The dial
Matte black with the 3·6·9 numerals in Chromalight — the clearest layout in the catalogue, and the least decorated.
Rolex · Oyster Perpetual
Explorer 36
Ref. 124270Everything it needs. Nothing it doesn’t.
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Thirty-six millimetres of Oystersteel, a black dial and the 3·6·9 numerals — the most disciplined watch Rolex makes.
The reference
Inside the Explorer 36.
The Explorer was shaped by the 1953 ascent of Everest and by the decade of Himalayan expeditions that led to it. What came back down was a brief: legible, robust, and free of anything that does not earn its place.
This is the 124270, returned to its proper 36 mm after a spell at 39 — Oystersteel, a matte black dial, and the 3, 6 and 9 in Chromalight alongside baton markers that glow long and blue.
There is no date, no rotating bezel, no complication to read around. The calibre 3230 simply runs for about seventy hours. On the wrist it disappears, which has always been the point.
Inquire about this referenceThe proportions
Thirty-six millimetres: the size the reference was drawn at, and the reason it sits flat under any cuff.
The movement
Calibre 3230 — no date, fewer parts, ~70h reserve. Certified Superlative Chronometer.
“Built for the ascent. Worn, mostly, on the way to work.”
Specification
The reference, in full.
- Case
- 36 mm — Oystersteel
- Bezel
- Smooth, domed
- Movement
- Perpetual, mechanical — Cal. 3230
- Power reserve
- Approx. 70 hours
- Bracelet
- Oyster, flat three-piece links
- Water resistance
- 100 m / 330 ft
- Crystal
- Scratch-resistant sapphire
The collection
Other references
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