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Reference:explorer-ii


Rolex Explorer II

The Explorer II is the fixed-bezel 24-hour sibling to the Explorer I. Rolex launched it in 1971 for cave and polar use, and every Explorer II since has kept the 24-hour hand and bezel.

Five references make up the line: the 1655 with linked-hand day-night logic, the 16550 with the first true GMT function, the 16570 across the long middle run, the 42mm 216570 from 2011, and the 226570 in current production.

The first Explorer II (1971–1984)

Reference Production Movement Case Key distinction
1655 1971–1984 Cal. 1575 GMT 40mm SS, acrylic Freccione orange straight/lollipop hand; 5 Mark dials + 2 service dials; linked-hand 24-hour; fixed engraved steel bezel

The transitional reference (1985–1989)

Reference Production Movement Case Key distinction
16550 1985–1989 Cal. 3085 40mm SS, sapphire First sapphire; first independent-hour GMT; black or Polar white dial; cream/rail dial paint-defect variant

The long-run modern reference (1989–2010)

Reference Production Movement Case Key distinction
16570 1989–2010 Cal. 3185, then 3186 late 40mm SS, sapphire Four internal versions: V1 tritium, V2 Swiss-only, V3 Super-LumiNova, V4 no-holes case plus cal 3186; black or Polar white; SRR military limited edition 2007

Current-production successors

The 42mm ceramic-era successors continue the line beyond the vintage and neo-vintage generations.

  • 216570 (2011–2021) — 42mm case, cal. 3187, reintroduced orange 24-hour hand
  • 226570 (2021–present) — cal. 3285, current production

Movement progression

Caliber Frequency Power reserve 24-hour function Used in Notes
1575 GMT 19,800 vph ~48 hr linked to hour hand 1655 Shared with GMT-Master 1675; 24-hour hand advances with hour hand, works as day-night indicator
3085 28,800 vph 48 hr (disputed: some sources say 42 hr) independent-hour 16550 First Explorer II with true GMT; shared with GMT-Master II 16760 "Fat Lady"; 6.3mm thick
3185 28,800 vph ~50 hr independent-hour 16570 Successor to 3085 with minor revisions; ran through most of the 16570
3186 28,800 vph ~50 hr independent-hour 16570 (late 2006+) Added blue Parachrom hairspring; fixed the 3185 GMT-hand wobble

Dial variant highlights

Variant taxonomy across the line, in brief:

  • 1655 Mark dials — Mk1 (large crown), Mk2 (Frog Foot), Mk3 (Rail Dial), Mk4 (taller crown, T SWISS <25 T serif), Mk5 (sans-serif). Two Beyeler service dials also exist.
  • 16550 cream / rail dial — a subset of Polar white dials aged to cream through a factory paint defect Rolex later corrected. Rail-dial sub-variant has the C of CHRONOMETER aligned vertically over the C of CERTIFIED.
  • 16570 Swiss-only — about 5 percent of production, covering the 1998–1999 window when the dial carried Luminova lume but kept the older SWISS (not SWISS MADE) printing.

Cross-references

The Explorer II is the sibling of the Explorer I line and shares calibers and case architecture with the GMT-Master line. The caliber 1575 in the 1655 is the same caliber 1575 used in the GMT-Master 1675, configured differently: linked-hand on the Explorer II, independent-hour on the GMT-Master. The caliber 3085 in the 16550 is the same caliber 3085 that powered the GMT-Master II 16760.

Sources

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