Explorer II 42mm

[Nico81]

Hello
Long long time lurker, learned so much, especially on technical side.
There is a wealth of information here.
Was hesitant of posting due to majority of posts discussing availability
Yet, ironically, my first post is just about that.
Fortunately I have a great long time relationship with AD that helped me tremendously with acquiring very desired professional Rolex models over the years.

However, I have been on the list on Polar Explorer II 50th anniversary and there is none on horizon.
One of owners ( two sisters
Run this small AD) mentioned they received only one polar back in August.
On average, they receive 2 stainless daytonas per month, multiple subs, and Gmts a month to give you an idea of honest allocation to small market AD.

I wonder, if people are seeing same patern or if there are any deliveries recently.

Thanks and apologies for yet another “availability “ post

Cheers

[paxjedi]

Welcome to the dark side.

Pattern? The only pattern you will see is that prices are going up, while availability is going down. The slope of that pattern has been rising for five years now and will not stop.

(Don't be surprised if someone sends you a PM to ask your AD's name so they can call to buy those two Daytonas every month.)

[arcampado]

Welcome to the forum

I hope that you get your EXPII Polar soon. Side note, SS Daytona allocation seems high based on being a small town AD

[watchwatcher]

Hmmm...so they're getting all those Daytona's and subs/GMT's and can't get an EXP2.

Yeah...no.

[Kevin of Larchmont]

I received my Exp II in December of 2020. I was told by my SA who I’ve known for years and trust that it was only the second one they had received all year. So there you go

[afmars]

You have to remember that there are only 2 configurations of this watch while there are several for each sub/gmt/Daytona. So while they are likely getting several subs per month it is split between bluesy, PM, date/no date, green, etc. Exp II is definitely rarer than other professional sports models but demand is not very high. I’d say it is definitely believable that they haven’t had one since august. One Ad who got me a Pepsi in less then a month told me he had customers asking for a polar and he was not able to get one for them at that time (March 2021).

If you have an honest relationship with your AD I’d say it is totally reasonable that they should be abele to get one for you in a years time. They should also know they’re 2022 allocation at this point and be able to tell you how many people are in line.

[911_3.6]

I have been waiting for a polar Explorer 2 for over three years myself with none coming into my AD.

I was offered the black Explorer 2 a couple times and turned it down thinking the white would soon come, but they just don’t get any.

However, I was able to purchase a Batgirl, Pepsi, and white dial Daytona so I can’t complain. Your mileage may vary, but yes the Daytona was much easier to obtain for me.

[1William]

Welcome. Good luck.

[gonzo90]

It might be worth your effort to take a black dial explore two if you were offered it. You could always trade it for a white dial with a gray market dealer. Probably not a big difference in value.

[GrantD]

Strolled into WOS back in 2011 and they begged me to take this, no one wanted an explorer especially a white one. I still think they’re viewed as the ugly sister but those that do are blind.


And 11 years later it still looks like new.

[Nico81]

Originally Posted by watchwatcher

Hmmm...so they're getting all those Daytona's and subs/GMT's and can't get an EXP2.

Yeah...no.

I dont see why they would lie
They do have a lot of demand, so even if they get 20 a year and list easily
100 people, it would take 5 years

I got my white in 2017 after 8 momths snd black in 2019 almost 2 years
after request.

[Nico81]

Originally Posted by Kevin of Larchmont

I received my Exp II in December of 2020. I was told by my SA who I’ve known for years and trust that it was only the second one they had received all year. So there you go

Thanks for sharing.
The allocation seems to match what they are saying
Congratulations

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by watchwatcher

Hmmm...so they're getting all those Daytona's and subs/GMT's and can't get an EXP2.

Yeah...no.

Have to agree here with Larry

Originally Posted by Nico81

I dont see why they would lie
They do have a lot of demand, so even if they get 20 a year and list easily
100 people, it would take 5 years

I got my white in 2017 after 8 momths snd black in 2019 almost 2 years
after request.

Welcome to the forum OP

It usually comes down to feeding the frenzie first. Unfortunately that usually means taking care of the clients who spend the most first.

[Nico81]

Originally Posted by 911_3.6

I have been waiting for a polar Explorer 2 for over three years myself with none coming into my AD.

I was offered the black Explorer 2 a couple times and turned it down thinking the white would soon come, but they just don’t get any.

However, I was able to purchase a Batgirl, Pepsi, and white dial Daytona so I can’t complain. Your mileage may vary, but yes the Daytona was much easier to obtain for me.

Thanks for sharing
Experiencing similar situation
Daytona was not overly difficult at that time, im sure
Its different now.
Im just suprised about Exp ii

Maybe Rolex is shipping less due to it being 50th anniversary release?
Who knows

[Jpccarguy]

Originally Posted by Nico81

I dont see why they would lie
They do have a lot of demand, so even if they get 20 a year and list easily
100 people, it would take 5 years

I got my white in 2017 after 8 months and black in 2019 almost 2 years
after request.

2017 & 2019- with all due respect, that was then, this is now. Different environment. As always, YMMV.

BTW, I'm a stickler for spelling.

[rmwill]

I got my 226570 Polar in May. At that time the AD received one black and one polar. According to my SA these are still the only 2 they have received this year. Also, in July I visited the Tourneau boutique in Chicago and the 3 SA's had yet to see one. Same was true in August at Raffi in Toronto. I think production numbers are low. Two reasons: the same movement can be placed in a GMT Master II case in precious metal and Rolex will make far more money. Second, the hefty MSRP increase a few days ago. The 226570 was one of the biggest increases.

[Nico81]

Originally Posted by Nico81

Hello
Long long time lurker, learned so much, especially on technical side.
There is a wealth of information here.
Was hesitant of posting due to majority of posts discussing availability
Yet, ironically, my first post is just about that.
Fortunately I have a great long time relationship with AD that helped me tremendously with acquiring very desired professional Rolex models over the years.

However, I have been on the list on Polar Explorer II 50th anniversary and there is none on horizon.
One of owners ( two sisters
Run this small AD) mentioned they received only one polar back in August.
On average, they receive 2 stainless daytonas per month, multiple subs, and Gmts a month to give you an idea of honest allocation to small market AD.

I wonder, if people are seeing same patern or if there are any deliveries recently.

Thanks and apologies for yet another “availability “ post

Cheers

Originally Posted by rmwill

I got my 226570 Polar in May. At that time the AD received one black and one polar. According to my SA these are still the only 2 they have received this year. Also, in July I visited the Tourneau boutique in Chicago and the 3 SA's had yet to see one. Same was true in August at Raffi in Toronto. I think production numbers are low. Two reasons: the same movement can be placed in a GMT Master II case in precious metal and Rolex will make far more money. Second, the hefty MSRP increase a few days ago. The 226570 was one of the biggest increases.

Thanks for sharing.
This is what I started thinking also. It is the reference thats not being shipped regularly, also you dont see many posted for sale either when compared to blro,blnr galore

[RobJohnFL]

If they have so many Daytona’s and GMT´s incoming, you might want to give it a thought to simultaneously go on those waiting lists

[TswaneNguni]

Price went up significantly ,so will become very popular now .

Just the way it works.

Have the 21xxxx Black and Polar .Prices paid,a bargain now .

[norcalctr]

I’ve been looking for an EXP2 for 3 years now. I also been hearing from AD that they get around 2-3 a year. Not sure why production is so low on these models.

[Harry-57]

Before the introduction of the latest model the Polar had become scarce. I bought mine in late 2017. I saw them in AD displays all over Europe through 2018, but by the end of the year they were no longer visible. In March 2018 another Polar went in my AD's window and it sold after about 2 months. They have received few since, but they do come through and if you can trust your AD, you will get one at some point.

The Polar was my Rolex gateway watch. It was supposed to be my last watch. Something a bit different and a bit premium to sit at the top of my collection. But it was so beyond my expectations that it got me hooked. It will be worth the wait.

[Kevin of Larchmont]

Originally Posted by RobJohnFL

If they have so many Daytona’s and GMT´s incoming, you might want to give it a thought to simultaneously go on those waiting lists

Yeah, but who wants one of those….

[gerry100]

Not sure about the reality of waiting lists at ADs.

If there is a true list however, I'll bet many of the names on them are on multiple lists.

If watches are coming in, the "lists" will seem shorter

[Roberto Kupferschein]

I got my Polar without asking for it , call my AD last July asking if she hada any GMT to sell me. She answered 5 minutes later and offer me a brand new Polar 2021, I was not in the market for this but went to the store to see the watch and fall in love with the watch and bought it. Now my Bluesy and Daytona panda stay in the safe since last year.
Reading all this posts I realize how lucky I was.

[SS Oyster]

My AD has only received two of the 226570 Explorer II's since launched (nearly a year) ... rare indeed. My wife happened to get one for me this Christmas, which I count myself as very lucky. Great watch - incredibly similar to the 216570, but with just a slight improvement in overall shape and of course the 70hr power reserve helps, but I do think the 3187 was an amazing movement in its own right.

[Nico81]

Originally Posted by RobJohnFL

If they have so many Daytona’s and GMT´s incoming, you might want to give it a thought to simultaneously go on those waiting lists

I got white and black from them

[planemad]

Polar Exp2 is the best watch in the Rolex range in my opinion!