Explorer II 216570: Why did you change your mind AFTER you left the AD?

[Ruddiger]

Howdy,

Yes, its another color question and, yes, I've read all the posts and looked at all the pics in every thread I can find, but I'm stumped on the choice and need some help.

It seems that from time to time people pick one color and then quickly fall out of love with it, exchanging it for the other. What was the reason for the epiphany? Why did it happen? Was it because your opinion on the color changed once you were outside of the AD and in bright sunlight, a cloudy day, in normal lighting, etc? Some other reason? What caused it to lose its luster?

My concern is that once I'm in the real world my opinion will change. For example, under the bright display lights the Polar is a white watch, including the lume. But I was really surprised at how noticeable the blue lume became once I got out of the bright lights of the display and walked it over to another normally lit corner of the store. Suddenly the watch went from being white, black and orange to being white, black, orange and light blue. I wasn't expecting that. Interestingly, this was not the case with the black one since it lacked the contrast with the lume that the polar dial had.

Also, the gloss finish on the floating hands didn't really work with the semi-matte black dial under the lights, but was more effective in normal lighting. Another surprise.

Obviously both watches are great and I should be so lucky to own either of them. That said, why did you suddenly change your mind on the color after you wore the watch in the real world and interacted with the color outside of internet pictures and controlled settings?

Take care,

Ruddiger

[Friar]

After looking at both watches at the AD, I chose the Polar and believe it was the right decision. The blue tint to the lume in the broad daylight just seems as if it is glowing even when it's not dark. My issue with the black face Explorer II is the hands are not as immediately apparent. To me, they visually get lost in the dial and your eyes depend up on the white stripe of lume to find the hands. Great when it's dark but not so during the day. Another factor to consider...

[Fleetlord]

White masks the crystal glare.

[toneafficianado]

J have the Polar. Love it!
The white reflects all the lume incredibly strongly in the dark.
The shiny black hands are very legible. It's a seriously great piece of design!
No wrong choice here though. Both is the best answer!

[BBQ BOY]

In day to day life, your concerns are voided. Occasionally, the lime is blue, but 95% of the time i don't even notice it. Its such a crisp and clean watch. LOVE IT. Just wish it was just a TAD smaller.

[Tri-Tip]

I loved the Polar, but the black face did nothing for me. Added the polar a year ago to compliment my Sub-C.

[Jerodp716]

Had black and now have the Polar. The Polar is my favorite for the following reasons:

1. Crisp and clean..plus its one of only a couple white dials Rolex produces for the sport models.
2. Legibility
3. You don't see them in the wild very often so it flies under the radar so to speak
4. Orange really pops on the white dial.

The black on the other hand is nice. For me I could never get past the "phantom" hands. It looked incomplete in my eye. Just never warmed up to it.

[Jerodp716]

Comparison for you.

[Jlsd]

I like them both very much. I own the polar version because it gives a variety to my collection. If I was only to have one watch, probably the 216570 with a black face would be my choice

[jakologo]

I had both. Polar is still in my rotation. Sold black because I couldn't get get hang of telling time with phantom hands. And because I preferred black dial GMT/Sub models.

[Paul_81]

Love mine only luxury watch I have and had but still I love it so much! !

[kultschar]

Polar hands down

[asleep]

You really should have both.

[AK797]

AD lighting and real world/low level lighting is often different so you need to be wary on many models, esp the Hulk for eg.

[alanc]

To me the polar is the better looking choice. That said, I'd have to buy the 16570 with the red GMT hand, because God help me, I can't look at the polar 216570 (with its orange hand) without thinking of a Creamsicle!

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by Jerodp716

Had black and now have the Polar. The Polar is my favorite for the following reasons:

1. Crisp and clean..plus its one of only a couple white dials Rolex produces for the sport models.
2. Legibility
3. You don't see them in the wild very often so it flies under the radar so to speak
4. Orange really pops on the white dial.

The black on the other hand is nice. For me I could never get past the "phantom" hands. It looked incomplete in my eye. Just never warmed up to it.

Exactly

[watchwatcher]

The polar is what I fell in love with when the model was 16570...so, when the model was updated to the 216570, I naturally had to have one.

But there is something about the black, and the way the orange 24 hr hand pops, that drew me in.

Really both is the only answer.

[dr3ws]

I prefer the black dial more but I would buy the Polar just because I already have a black dial sub, need some diversity. I tried the 216570 at an AD and it wasn't that big.

[beer]

just spend some time looking at wrist shots people have posted in real world environments to get an idea of how it will look in normal lighting

[tylerad1]

Polar looks cleaner

[Brenngun]

I picked the Polar for a couple of reasons.

Dial: sport/tool watch with white dial is a little unusual.

Hour Markers: white lume plots with silver metal plot surrounds on a black dial visibly wash out versus white lume plots on black plot surrounds on white dial look more clearly defined and match the other hands (24 hr hand excluded).

Ghosting Attempt: I say attempt because the shinny black paint on all the hands doesn't really disappear against the black paint on the dial in the background. Even more of an issue is they ended up shortening the lume area on the hour and minute hand to accommodate the "ghost" attempt but all it did was make the hands look stubby. Especially the hour hand.

[m1911a1]

I have a pair of white ones.....but will need a black one someday.....gorgeous watch.
All of this talk about hands, gloss, floating, ghosting, etc.....
Man.....I thought "I" had OCD.....
Check this out....
http://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=335371

[LuxeCon]

Big fan of the polar dial but the black dial is slowly growing on me

[Ckci]

This is an interesting post. I went in expecting to go with the white/polar but I preferred the somewhat more subtle black after trying them on at the AD. Orange is my favorite color and that is why I was going to go white originally. I could be happy with either and it was as close to a coin toss as I could get. I've been wearing the Exp II for two weeks straight until a new one came in today. I figured I could always get the polar later. I have this.

[adamlea]

It's an entirely subjective choice. The polar was my first choice. All the pics I could find online looked great. When I went to an AD to check it out in person, I didn't even ask the clerk to pull it out of the case. It just didn't do anything for me. I liked the black hands, but the black circles on the hour markers didn't provide enough contrast with the dial. So, I went with black - never had a second thought. I will say this about the 216570, it's an amazing reference: looks great, flies under the radar, seldom seen in the wild, and fitting for any occasion. Either way, go with your gut.

[Paul_81]

White and black black and white ?

[Loevhagen]

White dial without a doubt in my mind. Have had it for 2 years. Still no craving for the black dial, which looks just disproportionate with uneven blackout length of the hands.

[RastabanStar]

I think the Black/Polar decision comes down to the size of your collection. If you're only going to buying one good watch (who does that!?!?), then I'd get a black dial, steel case. If you're planning to get a few watches, then the Explorer II polar is the perfect opportunity to get a white faced sports watch.

[doubleroll]

No wrong or bad decision here. Both look fantastic!


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[blackbard]

The Polar Exp was my only choice even before purchasing. As another poster put it, the hands do not contrast as well on the black. Also as someone's wife pointed out, all rolex' look the same when referring to black ones. The Rolex Polar white dial is one of my ALL time favorite white dial watches.