In fact, these frequently sell for more than the vintage Ref. The Polar dial models had a paint defect that caused the dial to slowly turn into a cream color, making them highly coveted by collectors.
The 16550 also introduced the two dial options that remain to this day, with a black or white (aka Polar) dial. It was also outfitted with the Caliber 3085, which added the previously mentioned independent hour hand functionality. The sapphire crystal, new Mercedes hands, hour markers, and 24-hour hand were all reminiscent of the GMT Master being produced in those days. For better or worse, the 16550 brought the Explorer II more into the fold of the Rolex sports watch family. These are much harder to find and are much pricier than the 16570. 16550 was produced between 19 and is seen as the “transitional” model between the original 1655 and the 16570 seen in this article. The totally overhauled Rolex Explorer II Ref. 1655 was not at all meant to be a travel watch, the 16570 introduced an independent hour hand that functionally made the watch a dual time zone travel watch. The darkness in some of these caves makes it impossible to tell whether it is day or night, which is the reason for the 24-hour hand and fixed bezel. Introduced as a watch for spelunkers, the Explorer II design is function over form. A bit of the black sheep of the Rolex sports-watch family, the Explorer II is the Prince Harry to the GMT-Master II’s Prince William (which is funny, because I think Harry wears a polar dial Explorer II). While the Submariner, GMT-Master II, and Daytona get all the spotlight, the Explorer II has been Rolex’s low-key utilitarian tool watch that is also a true travel watch for decades now. In fact, the first Rolex I bought was a 216570 black dial (for which I did a head-to-head comparison against the Submariner here). It has always been my favorite Rolex sports watch, hands down. Sure, I’m a bit biased towards the Explorer II. Low-key design, dual time zone functionality, near indestructibility, and with a doggedly non-luxurified attitude, the Explorer II 16570 may be the best value modern Rolex sports watch out there. 16570, which was the 40mm version that was produced for 22 years, from 1989 through 2011. In this article, I’m going to take a look at the Explorer II Ref. Social media and, frankly, articles like this one don’t do any favors for the enthusiast hunters out there, but you’d be surprised how many people I’ve met that are pretty clueless about the Explorer II. “Underrated,” “sleeper,” and “undervalued” may not be completely meaningless at this point, but we are getting there at a rapid pace.
There are a few words that have lost all meaning when it comes to discussing Rolex watches.
WATCH EXPLORERS 1985 SERIES
No Longer Made is a series done in collaboration with our partners at eBay, in which aBlogtoWatch editors feature their favorite watches that are no longer in production.
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