POST EDIT: New Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer is perfect for adventurers – it can survive some of the most extreme environments

The first editions of the Rolex Explorer I were launched in 1953, after two mountaineers became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest

The 2021 Oyster Perpetual Explorer is waterproof to 100 metres, has improved Chromalight display and is made of a combination of 18-carat gold and Oystersteel

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The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer watch series is perfect for adventurers and explorers and can survive some of the planet’s most extreme environments. Photo: Rolex

Published: 6:15pm, 9 Jul 2021Updated: 6:33pm, 9 Jul 2021

Designed using cutting-edge, new-generation technology, the latest Oyster Perpetual Explorer watch has been created to reflect Rolex’s dedication to exploration and discovery.

The first editions of the Rolex Explorer I were launched in 1953, after two intrepid mountaineers – New Zealand’s Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepali-Indian Sherpa – became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, at 8,848 metres (29,029 feet). The watches were based on the iconic “Bubbleback” model, a 1933 timepiece, and captured the imagination and style of the 1930s.

Rolex supported major Himalayan expeditions by providing adventurers with Oyster watches throughout the decade. The new Oyster Perpetual Explorer series showcases the Swiss brand’s long-standing commitment to use the world as a “laboratory” by placing its watches in extreme weather, from the highest peaks to remote polar regions, in a test of reliability.

The 2021 new-generation Oyster Perpetual Explorer measures 36mm, the same size as the original Explorer model that followed Hillary and Tenzing’s ascent. Released in yellow Rolesor, Rolex’s signature combination of 18-carat gold and Oystersteel, the timepiece displays only the symbolic numerals of 3, 6 and 9 – a key feature of the model’s identity as exploration apparatus.

Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on their climb to the top of Everest. Photo: Alfred Gregory/Royal Geographic Society

A Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch from 1947. Photo: Rolex

The watch is fitted with a robust, three-piece link Oyster bracelet first developed by Rolex in the 1930s. The winding crown, the bezel and the centre links of the bracelet are in 18-carat gold, while the case and outer links are made of Oystersteel.