Hodinkee review of the 14270

[Matt.D]

Did anyone watch the Bark and Jack video on the lack of Explorer 1 in the market? He mentions that in the 90’s the Explorer 1 was a really popular model? Was that ever the case? I know the Daytona was hard to get but I didn’t know if the Explorer 1 was the next sought after model?

My ears pricked up when he said this. Any of the forum stalwarts recall 14270 mania in the 90s?


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[Mick P]

Thought I'd read these were only 39mm mick...though what's a mm when alls said and done.

Yes you are correct, I always assumed it had the same dimensions of the 16570.

[Mick P]

My ears pricked up when he said this. Any of the forum stalwarts recall 14270 mania in the 90s?


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Yes the publics taste for flash extravagance waned in the 1990s, so it is likely that plain looking watches made a come back.

[Itsguy]

Thought I'd read these were only 39mm mick...though what's a mm when alls said and done.

On something the size of a watch a millimetre can make all the difference in the world - enough to make the difference between keeping and selling I’ve found.

[Itsguy]

I think lug to lug length is also something that is often overlooked and can make a big difference to how a watch wears.

The 39mm is 47.5mm L2L where the 36mm is 44mm L2L. Having tried a 36mm on my 7 1/4 inch wrist I felt it looked far to small in both length and width where the 39mm felt great.

It’s all subjective but here is a image of the 39mm on my 7 1/4 wrist which I think fits perfectly.

I agree - both that the lug to lug (and curve of the lugs) makes a difference, and that the 39mm fits you perfectly. In fact it looks much like the 36mm on me.

Here’s the Oyster Perpetual 39 on my wrist, as it’s the same size as your Explorer. As you can see it looks very different, and although it’s not completely unwearable, you can see why I would think a slightly smaller size would make more sense, specially looking at the lugs. I hope this illustrates why these discussions of what’s the right size are a bit meaningless, and also why some people miss the 36mm Explorer, or wish they’d made an Oyster Perpetual 38! Same sized watch, completely different effect.

[Kippax]

Stole this pic off Instagram




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[boring_sandwich]

Stole this pic off Instagram




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I think the Explorer appears larger in your image as it’s closer to the camera.

In reality I find the explorer wears better on my wrist size wise and is more comfortable than the OP39 black dial model I used to own.

Both lovely watches though and I prefer the OP39 white dial over the OP39 black dial.