Alex Honnold, Rolex, & the True Meaning of an Explorer

A dirtbag climber, a luxury tool watch, and what authenticity still looks like in modern watch marketing

Last week, professional climber Alex Honnold free solo climbed Taipei 101, a 1,667-foot-tall tower in Taipei, Taiwan. The feat was streamed live to millions around the globe and was quite the spectacle. Honnold is best known for his (even more impressive) June 2017 free solo ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite, which I would argue is one of the most significant athletic achievements of the modern era. I have never called myself a “fanboy” of anyone, but in an era where society rewards celebrities and influencers, it is refreshing to see a master of their craft be rewarded for their passion and efforts. I am a fan of Alex Honnold.

Honnold is a quintessential “dirtbag climber,” shaped by years of living out of a van, subsisting on minimal comforts, and channeling everything he had into his craft. What makes it even more interesting is that he wears a black dial Rolex Explorer II, likely reference 226570.  

Honnold wears the black dial version of the Explorer II reference 226570.

Given Honnold's background and professional accomplishments, he should be a perfect poster boy for the Use Your Tools lifestyle, but something about the watch on his wrist looks out of place, a stark contrast to his laid-back persona.  

Rolex Product Placement?

As we have discussed in the past (read HERE), Rolex is a marketing master, going back to the earliest days of Hans Wilsdorf. Rolex doesn’t have “brand ambassadors”, but it does have “Testimonees.” In the 20th century, these included individuals like endurance swimmer Mercedes Gleitze, who crossed the English Channel wearing a Rolex Oyster, Sir Malcolm Campbell, who broke several land speed records, and the climbers of the 1953 Mount Everest expedition, where Rolex accompanied humanity to the top of the world. (Note: some of these accomplishments are disputed.)  

Even into the 1990s and early 2000s, some of Rolex’s bigger names were individuals like Chuck Yeager, a famed test pilot and decorated WWII fighter ace, and Ed Viesters, a renowned American high-altitude mountaineer who wore an Explorer II on Mount Everest.

A Rolex advertisement featuring WWII Fighter Ace Chuck Yeager and the GMT-Master II. (Photo Credit: Rolex Magazine) 

Today, that same Testimonee model has largely pivoted to globally recognizable celebrities, with figures like Leonardo DiCaprio, Zendaya, and Roger Federer representing Rolex in cinema, sport, and culture. I am by no means discounting the accomplishments of these individuals, but the majority of them are not record-setting explorers. I am a fan of dreamy Leo, loved Blood Diamond, The Departed, and even the one where the ship sinks, but to put his accomplishments on the same level as a man like Alex Honnold, who risks his life for his trade, is a difficult leap for me. (Of note, there are some exceptions today in Rolex’s Testimonee portfolio, including Dawa Yangzum Sherpa, a Nepalese mountaineer, and “Queen of the Deep” Sylvia Earle. If you haven’t heard of these individuals, I don’t blame you.)

On paper, an “Explorer” Rolex on Honnold’s wrist makes sense. The Explorer II was designed as a tool watch for professional explorers and mountaineers, built to provide extreme legibility and complete with a 24-hour hand to help in distinguishing day from night in environments like caves, polar regions, and high-latitude expeditions where traditional time cues disappear. But in reality, given Honnold’s apparent shunning of material goods or comforts, it is hard for me to fathom that he walked into an AD and put his name on the list. Equally perplexing, he does not seem like someone who would wear the watch to make a quick buck. It is an intriguing contradiction.  

The Reality of Climbing With an Oyster Bracelet

(Photo Credit: Rolex Magazine) 

I should note that before joining CIA and embarking on a path that would lead me to becoming a watch influencer I was a competitive sport climber. Any climber will tell you that when on the rock, you want as few distractions as possible, and to this day, climbing is one time I always remove my watch. While there is a valid argument that a digital smart watch like a Suunto or Garmin is an ideal tool for alpine or mountaineering, a metal bracelet is a liability when rock climbing, which is why Honnold climbs with no watch at all.

Free soloing in Oman (Photo Credit: Jimmy Chin/Alex Honnold)

The Rolex - Honnold Partnership

It appears as though Honnold’s Explorer II is reserved almost exclusively for public appearances, including press events tied to major climbs like the Taipei 101. And while Honnold is not a Testimonee of Rolex and the Swiss brand is not listed among Honnold’s official sponsors, like Black Diamond and The North Face, it is clear there is some kind of an agreement in place, either tacit or implied. 

Alex Honnold’s relationship with Rolex appears to center on environmental storytelling. He hosts the Planet Visionaries podcast, which is produced in partnership with the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, a Rolex-supported program focused on conservation and climate solutions. The collaboration highlights shared themes of exploration and planetary stewardship, with Rolex branding present in the podcast, but does not position Honnold as a conventional watch ambassador.

(Photo Credit: Katie Couric)

Final Thoughts

While the Explorer II on Honnold's wrist may feel contrived and visually at odds with Honnold’s stripped-down, anti-luxury persona, it is also a quiet reminder of what the watch was originally meant to represent. Long before celebrity endorsements and red-carpet sightings, Rolex built its reputation by attaching itself to people who operated past the limits of human capability, not because they were famous, but because they were credible. 

If this article sounds like I am conflicted, trust your instincts. The contradiction is real: a luxury watch on the wrist of a man who famously rejects luxury. But that tension is not a flaw; it is the point. In that sense, Alex Honnold wearing an Explorer, even if only for public appearances, feels less like marketing and more like a return to form. If Rolex still wants its watches to symbolize real exploration rather than curated aspiration, few living individuals embody that ideal more cleanly than Honnold.

In this rare case, Honnold has also catapulted into the mainstream lexicon, and it may even sell a few watches… or at least add a few more names to the “waiting list.”

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