Sep 19, 2017 - I just bought a 114270 Explorer from HQ Milton without a bracelet. IMO putting a strap on a Rolex is fine as a change of pace from time to time.
[Rolex Explorer I] My Rolex Dilema: 214270 vs 114270: A Long, Long, Long Post (Sorry)
Sorry for what is sure to be a long and meandering post. I'll do a straight up pro's and con's list at the bottom to wrap things up in a tidy bow.
I turned 30 a couple of months ago, and found myself in a position to pick up a watch that I had lusted after for years to commemorate the occasion. After a bit of hunting and haggling, I took delivery of a mint Explorer I, specifically the mk2 214270. It might help to give a little info about myself at this point.
I’m 30 years old, as I said. I’m a bartender and recently went back to school to finish my degree. I’m not rich by any means, but my GF and I live a comfortable middle class lifestyle. As far as style goes, I like to keep it low key—I shoot for casual, understated, but well put together.
Back to the watch. The 214270 is, arguably, the perfect time-only watch. As far as specs go, it checks just about every box I had—excellent lume, beautiful applied markers, stellar bracelet and clasp, amazing accuracy, and an AD warranty to boot. However, I realized that when I wore it around friends and out in public, I would get really self-conscious about it. While it is one of the most understated modern Rolex models, I still found it to be a little ostentatious. The large dial makes it easy to admire the details but also makes the watch wear quite large and stand out. Size-wise it’s probably at the limit of what I would comfortably wear. The highly polished bezel is beautiful but more eye-catching than I’d like, and makes the watch really feel like a piece of jewelry. The main thing that bugged me is the large ‘Rolex’ text and crown logo—I wanted a piece that could fly under the radar, and the Rolex billboard is somewhat antithetical to that.
I’ll be honest, the fact that I’m a 30-year-old bartender plays into my thinking. I bought this watch with what amounts to nearly a year of saving, but the idea that someone could glance at my watch, read the Rolex text and think, “Wow, this douche owns a watch that costs as much as my car—probably spoiled by mommy and daddy” really bugs me. I actually find myself trying to hide the watch under my sleeve when I’m hanging out with lower income friends, and am reluctant to wear it around family. I’ve been back and forth on this watch for more than two full months, that’s how conflicted I am—part of me thinks that if I’m still uncomfortable after this long, I should let it go. I LOVE the watch as an object, but I feel like it doesn’t fit my personality very well.
So, I thought I might replace it with its older brother, the 114270 (obviously I will only be keeping one). This is a beautiful watch as well, but I feel like it loses to the 39mm version in every tangible category. The lume is mediocre, the applied indices don’t look as sharp or impressively machined. The hollow center-link bracelet and stamped clasp, while comfortable and secure, lack the refinement and over-engineered precision feel of the newer watch. It has an older and less advanced movement, is less accurate, doesn’t wind as smoothly, lacks an AD warranty and has a shorter service interval.
All that said, it feels more in line with that I wanted from this purchase. It’s a high quality watch that is totally stealthy. The ‘Rolex’ text and crown are tiny and subtle. It’s a nondescript timepiece that won’t draw any sort of unwanted attention—a Rolex that is for myself and myself only.
But, and of course there’s a but, I feel like the 214270 is actually a better value. It costs roughly $1k more, but that money buys you a lot: A bracelet that feels like it was machined out of a solid block of steel; gorgeous fully lumed and precisely machined indices; a fully modern movement that has been running at +1s/day for the last 2.5 months (by comparison, the 36mm watch is doing +6s/day); a 7-year service interval and a Rolex warranty. The larger dial gives a clearer view of Rolex’s amazing craftsmanship. On paper, I think the 39mm is a MUCH better piece than its smaller brother. On the wrist, though, I feel way more comfortable with the 36mm watch. It’s subtle and stealthy and I don’t feel self-conscious about it and how it reflects on me. At the same time, I find myself missing the “higher-end” features of the 39mm version.
What I find myself wondering is, should I keep the watch that fits my personality and style despite its shortcomings? Or the one that blows me away in terms of build quality and features, and put up with my insecurities about it? Would love to hear your guys’ input.
214270
Pros
-Long lasting, beautiful blue lume
-Large dial more legible, showcases details
-Bracelet and clasp feel great, works of art in their own right
-New movement with all the bells and whistles, excellent accuracy
-AD warranty, longer service interval
Cons
-Wears large, bordering on too large for my wrist and for my style
-Large Rolex logo makes me uncomfortable and self-conscious
114270
![114270 114270](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/~e4AAOSwzi5c3h9j/s-l300.jpg)
Pros
-Size much more in line with my style and personality
-I think it looks better on the wrist
-Small logo and less polished surfaces totally eliminate any sort of self-consciousness that I feel regarding the watch
-The light weight and small size make the watch wear very comfortably
![Change Change](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171201/597b74fbd2d2ec6ace20c1a5c344fb4f.jpg)
-Still a beautiful and robust design
Cons
-Lume is not as bright or long lasting, 3-6-9 numerals lack lume
-Applied indices are smaller and seem to lack the sharp edges and refinement of the larger watch
-Bracelet and clasp lack just feel cheap compared to the new watch, lack the easylink adjustment
-While the quality might be there, it’s not as tangible as it is with the 214270
-Shorter service interval, 3rd party limited warranty
- 'Condition' refers purely to the aesthetics of a watch. The movement will have been tested and the watch will be running according to C&C standards.
- UNWORN indicates that the watch has never been worn, and that original stickers are still present on the watch.
- MINT indicates that there are no visible signs of wear to the naked eye.
- EXCELLENT indicates that there are signs of very light wear, possibly some small scratches on the case or bracelet.
- VERY GOOD indicates that there are visible signs of wear on the case, bracelet, crystal, or dial.
- GOOD indicates that the watch has clear signs of heavy wear and age.