A Review of the Sandoz Explorer III
The Rolex That Never Was

by Gary M. Frazier

Overview

For better or worse, over the last half century, Rolex has set the benchmark for watch styles that have an almost universal appeal—not only to watch enthusiasts, but also to average ordinary people for whom the name “Rolex” carries no more cachet than does “Timex.”  Given this fact, it is no wonder that Rolex watches are the most frequently counterfeited, and their styles are shamelessly copied by other watch brands.  In that regard, the Sandoz watch company of Switzerland is no different.  While Sandoz does have original and quite striking designs for the EU and the Swiss home market, the watches made for the Singapore arm of the company are almost all Rolex “clones” that adhere as closely as possible to the design and styling elements of the Rolex target watch without actually crossing the line of replication.  The one exception that I have seen is the subject of this review, the watch I’m calling the “Sandoz Explorer III.”

Sandoz watches for the Swiss and EU markets

Sandoz "President" (sold only in Singapore)

For this watch, Sandoz should be commended for building on a Rolex design rather than merely copying it, and in the end producing a beautiful watch with a timeless character all its own that in many ways looks exactly like something Rolex would in fact produce.  Imagine if the Rolex designers in Geneva got together and decided to build a dressier Explorer.  (Something they did do some forty years ago with the Explorer Date.) Having gone sportier with the Explorer II, with its Submariner-like case, dial, and hands, for the “Explorer III” they would start with the Oyster case of the Explorer I and add a date complication with the requisite magnifying lens to the sapphire crystal.  They would keep the applied Arabic numerals at six, nine, and twelve, but for the other hour markers they would borrow the batons from the Datejust and Day-Date in either white or yellow 18kt gold.  And of course, the “Mercedes” hands used on the Explorer I and II would have to go, replaced by the same style used on the Datejust and Day-Date Oysters.  To finish it off they would offer the watch with the traditional Oyster bracelet and with dial colors in white, blue, or black (with the yellow gold hands and indices reserved for the black dial only.)  The end result would be, in my opinion, the watch you see here—albeit with the Rolex name on the dial, a 3135 movement in the case, and a price tag somewhere north of $4000.00 US.  The price of this Sandoz “original” Explorer III, however, will only set you back around $200.00 US.

The Rolex Explorer and Explorer II

Construction

The case and bracelet of this watch are constructed entirely of stainless steel.  The case diameter is 36mm (not including the crown), with 42mm lug to lug, and is 10mm thick.  Lug width is 19mm.  The Oyster-style bracelet has a brushed finish with solid 3mm thick links (though the end links are hollow stampings), and the edges of the links are finished in high-polish.  The removable links use split pins and the folding clasp is signed with a laser engraved Sandoz insignia.  The overall quality of the bracelet is quite good, having a solid and substantial feel.  I did notice, however, that when worn, the folding clasp often emits a rattling sound similar to what you get with cheap folded link bracelets.

The bezel and sides of the case are finished in high-polish while the tops of the lugs are brushed.  The center of the case back has a vertical brush finish similar to that seen on modern Rolex cases.  And the similarity to a Rolex case back is further evidenced in the unique serrated ring used to engage the case opener, which means you need a Rolex #5 29.5mm bit (or aftermarket equivalent) to get the back off.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the level of finish on a part of the watch not normally visible, i.e., between the lugs.  This area is often neglected where a bracelet’s end links would conceal this part of the case, but this Sandoz has a nice vertical brush finish between the lugs—again, very similar to that found on Rolex watches.

The watch is rated water resistant to 3 ATM, which may seem like an absurd number given that the unsigned crown is the screw-down type.  However, I think Sandoz should be applauded for being conservative with the water resistance rating.  Remember, even though this watch is Swiss made and displays a high level of fit and finish, it is still just a $200 watch.  It is very doubtful that Sandoz does any actual pressure testing of the finished case that could support a higher WR rating.  The 3 ATM rating may help ensure that their customer service and repair facilities don’t have to deal with water logged movements from owners who have tried to snorkel or skin dive while wearing this watch—which would no doubt happen on occasion if it carried the more typical 100 meter (10 ATM) WR rating seen on watches of this style and price point.

As mentioned above, the crown is the screw-down type, and while it engages the threads on the tube easily and screws down securely, I was a bit disappointed in the feel of the crown when it is unscrewed.  It is very wobbly and doesn't display the same feel of quality that the rest of the watch does.  Nevertheless, the crown still functions without a hitch and the time and date are easy to adjust once the crown is unscrewed.

The dial on this watch is a very glossy black, with no visible flaws even when viewed through a loupe.  The applied Arabic numbers, as well as the baton hour indices are all gold-colored and highly polished, so much so that they literally glitter in direct light.  The hands and hour marks are lumed and offer adequate visibility for short periods of darkness provided the material has been fully charged by sunlight or some other bright light source. The name “Sandoz” and the Sandoz shield are applied, and there is a date window at the 3 o’clock position.  The crystal is sapphire, with a beveled edge that stands only slightly proud of the bezel, and a date magnifying “Cyclops” lens over the date window.  The Cyclops was initially a bone of contention with me when I first got the watch because it is not centered directly over the date window.  My irritation was greatly ameliorated, however, when I put the watch on and looked at the date.  I was surprised when I could read the date perfectly with my wrist at the angle it normally is when I glance at my watch.  By having the Cyclops just slightly left of the date window, the necessity to read the date "straight on" is completely eliminated.  We can speculate as to whether this was a quality control snafu on the part of Sandoz with an unintended benefit, or if they intentionally placed the Cyclops off-center for that reason.  Either way, the result is clear: the date is easier to read with the Cyclops in this position.

Movement

The movement utilized in this watch is a gold plated ETA 2824-2 with some modest decoration and finishing by Sandoz.  The 2824-2 is a workhorse that is becoming the caliber of choice in “Swiss” watches of this price range.  It features 25 jewels, auto winding, and can be hand-wound as well as hacked.  In addition, Sandoz has chosen to employ Incabloc shock protection on the balance rather than the less expensive Novodiac (by Incabloc) typically seen on moderately priced watches using this caliber.  My observed accuracy so far is about +8 seconds per day.  (For a full discussion of the 2824-2, please see the informative article, ETA 2824 – Another Little Engine That Could.)