I bought a 36mm Rolex Explorer. It's been a roller coaster ride.

[Music] about a month ago i bought this 2004 rolex explorer 114270 and it's been a roller coaster ride for [Music] me i'd wanted a 36 millimeter explorer for years years i went back and looked at my photos and found nearly a dozen pictures of me trying on the 36 explorer at stores and at watch meetups for whatever reason the timing was just never right for me to make the purchase but it's always felt right and felt like me putting on the 36 explorer has always felt like slipping into a warm bath that ah feeling i had the 39 millimeter explore and even made a video about it it's a great watch nearly faultless but it never gave me that ah feeling like with the 36 and it's light case jangly bracelet and older clasp i'm not a vintage watch guy but rolex pieces from the 90s and early 2000s have a balance of sturdiness and airiness that's just right in the pocket for me at least and in march of this year i decided it was time why now well i bought this to celebrate my upcoming 40th birthday i actually started saving money two years ago i didn't know what i was going to buy but i knew i wasn't going to let a milestone pass without some new wrist candy never waste an excuse 40th birthday get a watch promotion at work get a watch peel the banana without getting that stuff on my fingers get a watch when the time came to start shopping i had a nice budget more than this explorer cost but it's this watch that called to me it's not the most exciting watch no precious metal no complication it's small and that was part of the appeal a watch that is timeless and simple and one that could maybe go the next 40 years with me i bought this watch and i was pleased then something happened on april 7th i woke up to some news rolex was discontinuing the 39 millimeter explorer and would be producing new 36 millimeter explorers with totally updated tech and selling them for not much more than i paid for my old explorer the new 36 would be nearly identical to mine i'm not a rolex historian but i can't recall rolex ever completely reverting to a previous design i had feelings five in a glass case of emotion how could rolex do this to me their boy did i just waste my money did i buy an obsolete watch why didn't i just wait a month welcome to my brain once my emotions evened out a bit i started thinking a bit more clearly i put on my new old explorer and i got that ah feeling back nothing about this watch changed overnight it's still the perfect piece it was just hours ago come on and three specific things came to mind one i bought this watch to celebrate my 40th birthday this year 2021 i don't know if the new explorers are going to be hot but when i look at every other new steel rolex watch i'm not sure i could even get this explorer in 2021 or 2022 maybe i just don't know i'm waiting on a 36 millimeter oyster perpetual with a yellow dial waiting almost a year for a small yellow dial watch what in the actual two i honestly prefer the feel of this older watch and judging by the photos of the new piece i might also prefer the look of the older one too i've had plenty of new rolex watches they're great but they're just not as comfortable for me even with the glidelock and easylink extensions as for looks i can't quite tell but it seems like the new explorer is just a little different a little beefier larger numerals for the loom heavier text and maybe a wider bezel it also seems like the crystal is no longer raised like on mine a raised crystal is a bit of a liability but it looks so good these are all details that shouldn't make a difference to any healthy person but hi i'm a watch collector have we met and the third thing i don't really care about the resale price of this watch if the market gets flooded with new 36 millimeter explorers and mine is worth less fine i bought this to celebrate not to sell in fact a drop in demand could discourage me from selling which could be nice but honestly i think collectors might continue to favor these older pieces and like i guess before i think the new ones will be unattainable for a while i don't actually expect any flooding of this market it's so funny to have a new watch purchase somewhat upset by a newer release it almost feels like the psychological version of the first scratch on a watch there will certainly be more and each one will hurt a little less i had originally planned to make a video extolling the virtues of this watch but then rolex did their thing and a more interesting story formed one more memorable than me reviewing a watch that everyone already knows about the announcement about the new 36 millimeter explorer really forced me to think about not what i collect but how i collect what kind of emotions i attach to watches and what my expectations are if you have a watch you love love it don't let anyone diminish that most importantly you new watches are going to come out constantly that on paper are better than whatever is on my wrist that's not in my control but how i feel about it might be the temptation to trade up is a constant war wage between buyers and sellers this year rolex scored a direct hit on me and that's how it goes as omar said it's all in the game yo and now that the dust has settled a bit i'm feeling as good as ever about my pickup i've been wearing my new old 36 millimeter explorer nearly every day since i bought it i like how it feels and i like how it makes me feel and that's about as much as i could ask for from a watch i think the 114-270 is a great addition to my collection and is right at home with the other pieces in my watch box which reminds me i think it's time for a collection update but that's a topic for a different video stay tuned you

Channel: YoureTerrific

Views: 92,171

Rating: 4.9148183 out of 5

Keywords: rolex, rolex explorer, 114270, 14270, 124270, 214270, rolex explorer 1, 36mm rolex, luxury watch, rolex watch, rolex review, watch review

Id: ePQVpr-q34g

Length: 7min 23sec (443 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 14 2021