I would argue that it's still the same Explorer ship. Adding the two-tone version (which is currently only available in 36mm) is like adding a gun turret to the ship to fend off competitors. Rolex might not sell many two-tone Explorer 36, but when it does, it's taking a customer away from its competitors. I would further argue that this customer is most likely female.

What I'm going to say next might upset a lot of people. With the small lug width, aggressive bracelet taper, and smaller-than-36mm actual case size, I think Rolex is repositioning the Explorer 36 as a women's watch. The saleslady who sold me the Explorer 40 was wearing a 36, and it looked great on her! When I tried both watches at the AD, my gut reaction was to go with the 40, even though I had read tons of articles about the Explorer. Moreover, my wife, who knows nothing about watches, quickly commented that the 36 is a woman's watch.

Don't get me wrong, though. Now that I own the Explorer 40, I am still contemplating getting a neo-vintage 36mm in the future to scratch the historical itch and to have a watch I can share with my wife. Happy wife, happy life. 😂

Just as a ship's parts are replaced while it maintains its identity, the traditional practices and products of these companies must evolve to remain relevant. The effort required is significant and often underestimated by newer generations of consumers.

Including the Ship of Theseus in a reflection on Rolex and Apple makes me realize that knowledge and progress are fragile; if the know-how and the link to tradition are lost, substantial resources are needed to recover them. Consider the monumental task of rebuilding the Notre Dame Cathedral or resurrecting vintage products like the Zenith El Primero using archived plans and components hidden in the attic. Similarly, efforts to revive domestic semiconductor manufacturing or projects like NASA's Artemis moon mission to compete with China.

The fact that we are still discussing the "lineage" of the Rolex Explorer or whether Apple's move to Intel chips in 2006 was a wise decision, much like the debate over whether the Ship of Theseus remains the same ship, shows that consumers still care and these companies must be doing something right 😉

I looked up "Trigger's Broom" on YouTube and couldn’t stop laughing 🤣 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56yN2zHtofM

Nutmeg. It was so precious that in 1667, the Dutch who owned the island of Manhattan traded it to the British for a tiny nutmeg-producing island in the Banda sea (eastern Indonesia). The 17th century was wild!

Yes, I think you are right about Rolex is trying to make it more like a Flieger type B watch, especially with the 126900. In Rolex Magazine issue# 10, they wrote "The new Air-King is now even more closely aligned with the world of aviation that is its inspiration" and didn't mention the Bloodhound project at all.

I second that, and so does this guy 😀. I just love how striking the keys creates a symphony of mechanical movements, much like watching the mechanics of a watch in action.

I have farsighted eyes, so when I remove my glasses, the dial on the 36mm becomes a blurry mess 😄. Additionally, the 40mm offers more material for not much more money and still looks great on my wrist. The final nail in the coffin is that my wife prefers the 40mm on me. I also figure that in the future, I can buy a pre-owned 36mm to scratch the "historical size" itch since there are plenty of them on the market.