The Rise of the All-Terrain Adventure Watch

Many truly emblematic feats of exploration and adventure were completed without the need of specialist explorer watches. For instance, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the top of Everest in 1953, their expedition was famously equipped by Rolex with simple Oyster Perpetuals. (The Crown’s legendary Explorer 1 was launched later that year to commemorate the climb.) Yachtsman Francis Chichester completed his historic 226-day solo circumnavigation of the globe in 1967 also wearing a straightforward Rolex Oyster Perpetual; mid-Atlantic, he slipped into his dinner jacket to celebrate his birthday with a glass of Champagne. This year the adventure watch is… Read Full Article