compare and contrast for me: black ExII vs GMT C

[sambb]

i am considering a black face Exp II vs a GMT IIc. I like the black face explorer, and dont like the polished links on the GMT, but the GMT seems to retain value a lot better. And it has the 3186 (when did it appear in the Exp II). I would love to garner opinions from the forum members on this dilemma.

[Thai]

If you have the money, then get GMTIIc...one of the best watch ever to come from Rolex IMHO. If money is tight, then go for the EXPII with the 3186 movement...you can get much more discounts with EXPII. I believe that M and V series EXPII have the 3186 movement...supposedly. Thus, EXPII is like the poor-man's version of GMTIIC...and its resale value will reflect that too (if you care about such things).

[Tools]

I'm not sure how you guys come up with your information...

The Exp II has more references that bring in loads more money than the GMT II.. You can't hardly touch a 25 year old Exp II for under 10 grand..

The GMT IIc has only been out for a couple of years...and it costs a whole lot more than the Exp II, so in the short term it will sell for less.... The only person who needs it to hold value in the short run is somebody who plans to flip it or a volume seller...

Get the watch you want to put on your wrist every morning for the next several years...Not what is the Watch de jour..

[timepieceaddict]

Can pick up a pre loved exp II and not lose any money on it as it has already taken the biggest hit of depreciation.

[JCirillo]

most folks are going to tell you get the watch that feels right for you, otherwise you will just end up flipping the "logical choice" and buying the one you really liked later.
they really are different styles, i have a white dial exp ii that i wear daily. it is low profile, both in terms of noticeability and fit under a cuff.
if you are concerned about resale then get one off our sales forum from a regular seller which is what i did.
I to don't understand the bad rap the iconic exp ii gets with respect to resale value. I know a guy that bought a gold president from an AD and sold it a few years later, you wanna talk about taking it in the shorts, he lost thousands. but you hardly ever hear hand wringing about the resale value TT and 18K rollies.

[kcmo]

I'm with Larry....get the one that makes you smile! End of story.

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by kcmo

I'm with Larry....get the one that makes you smile! End of story.

...........and you can take that to the bank, right?

[spuds]

If you want a Rolex that shouts 'I'M A ROLEX' buy the GMTIIc.

If you want watch that 'flies under the radar' buy the ExpII.

IMO re-sale values are reasonably comparable percentage wise to the original cost, so shouldn't really be an issue.

(the ExpII's clasp's more of an issue to me than the resale to be honest..... )

[jvo300]

Buy the one you want and don't worry about resale. If you know that you will flip (hey, I understand and do it all the time -- at a loss), then look for a good value preowned. I have both the GMTIIC and EXPII 16550. They are so very different, yet I love them both. If I had to choose one, Id go with the GMTIIC. My choice has nothing to do with economics or resale value, I just like wearing the GMTIIC more!

[Damage Inc.]

Don't like the PCL- Have them brushed
Bezel- I like the ability to move the bezel for time tracking purposes & I like the ceramic bezel better than the steel w/ painted/engraved #'s

[Ken Cox]

As a professional pilot and world traveler, I have worn a GMT Master II for 26 years and I have found that I don't use the rotating bezel.

The "jump" hour hand serves my purposes much better, as does the 24 hour hand set to UTC/GMT time.

I find the height of the bezel on the GMT Master II annoying when it comes to shirt and jacket cuffs, and I note how often Explorer II owners comment favorably about how well an Explorer II fits under cuffs.

If buying a watch today, I would favor the black face Explorer II with the 3186 movement over any other present day Rolex; no contest.

[Fofo]

Originally Posted by Ken Cox

As a professional pilot and world traveler, I have worn a GMT Master II for 26 years and I have found that I don't use the rotating bezel.

The "jump" hour hand serves my purposes much better, as does the 24 hour hand set to UTC/GMT time.

I find the height of the bezel on the GMT Master II annoying when it comes to shirt and jacket cuffs, and I note how often Explorer II owners comment favorably about how well an Explorer II fits under cuffs.

If buying a watch today, I would favor the black face Explorer II with the 3186 movement over any other present day Rolex; no contest.

+1

[Warnsboy]

Originally Posted by Fofo

+1

+2

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by Ken Cox

If buying a watch today, I would favor the black face Explorer II with the 3186 movement over any other present day Rolex; no contest.

What if it's a WHITE dial, V-series with the 3186 movement?

[Zirotti]

Deepsea ;)

[submariner16610]

i'll go for gmt2c no brainer

[ayres]

Have u tried either on your wrist? They will wear very differently, and that is and should be one of the most important considerations.