With its three-hand simplicity and discreetly wearable size, the Rolex Explorer is, more than any of the Crown's sport watches, the one that skirts the line dividing the tool watch from the dress watch. And yet it's also a Rolex most plainly made for legibility in adverse conditions and exposure to the elements.
The 114270 uses Super-LumiNova. And features a 36mm case. And has "Swiss Made" written at the6 o'clock position. What sets them apart is this watch's use of the upgraded caliber 3000 and solid end links. This is something that we see from time to time with Rolex. Changes are made incrementally, and sometimes that means the only upgrades in a new watch are hidden away behind layer of steel.