A 36mm Explorer story...

[Otto]

Around 20 years ago, I was in a mountaineering store in Japan in early Spring and I was talking with a guy who worked there, a pencil thin but muscular guy, maybe 5'7" at best, a rugged, experienced mountaineer, and he was wearing the 36 mm Explorer. It looked great on him. It stood out against his calloused, oversized rock climber hands. I was talking to him about our watches when his wife, who also worked in the store, walked up and joined the conversation. She was wearing the exact same Explorer model. I mentioned how they had the same watch and their story was that since they both climbed mountains regularly, and since that shared passion had in large part brought them together, they had decided when they got married that instead of buying wedding bands and an engagement ring, they would buy matching Explorers and wear them not only on climbs, but in everyday life as well. The previous weekend, they had climbed the still icy Mt Fuji as part of a volunteer group (using crampons and ice axes) to start clearing the mountain paths of debris prior to the summer climbing season; and, yes, the couple had worn their Explorers. I thought the fact a couple who spent their working days advising climbers on the technical aspects of mountaineering gear had chosen the simple Explorer as their watch was a pretty good object lesson in form following function.