Reference:216570: Difference between revisions

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Rolex Explorer II 216570 white Polar dial, with half-orange 24-hour hand — Rolex Explorer II reference 216570, white Polar dial.

Rolex introduced the Explorer II reference 216570 at Baselworld in 2011 for the line’s 40th anniversary. Its 42mm Oystersteel case and calibre 3187 replaced the 40mm reference 16570. Rolex offered black and white dials; the model returned an orange 24-hour hand, with a black-painted base, after the red hand used on the 16550 and 16570. The 226570 replaced it in 2021.

Core facts

detail	specification
production	2011–2021
case	42mm Oystersteel (904L steel family)
movement	calibre 3187, automatic, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph
power reserve	approximately 48 hours in Rolex’s reference brochure
functions	local hour hand with independent one-hour setting, 24-hour hand, date, stop-seconds
bezel	fixed steel, graduated for 24 hours
crystal	scratch-resistant sapphire with Cyclops over the date
water resistance	100m / 330ft
dial	black or white; Chromalight display
bracelet	Oystersteel Oyster bracelet, Oysterlock clasp, Easylink 5mm extension

Where it sits in the line

The 216570 increased the Explorer II case diameter from 40mm on the 16570 to 42mm. It kept the fixed steel 24-hour bezel and independent local-hour setting. The orange hand returned in a two-tone form: its black-painted base creates the “phantom” effect described by James Robinson in his 2020 review. Rolex’s reference brochure says the 24-hour display distinguishes day from night; with the local hour hand set independently, the watch can also show a second time zone.

The 226570 kept the 42mm case and changed the movement to calibre 3285, with a 70-hour reserve. Its bracelet is 22mm wide at the lugs, compared with 21mm on the 216570. The 2021 successor also added an anti-reflective coating to the crystal and Cyclops. The white-dial model changed from black-lacquered hands and markers to white-gold matte PVD; the black-dial model received fully polished hands. These are the clearest documented differences between the two generations.

Production outline

Rolex’s history dates the 216570 to 2011 and its successor to 2021. The reference ran with the calibre 3187 throughout. Published catalogues show black- and white-dial examples, but the records reviewed here do not establish detailed dial-production boundaries or a mid-run technical change.

Some auction catalogues give 216570 watches a circa-2010 date. That estimate predates the documented 2011 launch. Sotheby’s 2021 SAS lot is especially clear about the disagreement: its heading dates the watch circa 2010, while the catalogue note says Rolex issued the special-order series in 2012. Auction catalogues report estimates rather than serial-based production dates.

Movement notes

Calibre 3187 is an automatic movement used in the 216570 from launch through its replacement. Rolex’s reference brochure lists a blue Parachrom hairspring, Paraflex shock absorbers, independent rapid-setting of the local hour hand, stop-seconds, and a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. It gives a post-casing precision of −2/+2 seconds per day and identifies the watch as a Superlative Chronometer. Auction catalogues confirm 31 jewels; published movement references list 28,800 vph. Rolex’s brochure is the source for the 48-hour figure; the Movements page records other publications that round it to 50 hours.

Turning the crown in the setting position moves the local hour hand in one-hour steps without stopping the 24-hour hand. The date changes as the local hour passes midnight. This is the second-time-zone function introduced to the Explorer II line with the 16550 and calibre 3085.

Dial map

The 216570 was offered with black or white dials. Collectors commonly call the white version “Polar.” Both use enlarged applied hour markers and Mercedes hands, a date at three under a Cyclops, and blue-glowing Chromalight. The white dial has black surrounds around its luminous plots; the black dial uses white-gold markers. The 24-hour hand is orange with a black-painted base. The available catalogues show both dial colours but do not establish separate production runs or a change in dial specification during the decade.

Black dial, half-orange 24-hour hand and enlarged markers
Polar dial detail, black-lacquered hands and black marker surrounds
Polar dial, front view with Oyster bracelet

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The Oystersteel case measures 42mm across. Rolex describes the alloy as part of the 904L steel family. The caseback and Twinlock crown screw down; Rolex rates the watch to 100 metres. The steel bezel is fixed and marked for 24 hours. A flat sapphire crystal covers the dial, with a Cyclops lens over the date. The 216570 does not have the anti-reflective coating that Rolex added to the 226570 in 2021.

The case profile and closed caseback are shown below. Engraving on a particular caseback identifies that watch’s commission or owner; it is not a standard production mark.

42mm Oyster case, Twinlock crown and graduated bezel
Closed Oyster caseback

Bracelet and clasp

The bracelet is Oystersteel with an Oysterlock folding clasp and Easylink comfort extension, which adds about 5mm. Rolex’s 216570 brochure specifies flat three-piece links and Easylink. A Christie’s 2018 catalogue records one bracelet stamped 77210 with end links marked 455. The catalogue documents this configuration for one watch. The later 226570 uses a 22mm bracelet at the lugs; the 216570 is 21mm.

Special commissions

UK Attack Helicopter Force

Sotheby’s records a 48-watch UK Attack Helicopter Force commission, ordered in 2014. Its 2019 lot is No. 2/48, a white-dial example with an Apache and Union Jack engraved on the caseback. The catalogue says No. 2 was offered to the force’s longest-serving member, then its Senior Flying Instructor. The watch came with a guarantee card dated December 2015. Those details describe the auctioned example and the commission; they do not establish a general issue date for every 216570.

Special Air Service

Christie’s documents a 216570 specially commissioned for the SAS in 2012. Its white-dial example has a 2012 guarantee and the “Who Dares Wins” engraving. Sotheby’s also describes a 2012 SAS order and catalogs a black-dial example with a winged-dagger badge and owner identifiers. The Sotheby’s title dates that watch circa 2010, while its catalogue note records a 2012 issue; Christie’s records a matching 2012 guarantee. The circa-2010 figure is an outlier among these catalogue dates.

216570 SAS special-order example — SAS special-order example, with the unit badge and owner identifiers on the caseback.

Related references

Explorer II 16570 — 1989–2011
Explorer II 16550 — 1985–1989
Explorer II 1655 — 1971–1984

Auction record

These selected catalogues document standard black- and white-dial examples and two unit commissions. The table lists auction-house estimates; catalogued “circa” dates are estimates rather than manufacture records. One Sotheby’s catalogue date predates the documented launch year.

Auction catalogue	Watch/date	Estimate	Notes
Christie’s, Rare Watches, 2018, lot 86	White dial; circa 2011	Not listed here	Catalogue records calibre 3187, 42mm case, and guarantee card dated 10 October 2011; bracelet marked 77210 / 455
Sotheby’s, Watches Online, December 2019, lot 2	White dial; circa 2015	£12,000–18,000	UK Attack Helicopter Force, No. 2/48; guarantee card dated December 2015
Sotheby’s, Watches Online, 2020, lot 138	Black dial; circa 2010	$7,000–9,000	Catalogue names calibre 3187 and 31 jewels; circa date predates the documented launch
Sotheby’s, Fine Watches, November 2021, lot 2	Black dial; circa 2010; catalogue says SAS issue in 2012	£17,000–28,000	Sotheby’s also cites a £35,000 hammer for another SAS example; this lot’s result is not shown.
Sotheby’s, Fine Watches, June 2023, lot 246	White dial; circa 2015	$8,000–12,000	Calibre 3187, 31 jewels, 42mm case
Sotheby’s, Fine Watches, June 2026, lot 394	White dial; circa 2020	$6,000–9,000	The page shows the estimate; viewing the result requires sign-in.

Full view of the white-dial Explorer II 216570
White dial and Oyster bracelet
Black-dial version
Case profile, Twinlock crown and fixed bezel
Closed caseback
UK Attack Helicopter Force No. 2/48 commission
SAS special-order example

Sources

@@ Line 112: / Line 112: @@
 ===Special Air Service===
-Christie’s documents a 216570 specially commissioned for the SAS in 2012. Its white-dial example has a 2012 guarantee and the “Who Dares Wins” engraving. Sotheby’s also describes a 2012 SAS order and catalogs one black-dial example with a winged-dagger badge and owner identifiers. Its heading dates that watch circa 2010, before Rolex’s documented 2011 launch. Sotheby’s title dates one example circa 2010; its note records the 2012 issue. Christie’s documents a matching 2012 guarantee. The circa-2010 figure is an outlier among these catalogue dates.
+Christie’s documents a 216570 specially commissioned for the SAS in 2012. Its white-dial example has a 2012 guarantee and the “Who Dares Wins” engraving. Sotheby’s also describes a 2012 SAS order and catalogs a black-dial example with a winged-dagger badge and owner identifiers. The Sotheby’s title dates that watch circa 2010, while its catalogue note records a 2012 issue; Christie’s records a matching 2012 guarantee. The circa-2010 figure is an outlier among these catalogue dates.
 [[File:Ref 216570 sas-issued.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=216570 SAS special-order example|SAS special-order example, with the unit badge and owner identifiers on the caseback.]]