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Rolex Explorer Alternatives: 5 Watches that Are Cheaper, and Better

By Aaron Voyles
18 January 2022 | Updated on: 29 Jan 2025
5 minutes
Rolex-Explorer-Alternativen-2-1

Rolex Explorer Alternatives: 5 Watches that Are Cheaper, and Better

Following on from the last few years of MSRP hikes, market value appreciation, and waiting lists, the thought of adding a Rolex to your collection can be daunting. They’ve always been expensive watches, but recent years have seen Rolex’s prices skyrocket faster than Apollo 11 in 1969, and so the task of getting into a Rolex is by no means an easy feat. However, all hope is not lost. As great as Rolex watches are, there are always alternatives that can pack just as much quality into a far less expensive package. Take the Rolex Explorer, for example.

Back to the roots with the 36-mm ref. 124270
Rolex Explorer ref. 124270

As brilliant and iconic as that watch is—and it is brilliant and iconic—the market is flooded with offerings from other brands that are equally as capable of tackling the same sort of wear and tear that one would put an Explorer through, for far less than its MSRP of 7,700 EUR (or thereabouts depending on your location and currency for an Explorer ref. 124270).

My Top 5 Rolex Explorer Alternatives

So, let’s explore (pun most definitely intended) some of those options and see if we can’t give you some inspiration for a new watch this year.

1. Smiths Everest

Smiths Everest PRS-25
Smiths Everest PRS-25

Is there a better way to kick this list off than with the watch that was actually on the summit of Everest during the same expedition that inspired the Rolex Explorer’s launch? I don’t think so. Made by English watchmaker Smiths, the Everest ref. PRS-25 is arguably the best value Explorer homage you can buy. While Smiths’ history is quite convoluted, the brand was essentially wrapped up in the 1970s and bought by Eddie Platts of Timefactors, who now re-issues watches from Smiths’ catalogue on a batch basis.

Priced at roughly 345 GBP from Timefactors, the Smiths PRS-25 boasts a beautiful glossy black dial and the same 3-6-9 Arabic numerals that the Explorer features. Offered on a Jubilee bracelet most recently, but available on an Oyster too, the PRS-25 is probably the most authentic Explorer-like experience you can get without shelling out big money. Priced around the 700 EUR range on the secondary market, the PRS-25 should be a serious contender for anyone looking for the Rolex Explorer’s aesthetic and history.

2. Lorier Falcon SIII

Following up from one independent watchmaker with another takes us across the English Channel and into France with the brand Lorier. Founded in 2017 with the specific intention of creating accessible vintage designs with modern watchmaking techniques and build quality, Lorier has garnered the attention and adoration of thousands of watch collectors who thoroughly enjoy their watches. Amongst their watches lies one specific model that would be happy to tackle whatever obstacle a Rolex Explorer would throw its weight at: the Falcon SIII.

Clearly inspired by mid-century explorer’s watches, the SIII features a black honeycomb textured dial with the same 3-6-9 Arabic numeral arrangement as the Explorer. At 36mm wide and made of stainless steel, it is a bargain at roughly 500 EUR from the brand themselves, albeit it is currently sold out and the next batch will begin shipping in February 2025. A difficult watch to get your hands on, there is only one example for sale on Chrono, and it’s the PVD gold version—so a little bit flashier, but every bit as rugged and capable.

3. Sinn 556

Sinn 556
Sinn 556

Ask any true watch enthusiast who they think provides the best value for money and Sinn will be up there amongst the most-mentioned names. Made in Germany with a fittingly efficient design language, Sinn has been renowned for their tough utilitarian designs, one of which is the perfect replacement for the Rolex Explorer: the 556. Released in late 2007, the Sinn ref. 556 offers impressive build quality, attention to detail, and truly accessible pricing. While the 556 is certainly a no-frills watch, its rigid focus on satisfying the most elementary tasks speaks to the character of its German design, engineering, and execution.

With sharp lines, satin finishing, and tight tolerances, the 556’s case is up there with the best. Beyond its construction, the 556’s simple black dial features bright white indices on a jet-black backdrop for optimum legibility. Offered with large white luminescent hands, the 556 makes for a fantastic field watch. Coupled with its 200m water resistance, the Sinn 556 is so good that it could easily be a dive watch too. Priced at 1,375 EUR from Sinn themselves or around 1,000 EUR on the secondary market, this is an undoubtedly smart choice.

4. Longines Conquest

Longines Conquest
Longines Conquest

Moving away from independents takes us to one of the world’s largest watchmakers: Longines. While the brand is today known for their elegant dress watches and ties to equestrian sports, they still know how to produce some exceptional sports watches, with the Conquest being an example of that very fact. While not clearly inspired by the Explorer like the last two watches, the Conquest is every bit as capable of tackling hard wear, with a case that comes in a handful of different sizes and a few different dial colors to choose from.

Simple, elegant, and wonderfully well-designed, the Conquest is Longines’ answer to the Rolex Explorer, with its understated design perfectly suited to all sorts of occasions. With an MSRP of 2,350 EUR for the automatic 41mm variant, but available on the market for around 1,800 EUR, it is a lot of watch for the money.

5. Tudor Ranger

Tudor Ranger ref. M79950-0001
Tudor Ranger ref. M79950-0001

Finishing up with Rolex’s sister brand was a must, wasn’t it? All things considered, Tudor’s purpose as a watchmaker was to create more accessible versions of Rolex’s offerings, and with the Tudor Ranger they created an alternative to the Explorer, so it couldn’t not be on this list. Launched in the 1960s and produced in its now-vintage form until the late 1980s, the Tudor Ranger was a robust field watch inspired by its cousin, the Rolex Explorer.

Reintroduced in 2014 and then reintroduced again in 2022, the Tudor Ranger ref. 79950 is an authentic interpretation of the Explorer’s aesthetic but imbued with Tudor’s flourish. Boasting the same field watch design as before, this new variant features a 39mm stainless steel case with the same rugged aesthetics, such as its iconic shovel hands and black 3-6-9-12 dial. Versatile, robust, and wonderfully well-built, the Ranger ref. 79950 offers the Explorer and Ranger collections’ revered design for a far more palatable price of 3,570 EUR from Tudor, or around 2,500 EUR on the secondary market—that’s a pretty substantial saving on the Explorer, no matter what way you look at it!

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About the Author

Aaron Voyles

Aaron Voyles

I love everything about watchmaking, from the artistry of their design to the engineering hidden within their movements and the history that breathes life into their stories.

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