Rolex · Explorer and Oyster Perpetual 41
Rolex 124270 vs Rolex 134303
6 published specifications differ between these two, and 9 are identical. Every figure below is what the manufacturer states for that reference; nothing is inferred from the other watch.
What differs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | Oyster, 36 mm, Oystersteel. Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown | Oyster, 41 mm, Oystersteel and yellow gold. Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown. Yellow Rolesor — combination of Oystersteel and yellow gold |
| Diameter | 36 mm | 41 mm |
| Bezel | Smooth | Domed |
| Dial | Black, with highly legible Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence | Slate, with highly legible Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence |
| Clasp | Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link | Folding Oysterclasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link |
| Movement notes | Precision −2/+2 sec/day after casing. Centre hour, minute and seconds hands with stop-seconds; no date. Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring with Paraflex shock absorbers. | Precision −2/+2 sec/day after casing. Centre hour, minute and seconds hands with stop-seconds; Rolex lists no date function for this reference. |
What is identical
Worth knowing as much as the differences: these are the specifications you cannot use to tell the two apart.
- Water resistance
- Waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet
- Crystal
- Scratch-resistant sapphire
- Case back
- Screw-down
- Crown
- Screw-down, Twinlock double waterproofness system
- Bracelet
- Oyster, three-piece solid links, Oystersteel
- Calibre
- Calibre 3230, Manufacture Rolex
- Movement
- Perpetual, mechanical, self-winding; bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor
- Power reserve
- Approximately 70 hours
- Certification
- Superlative Chronometer (official chronometer certification + Rolex certification after casing)
What the differences cost you
Each note below follows from the published figures in the tables above — what they mean for intake, for a listing, and for the handover. Nothing here estimates a price or a margin.
These reach different buyers
41 mm on the 134303 against 36 mm on the 124270. Diameter is a poor predictor of how a watch actually sits, but it is the field buyers filter on, so the two land in front of different people. Do not let one listing's photographs or copy stand in for the other.
One of these is a different asset to hold
The 134303 has a gold case and the 124270 is steel. That is not just a price difference: a precious-metal case changes what your insurer needs told, how the piece should be stored and handled, and — in some jurisdictions — whether trading it puts you under a precious-metals rule your steel stock would not. Check your own city guide before you assume they are the same transaction.
What to check on each
124270
- Put almost all your attention on the case. With no bezel insert, no date and no complication, condition and originality of the steel is most of what distinguishes one example from another.
- Check the crown is the Twinlock system rather than Triplock. This reference uses the two-seal crown, and knowing which you are looking at matters when assessing a case that has been apart.
- Sight along the polished lug chamfers. At 36mm there is little material to lose, and a refinished case shows in softened bevels long before it shows anywhere else.
134303
- Check the clasp is an Oysterclasp rather than an Oysterlock. Rolex specifies the plain folding clasp here with no safety catch, and its absence is correct rather than a missing part.
- Note that the bracelet is Oystersteel while the case is Yellow Rolesor. The gold is in the case and bezel, not the band, and a buyer expecting gold links will be disappointed.
- Confirm there is no date aperture and no Cyclops on the crystal, both of which are correct for this reference.
Sources
- Rolex official product page for reference 124270 (Explorer 36; Oyster 36 mm; Oystersteel) - Model case: Oyster; 36 mm; Oystersteel; Oyster architecture: monobloc middle case; screw-down case back and winding crown; Diameter: 36 mm; Material: Oystersteel; Bezel: smooth; Winding crown: screw-down with Twinlock double waterproofness system; Crystal: scratch-resistant sapphire; Water resistance: waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet; Movement: perpetual; mechanical; self-winding; Calibre: 3230; Manufacture Rolex; Precision: -2/+2 sec/day after casing; Functions: centre hour; minute and seconds hands; stop-seconds for precise time setting; Oscillator: paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring with high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers; Winding: bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor; Power reserve: approximately 70 hours; Bracelet: Oyster; three-piece solid links; Oystersteel; Clasp: folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link; Dial: black with highly legible Chromalight display; Certification: Superlative Chronometer — retrieved 2026-09-22
- Rolex official product page for reference 134303 (Oyster Perpetual 41; Oyster 41 mm; Oystersteel and yellow gold) - Model case: Oyster; 41 mm; Oystersteel and yellow gold; Oyster architecture: monobloc middle case; screw-down case back and winding crown; Diameter: 41 mm; Material: Yellow Rolesor - combination of Oystersteel and yellow gold; Bezel: domed; Winding crown: screw-down; Twinlock double waterproofness system; Crystal: scratch-resistant sapphire; Water resistance: waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet; Movement: perpetual; mechanical; self-winding; Calibre: 3230; Manufacture Rolex; Precision: -2/+2 sec/day after casing; Functions: centre hour; minute and seconds hands; stop-seconds for precise time setting; no date is listed; Oscillator: paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring; high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers; Winding: bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor; Power reserve: approximately 70 hours; Bracelet: Oyster; three-piece solid links; Oystersteel; Clasp: folding Oysterclasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link; Dial: slate with highly legible Chromalight display; Certification: Superlative Chronometer — retrieved 2026-09-23
Not affiliated with Rolex. Specifications are read from each manufacturer's own published documentation on the dates shown and may change; the manufacturer's current documentation governs.