Two Explorers and mosy of a Lifetime.

[Gugnunc]

Many years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth (well 1965 to be precise), I was approaching my 21st birthday - an occasion which my parents had always said that they would like to mark by buying me a "good" watch; at that time neither I nor my parents had any idea of what constituted a quality timepiece - I doubt that we were even aware that Breguet was considered by many to be of superior quality to Timex! However, it so happened that a few weeks before reaching my birthday I had read "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and had learned that James Bond used a Rolex Oyster Perpetual - well I reckoned that anything which was good enough for 007 was good enough for me and, with a bit of persuading, my parents agreed - this was very generous of them as the O.P. which they bought me (an Explorer) was to cost them over £50 - a lot of money in those days. Anyway off we went one sunny afternoon (afternoons are nearly always sunny when you're twenty one) to the local Rolex dealer and I emerged with something which would prove to be very special to me- the more so as the years passed. I was very impressed with my present, it was keeping time to within a minute per week (a very consistent loss) and this was in an era when the average watch was considered acceptable if it stayed within 2-3 minutes per day; no quartz then and tuning-fork watches were very rare and expensive birds.
I have owned the watch ever since and it has proved to be a solid, reliable and attractive piece of kit. I was wearing it when I first met my wife and when I married her two and a half years later. It was with me when I survived a spectacular car crash in which it was torn from my arm, when I qualified as a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and also when I was made Chief Chemist of the company (now long defunct) for which I then worked. It was ticking nervously when I hit the magic "ton" on my Honda in 1977 - I was 33 at the time and old enough to know better! It was there when I carried out my first solo in a powered aircraft, when I first tried my hand at aerobatics and when I gained my pilot's licence. It attended my father's funeral with me. It has survived a burglary because it was well hidden. It has also seen me through two redundancies and a broken engagement. I am wearing it as I type these words. It has been present during most of the pivotal moments of my life and forms a link to those parts of my past which have combined to produce the person I am now.. Few, if any, of my other material possessions is so evocative of what used to be! So - badly misquoting Noel Coward: "Every beat marks the sweep of (my) history..................." .
Now, having reached retirement age with time to spare and having access to this new-fangled interweb thingy, I decided that I would like to do some research into this amalgam of cogs, springs, hands, dial and stainless steel. It turned out that what I have is a Super Precision 5500 Explorer with an underline (which in 45 years I had never taken note of) and a double "T>25"marking which I had always assumed to be a model number! But, more importantly, the serial number suggested that it had been made in the Autumn (probably October) of 1963 - and this was the month and year in which the Beatles were at No.1 with "She Loves You", President Kennedy was just weeks away from visiting Dallas and I started my apprenticeship as an industrial chemist; I like to think that it may have left the factory on the same day that my studies began. Having now come to the end of my formal working life I thought that, as I had discovered that I owned a watch which marked the beginning of my professional life, it would be nice to own another which marked this point too. So - back to the same counter in the same shop where my watch had been bought 45 years before (strangely the staff looked so much younger this time) I showed them the watch, the original receipt (which they photocopied for their archives) and the box, then I said that I would like to buy another Explorer. Somewhat surprised, they were, nevertheless, only too happy to sell me one. So now I own two Explorers, one from 1963 and one from approx. 2009 - which means that they mark the alpha and omega (sorry, that's a terrible pairing for watch enthusiasts) of my formal working life.
Looking at the two watches they are, paradoxically, both very similar and very different. The new one is slightly larger, 36mm as opposed to 34mm, but this is hardly noticeable, and looks crisper and more defined than did the old watch even when new. The '09 version hacks, '63 version doesn't. The new bracelet is more practical with its safety catch but I still like the 1960's spring-loaded version with the rivets. The new watch is heavier and keeps better time (but only just) and is specified as a chronometer whereas the 5500 is not (although it has the 1530 chronometer movement and is running on the cusp of chronometer standards). Overall there is not enough difference in their appearances to suggest that they are separated by 40+ years of development - not surprising as Rolex is largely defined by tradition and continuity. The older watch has a mellowness about it which I doubt that the newer one will ever acquire because this is largely due to the aging of the tritium - it looks just "right" for a 47 year old watch.
Still, I like the new watch, an 114270, very much and the almost "chiming" sound of the movement just oozes class, but it can never inspire the same affection which the older one does, because to me that one can be appreciated at two levels; as a well-made and very functional instrument and also, without becoming overly sentimental, because it is something which has always been there when important things have happened to me. I am very lucky to have owned both of them, but especially the 1963 model.

[acce1999]

Philip,

What a great story! Please post pictures. Being an Explorer fan, I completely understand your feelings, and congratulate you on two fantastic time pieces, especially the 5500 with such a great history.

Also, I like your recognition of the "chiming", which is very typical for Rolex calibers, but you must know what to listen for. ETA calibers, for example, "only" ticks.

Best,

A

[bayerische]

Great read!

Thank you for sharing!

As Anders said, we need pics, and lots of them!

[derekloimer]

Great well written post. I too have an Explorer 114270. Please post pictures of the two watches.

[tudorlex]

fantastic story. would love to see pics. my own exp 2 is coming up on 20 yrs of events & memories.

[CEG]

Great stuff

I now wish I'd kept my first....

[Colnago]

Great story.....pictures would be brilliant

[Boadicea]

Great story, thanks for sharing!

I also have a 114270 Explorer (My first Rolex and the one that got me into the brand) but I am forced to sell it as I now have 3 watches and I only want 2 (my wife also wagged her finger at me). I love the chiming/wirring sound Rolex make but my new Daytona is almost completely silent so it looks like that may be a thing of the past if the current 31XX movement line gets upgraded one day.

Since moving my Explorer out of the collection I now wear my DateJust 24/7 and I hope some day I can look back on my memories like you have with a watch that saw me through it all.

[dddrees]

Oustanding story, great read. Thanks for sharing and please post PICs of both watches when you get a chance. I would Luv to see them side by side.

[Minutehand]

Mr Bowes,

Being "between the two Explorers" in my own life and learning to appreciate all that life throws at us, I appreciate stories such as your's more and more.

I will really enjoy a picture of your two watches.

Wishing you a happy retirement.

[EvEr34]

Great story and thanks for sharing. Do enjoy your retirement.

Next step are pics.!

[Alcan]

That was a great read Philip, thanks for posting it!

And like the posters above, I wish you well in your retirement.

[JimSnyder]

Enjoy your retirement Philip. Thank you for the story it is just how a watches life should be

[travisb]

I enjoyed reading it. The Explorer will always be an icon.

[London Gent]

Fantastic read!

Thanks for taking the time to type that up. I would love to see a side by side shot of your two watches.

Enjoy them both.

[Gottog]

Great read thank you for taking the time to post. It was so interesting I didn't even mind the denseness of the text block. Some paragraph breaks would've helped. As others have mentioned. Please post a pic. It would add alot to the personal nature of the story.

Just wondering. Roughly how many times, if any, have you had the Explorer serviced?

Be well in your retirement.

[Watch Professor]

Wonderful, well-written, and very meaningful story. Thanks for sharing. Congratulations and best wishes on your retirement. I hope that you enjoy your retirement as much as I enjoy mine. I'm having a ball, buying a GMT IIC, Sub Date 16610, and Omega Spedy moon watch in the first year of retirement. The only downside- I spend too much time on TRF. :)

[le_baroudeur]

This is a beautiful story, I am 27 and just bought my very first (and only) rolex for my graduation which will occur on the 27th of january (I will wear it if i pass successfully my last oral exams on the 24th, after 9years of studies (including three missed ones)).
I recognize me in your story, wear your first watch in good health, and keep time to discover the world !

Best regards,

Xavier

[Gugnunc]

Thanks very much for your responses. To those of you who requested photographs - I will try to organise something in the near future - at the moment I don't have the means to do so. As it may be a few weeks before I can do this I will start a new thread with a similar title (probably call it Part 2). Next time I will READ THE TITLE - it should be "MOST " , don't think MOSY is even a word!
Dave in Long Island: I didn't like the way the text turned out either - far too dense. It's fine when I type it out on my W.P. but it all gets jammed together when I upload it to the forum - don't understand why this happens, but you are right - the way it appeared was a mess, but at least the meaning came through.

[Gugnunc]

Dave/Gottog: The 5500 gets serviced every 5 to 7 years - by local A.D. not R.S.C. Obviously 114270 has not had 1st sevice yet.

[Singslinger]

Great story Phillip, thanks very much for sharing. I read it from start to finish with no problem (at least not to my 50-year old eyes) so the denseness of the ext wasn't a problem for me. I enjoyed every word!

Welcome to TRF and all the best in your retirement!

[Dr. Robert]

Cool!

[OLJR]

I enjoyed reading this story Philip.

When I bought my first Rolex last month I wondered what adventures it would accompany me on. Maybe in 45 years time I will look back in the same way as you have.

And happy upcoming 66th birthday.

Originally Posted by Gugnunc

1965 ... an Explorer ... cost them over £50 - a lot of money in those days

According to this site GBP 50 in 1965 would buy the same basket of consumer goods in 2009 as GBP 721, or compared to average earnings this is GBP 1,500 in today's money.

Now what is the list price of an Explorer today...?

[Nica64]

Very nice, thanks for sharing!!

[Gugnunc]

Hi OLJR,
I did a similar inflation based calculation a while back. According to the tables to which I had access, the overall cost of goods in the U.K. has gone up by a factor of 14 since 1965. Now my watch actually cost £50/10/00 (or £50.50) so to keep pace with inflation the current Explorer should now cost (14 x £50.5) which is £707 - the actual cost of mine a few weeks back was £3200!. This would indicate that the cost of an Explorer has risen 4x faster than overall inflation. Makes you think........!

[Fiery]

Such stories are one of the reason I love being here on this forum

I hope you'll be able to enjoy both Explorers for a long time, and maybe you'll add some more Rolexes to your collection

[Gugnunc]

OLJR again. Beware! Those 45 years will fly past quicker than you can possibly imagine!
Enjoy them.

[tfarchio]

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

[Kevin B]

What a great story. Not sure if you had any boys but if you did make sure they know, as we now have a glimpse into, the history of your watches. My father passed away on the 10th of December 2009. I was able to be with him in our home and heard him take his last breath, something indescribably sweet as strange as that sounds. One of my fondest memories of that time was when my dad sat down with my son and produced a box with his "life long treasures". It consisted of knives, coins, belt buckles, fobs and things of that nature. Everything in that box had a story, and my father told my son how each thing came into his possession and why they were special to him just days before he died. I still get choked up thinking about that tender time. I can only hope your watches can invoke that same feeling at some point to someone you cherish, your watches may mean even more to that special loved one than they do to you.

Thank you Very much for taking the time to share such an awesome piece of your life.

[ASW1]

Many thanks for sharing the story Philip - may you have a long happy retirment and enjoy the new Explorer.