Review of the Rolex Explorer II 216570

Review of the Rolex Explorer II 216570

Jan 19

Review of the Rolex Explorer II 216570
By: John B. Holbrook, II
January 20th, 2012

If you’re a long time reader of LuxuryTyme.com, you’ll know my very first brand new Rolex was a white dial Explorer II 16570 I purchased back in 2004.  When I bought my first white dial Daytona, I decided I didn’t need two white dial Rolexes in my collection, and sold my Explorer II.  Truth be told, I’ve missed that watch on more than a few occasions.  Even though it wore a little smaller than my other sport Rolex watches,  it was a fantastic daily driver thanks to the all-brushed stainless steel finish.  It has a date complication unlike my Daytona (the only watch I own that doesn’t have a date complication on the dial).  But the 16570 had a few irksome qualities as well – in addition to the just-a-bit-on-the-small-side size, the Twinlock crown was too small, both aesthetically and functionally.  And of course that clasp left much to be desired….

As was announced here on LuxuryTyme.com back in March, Rolex released a new version of their Explorer II at Baselworld 2011.  I was lukewarm when I first saw photos of the new 216570 Explorer II.  While I had always wanted the Explorer II to be a bit bigger, 42mm sounded too big.  And while I appreciated the retro styling of the orange GMT hand and orange writing on the dial, (an homage to the original Explorer II 1655 from 1971)  I was sad it didn’t retain the red dial elements I liked so much about my old 16570 Explorer II.

Once new Rolex models are announced at Basel, it generally takes at least 6 months for them to start showing up here in the US.  Around October of 2011, I started seeing reports of US buyers purchasing the new 216570.  A good friend of mine had gotten really excited about the new Explorer II and its pure white dial, and finally found one locally in January of 2012.  He purchased it immediately and allowed me to borrow it for a couple of days so I could review it.  Here’s a photo of his Rolex Explorer II 216570 white dial (note the 216570 is also available with a black dial) – just click on any of the photos below to see a larger version:

For comparison, here’s a photo of my old Explorer II 16570:

Despite being so cosmetically similar, the new Explorer II 216570 has a substantial number of upgrades over its predecessor.  The case is done in the new Rolex “super case” design with fatter lugs and crown guards, and features a Twinlock crown (water resistance is 100m/330ft.).  This is about the fourth super case Rolex I’ve reviewed, and I think the look is finally starting settle in with me – it often takes me awhile to adjust to changes of this nature.   The case diameter is 42mm, which on paper is larger than the newly redesigned Rolex Submariner 116610.  In practice however, it looks very close in size to the new Submariner.  Here’s a photo of the 216570 next to my 16610 Submariner:

Now here’s a photo of the 116610 Submariner next to my 16610.  Keep in mind that both of these watches have 40mm cases, but the fatter lugs and crown guards make the 116610 appear larger than the 16610, and roughly the same size as the 216570:

The Explorer II does have a larger wrist presence than my 16610 Submariner but doesn’t look too large on my almost 7″ wrist:

I frequently wear my Rolex sport watches with a suit, but the 216570 might just be larger than what I’d feel comfortable wearing with a suit.  However, I was actually surprised at how good it looked – the orange elements are more subtle when the watch is on the wrist than photos might lead you to believe, so do try this watch on before you make up your mind about it.

Like the other crop of upgraded Rolex watches from recent years, every steel part you see is made entirely of Rolex 904L stainless steel (if you have an older 5 digit reference number Rolex, certain parts are not constructed from 904L, such as the case back and clasp).  As of this writing, Rolex is still the only watch manufacturer which uses 904L in their stainless steel watches.  Gone too are hollow links pressed metal clasps – the 21670 has an Oyster bracelet with all-solid links, and a solid clasp and deployant:

One of the best features of this clasp is the Rolex “Tropic Link” feature first seen on the Rolex Daytona 116520.  When warmer weather rolls around, your wrist can some times swell a bit and make your watch uncomfortable.  Simply release the Tropic Link and it gives you the perfect amount of relief – no tools required.  It’s amazing how just a few years ago, a Rolex clasp was the subject of many a joke, while now it’s one of the industry’s best.

The dial of the Explorer II 216570 retains much of the same great high contrast design as the previous generation, adding an orange GMT hand, and orange writing on the dial:

This is a great looking dial that is about as legible as they come thanks to the high contrast black outlined markers and hands against the snow white dial.  Rolex’s new “Chromalight” luminous coating on the hands and markers, the Explorer II has excellent low light viability as well:

Chromalight is said to last 8 hours.  I woke up to a pitch black room after 7 hours of sleep, and checked the 216570, and sure enough, I could read the dial just fine.  In fact, I compared the luminous output to my Lum-Tec M27, having both been exposed to the same lighting conditions prior to my going to sleep, and the 216570 was brighter than the Lum-Tec!  That really impressed me because Lum-Tec’s proprietary luminous paint has been brightest glowing lume I’ve seen.  From what I’ve seen in my testing, Chromalight seems be less intense initially, but remains visible for a longer duration than other Super-Luminova based lume formulations.  Here’s a lume shot of the 216570 next to my 16610 Submariner – the 16610 seems to have more intensity:

Another long overdue upgrade found on the 216570 is the anti-reflective coating which has been applied to the date magnification cyclops.  The improvement this provides for reading the date display cannot be overstated – it’s fantastic.  As usual, no anti-reflective coating is applied to the sapphire crystal which protects the dial.

Inside the Rolex Explorer II 21657 beats Rolex latest generation in-house designed and manufactured movement – the Rolex caliber 3187.  Like the 3186 before it, the 3187 is an evolution of the 3185, so many of the basic stats are the same in terms of jewel count (31), beat speed (28,800 bph), etc. The only difference between the Rolex 3186 and Rolex 3187 is that the caliber 3187 replaces the KIF shock resistance system with Rolex’s own new Paraflex system for absorbing and nullifying the effects of shock on the balance wheel.  Those who have an older Rolex with a “4th hand” will notice that the caliber 3187 has been refined to allow for a smoother, more precisely moving 24hr. hand. The 3187 is also equipped with the Rolex in-house hairspring – the “Parachrom Bleu.” This Rolex patented hairspring is made of an alloy of exotic metals such as Niob, and Hafnium among others. Niob oxidizes when exposed to oxygen, and thus creates the distinctive blue color of the hairspring. These new, non-ferrous materials make the hairspring resistant to magnetic fields, as well as being all but unaffected by changes in temperature – two accuracy killers for mechanical watches.

I have to admit that of the re-designed “Super Case” model Rolex watches I’ve reviewed in the past few years, the Explorer II 216570 has grabbed me the most, and just might make its way into my collection.  Partially because I’ve always liked the Explorer II.  But also because the new 216570 not only addresses all the things I didn’t like about my previous 16570, it offers upgraded features which make it an extremely desirable choice for a “daily driver” Rolex.  The Rolex Explorer II 216570 currently carries a retail price of $7,750.00.

As I mentioned, this particular Explorer II belongs to a good friend of mine who does gear reviews on YouTube.  He did an excellent video overview (one of the best I’ve ever seen on a watch) on this watch that I highly recommend you watch:

You can discuss this article in the Rolex Forum of my online luxury watch discussion forum community WATCH TALK FORUMS.