WatchTime spent some time with the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer ? a watch originally made for a Mount Everest expedition and recently revamped with a larger case and modern caliber. Scroll down to read our test of the watch from the WatchTime archives, along with original photos by Nik Schölzel.
The 1950s were a decade of adventure. Mankind strived to conquer nature, to descend to the depths of the ocean?s trenches and to climb to the peaks of the world?s tallest mountains. The first mountaineers reached the summit of Annapurna, more than 26,000 feet above sea level, in 1950. Edmund Hillary climbed Mount Everest, the world?s tallest peak, in 1953. Seven years later, the bathyscaphe Trieste descended to the planet?s deepest point: the bottom of the Marianas Trench, more than 35,000 feet below sea level. It should come as no surprise, then, that the decade also saw the debut of two Rolex watches tailored to adventurous pursuits: the Submariner divers? watch and the Explorer expedition watch, both in 1953. The first Explorer watches were provided as tools for the successful Everest expedition of May 1953. Rolex released a modified version of the Explorer later that year, with a black dial and painted-on luminous indices and numerals, which made it more legible under all lighting conditions. This model was designed to live up to the promise implicit in its name, by satisfying all the requirements of expeditions and other adventures. The Explorer underwent more improvements ...