Punk music was largely a reaction to the popular music of the late sixties and seventies, namely Prog Rock and Disco. It was contrarian by nature. Its aim was to destroy. The Rolex Explorer Two-Tone 124273 is Rolex’s version of Punk Rock.

When it was launched in the spring of 2021, it completely flew in the face of current day watch conventions. At 36mm, and wearing even a bit smaller due to the extreme taper of the bracelet, it bucked the trend of most Rolex models getting upsized in previous years. If downsizing the watch was enough to start a fire, that burned hot and cold depending upon who you talked to, Rolex decided they would throw some gasoline on that puppy by making it two-tone! “How dare they?!” exclaimed many an enthusiast who didn’t stop to think that Rolex had already made the two-tone Explorer 5501 in the 50’s, and that they had patented Rolesor back in the 30’s, and made what I would assume to be at least tens-of-thousands of two-tone watches that had been used for “exploring” before the Explorer had even been conceived of. But I digress…

Not only did the Rolex Explorer Two-Tone 124273 raise the collective feathers of the enthusiast world, it did so by crashing the 50th Anniversary party for its own son, the Explorer II. Everyone in the watch world had been certain that Rolex was going to do something special for the Explorer II’s Fiftieth last year. Nope, instead, they got its dad black out drunk at its birthday party, and gave him a yellow gold grill to wear during the dinner toast.

The two-tone Explorer was so Punk Rock that Danny Milton wrote a piece for Hodinkee on April 9, 2021 entitled “In Defense of the New Two-Tone Explorer”, and they highlighted the story again on December 27th, and said: “Sorry, Haters, but the New Two Tone Explorer Rules.”

While writing apologies is far from being Punk, causing enough mayhem on tour that your publicist has to apologize for you kind of is…

I have come to realize that I am a contrarian by nature. When everyone zigs, I usually zag. Not because I am a visionary, but because I hate being told what to do. I have an issue with authority figures. It has taken me many years to realize this, but it is what it is. This is why I was all over the two-tone explorer when it was released.

First of all, my first Rolex was a gift from my father about 8 years ago. It was his two-tone Datejust from the late 80’s. Before that, in 1995, my parents had given me a Citizen chronograph that was a quartz clone of the 90’s style Breitling Chronomat. Look, I am a child of the 80’s and 90’s and I like two-tone, but being told that “it is wrong”, or that “Rolex has lost their way making the Explorer in two-tone”, or even worse yet that “36mm is a ladies size watch” was even more motivating for me to get this piece. I have always liked the 36mm Explorer. When they were in production I never had the dough to buy one, and when I finally did, it was 39mm and just didn’t look right to me. For me the Explorer in 36mm and two-tone checks a lot of boxes.

I’m not going to get remotely technical about the Rolex Explorer Two-Tone 124273, but it wears extremely well. My wrist is anywhere between 6.75 and 7 inches, and flat. The combination of the oyster case, and oyster bracelet is the best in the business that I have tried to date. It just works, and every time I look down at that dial, I smile.

I only ever dabbled in Punk. A few Clash, Sex Pistols albums and wearing the occasional safety pin in my jeans or on my Chuck Taylors. I feel that Rolex has done the same with the Rolex Explorer 124273. It ruffled some feathers, and will now move along into obscurity, later to be discovered as a classic… or it is just plain ugly and will forever be hated. Either case is cool with me.