Luxury Watches: A new limited edition collection of custom Rolex Explorer watches designed in homage to the great adventurer Sir Edmund Hillary’s conquest of Mt. Everest in 1953 is being offered at $39,000 apiece. Limited to just 88 pieces in three different versions and dubbed the Hillary Tenzing Explorer Series (referring to Hillary’s sherpa Tenzing Norgay who made the ascent with him), the exclusive timepiece is being created by the same company who brought out the Jaques Picard SingleRed DeepSea Rolex model in 2008. Rather than alter the classic Rolex model with PVD or DLC finishes, the customization is subtle and elegant with an emphasis on bespoke accessories.
The watches were created in close cooperation with Peter Hillary and Jamling Tenzing Norgay, sons of the famous mountaineers and acclaimed adventurers themselves. Each will come packaged in a custom packing crate modeled on the one that accompanied Hillary to Everest along with various accessories including bespoke shell cordovan NATO watch straps and a pair of hiking boots modeled on the ones worn by the famed explorer. The final example in the series will be auctioned to benefit the Hillary Himalaya Foundation and the Tenzing Norgay Trust. Meanwhile Sir Edmund’s own collection of Rolex watches was recently slated to be auctioned off in Geneva.
