Smiths PRS Expedition Review: A Rolex Explorer 1016 Alternative

I’ve always dreamt of owning a Rolex Explorer 1016. It would be the perfect watch for my 6 inch wrists. But, it’s too much money to spend on a watch. Dont believe me? Here. It wasn’t until a few years down the line I came across the Smiths PRS Expedition. It had the size, history, and great built quality. More importantly? The Smiths PRS Expedition was available for under $500.

Smiths

If you don’t anything about Smiths watches, think of it as the Bulova Lunar Pilot to the Omega Speedmaster. The Rolex Explorer was made famous by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norway when they summited Everest. They also had with them at that time, a Smiths. You’ll be equally confused to know that neither watches at that time were configured with the now-famous 3,6,9 explorer dial. So, while the Smiths of today created an homage to the Explorer, Rolex did as well.

Unlike Rolex, Smiths unfortunately dissolved sometime during the 1960s to 70s. Timefactors bought the rights to the brand and now makes homage of classic watches.

Smiths PRS Expedition

The one we’ll be looking at today, isn’t the PRS-25 Everest which pays tribute to the Rolex Explorer. This is the Everest Expedition, which pays direct tribute to the Smiths A454, which is rumored to be the watch that Sir Edmund Hillary took with him on his expedition (no one really knows). Does this make the Smiths Expedition the ultimate Rolex Explorer 36 alternative? It’s not an homage to it, but rather an homage to the watch that may have shared the stage with the Explorer. And if it didn’t, the A454 was the tool-watch of choice for both Sir Edmund Hillary and Sir Vivian Fuchs on their Trans-Antarctic expedition during 1955-1958. 

Case & Bezel

The Expedition takes on a a plain but classic Oyster case that’s tool-ish in nature. There’s simplicity in the case that doesn’t draw too much attention towards it, but at the same time gives you a solid, and robust structure that sits nicely on the wrist. The simplicity rolls over the the sides – the fluidity and curvature of the case sides elevates the relatively boring design to one that screams underrated beauty. Remember, it’s supposed to be a tool watch, and I think the case design and finishing reflects that well.

The drilled lugs are a nice touch, an accurate nod to the traditional. It’s also functional for those wanting to try on different strap options. 

Crown is signed with the Smiths “Crown” at the 3. It is a screw down crown, but I’ve had better unwinding experiences. It’s a little stiff and not the easiest to grip, but I can understand it being faithful to the traditional design. The casebook is polished, and screw down, with engraved text of the brand name, model, water resistance and the reference number. 

For those with a wrist size similar to mine, the case proportion of the PRS 25 Expedition is pretty much perfect. Yes, it’s small, but tool-ish nature of the design and the beefy-feel  takes this 36 easily to a 38 – but without the extra millimeters. 

For around the $500 range, unless you’re going down the AliExpress route, you’ll have a hard time finding an alternative.

Dial & Hands

Unsurprisingly, the dial is pretty much a direct copy of the Smiths A454 – nicknamed the Deluxe, or the “Antarctic”. The dial is painted cream with printed black minute markers. The same black is used to outline the numbers and they are filled with C3 Superluminova which holds up nicely in the dark. The inner dial contains the Smiths logo, the “De Luxe” text at the 12, and “Everest Expedition” at the 6, which differs from the sub-seconds hand the A454 had. 

Syringe-style hands are used for both hour and minute (both heat-treated), and a lollipop red-seconds hand. Pretty faithful to the original but for me, the mixture of blue and red takes away from the “toolish” aesthetics of the Expedition, and gives it a dressier vibe. 

Am I a fan of the dial? Yes, but not in this package. Read below. 

Bracelet

The bracelet on the Smiths PRS Expedition is a weird one for me. It’s got solid links, solid end-links, screw pins, milled-clasp with a three-hole micro-adjustment, tapers from 20mm to 16mm, and a signed push-button deployment clasp. On paper, it’s got all the bells and whistles, and for the price, it’s unbeatable. Better yet? It comes with a complimentary tan leather strap. 

For me though, the bracelet doesn’t match the watch. I get that this is supposed to be a tool watch, but the bracelet significantly exaggerates the aggressiveness and utilitarian nature of the piece, which could well be a plus for you. 

Personally, the dressier nature of the dial makes me want to take the bracelet off immediately and put in on a plain gray nato – to really make the mixture of cream, red and blue pop. 

I feel like a beads of rice, or even a president-style bracelet could’ve sealed the package for me. The traditional oyster-style however, I’m not a fan. 

Comfort & Wearability

Yes and Yes. Honestly I could probably leave it at that.

If you’ve been in the market for a smaller sized timepiece, and you have a wrist size between 5.5 to 7 inches, this is a no brainer. Again, it’s not a large piece, but the “toolish” nature of the Expedition gives it an extra footprint on the wrist and the aggressiveness of the bracelet certainly helps with this. 

It’s not as much of a strap monster as its explorer-dial cousin, you’ll still be able to throw it on most nato and leather straps. For me, it’s perfect on a simple, gray nato. You’ll want something that plays secondary to the already-colorful dial. 

Overall, it’s a modern sports watch with vintage styling cues and design. Wear it in the summer with shorts, or channel your inner Sir Edmund Hillary and wear it on your next hike. 

Who is the Smiths PRS Expedition for?

If you’re looking to scratch the 1016 itch, but not wanting a direct homage in the PRS Everest, I can’t think of a better alternative than the Smiths PRS Expedition. We don’t know exactly which reference, but the Smiths that shared the stage with the Rolex on the Everest climb probably looked closest to the A454. 

And for those simply looking for a smaller sized tool watch in the affordable column, at less than $500, the Expedition is an offering that doesn’t have much competition, if any at all. You could argue that the SARB033/035 are it’s toughest competition, and I’d probably agree with you, but they differ drastically in their appeal. And the SARB’s are starting to get pricey. 

Is it for me? Probably not. But that’s a very personal preference, as I simply cannot fault the build quality and history that the PRS 25 Expedition comes with. 

To Close: Smiths PRS Expedition

Has it got the aesthetics? Again, not for me. 

What about comfort? Can’t go wrong for small wrists. Wears even better than the PRX 35.

Price? If you can snap it up on the TimeFactors official site, can’t beat 500 bucks.

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