Rolex has just announced another reference in its Explorer collection of watches. The new Rolex Explorer Ref. 224270 is now available in a 40mm size. After introducing and discontinuing the 39mm Explorer, Rolex decided it was time to cater to those who couldn’t or didn’t want to wear the Explorer 36.
The Rolex Explorer needs no introduction, so I won’t bother you with it. The Explorer is (maybe) my absolute favorite sporty watch. It is a clean-looking watch with an obvious dial, no date, and no nonsense. The problem for me, however, is the 36mm size. I’ve tried it numerous times – my wife has an Explorer, as do some of my colleagues – and it never feels right to me. Oddly enough, my Day-Date is also 36mm, but somehow it works better for me. Maybe it’s the presence of the President strap that makes it look bigger on my wrist.
The Explorer is only available with a black lacquered dial (some predicted a white dial for the Explorer) and the numbers at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock are 18k white gold. The hands are also white gold, and both the hands and dial have Chromalight, Rolex’s blue lume.
Anyway, you can imagine how happy I am that Rolex offers a 40mm version of the Explorer. The good news is that in terms of other specifications, it’s basically not too different from the Explorer 36. The Rolex Explorer 224270 is powered by the caliber 3230, which is guaranteed to perform at ±2 seconds per day. Rolex ensures that the imitation watch has this precision once the movement is cased .
The case and bracelet are made of Oyster steel (904L). Their surfaces are mainly brushed, except for the bezel and strap, which have a highly polished finish. The Rolex Twinlock crown and screw-down caseback ensure a water-resistance rating of 100 meters (10 ATM). On this model, you will also find the Oyster locking clasp on the bracelet and an Easylink extension that allows you to resize it by a further 5 mm without using tools.