In the past few days, I got hands-on with the black and white dial of the Rolex 226 570 Explorer II, which completes the classic sports watch formula without revolutionizing it. Rolex has completely updated the dial, case, movement and bracelet, but the shape is roughly the same as the outgoing 216570 Explorer II. Does the watch feel different on the wrist?

In short, while the latest generation Explorer II 22657o watch is clearly fresh and generally an improvement over the outgoing model, many will barely notice the difference between the two. This may be good news for owners of the current 42mm wide Explorer II who may feel emotionally compelled to upgrade. These folks may get the latest and greatest by swapping their own model for the new one, but they won’t get a substantially different wearing experience. With that said, if you’ve been holding out for an Explorer II luxury watches replica, Rolex may have improved on some of the discontent some people had with the previous generation 216570 Explorer II model.

While the reference 226570 is also 42mm wide, Rolex has changed the geometry of the case in a few small ways to make its largest GMT watch more comfortable and proportional. Not everyone will prefer a larger wearable size, but the market has made it clear that there is a growing demand for larger Rolex watches out there. One of the biggest progress in today’s Rolex watches compared to those of 10 or 15 years ago is of course the quality of the bracelet and folding clasp mechanism.
The case of the Rolex Explorer II is 42mm wide, mostly brushed steel, water resistant to 100 meters and has a sapphire crystal on the dial. Rolex has historically been timid about using anti-reflective coatings, and the latest generation of the Submariner is actually the first watch to have a more modern anti-reflective coating applied. I’m not sure if this has translated to the Explorer II, but I will say that the lower level of glossy elements on the dial certainly helps to make the dial easier to read.

As I mentioned above, Rolex has used a new dial and hands on this latest generation of the Explorer II …… even if most people’s eyes won’t notice. Minor differences in the dial exist, but they are not worth mentioning except that the white dial version no longer has glossy hands and hour markers. 226 570 has steel colored hands and hour markers on the black dial version, in addition to being coated with Rolex’s Chromalight luminous material. To remind those who don’t know, the Explorer II is meant to be a replica tag heuer watches that knows the time even when the sun is not visible.