In the gilded world of Rolex collecting, it goes without saying that unicorn references – like the white gold Ref. 6265 that’s literally nicknamed the ‘unicorn’ – are a frequent topic of debate, discussion and (oftentimes) consternation. Yet, the majority of those references ardent fans of the Coronet deem to be desirable fall into the vintage and neo-vintage categories: cue your ‘James Bond’ Submariners and Zenith Daytonas.
Recently though, high-end London-based dealer A Collected Man listed a modern Explorer II (Ref. 216570 – for the sticklers among you) for a casual 40,000 quid. Secondary market prices currently being what they are (two years ago, at the tippy-top of the market, you could hope to make around $20,000 on an unworn Explorer II) one has to wonder why this modern 216570 has been valuated at the same sort of price-point for which you could nab a Cornes de Vache from Vacheron Constantin.
In brief? An aura of heroism.
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Before going any further, it’s important to bear in mind that military-spec Rolexes are hardly a new thing. In 1957, the Coronet began outfitting members of the British Royal Navy with variants of the aforementioned ‘James Bond’ Sub (Ref. A/6538); and since then, have gone on to supply multiple U.K. special forces regiments with later iterations of that iconic steel diver. Among these, there is of course the Special Air Service (SAS) – a household name in the world of elite military units for many decades, thanks to historic crises like Operation Nimrod and pop culture fodder a la Call Of Duty.
The connection to Her Majesty’s deadliest regiment is what makes this otherwise conventional execution of the Explorer II so fascinating. Established in 1941 by David ‘The Phantom Major’ Stirling, the modern SAS is composed of three regiments: notably, the ’22 SAS’ – whose insignia you can see engraved on the caseback of this Explorer II. Consisting of some 400-600 elite soldiers at any one time, the members of this regiment are further split into ‘troops’: four areas of specialty that cover maritime warfare, HALO jumping, arctic combat and lord-knows-what-else.
Suffice to say, you have to be one the toughest, roughest SOBs in Her Majesty’s entire armed forces to qualify into the 22 SAS; and again, it’s this lofty status that imparts a further halo of desirability on this Explorer II. When it was first retailed in 2012 (at a single point of sale via Rolex London) the SAS Explorer II could only be purchased by members who were actively serving in the Regiment. Even then, we like to think that the Coronet’s universal popularity ensured there was probably a waitlist somewhere, titled ‘allocations for Britain’s most rogue of operators”.
Talking details, the SAS Explorer II’s caseback features the force’s characteristic ‘winged dagger’ insignia: both in relief and as a recurring motif. These references are supplemented by an engraving on the left case flank spelling out the SAS’s legendary motto, “Who Dares Wins”.
For a concise explainer on the history of the SAS Explorer II, complete with in-the-metal footage, check out Adrian Barker’s YouTube vid below…
