Rolexopedia

Rolex 114270 Explorer

This is a checked version, approved on 29 September 2026. New changes may have been made.


Explorer › 114270

Explorer 114270 — applied indices, framed 3-6-9 Arabics
Explorer 114270 — applied indices, framed 3-6-9 Arabics

The 114270 replaced the 14270 around 2001. It kept the 36mm steel Oyster case and the Swiss Made Explorer dial, while introducing caliber 3130, a solid-end-link bracelet, and a case without drilled lug holes. The movement's balance bridge and Breguet overcoil hairspring are the main technical changes from caliber 3000.

Production ran from 2001 to 2010. The 214270 followed with a 39mm case, so the 114270 is the final 36mm Explorer of that period; Rolex returned to 36mm with the 124270 in 2021.


Core facts

detail value
reference 114270
family Explorer I
production about 2001 to 2010
movement caliber 3130, balance bridge, Breguet overcoil hairspring, 28,800 vph, about 48-hour power reserve
case 36mm steel Oyster, 100m water resistance
crystal sapphire
crown screw-down
bezel flat polished steel
dial black lacquered, "Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified" and "Swiss Made"
indices applied 18k white gold with Super-LumiNova
numerals applied 18k white gold Arabic 3-6-9
hands Mercedes hour, baton minute, lollipop seconds
bracelet Oyster with solid end links
lume Super-LumiNova throughout
lug holes none
rehaut (early) plain
rehaut (late) later examples engraved "ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX" with serial number
predecessor 14270
successor 214270

Where it sits in the line

The 114270 follows the 14270 and precedes the 214270. It kept the 36mm case and the late 14270's Swiss Made dial while changing the movement, bracelet construction, and case details.

During production, the reference changed little on the outside. The useful identifiers are the caliber 3130, the solid-end-link bracelet, the absence of drilled lug holes, and, on later examples, the engraved rehaut.

The 124270 returned the Explorer to 36mm in 2021. That gives the 114270 a clear place in the sequence: it is the last 36mm Explorer before the 39mm 214270. It was produced alongside the Submariner 14060M and 16610, which received similar bracelet and rehaut changes during the same period.

Production outline

Rolex produced the 114270 from about 2001 to 2010 with caliber 3130. The main documented production change is the engraved rehaut on later serials; published guides place the transition in the mid-to-late part of the run rather than at one confirmed serial.

The dial is simpler than the 14270's documented sequence. Published examples use Super-LumiNova and the "Swiss Made" marking, with the Superlative Chronometer text above it. The case has no drilled lug holes and the bracelet uses solid end links throughout the reference, while the engraved rehaut appears only on later examples.

The limited number of documented changes makes the movement, bracelet, rehaut, and serial placement more useful for checking an individual watch than a dial-generation label.

Movement notes

 
Caliber 3130 balance bridge and movement plate

Caliber 3130 is the main technical change from the 14270's caliber 3000.

The balance bridge replaces the balance cock and supports the balance at both sides. The movement also uses Microstella regulation and a Breguet overcoil hairspring. The current movement registry does not assign the blue Parachrom hairspring to Cal. 3130; later derivatives such as Cal. 3131 and Cal. 3132 use it. A blue-looking spring in a photograph should therefore be checked against the movement marking and source record rather than assumed from the 114270 reference.

Published specifications give caliber 3130 a rate of 28,800 vph and a power reserve of about 48 hours. Caliber 3000 has the same frequency but is generally listed with about 42 hours. The 114270 dial carries the Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified text used on the reference.

Dial map

The 114270 dial is consistent across production. It has a black lacquered surface, applied 18k white-gold indices with Super-LumiNova, applied 3-6-9 Arabic numerals, the Superlative Chronometer text, and "Swiss Made" below 6 o'clock. The hands are Mercedes hour, baton minute, and lollipop seconds.

 
Explorer 114270, 36mm black dial on Oyster bracelet

The dial does not have the Blackout, tritium, or single-word "Swiss" variants associated with the 14270. On a loose or poorly photographed watch, check the end links, movement, and rehaut as well as the dial. A late 14270 Swiss Made dial can look very similar, but its caliber and bracelet construction differ.

The main dial-adjacent change is the rehaut. Early production has a plain inner bezel ring; later examples have repeating "ROLEX ROLEX ROLEX" text and the serial number at 6 o'clock. Published guides place the change in the middle to late serials, but no single 114270 transition serial is established here.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The case carries forward the 36mm Oyster platform with a flat polished bezel, sapphire crystal without Cyclops, screw-down crown, and 100m water resistance. The 114270 has no drilled lug holes; the 14270 had already moved to the no-lug-hole case late in its run.

Some examples also show a laser-etched coronet in the sapphire. The engraved rehaut appears on later serials and carries repeating Rolex text plus the case serial. Check the crystal, rehaut, and serial placement together rather than assigning a watch by year alone.

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

The 114270 uses solid end links where the 14270 commonly used hollow or folded-end-link fittings. The solid links make the bracelet more rigid at the case, but replacement bracelets and end links are common, so fitment does not prove original delivery.

Documented 114270 examples use Oyster bracelet 78690 with 558B solid end links. Auction records and the parts references identify the bracelet, while the clasp code dates the bracelet rather than the watch head. The clasp is an Oysterlock folding type.

The solid-end-link change is also seen in contemporary Rolex sports references, but the Explorer and Submariner do not provide a shared delivery date. Date an individual bracelet from its own markings and documented fitment.

Auction record

Bonhams sold an early example, case serial F413301 and catalogued circa 2003, in Hong Kong in May 2008 for HK$24,000 with buyer's premium against a HK$20,000–30,000 estimate. A second Bonhams example, delivered new in June 2007 with its box, outer card, and warranty photocopy, sold in London in November 2020 for £3,800 hammer against a £2,000–3,000 estimate (£4,845 with premium). Phillips catalogued a G-series example in a December 2022 Hong Kong online sale. The lot records case G030'393, movement 3'014'666, and a clasp stamped "78690" and "LT7"; it sold for HK$100,800 against a HK$30,000–50,000 estimate. These are individual auction results, not a price guide.

Related references

See also the Explorer family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

  •  
    Rolex Explorer 114270
  •  
    Caliber 3130 movement
  •  
    Explorer 114270 dial and bracelet

Sources

Editorial

Specialist registries

Auction lots

Books

  • The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White (Morning Tundra). ISBN 978-0-578-63082-3
  • The Best of Time: Rolex Wristwatches — An Unauthorized History — James M. Dowling and Jeffrey P. Hess (Schiffer Publishing, 3rd edition)
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