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Old 9 April 2019, 08:22 PM   #1
Ricky Rolex
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Rolex Explorer I (Mk1)

Well after admiring this model from afar for a very long time & reading some amazing reviews, I went out and purchased the Explorer a few days ago.

The excitement of opening that green Rolex box never seems to deteriorate only get more intense!

I could of paid around £500 more for the Mk2 but had a good think and decided against it for a couple of reasons. Firstly I love the fact the 369 are in 18k white gold. What's not to love?! There is more than enough lume on the hour markers and hands to very easily be able to tell the time in darkness.

I personally think by removing the white gold markers the watch became slightly less classy and a little bit more sporty. Yes it is clearer to see the numerals on the mk2 but the visual appearance on the mk1 was never an issue for me tbh.

Secondly I believe in the future the mk1 due to its relatively short life span & white gold 369 feature this watch will be more sought after than its newer brother, again only a personal opinion. The shorter hands are barely noticeable at all.

About the watch.

I love the simplicity & subtlety of this watch. It oozes class.

I kept asking myself & actually telling myself it's missing something or is it missing something?? Then I realised that's the beauty of it, it isn't missing a thing it's just right.

I've had a GMT Pepsi, Submariner & a Datejust so it was a big thing for me to get a watch without a date feature. At the moment I'm not missing it but every time I see a picture of that cyclops I must admit I miss that. I don't think it would work on this watch though, let me make that clear.

It wears really nicely on the wrist. The oyster bracelet is very smooth yet robust & comfortable. It runs absolutely perfectly to time and is running at around -2 per day.

All the other watches I've owned I fell in love with for different reasons. This one not yet but time will tell.

Struggling to upload the pic I took. Sorry I'm not very techy at all.

It really is a class piece of workmanship and anyone who owns one is a lucky person and anyone who is thinking of getting one I'd say go get it!

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Old 9 April 2019, 11:57 PM   #2
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Old 10 April 2019, 03:17 AM   #3
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I’ve found using the Tapatalk app is best for photos.


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Old 10 April 2019, 12:52 PM   #4
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Congrats! I also prefer the Mark I, but I love them both. It's a keeper.
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Old 18 April 2019, 07:33 AM   #5
Ricky Rolex
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Old 18 April 2019, 11:58 AM   #6
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Timeless classic, congrats!
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Old 18 April 2019, 06:26 PM   #7
Ricky Rolex
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Thanks Jepro.

Really happy with it.

Was sceptical about the simplicity of it but that’s the beauty of it.




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Old 18 April 2019, 06:26 PM   #8
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Old 23 April 2019, 03:49 PM   #9
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Simple but beautiful. Could wear it in every day situation


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Old 27 April 2019, 02:15 AM   #10
Ricky Rolex
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So true Gin.

Lovely it thus far.
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Old 29 April 2019, 05:03 AM   #11
173rdabn
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Excellent choice.
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Old 29 April 2019, 04:38 PM   #12
Ricky Rolex
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Excellent choice.
Thanks mate. Has definitely grown on me big time
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Old 31 May 2019, 11:50 PM   #13
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Well guys. Love the watch, amazing. Fits nice, looks good buttttttt every time I saw a mk2 I just felt the clarity on the dial was much better despite me loving the white gold 3,6,9

So I flipped the mk1, paid a little extra for a 2017 mk2 and gotta admit I’m glad I did.

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Old 2 June 2019, 08:29 AM   #14
Ssunnylee24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricky Rolex View Post
Well guys. Love the watch, amazing. Fits nice, looks good buttttttt every time I saw a mk2 I just felt the clarity on the dial was much better despite me loving the white gold 3,6,9

So I flipped the mk1, paid a little extra for a 2017 mk2 and gotta admit I’m glad I did.

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I heard you can send in mk1 to RSC to have it swapped out to mk2 (dial and hands) with some fees.
Never the less, looks good and glad you like yours!
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Old 2 June 2019, 09:19 AM   #15
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I have a 2003 explorer 1 white gold indices.... it absolutely sparkles in the sunlight... even at 36mm it’s wearable and nice.
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Old 2 June 2019, 09:26 AM   #16
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"Was sceptical about the simplicity of it but that’s the beauty of it."
This is the point!
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Old 3 June 2019, 04:17 AM   #17
Ricky Rolex
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ssunnylee24 View Post
I heard you can send in mk1 to RSC to have it swapped out to mk2 (dial and hands) with some fees.
Never the less, looks good and glad you like yours!
Yea looked into that and price was very similar so saved time & went straight for the mk2
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Old 8 June 2019, 06:45 AM   #18
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Nice watch. The hands look the same as the ones on my Explorer 2.
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Old 13 June 2019, 06:45 AM   #19
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Helpful review, thanks!
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Old 13 June 2019, 08:09 PM   #20
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Perfect!
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Old 14 June 2019, 11:47 AM   #21
juve
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I have MK 1 and very happy with it
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Old 20 June 2019, 07:51 PM   #22
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very nice indeed, I prefer the mk2 also.
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