Smiths Everest Expedition Tribute
The Backstory:
I remember seeing this ad while reading through National Geographic Magazines years ago. After seeing this, one would assume that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were wearing this exact Rolex Explorer when they summited Everest. That assumption would be wrong, however, since the watch pictured didn’t start production until 1989. If you read the ad though, it doesn’t mention that the watch was worn there, it just details how awesome Hillary and Norgay were. .
More to the Story:
“I carried your watch to the summit. It worked perfectly”-Sir Edmund Hillary
The ad above for Smiths watches references that Hillary had one of their watches when he was the first man to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. The watch he took with him is pictured next to it. The Smiths watch company is an English watchmaker with quite an extensive history. They started out making pocket watches and were making high quality wristwatches at the time of the Hillary expedition.
Pictured above, is the watch Hillary had. From all of my research, Smiths never produced that model for the public, however, they made the dial design for the J.W. Benson company on one of their wrist watches, which is also pictured above. The vintage watch on the right is the closest to getting the dial design of the watch that Hillary wore. It is a classic design, that looked great in the 50’s, and in my opinion, still looks great today. Another interesting Smiths note, is that the brand also sponsored a Trans-Antarctic expedition with Hillary and Vivian Fuchs from 1955-1958.
For further reading on the watches worn on during their climb, I highly recommend: The Watches that conquered Mt. Everest, on Crown & Caliber.
The Modern Tribute:
The Smiths company that created the Everest expedition watches is no longer in business. The brand however, had been resurrected by a company called Time Factors, and they carry on the tradition Smiths watches.
The watch above is a tribute to the watch that Hillary had when he conquered Everest. The dial is a modern interpretation of the expedition watch, without the sub seconds hand at 6 o’clock. The numbers on the dial are almost a dead ringer for the ones on Hillary’s watch. The riveted watchband is also a great throwback, which was also done with Tudor on their Black Bay watches.
The watch also includes the leather strap as well.
I think that this is an incredible, modernized version of what the original Smiths Hillary watch was. It has enough subtle nods to its heritage, yet a modernized movement and materials that make it a great daily wearer. I don’t know why, but I also love the use of the red “lollipop” second hand as well. In fact, the only thing about this watch that I don’t like is the “Everest Expedition” written on the dial. In some cases, less is more on the dial. If it were me, I would have written something on the case back, and let the dial speak for itself. Other than that, i can’t think of anything else i would change! Go over to Time Factors and check out their offerings.
Specs:
36mm Diameter
Lug to lug height 43.5mm
11.3mm to the top of the hi-dome sapphire crystal
Lug spacing 20mm
Anti-magnetic 4800 A/m with anti-magnetic movement cover
Water Resistance 10ATM/100 metres/330 feet
Screw back, screw down crown, drilled lugs
Numbers SuperLuminova X1-C3
Miyota 9039, 24 jewel automatic, 28,800 BPH
Solid link stainless steel "rivet" bracelet tapering from 20mm to 16mm with screwed links, solid end links and signed clasp
Cost and Availability:
£325 (about $405), not cheap, but certainly cheaper than a Rolex Explorer. Available exclusively through Time Factors
