EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ROLEX EXPLORER II

Its indexes and hands feature a highly legible Chromalight with long-lasting blue luminescence. With its contrasting black or white dial, the Explorer II has a clean, uncluttered look that's easy to read in any situation.

The Chromalight display ensures optimum legibility of indications in all light conditions. Bright white in daylight, the luminescent material applied to the numerals, indexes and hands emits an intense blue glow in the dark.

Exclusive to Rolex and introduced in 2008, the Chromalight display has been optimized for 2021 to maintain the intensity of the blue glow for longer. The performance of this luminescent substance clearly exceeds the standards required by the watchmaking norm.

Composed of aluminum, strontium, dysprosium and europium, it has the ability to store light energy, releasing it gradually as it disappears. 

First obtained in powder form, it requires a complex manufacturing process to be heated to a very elevated temperature, mixed with a resin and then applied by hand to pointers and indexes. This operation demands the utmost precision to perfectly dose the quantity of material and obtain a uniform result that meets Rolex's own criteria of excellence.

Another characteristic present on every Explorer : mercedes pointers for hours and a lollipop one for seconds. Thanks to their width being larger than the usual, it increases the readability for the owner no matter the speed or altitude they’re at.

Rolex used Oystersteel steel to manufacture many of the components of its watch cases. Specially developed by the brand, Oystersteel belongs to the 904L family of steels, mainly used in the high-tech, aerospace and chemical sectors, where maximum resistance to corrosion is required from the provider. 

In 1985, Rolex became the first watch brand to use fixed solid blocks of 904L steel for the manufacture of certain cases.

Oystersteel is extremely hard-wearing, provides a premium quality finish after polishing, and retains its beauty even in the most hostile environments.

Rich in chromium and molybdenum, it is extremely resistant to impact and corrosion. But not yet hard enough. That's why it is inspected microscopically from the very first stages of shaping and throughout the priming process, to control and refine its microstructure before machining. 

All these steps contribute to guaranteeing the mechanical properties of this alloy. Finally, the unique brilliance is revealed thanks to the expertise of Rolex's polishers. Only then does it take on the name “Oystersteel”.

The Oyster strap is the perfect alchemy of form and function, aesthetics and technology, designed to be both robust and comfortable. It features an Oysterlock folding clasp, eliminating any possibility of accidental opening, and an Easylink comfort quick-release extension, another Rolex exclusive. This ingenious system makes it easy to adjust the length of the bracelet by around 5 mm, offering extra comfort in all circumstances. Anyway, if you’d like to change it, here is a wide choice of rubberstraps that can fit your Rolex among your preferences.

Rolex “Polar” Explorer models include all the vintage and new white dials of the Explorer collection. The Polar Explorer models are one of the relatively few Rolex sports watch collections that features a white dial. Due to this unique trait, it has always had a bit of a cult following among collectors. The very first Polar Explorer II was thus the 16550 in 1985, the first to be available in black but also with a white dial version. Unlike subsequent iterations of the white dial that show black surrounds for the hour markers, the very first Polar Explorer II (ref.16550) dials had polished white gold surrounds. It was above all the first Rolex watch to highlight the familiar mix of dots and batons for the hour markers, as did the Mercedes pointer, looking far more to the GMT-Master than the first Explorer II.

On the Polar 16570, only a few details changed : one of them being the black outlines of the hour markers, which contrast sharply against the cool white background. Produced during over two decades, this model has received several upgrades as the caliber 3185 being replaced by the 3186 one or the Luminova hands upgraded with Superluminova technology from 1990. One of the first Rolex to have the name of the brand engraved on the dial edge as an anti-counterfeit measure.

The reference 216570 came in third place. This new model launched in 2011 was boosted to 42mm box instead of 40mm before. The 24h hand is now orange instead of red, as a reference of the very first Explorer II. This new reference is powered by a caliber 3187 with an automatic movement, more powerful and efficient than the 3185 present on the 16570 thanks to its use of Paraflex shock absorbers.

For the first time on a Explorer, Rolex used its own Chromalight luminous material on the markers and hands. Unlike the green glow of Luminova and Super-Luminova technology, Chromalight emits a blue glow when it goes darker. To match the wider case size, Rolex made a Maxi dial and larger markers and hands to fill out the space.

Out in 2021, the reference 226570 is the latest release of the Explorer II collection. At first glance, not so many differences with its big sister the 216570. Then we learned that the caliber is now a 3285 with an increased power reserve (this calibre has started in the latest GMT-Master collection). It now offers the watch an 70-hour power reserve thanks to its optimized Chronergy escapement and blue Parachrom hairspring, guaranteed to be accurate within 2 seconds per day. The lugs are thinned down so the strap can be widened a little. Like the Submariner, you can distinguish it from the previous generation thanks to a small Rolex logo between the “Swiss” and the “made” under the 6-o’clock marker.

The 226570 reference features matte outlines and not glossy ones anymore, made to enhance the contrast with the light background and to reduce reflections. As you can see, nothing revolutionary but Rolex is all about improving the small details.

Like we talked about a few moments ago, the Polar collection includes all the white dial models. Of course, there are a few exceptions : a few Polar Explorer II watches go with a cream dial and white-gold markers and hands. As they are much more difficult to find, they’re floating around and much desirable/expensive for the Rolex fans.

The Explorer II is equipped with caliber 3285, a Perpetual rotor self-winding movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex.

A concentration of technology, this movement has been the subject of several patent applications. It delivers high performance in terms of precision, autonomy, shock resistance, ease of use and reliability.

Made of nickel-phosphorus, this movement features the patented Chronergy escapement, which combines high energy efficiency with great operating reliability.

Caliber 3285 also features the blue Parachrom balance spring, manufactured by the Swiss brand in a paramagnetic alloy. Resistant to shocks and elevated magnetic fields, this balance-spring offers great stability in the face of temperature variations.

The oscillator is mounted on Rolex-developed and patented high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers, which give the movement enhanced shock resistance. Thanks to its superior escapement performance, the caliber 3285 boasts a power reserve capacity of around 70 hours.

The Explorer II is an interesting alternative to the Rolex GMT Master II, the other Rolex who got to have a “sequel”, alongwith the Yacht-master.

The first Explorer ever is the reference 1655, out in 1971. This very first edition came in all stainless steel with a 39mm wide case. Somehow it became common knowledge that the one and only on display at the time, Steve McQueen wore one, although there is not a shred of evidence or even a photo to prove it. Nevertheless, the ref 1655 is now and forever known as the Steve McQueen Rolex. Mindful of its anticipated audience, Rolex turned up the watch's readability to 11, especially in the dark. 

In addition to the normal luminescent markers every five minutes, they were also given small luminous squares in-between to better correspond with the watch's 24-hour display. The main handset (plain sticks as opposed to the Mercedes type which would come on later references) was also heavy on the tritium, as was the distinctive 24-hour hand. This bright orange pointer ultimately resulted in the watch being nicknamed the Freccione after the Italian word for 'arrow' and this unique vintage trait is a real favorite among Rolex collectors. Later in the production run of the ref. 1655, examples had their 24-hour hands painted red but over time, these have all faded to a similar washed-out color as their orange counterparts.

Then 14 years later came out the reference 16550, out in 1985 available both in black and white dial. This “limited” edition was only produced during 4 years therefore has a very rare availability. First to present a 40mm case, it’s also the first model to have a sapphire crystal thin as papers instead of an acrylic one. 

Moreover, this is the reference that introduced the independent 24-hour hand on the dial, thus upgrading the Explorer II from a watch with an AM/PM indicator to one with GMT functionality. This low availability makes it really sought-after by the collectors.

To finish the vintage collection, we have the third reference 16570, that you can either buy with a black or a white dial. Also featuring a 40mm case, this one was released in 1989.

Here comes the modern editions, in particular with reference 216570 (white gold and black dial available). Launched in 2011 to mark the watch’s 40th anniversary, it’s first larger model with a 2mm wider case than the previous ones, making it 42mm large.

Last but not least, we finish with the 226570 reference, also featuring a white gold or a black dial. Still featuring a 42mm wide case, the model was released in 2021 for the collection’s 50th anniversary. This was the last edition that came out (for the moment). But we still hope that they will someday release a new one, we will be the first to buy it !

At €10,500, the black-dialed Rolex Explorer II ref. 16570 represents the most affordable watch to buy. Its successor (ref. 216570) is only slightly more expensive. The Polar reference 16550 with white dial, on the other hand, has risen sharply in recent years, with an average price of €18,800 in perfect condition.

If you are rather interested to buy the vintage reference 1655, you should expect to invest over €30,000 for an example in good condition.

In mid-2022, the price of a second-hand Explorer 1655 averaged €31,000. However, particularly well-preserved examples or those with original accessories can sell a lot higher and even exceed €50,000. All in all, the value trend for this reference is excellent.

Although small fluctuations have been noticed, a glance at the trend reveals that the value has been rising sharply since the beginning of 2018. In just over five years, the price of the Explorer 16550 has risen from around €8,000 to almost €19,000 (in April 2023), an appreciation of almost 137%.