Jump to content

Reference:216570: Difference between revisions

From Rolexopedia
[checked revision][checked revision]
← Older edit
VisualWikitext
Internal linking: related references + component links
Deep audit: remove repeated SAS dating passage
 
(18 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 216570 Explorer II}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 216570 Explorer II}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 216570 Explorer II — 42mm Production, Caliber 3187, Polar Dial | BezelBase
|title=Rolex Explorer II 216570 — 42mm Calibre 3187 Reference Guide | Rolexopedia
|description=The Rolex Explorer II 216570, the 42mm fifth-generation Explorer II produced from 2011 to 2021, caliber 3187 with Paraflex shock absorbers and blue Parachrom hairspring, black or white Polar dial, half-orange 24-hour hand restored from the 1655.
|description=Rolex Explorer II 216570 (2011–2021): 42mm Oystersteel case, calibre 3187, black and Polar dials, orange 24-hour hand, documented SAS and UK Attack Helicopter Force commissions.
|keywords=Rolex, 216570, Explorer II, Polar dial, caliber 3187, Paraflex, Parachrom, 42mm, Maxi case, half-orange GMT hand, reference guide
|keywords=Rolex, Explorer II, 216570, calibre 3187, Polar dial, 42mm, Oystersteel
|image=Ref 216570 hero.webp
|image=Ref 216570 hero.webp
|image_alt=Rolex Explorer II 216570 Polar dial
|image_alt=Rolex Explorer II 216570 with white Polar dial
|type=Article
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-30T03:29:11Z
|published_time=2026-04-30T03:29:11Z
|modified_time=2026-06-29T01:18:41Z
|modified_time=2026-09-24T04:43:00Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


<small>[[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II]] -> '''216570'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II]] → '''216570'''</small>


The 216570 is the 42mm Explorer II. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2011 to mark the family's fortieth anniversary, replacing the long-run 40mm 16570, and discontinued it in 2021 alongside the 226570 announcement at the fiftieth. Caliber 3187 sits inside, an evolution of the 16570's 3186 with Paraflex shock absorbers, the blue Parachrom hairspring, and a Breguet overcoil. Two dial options carried through the run: a matte black dial and the white "Polar" dial that has anchored Explorer II identity since the 16550. The most-quoted feature on launch was a half-orange 24-hour hand returned to the watch as a callout to the original 1655 Freccione, the only Explorer II between 1971 and 2011 that wore an orange hand at all.
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 216570 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Explorer II 216570 white Polar dial, with half-orange 24-hour hand|Rolex Explorer II reference 216570, white Polar dial.]]
</div>


The 216570 is also the reference where the Explorer II grew up into a modern sport Rolex on its own terms. The case width jumped 2mm from the 16570's 40mm to a full 42mm and the dial moved to Maxi proportions, with applied indices and Mercedes hands enlarged in the same idiom Rolex had brought to the Submariner and GMT-Master II a few years earlier. The 24-hour bezel stayed where it had been since 1971: fixed, machined steel, engraved markings filled with black paint, no ceramic. That specific resistance to the Cerachrom transition is part of what carries the design line forward across five Explorer II generations and what most cleanly separates the 216570 from the GMT-Master II it sits next to in the catalog.
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.
 
[[File:Ref 216570 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=Rolex Explorer II 216570 Polar dial|Rolex Explorer II 216570 Polar dial. Half-orange 24-hour hand restored from the 1655.]]


==Core facts==
==Core facts==


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
|-
! detail
! detail
! value
! specification
|-
|-
| reference
| production
| 216570
| 2011–2021
|-
|-
| family
| case
| Explorer II
| 42mm Oystersteel (904L steel family)
|-
|-
| production
| movement
| 2011 to 2021
| calibre 3187, automatic, 31 jewels, 28,800 vph
|-
| power reserve
| approximately 48 hours in Rolex’s reference brochure
|-
|-
| movement
| functions
| caliber 3187, COSC, 28,800 vph, 31 jewels, 48-hour power reserve
| local hour hand with independent one-hour setting, 24-hour hand, date, stop-seconds
|-
|-
| case
| bezel
| 42mm 904L Oystersteel, approximately 12.5mm thick, approximately 49mm lug-to-lug
| fixed steel, graduated for 24 hours
|-
|-
| crystal
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops over the date
| scratch-resistant sapphire with Cyclops over the date
|-
|-
| water resistance
| water resistance
| 100m
| 100m / 330ft
|-
| crown
| Twinlock screw-down with crown guards
|-
| bezel
| fixed 24-hour, stainless steel, engraved black-filled markings
|-
|-
| dial
| dial
| matte black or white "Polar"; Maxi indices and hands, Chromalight lume
| black or white; Chromalight display
|-
| 24-hour hand
| half-orange, black-painted base; restored as a callout to the 1655
|-
|-
| bracelet
| bracelet
| Oyster, brushed centre links with polished flanks, Oysterlock with Easylink 5mm extension
| Oystersteel Oyster bracelet, Oysterlock clasp, Easylink 5mm extension
|-
| rehaut
| engraved repeating ROLEX with serial at six
|-
| predecessor
| 16570
|-
| successor
| 226570
|}
|}


==Where it sits in the line==
==Where it sits in the line==


The 216570 takes the architecture the 16570 had run for twenty-two years and rebuilds it for a 42mm case. Sapphire crystal, Cyclops, fixed engraved 24-hour steel bezel, true GMT independent-hour function, Mercedes hand set, red or orange 24-hour hand — that lineage is intact. What changes is scale. The case widens 2mm, the lugs lengthen, the dial markers and hands step up to Maxi proportions, and the bracelet picks up the Oysterlock-with-Easylink combination Rolex had introduced on the late Sea-Dweller and the modern Submariners. The wrist presence shifts from "modest GMT" to "full sport Rolex".
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 half-orange 24-hour hand is the visible historical citation. The original 1655 Freccione carried a fully orange arrow-tipped 24-hour hand, dropped from the 16550 and 16570 in favour of a red baton. The 216570 brings orange back, now as a black-and-orange split: black on the inner half closest to the centre, orange on the outer half that does the actual reading against the bezel. Brice Goulard's launch coverage at Monochrome reads it as a deliberate forty-year retrospective on the family rather than a styling choice, and that reading has held in subsequent collector writing.
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.
 
On the way out, the 216570 hands off to the 226570 at the fiftieth anniversary in 2021. The successor keeps the 42mm case but moves to caliber 3285 with the Chronergy escapement, lifts the power reserve from 48 to 70 hours, narrows the inner faces of the lugs, widens the bracelet by roughly 1mm, and adds antireflective coating on the inside of the crystal and Cyclops. On the Polar dial, the 226570 also moves the hands and markers from black-lacquered to white-gold matte PVD; on the black dial, the hands change from partially blackened to fully polished. The 216570 is the last Explorer II with the older 3187 movement and the last with the 21mm bracelet at the lugs.


==Production outline==
==Production outline==


The 216570 ran for ten years with no major mid-cycle rework. There are no V1/V2/V3 dial generations to map and no caliber transition mid-run; what changed sat at the edges. Random serials were already in place from launch, the engraved rehaut was standard from the first watch, Chromalight lume was uniform across the production, and both dials shipped from 2011.
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.


What deserves note inside the run is the watch's relationship to the 50th-anniversary 2021 transition. Rolex kept the 216570 in active production through the early part of 2021 while the 226570 was announced and rolled out alongside, the same overlapping-window pattern that the 16570 had with the 216570 at its own end. Sotheby's catalog descriptions occasionally date 216570 examples to "circa 2010" — those reflect catalog dating rather than a true pre-2011 delivery, since the Baselworld 2011 launch is the documented start.
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.
 
A small number of military and special-order branches sit inside the run. They are catalog-evident through Sotheby's lots: a 48-piece UK Attack Helicopter Force series circa 2014–2015 and a series of SAS-issued examples engraved with the Special Air Service winged-dagger crest. Both are individually engraved with the recipient's initials or serial and are described in ''Special branches'' below.


==Movement notes==
==Movement notes==


Caliber 3187 powered the 216570 across the full run. It is a 28,800 vph automatic with 31 jewels, 48-hour power reserve, hacking seconds, an independently-setting local hour hand, and quickset date. Mechanically the 3187 is an evolution of the 16570's late 3186: the same general architecture, with an enlarged base plate to fit the wider 42mm case, the addition of Paraflex shock absorbers, and the blue Parachrom hairspring with Breguet overcoil that Rolex had been rolling out across the sport line. COSC certification is rated at -2 / +2 seconds per day in the Time+Tide review (James Robinson, 2020), aligning the 3187 with Rolex's Superlative Chronometer figure of the period rather than the tighter post-2015 in-house specification.
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.


The independent hour is the GMT complication that matters. On the wrist the 216570 functions exactly as the 16570 did before it: pull the crown to the second position, set the local hour hand forward or back in one-hour jumps, and the 24-hour hand stays on home time against the fixed bezel. The complication had been on the Explorer II since the 16550 and caliber 3085; the 216570 inherits it.
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.
 
What the 3187 does not have is the seventy-hour power reserve and Chronergy escapement that the 226570's caliber 3285 brought in 2021. Brice Goulard's ''Monochrome'' hands-on at the 226570 launch reads the movement step as the most consequential change of the generation, and the 216570 comes out of that comparison as the older platform — competitive against the rest of the late-five-digit and early-six-digit sport line, but a generation behind once the 3285 arrived.


==Dial map==
==Dial map==


The 216570 carries the same two-colour split that the 16570 ran for twenty-two years: a matte black dial and the white Polar. The internal subdivisions inside each colour that crowded the 16570's run are absent here. There is no tritium-to-Luminova-to-Super-LumiNova lume progression to map, no Swiss-only sub-window, no font-spacing or serial-band typography branches. Chromalight (blue glow) is uniform across all production. SWISS MADE printing at six is uniform across all production.
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.


What the 216570 dial does carry is the Maxi treatment. Applied indices are larger than on the 16570, Mercedes hands are wider and longer, the 24-hour hand reads more heavily on the dial, and the printing reads at a different visual weight than on the 16570. Some 16570 collectors have read the Maxi proportions as the loss of the older watch's restraint; others read them as the dial finally matching the case it was always trying to fill.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
 
File:Ref 216570 dial-black.webp|Black dial, half-orange 24-hour hand and enlarged markers
===Black dial===
File:Ref 216570 dial-polar-detail.webp|Polar dial detail, black-lacquered hands and black marker surrounds
 
File:Ref 216570 dial-polar-front.webp|Polar dial, front view with Oyster bracelet
[[File:Ref 216570 dial-black.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=216570 black dial|216570 black dial with half-orange 24-hour hand and Maxi indices.]]
</gallery>
 
The black dial is the volume seller across the run. Glossy black background, white-gold applied indices with Chromalight plots, Mercedes hands and a baton seconds hand also filled with Chromalight, a half-orange 24-hour hand with a black-painted inner half, white minute track, and the standard four-line Explorer II printing with depth rating across the bottom. Date window at three under the Cyclops. The black-dial 216570 reads at a distance as a Sub-Date with a fixed bezel and a coloured GMT hand — the closest the modern Explorer II has come to the GMT-Master II in dial tone.
 
===Polar white dial===
 
[[File:Ref 216570 dial-polar-detail.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=216570 Polar dial detail|Polar dial three-quarter view: black-lacquered Mercedes hands, applied indices with black surrounds, half-orange 24-hour hand.]]
 
The Polar 216570 is the more-collected variant and carries the watch into most of the editorial coverage. Matte white background, applied indices framed with black surrounds that hold the Chromalight plot, black-lacquered Mercedes hands with matching black outlines on the white-gold body, and the same half-orange 24-hour hand against the white field. The printing layout is identical to the black dial. Against the white background, the half-orange hand reads strongly, and the dial as a whole is brighter and more legible than its 16570 predecessor.
 
The 226570 launch in 2021 changed the Polar dial's hand and marker treatment from black lacquer to white-gold matte PVD. The 216570 is the last Polar Explorer II with the older black-lacquered hands and indices — a quiet generational difference that takes a side-by-side look to read.


==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==


===Case===
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.


[[File:Ref 216570 case-side.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=216570 case profile|42mm Maxi case profile: Twinlock crown, crown guards, engraved 24-hour bezel.]]
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 in 904L Oystersteel, approximately 12.5mm thick, approximately 49mm from lug to lug. The case wears as a sport Rolex of its generation rather than as a scaled-up 16570; the lugs are wider, the crown guards larger, and the overall mass higher. There are no lug holes — the 216570 launched with the no-holes case the 16570 had transitioned to in its V4 era. The watch is rated to 100m, the same depth rating the Explorer II has carried since the 16550.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 216570 case-side.webp|42mm Oyster case, Twinlock crown and graduated bezel
File:Ref 216570 caseback.webp|Closed Oyster caseback
</gallery>


===Bezel===
==Bracelet and clasp==


The bezel is fixed, non-rotating, machined from stainless steel, and engraved with a 24-hour scale that is then black-filled. That construction is what continues to separate the Explorer II from the GMT-Master II: the GMT-Master II carries a rotating Cerachrom ceramic insert; the Explorer II keeps the steel ring engraved into the case top. The 216570 carries the construction forward from the 16550 and 16570 unchanged in concept. Visually, what changes is the bezel's proportion against the wider case: the same engraved 24-hour ring reads thinner on the 42mm 216570 than it does on the 40mm 16570.
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.


===Crystal===
==Special commissions==
 
Flat sapphire with a Cyclops magnifier over the date window at three. No antireflective coating on the inner face — that arrives with the 226570 in 2021. The 216570's crystal reads as a standard Rolex sport-line sapphire of the period.
 
===Crown===
 
[[File:Ref 216570 caseback.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=216570 closed Oyster caseback|Closed Oyster caseback. The 216570 has no display back; caliber 3187 sits sealed inside.]]
 
Twinlock screw-down with the matched crown-guard architecture from the 16570, scaled for the wider 42mm case. The crown wears the standard Rolex coronet and the pair of dots that mark Twinlock construction. The 100m water-resistance rating is carried by the Twinlock and the screw-down caseback.
 
===Rehaut===
 
Engraved with repeating ROLEX text around the inside of the chapter ring, with the serial number engraved at six. Standard across the production from launch — there is no plain-rehaut window on the 216570, since Rolex had finished rolling out the engraved rehaut across the sport line by 2008–2009. Random serials are also uniform; the alphabetic serial-letter system had ended in 2010.
 
==Bracelets, end links, and clasps==
 
===Bracelet===
 
Oyster construction in 904L Oystersteel. The centre links are vertically brushed; the flanks are polished to a mirror finish. The bracelet width at the lugs is 21mm — the 226570 widens this to 22mm in 2021, one of the more visible generational tells. Solid links throughout. The bracelet reference number is variously cited as 78390 or 78390B across dealer copy and forum threads; published editorial coverage and Sotheby's lot descriptions describe the bracelet by construction rather than by reference number. The construction is consistent: a brushed-and-polished Oyster matched to the 42mm case.
 
===Clasp===
 
The clasp is the Oysterlock folding clasp with a flip-down Easylink comfort extension that adds approximately 5mm of length without tools. Easylink is a binary in-or-out extension rather than the continuous Glidelock micro-adjustment Rolex had introduced on the modern Submariner. The 216570 never received Glidelock — neither did the 226570. That puts the Explorer II line at a different bracelet generation than the contemporary Submariner 116610LN and GMT-Master II 116710BLNR, which had moved on. Clasp date codes mark the bracelet's production date, not the watch head's, per the standard clasp-code rule.
 
===Packaging===
 
Standard Rolex green-and-white box of the 2010s with COSC certificate, white plastic warranty card, booklets, and hang tags. The warranty card format Rolex used through the 216570's run is the credit-card-style white card that had replaced the older paper card in 2006. The packaging is period-correct rather than reference-specific; the same box and card configuration shipped with every steel sport Rolex of the same window.
 
==Special branches==


===UK Attack Helicopter Force===
===UK Attack Helicopter Force===


[[File:Ref 216570 uk-apache.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=216570 UK Attack Helicopter Force|216570 UK Attack Helicopter Force No. 2/48: Polar dial, engraved Apache helicopter over Union Jack on the caseback.]]
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.


A 48-piece commissioned series for the British Army's Attack Helicopter Force, delivered in 2014 and 2015 with caseback engravings depicting an Apache helicopter against a Union Jack, individually numbered by issue, and engraved with the recipient officer's name. The watches are otherwise standard 216570 specification: white Polar dial, caliber 3187, Oyster bracelet. Sotheby's catalogued No. 2/48 as Lot 2 in Watches Online December 2019, with an estimate of 12,000–18,000 GBP; the lot was offered to the Senior Flying Instructor who had been operating Apache helicopters since 1999. The series is the most-documented 216570 military commission.
[[File:Ref 216570 uk-apache.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=216570 UK Attack Helicopter Force No. 2 of 48|The No. 2/48 example catalogued by Sotheby’s, with its unit engraving.]]


===SAS-issued===
===Special Air Service===


[[File:Ref 216570 sas-issued.webp|thumb|right|300px|alt=216570 SAS-issued|216570 issued through 22 Special Air Service: black dial; caseback engraved with the SAS winged-dagger crest and "WHO DARES WINS" motto.]]
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.


A separate series of 216570 examples was issued through the Special Air Service from 2012, with casebacks engraved with the SAS winged-dagger crest, the recipient's initials, and a personal serial number. Sotheby's catalogued one such example as Lot 2 in Fine Watches Including Masterworks of Time, November 2021, with an estimate of 17,000–28,000 GBP and a catalog note referencing a comparable example that had hammered at GBP 35,000 at a recent Sotheby's sale. The SAS branch is dial-standard (black, in the catalogued examples) and otherwise identical to a service-issue 216570.
[[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.]]


===Retailer-modified PVD===
==Related references==


A small number of 216570 examples have circulated with aftermarket black PVD coating applied by retailers rather than Rolex. The PVD is non-factory and not endorsed by Rolex. Watches with original surfaces command a premium over PVD-coated examples on the secondary market, and any 216570 listed with a "black PVD" or "DLC" surface should be read as a retailer modification rather than a Rolex variant.
* [[Reference:16570|Explorer II 16570]] — 1989–2011
* [[Reference:16550|Explorer II 16550]] — 1985–1989
* [[Reference:1655|Explorer II 1655]] — 1971–1984


==Auction record==
==Auction record==


The 216570 trades as a recent-discontinued sport Rolex rather than as a vintage collector reference. Standard examples sit in the lower five-figure range at major-house auctions; military branches sit substantially higher.
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.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! sale
! Auction catalogue
! date
! Watch/date
! dial
! Estimate
! year
! Notes
! estimate
! notes
|-
|-
| Sotheby's, Watches Online, Lot 138
| [https://www.christies.com.cn/en/lot/rolex-a-stainless-steel-automatic-dual-time-6166950 Christie’s, Rare Watches, 2018, lot 86]
| April 2020
| White dial; circa 2011
| black
| Not listed here
| c.2010
| Catalogue records calibre 3187, 42mm case, and guarantee card dated 10 October 2011; bracelet marked 77210 / 455
| $7,000–9,000 USD
| standard 216570; cal. 3187 confirmed
|-
|-
| Sotheby's, Watches Online, Lot 2
| [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/watches-online-8/rolex-explorer-ii-uk-attack-helicopter-force Sotheby’s, Watches Online, December 2019, lot 2]
| December 2019
| White dial; circa 2015
| white Polar
| £12,000–18,000
| c.2015
| UK Attack Helicopter Force, No. 2/48; guarantee card dated December 2015
| £12,000–18,000 GBP
| UK Attack Helicopter Force No. 2/48
|-
|-
| Sotheby's, Fine Watches Including Masterworks of Time, Lot 2
| [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-online/rolex-ref-216570-explorer-ii-a-stainless-steel Sotheby’s, Watches Online, 2020, lot 138]
| November 2021
| Black dial; circa 2010
| black
| $7,000–9,000
| c.2010 (issued 2012)
| Catalogue names calibre 3187 and 31 jewels; circa date predates the documented launch
| £17,000–28,000 GBP
| SAS-issued; comparable hammered £35,000
|-
|-
| Sotheby's, Fine Watches, Lot 246
| [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/fine-watches-including-masterworks-of-time-collectors-watches/sas-explorer-ii-ref-216570-stainless-steel Sotheby’s, Fine Watches, November 2021, lot 2]
| June 2023
| Black dial; circa 2010; catalogue says SAS issue in 2012
| white Polar
| £17,000–28,000
| c.2015
| Sotheby’s also cites a £35,000 hammer for another SAS example; this lot’s result is not shown.
| $8,000–12,000 USD
|-
| standard Polar; service card 2021
| [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/fine-watches-2/reference-216570-explorer-ii-a-stainless-steel Sotheby’s, Fine Watches, June 2023, lot 246]
| White dial; circa 2015
| $8,000–12,000
| Calibre 3187, 31 jewels, 42mm case
|-
| [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2026/fine-watches/reference-216570-explorer-ii-a-stainless-steel 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.
|}
|}


The split between standard examples in the high four to low five figures and military-branch lots in the high five figures has been the consistent pattern across the post-2019 auction record. Standard 216570 lots ride below the 16570 Polar premium tier and well below any vintage Explorer II reference; the SAS and Apache military lots reach into territory the standard reference does not occupy.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 216570 hero.webp|Full view of the white-dial Explorer II 216570
File:Ref 216570 dial-polar-front.webp|White dial and Oyster bracelet
File:Ref 216570 dial-black.webp|Black-dial version
File:Ref 216570 case-side.webp|Case profile, Twinlock crown and fixed bezel
File:Ref 216570 caseback.webp|Closed caseback
File:Ref 216570 uk-apache.webp|UK Attack Helicopter Force No. 2/48 commission
File:Ref 216570 sas-issued.webp|SAS special-order example
</gallery>


== Sources ==


== Related references ==
* [https://content.rolex.com/dam/media/brochures/explorer/m216570-0001.pdf Rolex, "Explorer II, reference 216570 — official brochure", Rolex]
 
* [https://www.rolex.com/watches/explorer/real-world-laboratory Rolex, "Explorer and Explorer II: a real-world laboratory", Rolex]
* [[Reference:16570|Explorer II 16570]] — 1989–2011
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-ii-adventure-watch-gmt-1655-16550-16570-216570-226570-in-depth/ Erik Slaven, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Explorer II, The Ultimate Adventure Watch", Monochrome, 2024-12-17]
* [[Reference:16550|Explorer II 16550]] — 1985–1989
* [[Reference:1655|Explorer II 1655]] — "Freccione", Orange Hand (1971–1984)
 
See also the [[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
 
==Sources==
 
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-ii-adventure-watch-gmt-1655-16550-16570-216570-226570-in-depth/ "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Explorer II, The Ultimate Adventure Watch", Monochrome]
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/rolex-explorer-ii-review-reference-216570-42mm/ James Robinson, "In-Depth: The Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570 Review", Time+Tide, 2020-05-01]
* [https://timeandtidewatches.com/rolex-explorer-ii-review-reference-216570-42mm/ James Robinson, "In-Depth: The Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570 Review", Time+Tide, 2020-05-01]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/2021-rolex-explorer-ii-226570-first-look-hands-on-price/ Brice Goulard, "First Impressions: The 2021 Rolex Explorer II 226570", Monochrome, 2021-04-07]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/2021-rolex-explorer-ii-226570-first-look-hands-on-price/ Brice Goulard, "First Impressions: The 2021 Rolex Explorer II 226570", Monochrome, 2021-04-07]
* [https://millenarywatches.com/rolex-explorer-ii-216570-discontinued/ "The Rolex Explorer II 216570 is Officially Discontinued", Millenary Watches, 2021-04-08]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-explorer-ii-the-40-year-evolution-of-an-understatement/ "Rolex Explorer II — The 40-Year Evolution Of An Understatement", Fratello, 2021-04-29]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-explorer-ii-the-40-year-evolution-of-an-understatement/ "Rolex Explorer II — The 40-Year Evolution Of An Understatement", Fratello, 2021-04-29]
* [https://www.christies.com.cn/en/lot/rolex-a-stainless-steel-automatic-dual-time-6166950/?intObjectID=6166950&lid=1 "Rolex Explorer II ref. 216570, case no. G440889, circa 2011", Christie's, 2018-11-12]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/watches-online-8/rolex-explorer-ii-uk-attack-helicopter-force "Explorer II UK Attack Helicopter Force, Reference 216570 No. 2/48 Military Stainless Steel Dual-Time, circa 2015", Sotheby's, 2019-12-05]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2019/watches-online-8/rolex-explorer-ii-uk-attack-helicopter-force "Explorer II UK Attack Helicopter Force, Reference 216570 No. 2/48 Military Stainless Steel Dual-Time, circa 2015", Sotheby's, 2019-12-05]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-online/rolex-ref-216570-explorer-ii-a-stainless-steel "Ref. 216570 Explorer II, Stainless Steel Automatic with 24-Hour Indication, Date and Bracelet, circa 2010", Sotheby's, 2020-04-01]
* [https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6558346 "Rolex Explorer II 216570 made for the British Special Air Service, circa 2012", Christie's]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/fine-watches-including-masterworks-of-time-collectors-watches/sas-explorer-ii-ref-216570-stainless-steel "'SAS' Explorer II, Ref. 216570 Stainless Steel Dual-Time, circa 2010", Sotheby's, 2021-11-01]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/fine-watches-including-masterworks-of-time-collectors-watches/sas-explorer-ii-ref-216570-stainless-steel "'SAS' Explorer II, Ref. 216570 Stainless Steel Dual-Time, circa 2010", Sotheby's, 2021-11-01]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/fine-watches-2/reference-216570-explorer-ii-a-stainless-steel "Reference 216570 Explorer II, Stainless Steel Automatic Dual Time with Date and Bracelet, circa 2015", Sotheby's, 2023-06-15]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/fine-watches-2/reference-216570-explorer-ii-a-stainless-steel "Reference 216570 Explorer II, Stainless Steel Automatic Dual Time with Date and Bracelet, circa 2015", Sotheby's, 2023-06-15]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-online/rolex-ref-216570-explorer-ii-a-stainless-steel "Ref. 216570 Explorer II, Stainless Steel Automatic with 24-Hour Indication, Date and Bracelet, circa 2010", Sotheby's, 2020-04-01]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2026/fine-watches/reference-216570-explorer-ii-a-stainless-steel "Reference 216570 Explorer II, stainless steel automatic, circa 2020", Sotheby's, 2026-06-17]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/exploring-evergreens-the-rolex-explorer-ii-16570-black-dial/ Thomas van Straaten, "Exploring Evergreens: Black-Dial Rolex Explorer II 16570", Fratello]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-explorer-ii-polar-16570-youngtimer-collector-review/ Brice Goulard, "Collector's Corner: Rolex Explorer II Polar 16570 — A Youngtimer Collector Review", Monochrome, 2022-04-29]
* [https://www.watchprozine.com/rolex/hands-on-review-of-the-rolex-explorer-ii-216570-white-dial/12625026/732/ "Hands-On Review of the Rolex Explorer II 216570 White Dial", Watchprozine]


[[Category:Explorer II]]
[[Category:Explorer II]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

Latest revision as of 10:21, 29 September 2026


Explorer II → 216570

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
    Black dial, half-orange 24-hour hand and enlarged markers
  • Polar dial detail, black-lacquered hands and black marker surrounds
    Polar dial detail, black-lacquered hands and black marker surrounds
  • Polar dial, front view with Oyster bracelet
    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
    42mm Oyster case, Twinlock crown and graduated bezel
  • Closed Oyster caseback
    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.

216570 UK Attack Helicopter Force No. 2 of 48
The No. 2/48 example catalogued by Sotheby’s, with its unit engraving.

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

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

Sources

Retrieved from "https://rolexopedia.net/index.php?title=Reference:216570&oldid=11413"