Curated by The Watch Club – The Rolex SRR Explorer 11

Once you get reasonably familiar with Rolex you quickly learn one of their golden rules, they don’t do limited editions and they don’t do bespoke. Walk into any AD and they’ll tell you the same thing. You’ll also be familiar with their historic relationship with the Ministry of Defence and the legendary mil-subs that drive collectors crazy.

In 1970 they released their first limited edition, the mighty 5100 quartz with its experimental Beta 21 movement. More than 30 years later, and in typically secretive fashion they quietly did it again…

For a handful of elite military units Rolex agreed to produce a small series of very limited-edition pieces on the understanding that they would not be revealed to the wider market.

In 2007, the Special Reconnaissance Regiment put in a request for a limited number of Rolex Explorer II’s engraved with the regiments Cap Badge. As one of the world’s most respected fighting forces, the SRR are not an easy bunch to say “no” to and 139 of these unique 16570’s were produced with their distinctive and individually numbered case backs.

Each one was allocated to a specific soldier whose service number was recorded against the watch and signed an agreement they would not sell the watch within an agreed time scale. As a final layer of security, Rolex clearly marked the guarantees as being delivered to the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, confirming the background of these special military timepieces.

The combination of incredible rarity, verified military provenance and beautiful engraving have made these SRR models extremely sought after and very valuable investment pieces.

The Watch Club
4 – 5, The Royal Arcade
W1S 4SD
Tel: 0207 495 4882
www.watchclub.com