justlounging Posted November 22, 2011 Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 Following my earlier review on the Yachtmaster 16622, I decided to make yet another review on one of my other favorite series, the Explorer. I started out originally with the Explorer 14270 as it has been reported to be one of the most accurate reps out of box..true enough it was and still is..However being at a dress size of 36mm, and especially after being bitten by the PAM bug, it seemed a tad small.. Luckily enough, Rolex went thru a modernization of most of their models (Submariner, Milgauss, Explorer & Explorer II, DateJust, you get the pic ) One thing that stood out for me was the fact that the dial on the 214270 was matte..at least I still get to see the dial on a sunny day rather than a double whammy of sapphire crystal and gloss dial reflecting light back at me.. This write-up will be a simple comparison of gen and rep thru pictures..Gen pics will not have any white borders and will always be below rep pics.. This was purchased with one of our Trusted Dealers, Angus, or PureTime (link will be provided at the bottom of the review).. Height of crystal is slightly lower on the rep as compared with the gen..maybe about 0.5mm or lesser.. Dial..Font looks crisp and in similar size to the gen..'Swiss Made' is also correctly placed at the 6 o'clock marker.. Close up of Markers and hands..the hands, especially the hour hand is not accurate but with the amount of 'personalization' being done on Gen Rolex watches, you can get away with this tell with the 'I prefer larger hands" excuse, if you are ever called out.. :cool: Rehaut engraving font is different and not completely aligned..Engraving is not as deep as the gen.. The Explorer utilizes the TwinLock system..looks pretty good on the rep.. Bezel is fixed so no worries on whether it is uni or bi-directional..no crown guards either.. SEL bracelet fit nicely onto the case..Clasp works well and engravings are quite deep..screws are also quite decent.. Movement runs very smoothly and has been giving me accurate time (I sync it with my Mac Clock)..Power Reserve has exceeded more than 36 hours for this..I usually do not test any further once it passes this timeframe.. Lume shot taken after 10secs exposure to UV light: Semi-dark Dark Shutter speed for the lume shots are between 0.5 and 2secs.. Mods did to the watch so far: 1. Light polishing of the rehaut so that it has a much deeper shine, as per gen (done by Taka) 2. Matte Spray Mod on the dial, as per gen (done by Taka) 3. Rebrushing and polishing of the bracelet to show a more satin finish 4. Filling in the engraving on the clasp with a black sharpie 5. Relube all seals and tighten up caseback Mod(s) to do: 1. Superluminova Lume Mod Some additional facts about the Gen Explorer 214270: RRP: USD$6000 (check with your local AD) Movement: Rolex Caliber 3132, automatic, Perpetual rotor, 28,800 vph, Parachrom hairspring with Breguet overcoil, Paraflex shock absorbers, COSC-certified chronometer Functions: Hour, minutes Power reserve: 48 hours Case material: 904L Stainless steel Bezel material: 904L Stainless steel Bezel shape: Round Case size: 39.0 mm Case height: N/A Dial: Black Numerals: Arabic Hands: Steel Water resistance: 100 meters Strap: Oysterlock stainless steel bracelet Crystal: Sapphire Here's the obligatory wristie: There are currently 2 versions available at PT: 1. Asia ETA: http://www.puretimew...-v3-11-edition/ 2. 'Swiss' ETA: same link as above but add US$20 for this option. Hope you enjoyed reading this! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielv2000 Posted November 22, 2011 Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 Thanks. Very informative. I think everyone should have an explorer in the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephane Posted November 22, 2011 Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 Great review indeed! Thanks for taking the time to publish it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justlounging Posted November 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 Thanks! Just doing my part to contribute to the forum.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted November 22, 2011 Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 Spectacular effort, justlounging, and a beautiful pair of Explorers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justlounging Posted November 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 Thanks mate...i still need a 1016 in my life... and a 1675 and a ...... btw which would you say is a easier build out of the two? 1016 or 1675? I managed to source a 1675 gen dial but none of the TD have any good 1675 reps that I can use.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dluddy Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 terrific write-up. Thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 btw which would you say is a easier build out of the two? 1016 or 1675? I managed to source a 1675 gen dial but none of the TD have any good 1675 reps that I can use.. A 1016 build is a doddle! Putting a 1675 together means finding a suitable GMT movement, fiddling with the extra hand, finding the right bezel assembly and insert... Yeah, I want one, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justlounging Posted November 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 A 1016 build is a doddle! Putting a 1675 together means finding a suitable GMT movement, fiddling with the extra hand, finding the right bezel assembly and insert... Yeah, I want one, too. Cool..would a Yuki dial be sufficient for the build? I'll most probably go for a Narikaa 1016, get a nicer dial, get a higher Clark crystal, age the entire watch (other than the movement) and call it a day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lhooq Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 Cool..would a Yuki dial be sufficient for the build? I'll most probably go for a Narikaa 1016, get a nicer dial, get a higher Clark crystal, age the entire watch (other than the movement) and call it a day! I'm really not a fan of the current batch of Yuki 1016 dials, but your options are limited. I would recommend an MBW dial (if you can find one), an InGod Space-Dweller dial (if you don't mind the name), or an NDT dial (if you're flush with cash). Like many watches based on the old Datejust rep, the crystal/bezel dimensions on Narikaa's 1016 are narrower than the gen's. A Tropic 19 can be made to fit, but you'll need to trim its height significantly. Finally, don't forget the lugholes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormTooper4 Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 Great write up, thank you for putting his together Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorskh Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 do you guys think that the "swiss" is worth the extra 20 bucks??? overall is this the Best 214270 out of the box??? thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorskh Posted December 2, 2011 Report Share Posted December 2, 2011 anyone????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ww12345 Posted December 2, 2011 Report Share Posted December 2, 2011 The "Swiss" is supposed to get you a gen ETA movement. It seldom does, but at least hand sizes/dial feet positions will match if or when you upgrade to gen ETA. As far as the "best out of the box" goes, every single watch in the rep world has a tell. The best way to find the "best out of box" is to research all the tells, and then pick the one with the tells that bother you the least! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UT Horn Posted December 12, 2011 Report Share Posted December 12, 2011 Great job and thanks for the review. I have one that is getting the matte and superlume done to it now. It was a great rep out of the box and the mods will certainly make it a super rep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapsMoney Posted December 30, 2011 Report Share Posted December 30, 2011 where are you getting that done ^^ I'm interested! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
correctime Posted December 30, 2011 Report Share Posted December 30, 2011 (edited) I've always been a big Exp.II fan. And the newer, larger Explorer looks great. QUESTION: regarding the lume....would it be possible (and would it look natural) to have the dial numbers 3, 6 and 9 SL'd too. I think that would really "torch up" that beautiful dial a bit...if it could be done in a way whereas the lumed numbers would match the color of the markers in the daytime. Perhaps a custom job by pbdad...leaving the same width of metal surrounds around the lumed numbers as is around the markers..........??....just a thought. But then again I've always been tempted to have the engraved numbers and markers on an Exp.II bezel SL'd too...if it could be done to look black and natural in the daytime. Edited December 30, 2011 by correctime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapsMoney Posted December 30, 2011 Report Share Posted December 30, 2011 I really want this piece lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy Lee Posted December 30, 2011 Report Share Posted December 30, 2011 Great job! Ts for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grejyedi Posted December 30, 2011 Report Share Posted December 30, 2011 I bought one of these - my first true rep - based on the review. thats How I found RWG by Googling Explorer rep 39mm. Been on my wrist for two weeks now and I am really pleased with it (the Swiis ETA), which is 5 secs fast per day. Finding out it has the easylink extension was a bonus. I just got a new camera and will do an easylink how to this weekend. I must admit comparing it with the phone in the ADs window there didn't seem to be a difference in the level of matt on the dial? The only issue is the lume which looks like it was applied with a cement mixer, particularly on the triangle, and are grayish rather than white. You can see this in the pictures above and it is slightly worse on mine. Also the current threads on customer service at Puretime. I had no problems as I accepted the dial, but I must admit the cuurent discussions make me wonder if I would use them again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MapsMoney Posted December 31, 2011 Report Share Posted December 31, 2011 I was going to buy this exact piece and do the mods , Good ideA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justlounging Posted January 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 Go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alberto.86 Posted February 19, 2014 Report Share Posted February 19, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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