This is the discontinued Rolex Explorer Ref: 1655, part of my personal collection. It has always been one of my favorites when it comes to vintage timepieces.
The Explorer commemorates the conquest of Mt. Everest and the fact that a Rolex was worn with that great human achievement. While Rolex’s dive watches celebrate the exploration of the sea and the GMT and Air King celebrate the exploration of the air; the Explorer just celebrates human achievement and the spirit of exploration.
I love the Explorer because of the focus on taking on the unknown and doing it for no other reason than because it's unknown and there is a desire for knowledge. There is another reason I love it, though.
This watch is from 1982. That’s forty years ago. The man who first owned it retired after thirty-one years in the Navy. This was given to him by his brother at his retirement party. Later, it passed to his son and his son gave it to gentleman’s grandson. When his grandson brought it to me, he needed funds to pay for his college education.
It was his grandfather’s dream and the young man and his father had agreed his grandfather would want that. They had other items as well, jewelry inherited from different relatives. I was happy to help them, and I was happy to again have a wonderful example of how jewelry is important for the people, the meaning and the history behind it. This man enjoyed the watch. His son enjoyed the watch. Then, even though he had passed, he was able to participate in a long-held dream, getting a member of his family into college. That’s what I love about this industry. It’s also why I’ll be holding onto this watch for a while. It’s special not because of what it is but because of the people behind it. Thank you for reading and have a great day!
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