Friday, November 11, 2022

Rolex Explorer II for the Special Air Service


 ...Veterans Day Special...



ROLEX EXPLORER II 


FOR THE SPECIAL AIR SERVICE


Adrian Barker gets hands-on with an Rolex Explorer II 216570 Black Dial that was allocated to the Special Air Service, the special forces unit of the British Army. The SAS was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, Adrian explains, and was catapulted into the public eye in 1980 during a hostage rescue in an embassy in London.



This Explorer II sports a special engraving made by Rolex — not a third-party — for the soldiers. You could only buy it from Rolex London in 2012 if you were a service member of the SAS. About 100 to 150 were made and distributed by Rolex, Adrian estimates. The engravings include the SAS motto "Who Dares Wins" on the case side; on the back, the SAS dagger with the soldier's initials and serial number. 




Adrian says the watch looks like it hasn't been babied by the soldier, a fact he finds "pretty damn cool."

"It's pretty badass to have a limited-edition Explorer and a limited-edition Rolex," Adrian finally said. "Not only that but to have an SAS limited-edition Explorer II. It really does make me happy to see that this has been worn and enjoyed."