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scott22 · 27 May 2007, 11:22 PM

Hello,

Some questions about the white Explorer II, which I think is a great-looking watch (and might be the next to join my collection)...

Are the hour markers identical in size to the (non-maxi dial) Submariner? In pictures it's a bit hard to tell -- they look a little bigger but I think it's just an optical illusion caused by the different border colors (black vs. silver).

For owners: If you're in your "home" time zone, do you typically leave the 24-hour and 12-hour hands set to the same time? This is probably a silly question. I'm just wondering if anyone uses one of the hour hands in any creative way when they're not traveling. (For example, can you use it as a poor man's chronograph -- setting it to noon when you want to start timing something? Obviously you wouldn't get much granularity but it seems you could see how many hours you are into a flight, etc. And yes, I see some irony in calling a $5,000 watch a "poor man's chronograph!")

If the bracelet is adjusted identically to a Submariner (e.g., same number of links with same micro-pin), will the fit be identical or is there some difference? I understand the Explorer II might be a bit thinner, but I'm not sure how that would affect sizing.

How are the hour markers around the bezel applied? Is it just black paint on top of the stainless steel? How likely are they to scratch or wear off?

What is the water resistance rating on the Explorer II? I seem to recall it's around 100 meters, although they don't put it on the face like they do the Submariner!

And finally, a more general question about Rolex watches. If I buy an Explorer II it will be the third in my collection (I have a black Submariner and the LV Submariner), and there will be little hope of keeping all three wound unless I buy a watcher winder (and I'm not sure I want to). By alternating days on the two Subs I'm able to keep them wound most the time. But I don't mind winding and setting watches -- it's kind of fun. Is there anything bad about frequently winding a Rolex manually and setting the time? (E.g., two or three times a week?) Does this cause more wear and tear than keeping the watch wound by wearing it? I know you're supposed to manually wind them now and then to keep things lubricated -- just not sure if there's a limit on how often you should.

Thanks!

- Scott

mike · 27 May 2007, 11:56 PM

Hi Scott,

Congrats on a great collection of serious sport models!!

I'll try to answer as best I can.

The markers on the EXP II are the same size as other non=maxi sport references. they're white gold applied markers painted black (white face).
Bezel numerals are etched into the bezel and painted with enamal. Can wear with time.

The bracelet on the EXP II (and GMT) is different than the Sub. references (oysterlock vs fliplock, longer clasp on the Subs.,diver's extension......) number of links can be different. I find they fit differently.....heck the SD bracelet is different still!

Exp II is W/R to 100m....got a twinlock. I suppose different people use the hands differently. On any four handI usually leave them at local--12 and 24.
Sometimes I'll set to another zone if I'm tracking something.

I don't look at a winder as a necessity, more a convience. It certainly doesn't hurt to leave one set. I have several that get wound once a month or so.

I suppose one could say very frequent winding and unwinding of the crown might cause wear, but I've not experienced that. I have to defer to the watchmakers on that.

It is a real pain on a non-quickset model though!!

Blue Bull · 28 May 2007, 12:08 AM

The answers to a multiple of questions,as best I can,from an owner,but no expert ...

Yes,hour markers are the same.More easy to see though.

I leave the 24 hour hand on Eastern time because Americans think only their time matters ...

I wear the Sub and Expl II at max setting.The Expl II sits looser.

I suppose black pait on ss,but in the dial ,not on top of the dial.More likely to scratch the ss,than the black paint.

100m

I wear my SD and Expl II,alternatively.The Blue King,only on special occasions.Thats the one that gets wound now and then ...

You need a white dial in your collection.

Adios

Blue Bull · 28 May 2007, 12:10 AM

There,you have your answers in strereo now .....

Solar · 28 May 2007, 01:19 AM

That's a good question about the bezel on the Exp II. Does anyone have any longterm experience with the Exp II where the numbers on the bezel were damaged over time by wear, scratches, etc?

Since the subs and GMT have a pop out bezel that can facilitate replacing damage, how do you replace the Exp II bezel if need be?

I think the whiteface Exp II is a beautiful watch, and I would certainly consider adding it to my collection. If it wears like the GMT II (16710), then it will be exceedingly comfortable.

Best,

Chris

Arturo · 28 May 2007, 01:46 AM

I have both the LV Sub and the GMT ll, and the GMT ll has the same bracelet as the EXP ll. It fits a little differently than the SUB bracelet as there is the extension aspect of the SUB making for a larger clasp. I take my watch out of the box and size it at the tightest micro fitting and they fit fine, but someone recently posted that that involves having a link inside the clasp that might get scratched. With this setting the GMT ll band fits a tiny bit looser than my SUB, so I am sure that is how the EXP ll band will fit as well.

As the others have said, this is just like any other non Sub/SD oyster in terms of water resistance. Unless you are a diver, you can swim anywhere at any time with any current Rolex...even scuba as long as you don't go down more than 300 feet or 100 meters (is that correct guys). Really, diver watches of 25 years ago only went down that far, so realize that any of the current oysters for 98% of the world will let you swim as deep as you are going to ever go on vacation snorkling or getting your scuba licence on a Hawaiian vacation etc...

I wear my GMT with my PST for main watch, and NYC time for the red hand as I have family in NYC and like to think of that as my parallel world. I love New York, so I keep my red hand there.

I know a guy with his EXP ll and black face and he says that the bezel has been through a lot and the numbers have not scratched off....

Blue Bull · 28 May 2007, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solar

That's a good question about the bezel on the Exp II. Does anyone have any longterm experience with the Exp II where the numbers on the bezel were damaged over time by wear, scratches, etc?

Since the subs and GMT have a pop out bezel that can facilitate replacing damage, how do you replace the Exp II bezel if need be?

I think the whiteface Exp II is a beautiful watch, and I would certainly consider adding it to my collection. If it wears like the GMT II (16710), then it will be exceedingly comfortable.

Best,

Chris

GMT and Expl II ... the bracelets are exactly the same.It wears just like a GMT II.

I suppose you just get a new bezel for the Expl II,when the need arrises.

leopardprey · 28 May 2007, 12:53 PM

I find the Black face Exp II to have better lum than the white face. In low light conditions, the white background of the Exp II does not cause as much contrast as the black dial, thus harder to see the lum on the hour and minute hands.

Overall the white Exp II is nice as it is sporty, but also can be very dressy.

But if I had to make a hard choice between the Black and White Exp II, I would keep the Black face Exp II.

In America the White Face Exp II seems more popluar, and is Asia the Black face is more popular. Easy to find a White Face for sale, hard to find a Black face for sale here in Asia.

JJ Irani · 28 May 2007, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leopardprey

I find the Black face Exp II to have better lume than the white face.

You got that right, Chad!!

My ex...

Blue Bull · 28 May 2007, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leopardprey

I find the Black face Exp II to have better lum than the white face. In low light conditions, the white background of the Exp II does not cause as much contrast as the black dial, thus harder to see the lum on the hour and minute hands.

Overall the white Exp II is nice as it is sporty, but also can be very dressy.

But if I had to make a hard choice between the Black and White Exp II, I would keep the Black face Exp II.

In America the White Face Exp II seems more popluar, and is Asia the Black face is more popular. Easy to find a White Face for sale, hard to find a Black face for sale here in Asia.

Since I already own a black dial SD,and the Blue TT Sub,the white dial 16570 was the logical choice.If its a first Rolex,then black vs white can be debated.Wearing the black and white alternatively,ads diversity.On its own I love the white dial clean ,crisp and stylish

27 May 2007, 11:22 PM	#1
scott22 Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 53	White Explorer II questions Hello, Some questions about the white Explorer II, which I think is a great-looking watch (and might be the next to join my collection)... Are the hour markers identical in size to the (non-maxi dial) Submariner? In pictures it's a bit hard to tell -- they look a little bigger but I think it's just an optical illusion caused by the different border colors (black vs. silver). For owners: If you're in your "home" time zone, do you typically leave the 24-hour and 12-hour hands set to the same time? This is probably a silly question. I'm just wondering if anyone uses one of the hour hands in any creative way when they're not traveling. (For example, can you use it as a poor man's chronograph -- setting it to noon when you want to start timing something? Obviously you wouldn't get much granularity but it seems you could see how many hours you are into a flight, etc. And yes, I see some irony in calling a $5,000 watch a "poor man's chronograph!") If the bracelet is adjusted identically to a Submariner (e.g., same number of links with same micro-pin), will the fit be identical or is there some difference? I understand the Explorer II might be a bit thinner, but I'm not sure how that would affect sizing. How are the hour markers around the bezel applied? Is it just black paint on top of the stainless steel? How likely are they to scratch or wear off? What is the water resistance rating on the Explorer II? I seem to recall it's around 100 meters, although they don't put it on the face like they do the Submariner! And finally, a more general question about Rolex watches. If I buy an Explorer II it will be the third in my collection (I have a black Submariner and the LV Submariner), and there will be little hope of keeping all three wound unless I buy a watcher winder (and I'm not sure I want to). By alternating days on the two Subs I'm able to keep them wound most the time. But I don't mind winding and setting watches -- it's kind of fun. Is there anything bad about frequently winding a Rolex manually and setting the time? (E.g., two or three times a week?) Does this cause more wear and tear than keeping the watch wound by wearing it? I know you're supposed to manually wind them now and then to keep things lubricated -- just not sure if there's a limit on how often you should. Thanks! - Scott

27 May 2007, 11:56 PM	#2
mike "TRF" Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 22,683	Hi Scott, Congrats on a great collection of serious sport models!! I'll try to answer as best I can. The markers on the EXP II are the same size as other non=maxi sport references. they're white gold applied markers painted black (white face). Bezel numerals are etched into the bezel and painted with enamal. Can wear with time. The bracelet on the EXP II (and GMT) is different than the Sub. references (oysterlock vs fliplock, longer clasp on the Subs.,diver's extension......) number of links can be different. I find they fit differently.....heck the SD bracelet is different still! Exp II is W/R to 100m....got a twinlock. I suppose different people use the hands differently. On any four handI usually leave them at local--12 and 24. Sometimes I'll set to another zone if I'm tracking something. I don't look at a winder as a necessity, more a convience. It certainly doesn't hurt to leave one set. I have several that get wound once a month or so. I suppose one could say very frequent winding and unwinding of the crown might cause wear, but I've not experienced that. I have to defer to the watchmakers on that. It is a real pain on a non-quickset model though!!

28 May 2007, 12:08 AM	#3
Blue Bull Banned Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 2,887	The answers to a multiple of questions,as best I can,from an owner,but no expert ... Yes,hour markers are the same.More easy to see though. I leave the 24 hour hand on Eastern time because Americans think only their time matters ... I wear the Sub and Expl II at max setting.The Expl II sits looser. I suppose black pait on ss,but in the dial ,not on top of the dial.More likely to scratch the ss,than the black paint. 100m I wear my SD and Expl II,alternatively.The Blue King,only on special occasions.Thats the one that gets wound now and then ... You need a white dial in your collection. Adios

28 May 2007, 12:10 AM	#4
Blue Bull Banned Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 2,887	There,you have your answers in strereo now .....

28 May 2007, 01:19 AM	#5
Solar "TRF" Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: North America Watch: their hands, baby. Posts: 1,116	That's a good question about the bezel on the Exp II. Does anyone have any longterm experience with the Exp II where the numbers on the bezel were damaged over time by wear, scratches, etc? Since the subs and GMT have a pop out bezel that can facilitate replacing damage, how do you replace the Exp II bezel if need be? I think the whiteface Exp II is a beautiful watch, and I would certainly consider adding it to my collection. If it wears like the GMT II (16710), then it will be exceedingly comfortable. Best, Chris

28 May 2007, 01:46 AM	#6
Arturo "TRF" Member Join Date: May 2005 Real Name: Arturo Location: Pacific Northwest Watch: Black GMT ll Posts: 1,271	I have both the LV Sub and the GMT ll, and the GMT ll has the same bracelet as the EXP ll. It fits a little differently than the SUB bracelet as there is the extension aspect of the SUB making for a larger clasp. I take my watch out of the box and size it at the tightest micro fitting and they fit fine, but someone recently posted that that involves having a link inside the clasp that might get scratched. With this setting the GMT ll band fits a tiny bit looser than my SUB, so I am sure that is how the EXP ll band will fit as well. As the others have said, this is just like any other non Sub/SD oyster in terms of water resistance. Unless you are a diver, you can swim anywhere at any time with any current Rolex...even scuba as long as you don't go down more than 300 feet or 100 meters (is that correct guys). Really, diver watches of 25 years ago only went down that far, so realize that any of the current oysters for 98% of the world will let you swim as deep as you are going to ever go on vacation snorkling or getting your scuba licence on a Hawaiian vacation etc... I wear my GMT with my PST for main watch, and NYC time for the red hand as I have family in NYC and like to think of that as my parallel world. I love New York, so I keep my red hand there. I know a guy with his EXP ll and black face and he says that the bezel has been through a lot and the numbers have not scratched off....

28 May 2007, 12:53 PM	#8
leopardprey Banned Join Date: Nov 2006 Real Name: Chad Location: Around the world Watch: Panerai 233 Posts: 4,204	I find the Black face Exp II to have better lum than the white face. In low light conditions, the white background of the Exp II does not cause as much contrast as the black dial, thus harder to see the lum on the hour and minute hands. Overall the white Exp II is nice as it is sporty, but also can be very dressy. But if I had to make a hard choice between the Black and White Exp II, I would keep the Black face Exp II. In America the White Face Exp II seems more popluar, and is Asia the Black face is more popular. Easy to find a White Face for sale, hard to find a Black face for sale here in Asia.

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