The Rolex Hillary Tenzing Edition Explorer Set is one of the most exciting custom Rolex packages that we have seen in a long time. Therefore we are of course very excited to finally be able to show you the full set today.

The watches and gear honoring Hillary and Tenzing, two of the greatest mountaineering families of all times, consists of three watches – specially done 36mm, 39mm and 42mm Rolex Explorers.

“Beyond just the three watches, however, each of the 88 Hillary Tenzing Edition sets come as a complete package with spectacular various custom-made items and gear commemorating the 1953 Everest expedition, such as a unique silver mountaineering pin, a limited HTE edition of the book Everest by the late George Band and a leather bound map of the original 1953 expedition route to Everest, to name a few highlights. All packed in a beautiful, hand-crafted wooden crate like the one use in the 1953 expedition. As well, buyers of a HTE package get an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join Peter Hillary and Jamling Tenzing Norgay on a private trek to Everest Basecamp in May 2012. In May 2011, HTE number 88/88 was sold for $104,568 at Christie’s in Geneva (proceeds went entirely to the Hillary and Tenzing family foundations), but you can get your own set for about $40,000 (asking price is 28,800 EUR).”

Make sure to check out the official website for some great background information and more.

A further look at the set follows after the jump.

With the rise of vintage watches and especially vintage Rolex watches, along with the entire heritage trend, a good guide is certainly useful. Buying an old watch is not an easy task, because just like with an oldtimer, if a single piece is not original, the watch is of much less value and since we are talking about considerable investments here, getting it right is a must.

Ben Klimer of Hodinkee has produced a handy Vintage Rolex Buying Guide for Park & Bond. Check it out here.

Rolex just released about two months ago their new orange hand Explorer II watch, a nod to their original design from the 70s. Slightly bigger in size than the previous one, the watch has now also landed in the Bamford Watch Department, where it received the popular black PVD make-over. Should you decide to customize the watch, we suggest that you keep it simple – black watch, orange hand – that is already enough.

To celebrate the opening of The Gurus Shop in Hong Kong, they teamed up with the Bamford Watch Department. Together they produced two versions of the Rolex Sea-Dweller Deapsea. The watches feature an all black PVD upper, black dial and accents in orange and light blue on the dial and bezel. Both watches are now exclusively available from The Gurus Shop.

After having presented the first Project X Designs Stealth Submariners a while ago, we show you their latest style to be released November 2011. The Stealth MK I Rolex Submariner inspired by the historic models of the past and the legendary british SBS, combining subtle styling modifications with enhanced functionality.

Furthermore the watch comes with a matt finish case and bracelet, crown guard removal evoking the Bond Subs of the 1950s, military bars, STEALTH dial text in red, black dial lume, black bezel dot, skeletal hands and the edition number engraved on the back of the case. We love the subtle changes of the watch, without changing too much the classic appearance of the watch. Limited to only 24 watches, a release is scheduled for later this month. More info and ordering, you can do here.

An interesting new limited edition release comes from the Bamford Watch Department. In their latest work on the Rolex GMT Master 2, they present a black PVD case with yellow gold bezel and crown. Furthermore they added a matching crocodile watch strap. The watch is limited to only 25 pieces and available now.

Peter Hillary and Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the sons of Sir Edmund and Tenzing, present the complete collection of their customized Rolex Explorer watches. Even though not officially affiliated with Rolex, the two pay tribute to the great mountaineering quests of their fathers.

The Rolex Hillary Tenzing Explorer Package consists of a handcrafted wooden crate, as used during the 1953 British expedition and comes with 4 drawers, each containing custom made items commemorating the successful Everest expedition and 3 Rolex Explorer watches. All three watches have the unique HTE (Hillary Tenzing Explorer) feel, telling the stories of these great adventures.

The watch line-up includes the HTE 36mm, the same version that was worn by the original expedition participants, the HTE 39mm, which stands for Sir Edmund and Peter Hillary, two generations making the expedition. The last 42mm HTE, is the latest version of the watch by Rolex, customized and standing for Peter Hillary and Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the sons.

The vintage looks, small details, leather straps and just overall concept of this project are very impressive. It seems like a very meaningful way to customize a Rolex, rather than just simply turning it black or adding wild colors to it.

Priced at 28′800 Euros, you can pre-order the package now from the official HTE website.

More images of the watches and the pack follow after the jump.

Today we get a first better look at the upcoming collaboration between Bamford Watch Department and Dr. Romanelli. The LA based designer decided to work on the Rolex Milgauss, giving it some nice added details on the dial. In the coming days more news on the actual release of the watch should be revealed.

Slam Jam, the Italian distributor of Carhartt, visvim, Neighborhood and other brands, the company behind the Italian Stussy stores, Carhartt stores and of course the Slam Jam stores bringing everything cool from Japan over to Europe, is celebrating their 20th anniversary. For the occasion they present a special Rolex Submariner Watch, limited to of course 20 pieces.

“The Slam Jam logo stands on top of the Submariner wording on the dial and the rotatable bezel has minute markers running all around it.

Grey for the dial, the outer bezel and for the unique nato strap, with a touch of red for both the 20th minute and the seconds hand, the timepieces comes in a special box that reminds a military one.

Built in salvaged wood, the Box contains the original Rolex case, the steel bracelet, dial and bezel. It can only be opened by who has previously been given a special Torx Key.”

Unfortunately the watch is not for sale. Take a further look after the jump.

When it comes to customized blacked out Rolex watches Pro-Hunter was one of the very early brands in the market. Even though it seemed like a completely new thing only last year, Pro-Hunter has been paying homage to iconic Rolex styles from the 50s and 60s for many years already.

Here we take a look at their new Rolex Pro-Hunter Matt Daytona MK3. Watch case and bracelet come in matt black, the dial in matt grey, with only a few red accents distracting from the otherwise clean looks. As usual from Pro-Hunter, the watch comes in a limited and numbered edition of only 100 pieces.

Take a further look after the jump.