Rolex Explorer Replica

The Explorer is the hardest easy watch to clone. There is no date, no rotating bezel, no complication and no colour. What is left is a black dial, three numerals, a steel case and a bracelet, which means every flaw sits in the open with nothing to distract from it. Three references sit here at $1,150.

Simplicity removes the hiding places

On a Submariner your eye goes to the bezel and forgives the dial. On an Explorer there is nothing else to look at. Lume plot roundness, the exact weight of the 3, 6 and 9 numerals, the sharpness of the coronet, and the transition between the polished and brushed surfaces of the case all have to be right, because each one is the most interesting thing in the frame. Judge an Explorer clone more harshly than you would judge a busier watch.

Lume plots are the fastest check

The Explorer’s hour markers are applied metal frames filled with lume, and both parts have to be clean. The frames should be polished and identical, and the fill should sit flat and level with the frame edge rather than domed or sunken. Look along the dial at a shallow angle. Any variation in fill height shows up immediately, and it is the most common flaw on this reference.

36mm or 40mm

Rolex has made the Explorer in both, and the choice changes the character of the watch. The 36mm is the historic proportion and wears as a genuinely compact everyday piece. The 40mm reads as a modern sports watch. Neither is more correct, but the 36mm is the one people underestimate and then keep wearing.

Every Explorer here ships worldwide with a 2 year Reverie Watches warranty. See the Rolex replica collection for the rest of the range.