4 Modern Explorer’s Watches to Take on Your Next Adventure

From historically relevant features to outrageous modern additions these watches are the perfect package for adrenaline junkies.

By Paige Reddinger 27/11/2019

Early explorer’s watches boasted features like steel cases, leather straps and maybe some radioactive lume. Modern versions have included more adrenaline-ready goodies like water-purification tablets, high-tech carbon-coated titanium—even a satellite-seeking emergency beacon. Here, four (very different) faces of the modern explorer’s watch.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF PANERAI

PANERAI PAM983

In addition to its iconic waterproof crown protector first made in the ’50s for the Italian Royal Navy, this Panerai, developed for and designed with French free diver Guillaume Néry, is cased in high- tech and lightweight DLC titanium and is water-resistant to 984 feet.

BUY NOW: $56,100

PHOTO: COURTESY OF BREITLING

BREITLING EMERGENCY WATCH

The world’s first wristwatch with a dual-frequency locator beacon compliant with the Cospas-Sarsat international satellite alert system—in case Siri fails you in serious conditions.

BUY NOW: $21,500

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ZENITH

ZENITH PILOT TYPE 20

Inspired by the Zenith clocks that once outfitted French fighter plane cockpits during WWII, this piece is famous for its oversized, knurled onion-shaped crown, which allows pilots to make easy adjustments in the air even while wearing thick gloves.

BUY NOW: $8,100

PHOTO : COURTESY OF RICHARD MILLE

RICHARD MILLE RM 25-01

One of the craziest tool watches ever made, Mille’s RM 25-01 was created with Rambo himself giving design cues: Sylvester Stallone beefed it up with a compass, a level (should you need to hang bookshelves in the jungle, perhaps) and a compartment housing water-purification tablets.

BUY NOW: Around $1,400,000

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