The Rolex
Parachrom
hairspring
telepathic. There is a feeling of assurance in the well-defined sharp knurling
of its toothed circumference.
The Explorer’s 100-meter-water-resistant caseback, also screwed-down,
has a straight brushing that soothes like poetry upon feeling it against my
hairy wrist every morning. The sapphire crystal is flat, and thankfully devoid
of anti-reflective coating because when viewed right it lets you admire a dial
that has few equals.
The handset may look familiar, but it is unique to the Explorer. The dial
below it is also unique. The applied white gold triangle at 12 o’clock is
designed so that its vertex angles will allow the legs to correspond with the
points where the middle end link meets the bezel’s peripheral edge. As if that
wasn’t erudite enough, the lollipop on the seconds hand kisses the tip of the
triangle tangentially with every revolution. It is a joy to watch it happen.
The 3, 6, and 9 hour marker array that the Explorer is known for is
handsomely proportioned and crafted with immense deftness out of white
gold, as are the remaining applied baton hour indices. All three hands and
all the hour markers are generously filled with Chromalight, a proprietary
luminescent material that glows a soft aquamarine that isn’t brighter than
its competition, but lasts longer.
The cruciformly symmetrical dial has a very subtle granularity to it, its
matte varnish contrasting perfectly with a crisp white printed minutes track
surrounding it. Held together by the ROLEXROLEXROLEX rehaut, it is a
fantastic way to tell the time. And it is the way it tells the time that makes
the Explorer special.
EFFORTLESS LUXURY
Its unadorned opulence speaks to the nuanced craft that Rolex has
perfected over the years. There is no pageantry about the way the 31-jewel
Caliber 3132 crunches out time all day long. It works as advertised - no fuss,
no problem - with the Parachrom hairspring rendering magnetic influences
from modern life powerless and the Paraflex shock absorber ensuring that it
keeps ticking, even when you’re slip slidin’ away.
Failing to fall outside its chronometer mandate, it provides a consistent
4 Hz companionship that an insurance commercial wouldn’t even dare. To
keep matters simple, the only complication is a sweep seconds. Contrary to
contemporary trends, this brutal simplicity might make it the thinking man’s
sports watch of choice. There is nothing to see but a well-made legible
watch with accurate timekeeping that offers the comfort of a versatile
package. If brevity is the soul of wit, the proverbial Explorer is its embodi-
ment. In my opinion, it is all the better for it.
THE BRACELET
Once the bracelet is sized and the watch is worn, its ergonomics are
immediately apparent and you go about your day never noticing it is there.
The center of gravity of the watch lies somewhere inside the wrist, I’d wager
right in the middle, which makes it a model of excellent balance made
possible by the robust and well-finished double folding clasp. This balanced
design brings equilibrium to wearing, reading, using, and ultimately living
with the watch. That makes it fit right in to my life.
For my needs and for my tastes, my Rolex Explorer is peerless and it does
it all without ever letting me know it is there. When I do see it, though, there
isn’t a guy around for miles who knows what time it is more than I do.
The Rolex Explorer is a 39mm stainless steel watch with black dial,
luminous hands and markers, and is powered by a self-winding movement
with a 48-hour power reserve. It has been hanging out with me unwaver-
ingly through every unremarkable day for the past year. I get the feeling,
however, that this relationship has only just begun.
Saad Chaudhry lives in Munich and enjoys shifting gears in his sports car.
SPRING 2020 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 109