Rolex Explorer II 216570

The Rolex Explorer II, ref. 216570 is the watch Rolex wants you to buy if you often find yourself in situations where from the ambient light around you, you can't tell if it's daytime or nighttime. If you're in a cave or a pyramid, or a polar location where the sun doesn't rise or set for months on end, this is the kit you need bar none - with an aggressive 42mm steel case (updated from 40mm on the predecessor 16570), a dedicated, new, larger, more shockproof movement, the in-house automatic caliber 3187, and a true collector-coined "Maxi" dial the 216570 makes no pretense that this watch is for professional use. Perhaps though, what has delighted Rolex enthusiasts more than anything else is the return of the bright orange GMT arrow hand. So nicknamed the "Il Freccione," by collectors - which is loose, combination slang for "The Big Arrow" in Italian - the orange arrow was originally supplied on the very first Explorer II, the 1971 ref. 1655 but replaced by a smaller red hand with a white arrow in subsequent references. The "Maxi" moniker is due to the fact that the 216570's glossy black dial sports the largest lume plots of any Rolex to date, which are then further enhanced by larger white gold surrounds and white gold Mercedes hands - the largest on any Rolex model including the behemoth James-Cameron-Marianna-Trench inspired Sea-Dweller Deepsea. The enhanced visibility is awesome and the black-dialed version of this watch offers enthusiasts another vintage inspired tidbit - the "ghost" hands. Like the Mercedes hands of the original 1655 the center staff is painted black as well a portion of the lower hands, which make them appear to float above the black dial. Standard to the Explorer II is the fixed stainless bezel, which is distinct from the bi-directional rotatable bezel of the GMT-Master IIs. The Explorer II has always been a different breed of cat and the 216570 is a faithful reminder of Rolex's intention to keep it that way. This watch isn't dressy, it isn't small and it isn't subtle, but then again if you're exploring a pyramid those likely aren't your sensibilities in the first place.