The Rolex Explorer II

[chris242]

LOVE my Explorer 2.. wear it every single day, even while commercial lobster fishing. stealthy, reliable, tough! its definetly stealthy... some of my own family member haven't even noticed I've upgraded from my previous Tag. does anyone know of any nicknames for the black dial EX2?

[218225]

Perfection!

[jdmi32]

Nice to see the Exp II is still getting so much love. Whether it's at the beach in the Caribbean or a rainy day in the Bay Area, this is my go to watch.

[fiftywattmafia]

Snowy Polar Explorer II

[chloebear]

Originally Posted by fiftywattmafia

Snowy Polar Explorer II

It's pictures like this that make me badly want a polar 16570 to go with my black 216570. Stunning picture!

[milov]

My polar is on its way. Courtesy of DavidSW. I've wanted one of these for a while.

[afjsimmonds]

Absolutely love a Polar,

i sold one to a client of mine a few weeks back, and was gutted to see it go!

[stabilizer81]

Originally Posted by G-Web

Jared,

First off, congrats on your 16550, it's a real beauty.
Given that the manufacture of your watch precedes the introduction of Luminova by a good few years, I think your 24 hound is almost certainly tritium, unless it's a Luminova replacement that someone installed during service.

For what it's worth, the tritium lume on my last 16550 still glowed faintly at night. So maybe yours still has some juice left.

All the best,
-GW

Thank you sir!

[milov]

My pair of explorer II.

An age gap 34 years between these two. But both timeless classics.

[Psmith]

Originally Posted by milov

My pair of explorer II.

An age gap 34 years between these two. But both timeless classics.

Nice pair - could add a 216570 for the full set!

[218225]

Originally Posted by milov

My pair of explorer II.



An age gap 34 years between these two. But both timeless classics.

Great taste!




40years. Father and Son's

[keshaandrea]

Hi all, I need help.
My friend's Explorer 2 - 16570 , how to identity the fake or real?
How to check it if it come with box and certificate?
Here are the pics (only this blurred pics I got, and I will meet him on Monday, he live in other city).




Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

- Rusma
Fat Lady & Datejust II Diamond Rhodium

[clyde2801]

16570 Polar, circa 2005, for 3400 USD. Looks a lot nicer in person, and don't understand the lack of love for this model. Shoot, the lume even still works!

[keshaandrea]

finally I got it.

[ds190]

I’m ready to buy an Explorer II 16570. I’ve been watching online retailers, local jewelers, and this forum for price range info for about six months. There are currently five available at a local jeweler for between $4,475 to $4,750 for 1990 black face, 1996 white, 1998 black, 2005 black, and 1994 white watches.

One online site has a 1980’s 16570 black face listed for $4,800 that has had the black paint removed from the 24 hour scale and the circle on the bezel, and looks similar to the watch showing in post 163 of this thread. It’s a very low profile look that appeals to me. However, in the future, would removed paint significantly lower any resale value of this watch, or just simply limit the pool of buyers that would be interested in an altered watch?

Just curious as I learn more about Rolex. This watch purchase will mark a milestone for me, so whatever I buy, it will be kept till the end!

Thanks,

[Richard Carver]

It can be repainted anytime. The bezel can be replaced if necessary as well.

1991 16570

[iliketime]

Originally Posted by ds190

I’m ready to buy an Explorer II 16570. I’ve been watching online retailers, local jewelers, and this forum for price range info for about six months. There are currently five available at a local jeweler for between $4,475 to $4,750 for 1990 black face, 1996 white, 1998 black, 2005 black, and 1994 white watches.

One online site has a 1980’s 16570 black face listed for $4,800 that has had the black paint removed from the 24 hour scale and the circle on the bezel, and looks similar to the watch showing in post 163 of this thread. It’s a very low profile look that appeals to me. However, in the future, would removed paint significantly lower any resale value of this watch, or just simply limit the pool of buyers that would be interested in an altered watch?

Just curious as I learn more about Rolex. This watch purchase will mark a milestone for me, so whatever I buy, it will be kept till the end!

Thanks,

they can be much cheaper than that, honestly some are around $3800-$4000 if you look carefully

[218225]

You could even use a fill in stick in any color you like

But why would anyone remove the paint unleaa it was already coming of?!

[patek2429]

thanks post, good knowledge!

[Dannyanderson]

Nice photo.

[Andy57]

1987 cream- and rail-dial 16550. I think these cream-dial 16550s are among the best looking sport watches ever made.

[173rdabn]

I Have a Polar 16570. It's my favorite of all the Rolex I've owned.

[joe100]

16550

[joe100]

The lacquer flaw that caused the cream dial to occur was fixed 30 years ago. If a 16550 has a white dial, it'll stay white, this isn't something that's still ongoing.

[WatchDigger45]

Originally Posted by keshaandrea

finally I got it.

Nice Pieces

[Richard Carver]

Originally Posted by JasonBetts

Most of you in this thread may own Explorer II. I'm looking to add one myself but would like to ask your opinions.

I dont want to buy cream polar dial but willing to bet on a 'normal' dial that maybe someday will turn cream. Any body with knowledge / own experience by keeping certain 16550 or 16570 with particular years / SN that have higher chance to turn cream?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm not sure if there are any white 16550 left! The 16570 won't turn cream except for the markers on the tritium dial between mid 80s to mid 90s.



My 91 16570 is beginning this process now and is a pale yellow. The watch shown is also a 91 which has finished the process. A sleeper collectible? I think so :).

This is my 91 beginning the process. You can see the markers no longer match the snow white of the dial and the hands are changing quicker than the markers. The minute hand being the darkest. I have not been able to wear another watch since this started! lol, its like watching a child grow, don't want to miss a minute! :)

[JasonBetts]

Originally Posted by Richard Carver

I'm not sure if there are any white 16550 left! The 16570 won't turn cream except for the markers on the tritium dial between mid 80s to mid 90s.







My 91 16570 is beginning this process now and is a pale yellow. The watch shown is also a 91 which has finished the process. A sleeper collectible? I think so :).



This is my 91 beginning the process. You can see the markers no longer match the snow white of the dial and the hands are changing quicker than the markers. The minute hand being the darkest. I have not been able to wear another watch since this started! lol, its like watching a child grow, don't want to miss a minute! :)

Wow it's a pretty and uniformed patina development on the markers Richard. I think I can settle with cream markers and hands if I can't get a white dial to turn cream. It actually looks prettier with a matching contrast of clean white dial peppered by cream markers and hands.

What's approximate SN is yours and how is your wearing patterns? Outdoor, sunny or safe Queen when you start to notice the transition?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Richard Carver]

My 91 is an X serial. Fortunately, they are easy to spot from the dial marking T< 25 which means it's a tritium dial. I've had mine for about two years, here's the sellers pic from that time. You can tell the minute hand had begun to change but that is a pristine white dial and markers.



Since I acquired it it's been a 10 watch rotation with no particular attention paid to the dial, obviously it did a lot of safe deposit time during that period. Recently I've gotten into vintage jubilee bracelets and had reduced the rotation to these three watches for at least the summer.



It was during this time I looked down one day and saw that lovely pale yellow and actually noticed the darkening of the hands. My usage of the watch is normal mix of indoor outdoor lighting but I believe the increased usage has precipitated the change. Even in this pic you can see the markers are no longer matching the dial,

Marker patina has long been a desirable effect and how it develops has been a subject of intense discussion. Some say they put a white watch in the safe and when they pulled it out 3 years later the markers had turned creamy. Then another guy will show the exact same level of creaminess on a watch that has been to the beach every day of it's life. This is not settled science. :)

My anecdotal experience has been the more I wear it the faster it turns. Like I said. I can't take it off now because this process is so fascinating. :) I plan to capture the metamorphosis with pics.

Since this began I have become a bit/lot obsessive and have scoured the web trying to establish a pattern or baseline for the process but quickly gave that up. Go to google images and search '16570 patina' and you'll see what I mean. The only thing they have in common is they all have tritium dials.

Do all tritium dials change? I don't know and it is an important question. If I were you I wouldn't take a chance and would get one that had already turned or had obviously begun the process. Also, you'll notice that many have white hands from a change at some point, get one with matching hands, it makes a difference.

This hasn't become a 'thing' as yet and there isn't much difference in price. Most of this vintage are in the 4-5k range, the upper end with bracelets, books and papers. All usual caveats apply.

Get one and let's found the 16570 Patina Club. I'll be president and you can be a minion :)

[joe100]

Originally Posted by JasonBetts

Back to 16570's patina, a friend of mine told me he 'bakes' his watch 3 hours a day under intense sunlight from 1100 to 1400hrs with the crown unscrewed. This significantly speeds up his patina process. Does this make sense to you?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Natural age is one thing, damage is another

[Richard Carver]

In my research I saw a couple of dials I suspect had been oven baked or dyed. The oven baked lume was collapsing into powder and the markers looked like craters.The other was from a well known seller with an unusual ability to find vintage Rolex watches with perfectly turned lume. The seller has never had a complaint to my knowledge but the lust for perfect watches is strong. No, I won't discuss that any further. Should there be a price increase due to this phenomenon cooked/dyed dials will be everywhere. It's a dirty little vintage Rolex secret. The demand for patina is insatiable.

I'm not sure any natural effort is particularly bad and you wanted to go to that effort to sun bake it I don't see a problem with that.