A lot of "watchies" don't cotton too well to the idea of buying a watch that is a clone of some "greater" watch. Well, for those folks I'll suggest Smiths, which is "the other watch" that went to Everest with Sir Edmund and Tenzing. They (or more accurately, the owner of the brand name -- Smiths proper folded in the 1970s) now have a watch called the Explorer. It has a very Rolex Explorer look (i.e., the one that went with Sir Edmund) and can be had for $350 or so. Not a bad looker and a darn nice price.
As for the story, you read these at your leisure:
- http://watcharama.com/smiths-everest-prs-25/ - FWIW, this blog has quite a few very comprehensive reviews of affordable watches and is a great resource for folks seeking good info and good products at sane prices.
- http://wornandwound.com/2013/07/17/s...prs-25-review/ -- I love this blog because the reviews front page has pics of the watches that are being reviewed and you click on the pic, rather than some text that tells you nothing of what the watch looks like, to access the review.