Although the Watches and Wonders, which became the world’s largest watch fair, briefly suffered access difficulties when it opened theie doors on the digital world on April 7 due to pandemic conditions, enthusiasts did not take their eyes off computers, tablets and mobile phones during the day.
The main feature of the Fair is that each participating brand introduces the highly anticipated new watches, as always, some brands have again stood out from others and attracted great attention. Rolex, whose even the smallest change in watch designs caused excitement, became one of the brands that delighted its fans with it’s new watches with lean lines.
Explorer: An Icon Dedicated To Modern Explorers
Rolex is a brand that has cared for explorers since the 1930s, supporting many Himalayan expeditions with Oyster watches for this purpose. Behind this support was the goal of collaborating with explorers and creating a better watch, always using the harsh conditions of the world as a laboratory. Each feedback from the Explorers has played an important role in the evolution of Rolex watches, so new models have been developed that measure time with stable, high accuracy.
One of the general trends in the watch industry over the past 20 years has been the gradual growth of watch diameters and the departure from the structures of the first models. The Rolex new Explorer, or Oyster Perpetual Explorer under it’s full name, challenges this understanding and returns to the dimensions of the original model introduced the same year after Sir Edmund Hillary and his guide Tenzing Norgay’s first Mount Everest climb on May 29, 1953, with a diameter of 36 mm.
Equipped with Caliber 3230, the next-generation Explorer is available in a yellow Rolesor version (a mixture of Oystersteel steel and 18-carat yellow gold). The lacquered black dial shows the characteristic numbers 3, 6 and 9, reflecting the adventurous spirit and clear posture of the watch as usual. The 18-carat yellow gold flat bezel, which is in harmony with the Explorer model’s 68-year-old ancestor, is both very robust and elegant.
Thanks to the development of the chromalight technique, which attracts attention with it’s bright white image in daylight, the Explorer model now has a longer intensity of blue radiation emitted from the index and hands on the dial in dark or dim spaces.
As with all Rolex watches, the Explorer is certified as a Superlative Chronometer. In the yellow Rolesor model of the new Explorer watch, the bezel, setting handle and bracelet connections are made of 18-carat yellow gold, and the external connections of the case and bracelet are made of Oystersteel steel.
The body of the new Explorer features an auto-install caliber 3230, a highly qualified mechanism that comes to market in 2020 and has many patent applications.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Waterproof guarantee up to 100 meters depth with oyster case.
- An equipment that is not affected by magnetic fields.
- High legibility during the day thanks to the black dial, and at night with chromalight technology.
- The unique harmony of gold and steel.
Hero of Tough Conditions: Explorer II
The Explorer II model at the Watches and Wonders exhibition (Ref. 226570), introduced in oystersteel steel with two models with black and white dials 42mm in diameter.
First released in 1971, the powerful and reliable Explorer II is a watch that over time has become one of the necessary tools for explorers who travel to little-known parts of the world and naturally travel under extreme conditions.
In the white lacquered dial, the watch indexes, whose black coating is made by PVD (physical vapor deposition) method, and the frames of the lacquered hour, minute and second hands are interesting with their matte black appearance. The 24-hour hand is also the same color as the Explorer II, which has been on the dial since 2011, i.e. it’s characteristic orange color.
Thanks to the Orange additional watch hand and the 24-hour indicator on the bezel, the Explorer II makes it easy to distinguish between day and night hours. Thanks to this indicator, the watch can also be used as a compass when necessary. This useful indicator is much needed in caves or in polar regions with six months of the Year day, six months of the Year night, where the day-to-night distinction disappears. A second time zone can also be seen with the 24-hour indicator on the bezel.
The mechanism used in the Explorer II clock is calibre 3285, which has a Superlative Chronometer feature.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Case and bracelet with a new design.
- New hands in accordance with the principles of space and occupancy on the dial.
Palm Motif Dial: Datejust 36
At Watches & Wonders 2021, Rolex launched four new models of watches with dials in olive green, silver or gold, which have just joined the Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36 collection, which has made a difference with it’s dials.
In all of the new models, decorated with stunning dials with a grooved pattern, one of Rolex’s aesthetic solutions, with a pattern of palm leaves inspired by tropical forests, materials used in the industry for many years, such as titanium, nickel, copper, zinc, chromium and Silicon, have been re-evaluated using luxury technology to produce vivid metallic colors.
The palm motif, sometimes striking, sometimes with a more modest appearance, is featured in three of the new models. In the first model made of Oystersteel Steel, which is integrated with the Oyster bracelet, the pattern is visible on the olive green dial. It also adorns the second watch with a gold dial, a version of the yellow Rolesor (a mixture of Oystersteel steel and 18-carat yellow gold) complete with an Oyster bracelet, and the third watch with a silver dial, a version of the pink gold Rolesor (a mixture of Oystersteel steel and 18-carat Everose Pink Gold) complete with a Jubilee type bracelet.
Another yellow Rolesor version with a fluted dial, this time the last hour of the series is presented with a Jubilee-style bracelet.
3 New Cosmograph Daytona
Rolex has also announced three new versions of the Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona, one of the turning points for car and speed enthusiasts.
First released in 1963, the Cosmograph Daytona was designed to meet the needs of professional racing drivers. This legendary tachymeter-scale chronograph is one of the most aesthetic watches of choice for measuring time intervals and determining average speeds with a pea marked with speed values in kilometers and hours.
Dials From the Space
All three versions of the next-generation Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona model have dials, each with its own unique natural patterns, derived from a rare metal meteorite. It also has black chronograph indicators at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock.
Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona’s new models are made of 18-carat yellow, white or pink gold.
The 18-carat white gold version features a monolithic Cerachrom bezel and Oysterflex bracelet from the famous tachymeter-sized black ceramic, an integral part of the watch’s identity.
The tachymeter scales of the other two watches, one of the new Cosmograph Daytona is 18-carat yellow gold and the other is 18-carat pink gold, have classic metal peas.
A Classic Treasure: Oyster Perpetual Lady-Datejust
Rolex also released one of the stars of the luxury jewelry world, a new version of Oyster Perpetual Lady-Datejust with diamonds covering all surfaces on an 18-carat yellow gold case.
Rolex’s Datejust model, released in 1945, is the first waterproof self-winding wristwatch with a magnifying window showing the date at 3 o’clock on the dial. Datejust became one of the best examples of classic wristwatches with its basic functions and timeless aesthetics. Datejust model the Lady-Datejust model, the first woman-specific version of the stopwatch, first appeared in 1957 in a 28 mm size adapted to thin wrists and has been attracting attention ever since.
In the newly announced Lady-Datejust model, 158 round-cut diamonds adorn the entire surface of the case. 44 round cut diamonds are placed on the bezel. The President type bracelet, which is the peak in terms of jewelry, has 596 round cut diamonds. However, the most aesthetic area may be the 291 diamond-paved dials framed by 18-carat yellow gold Roman numerals.
Equipped with Caliber 2236, Lady-Datejust is a luxury classic with a twinlock lever and sapphire glass, equipped with a dual waterproof system, certified by a Superlative Chronometer, like other Rolexes.
