/ / / Rolex Explorer 1 Reference 14270 ROL 738

Rolex Rolex Explorer 1 Reference 14270 ROL 738

Rolex Explorer 1 Reference 14270

Good condition Rolex Explorer 1 just serviced and working well. It is model reference 14270 which is a more wearable and becoming very collectible 36 mm. It is discontinued a number of years ago which contributes to its collectability and rising prices. It was originally purchased from authorised Rolex dealers Time Watch Co in Hong Kong in 1999. It comes with inner box, booklet, wallet and warranty/chronometer paperwork which is the hole punched certificate. It is an officially certified Swiss Chronometer and was associated with the 1953 Sir Edmund Hilary expedition to the top of Everest. The Explorer was worn by Sherpa Tenzing, whilst Sir Edmund wore a Smiths Everest. It is a handsome watch that can be worn for business or leisure, with the classic dial configuration of just the 3, 6 and 9 numbers with the triangle at 12. The numbers are painted on the dial with the white gold outlines to the numbers. Comes on a solid link steel Oyster bracelet with 12 links, deployment clasp, sapphire crystal, screw down crown, Rolex automatic movement, Rolex crown logo on the crown. This is a handsome watch and good to see one in such outstanding condition. Dimensions are: width is 36 mm excluding crown, 40 mm including crown and 44 mm lug to lug and thickness is 12 mm. 

Key Characteristics

Brand: Rolex
Band: Steel Bracelet
Case Material: Steel
Condition: Excellent
Movement: Automatic
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Additional Product Details

Rolex SA was founded in 1905 by the German Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law, Alfred Davis. Contrary to popular belief, Hans Wilsdorf was neither Swiss, nor a watchmaker. Wilsdorf & Davis was the original name of what later became the Rolex Watch Company. They originally imported Hermann Aegler's Swiss movements to England and placed them in quality cases made by Dennison and others. These early wristwatches were then sold to jewellers, who then put their own names on the dial. The earliest watches from the firm of Wilsdorf and Davis are usually marked "W&D" – inside the caseback only. Hans Wilsdorf registered the trademark name "Rolex" in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland during 1908. The word was made up, but its origin is obscure. One story, which was never confirmed by Wilsdorf, is that the word "Rolex" came from the French phrase horlogerie exquise, meaning exquisite watch industry. The Wilsdorf & Davis company moved out of Great Britain in 1912. Wilsdorf wanted his watches to be affordable, but taxes and export duties on the case metals (silver and gold) were driving costs up. From that time to the present, Rolex has been headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, though the company owns facilities in other cities (Bienne, etc) and continents (North America, Asia, Australia, etc). The company name Rolex was officially registered on 15 November 1915. It is thought this change was part of a drive to popularize wristwatches, which at the time were still considered a novelty largely for women (pocket watches were more common). Wilsdorf was said to desire his watch brand's name to be easily pronounceable in any language. The company name was officially changed to the Rolex Watch Company during 1919. It was later changed to Montres Rolex, SA and finally Rolex, SA. Rolex SA is a foundation initiated and originally funded by Hans Wilsdorf and the Aegler family. According to foundation documentation, the Rolex SA company can never be sold, nor traded on any stock market.