had mine for a couple of months. Your right about the steel scratching quite easily. Mine keeps ±2 a day. I don't have any noise coming from it and it doesn't click when I wind the crown backwards, so I'm not sure yours is quite right there.

Fantastic video in depth and honest. But...........jeeez nearly an hour long and not one wristshot.

My favourite Model. Every other review I've seen stress the softness of the steel purposely selected for it's lustre and easy polish ability.

Swiss watch manufacturers sell 100 times their real value and their marketing techniques are great.

That part with the crown needing a small turn clockwise for that 2nd pop outward, my tag Aquaracer works in the same exact way. I would not worry about it.

Watch of this caliber and it’s accuracy , should be within a second , daily no more !! My Baum & Mercier chrono after recent service stays within 0.5 second a day, simply impressed.

For those interested in this aesthetic but in a scaled down size, there is a 36mm OP with the Explorer dial (but different handset). It only comes in a sunburst blue dial variant. Hopefully Rolex will release it in more colors at some point.

Just an FYI 316L is actually harder with a hardness of 95 compared to 904L which is between 70-90 according to AZO Materials.

Prefer the mk1 with the white gold numbers . This watch is simple and just superb

Good video. I have seen it over and over many times now. I realised a thing after I bought my first seiko snk803 and have been wearing since. It has kept impeccable time 1 sec in the last 8 days. I suggest try wearing it all the time. Don’t take it out. Im sure it would keep better time. And this is Rolex, arguably the best made watch designed to take a beating. Beat the shit out of it man! You would feel great! And far as humidity goes, I’m from southern part of India and take it from me, don’t worry about humidity affecting your Rolex if you were to store it outside. Also, on a side note, if you have 5 years of warranty, it’s better you beat it out as much as possible so that if it gives up, you still are under warranty instead of babying the watch for the first “x” years.

Your watch is running great. However, any time ANY mechanical watch is to be checked on the timing machine, it is to be de-magnetized. NO mechanical watch is totally immune to magnetism and de-magging is mandatory prior to any rate check. Most mechanical watch clients are not aware to keep their watches away from speakers for example. It can totally be possible that your watch is magnetized, and in fact a magnetized watch will usually run faster. Take it from a watchmaker.

great review, the nitpicks are an eye opener, i have my bb36 less than a week and all the polished sections are already scratched, nothing huge just tiny ones and i have no idea how they got there, but its done now, first marks are always the worst, now i will just enjoy it

Regarding setting the hands and the time on any quality watch this is the procedure 1 pull out the crown to the handset position when the seconds hand is directly pointing at the 12 position 2 set the minutes hand about 2 or 3 minutes ahead of what he actual time is and where you would like to zero the watch. 3 then, using a relatively exact time source, such as the signal signal from WWV as a reference, when the reference signal beeps at the exact time you have selected as your setting time, push in the crown to the full in position. Now your hands will be fully able to show the proper registratiion. Ie: when the minute hand is directly on any of the minute markers ond the chapter ring the seconds hand will be pointing directly at the 12:00 osition. Additionally, and satisfyingly, when the minute hand is halfway between the markers on the chapter ring ,the seconds hand will be pointing directly at the 6:00 position. your watch is now fully and correctly set to watch Aficionado standards

Great video and I am actually considering this piece. However, if I had the problems you mentioned (stem clicking and popping, time setting, clasp popping) it would go back to Rolex to make it right. At this price point, the watch should be perfecta and I would accept no less.

Nice video, just subscribed and liked. I decided I wanted a pre used explorer about twenty years ago and went to a reputable Jewelers that had a good reputation in Rolex sales. I found I had the choice of an explorer a pre used sub and a two tone datejust with diamond settings. There was little difference in the prices because of their condition but the datejust was more expensive and looked more impressive to the Mrs. We thought the datejust would be a good investment. We were proved wrong. We got the datejust and later also a sub but I have always regretted not getting the explorer. I still have both and wear them occasionally and don't want to part with them. And have several other mid range watches in my collection but can't justify getting another Rolex just now but when I can I'll get the explorer but it has for me to be the 36mm. You mention setting the time with the minute hand not settling where you want on the exact minute could this be because the seconds hand is not at the 12 o'clock position. It may not be a fault but just the way the hands align to ensure the correct minute position is reached when the seconds hand reaches the 12 position, just a thought. I'll need to re look at your video I found it very interesting as you mention some other design issues which you believe may be flaws which again may be just idiosyncrasies.

It wont stop exactly where you want it because of were the seconds hand is between the minute marker. Put the seconds hand at 12 oclock

As far as time accuracy, you can adjust it yourself. “Face up, speed up, on the side, seconds slide."

Accuracy is also a big selling point for me, but honestly at +3.5 sec daily, that is really not bad at all. I could easily live with that accuracy which is much better that most watch brands out there. Seiko is pretty bad with accuracy, except for their Spring Drive movement. Great review!

914 is a softer steel than 316, but Rolex claims 914 scratches can be cleaned up easier. Sinn watches are made of submarine grade steel and tagemented, which produces steel that is very hard to scratch. That harder the steel than harder it is to produce the case and bracelet. Tungsten and Cobalt are very hard metals to work with.

Great video, your honesty is much appreciated.

I'm a diver and my Submariner is a mess with so many scratches, and I love them all. I've been looking at this Explorer or the DateJust.... did you compare those or do you have any thoughts about their difference?

Sorry Bluefish, I have given you a slightly hard time about watch accuracy issues in the past. Seems to just be an obsession we both share, but our take on the subject differs. I think movements from any of the well-known manufacturers, Seiko Instruments, Miyota, Seagull, Rolex, etc., which are all based on the 'swiss escapement' type design, are instrinsicly about equal in accuracy, across all calibers, from the lowly Seiko 7S26 to the in-house Rolex movement in this review. There has not been much innovation in the design of mechanical watches since the mid 1950s, with some exceptions, notably Omega's coaxial escapement, and a very esoteric Breque movement which runs at a very high frequency and uses magnetic fields to suspend a free floating escapement sub-system. The Brequet system is very cool, but whether it improves accuracy, I cannot say. The only mechanical movement I know of that has really improved accuracy is Seiko's Spring Drive system, (accurate to 1 sec/day) which actually a mechanical movement that's paced by a quartz crystal. It's an ingenious design, but not really any longer a pure "swiss escapement" design "Out of the box" accuracy is determined almost entirely by the amount of attention given to the regulation of the movement at the factory. Rolex puts more attention to regulation than most other manufacturers. They apparently regulate in several positions till the -2 to +2 standard is reached, then they completely break down the movement, re-assemble, and re-regulate. Recently, the Swiss "Observatory" movement accuracy competition was resumed, after a long period of suspension, since there hadn't been much interest, the mechanical watch having reached it's apex (as far as accuracy) in the 50s. Not sure how many company's entered their watches, but it turns out that the winner for the first three years running was a Tissot LeLoch (sic) model with an ETA 2824-2 movement. The ETA 2824-2, I would expect, was using the highest quality components (there are two physically different versions, and also some optional features, so the ETA 2824-2 used was not really identical to the movement usually found in less expensive models from Tissot. Obviously Tissot's watchmaker really obsessed to regulate the watch entered into the competition. IMHO, the watchmaker has been winning the competition, not the watch. My recipe for a superlatively accurate watch is to purchase 1. A Seiko 5 w/ 7S26 movement $70 2. Tooth-pick $1 box 3. iPhone watch accuracy application, (Apple on-line store) which allows using the iPhone microphone to measure the rate of an automatic watch. (free) I use the iPhone app to measure the current accuracy. I then remove the caseback, and use the tooth-pick to push the regulation level of the movement a little towards plus or minus, just a tiny bit. I re-measure with the iPhone app, then make further corrections until I get the watch accuracy within 2 seconds. Wouldln't recommend this for everyone, or for a more expensive watch. One has to be careful not to slip off the adjustment lever with the toothpick because the hairspring is right behind it and if you deform the hairspring, your watch will be irreparably borked. But I'm willing to put $70 at risk, and have two of the Seiko modems running with 2 seconds per day, for several years now, total investment less than $120.00 (got one of them for $40) Rolex spends a fair amount on materials and does do a good job at QC including watch regulation. Most of the extra expense & time Rolex puts into it's watches is in response to the various factories in China that make fake Rolexes. Fakes are the competition. Rolex tries to make it's watches harder to copy, using white gold for indices, a somewhat upgraded type of steel, a hard to engineer watch clasp design, etc., to disambiguate itself from the fake watch industry's increasing skill at making fakes that look almost identical. In the 60s-80s, Rolex models were probably somewhat inferior to an Invicta Pro DIver, with rattly hollow-link bracelets, cheap acrylic crystal, 100M water resistance, etc. The cost of the original submariner was I think $200, about $1,400 in today's dollars. Today, incremental improvements result in what is a genuinely high quality watch, but you are basically paying for the name Rolex. The cost to make one is just a small percentage of the retail price. The "superlative chronometer" standard is a brilliant piece of marketing, and backed up by careful factory regulation of their Swiss escapement in-house movement. It's nice to be assured that you get a watch that will 'be all it can be', because Rolex actually makes an effort to complete the process of manufacturing a watch, which most Swiss manufactures (those using 'standard', less carefully regulated grades of ETA movements) neglect, simply to make SURE you DON"T get any more than you pay for.

Another great review. I do love the size and simplicity of the Explorer I just wish they would remove the 3 6 and 9 digits it seems to make the watch look cheap. Just my opinion.

Ive heard Rolex doesn't put anti reflective coating on the sapphire because they don't think the formula that is out right now is up to Rolex standards. Not to mention they have never had it on in the past and the watches have always sold...

it sounds like the bracelet edges need softening. it may ruin the warranty/resell but if you intended to keep it you could likely get the sharpness polished out with a dremel polishing kit. if the bracelet isnt comfy you'll never want to wear it. it's ridiculous that rolex made the edges too sharp (or the QC missed it on your unit!), but i've heard that complaint before...

If you can find one of the screwdrivers Panerai includes with their watches, it's a perfect fit for those links.

Two stages popping out is normal. 904L definitely is more resistant to chemicals etc but I have never seen that is harder...thus scratches more easily. Btw I’m watching it 2x speed... maybe you can talk a bit faster? Overall though very detailed review, thank you. Enjoy your watch, don’t get too ocd about it.