All the negatives and “missed opportunities” you mention are positives for me for this specific model. It’s the last all-out tool watch in Rolex’ lineup, and by just updating the movement instead of new funky colours, ceramic bezel or whatever desktop and coffeeshop Rolex reviewers find attractive, it strengthens just its heritage and purpose.
This is my favorite polar review, I have seen it many times, I love that watch and when many people including my wife see an odd or ugly watch I only see a beautiful tool watch very masculine and a perfect watch for vacation under the radar
Little changes makes a great difference man. The 50th anniversary has better proportions, in the same way that the new Sub is better than the old ceramic reference. Not agree with you this time. Anyway, great video, as always.
The model is legendary the way it is and so they have emphasized that by not doing any dramatic changes on this timeless contemporary timepiece for the model 50th anniversary. Nice video, thanks
One of the big changes Rolex made to the 2021 Explorer 2 that nobody seems to have noticed yet is that the hands on the polar is now matte black instead of glossy black.
The biggest change for the newest black dial Explorer II, in addition to losing its iconic shadow hands, is that it no longer has a matte black dial. It now sports a glossy black dial.
New movement, thinned out lugs, wider bracelet, matt black hands and indices, thicker text, coronet, internal AR coating. Refinement, that’s what Rolex does. Btw it’s not a “GMT hand” it’s a 24 hour hand. It was designed for Spelunking, the exploration of caves. The hand is to allow the wearer to differentiate between night and day while in a cave. A GMT hand is designed to track Greenwich Mean Time, or alternately a second time zone as determined by the user. The explorers 24 hour hand could be used to track GMT or another time zone, but that is not it’s intended purpose.
@@saodavi6267 yes you can use it like a gmt hand, but it was it’s intended purpose when the watch initially came out. I was trying to educate people to that fact. Learning a little history about a watch might open your eyes in this hobby. This is the main problem with people that collect Rolex watches.
@@ameza357 You can play semantics of whether or not it's officially a micro-adjust or not but point is, you can adjust the size quickly and without a tool. That's better than most. Don't get it though because of that, I'll enjoy mine very soon.
@@jimlittle5769 I know what you are saying. But the micro adjustment triumphs the easy link hands down. The yatchmaster on rubber clasp was upgraded with it whenever it went to 42mm. You would think the revised explorer would have received it also.
@@ameza357 yeah, they seem to want to only do that for the divers, or at least their more expensive items (along with the Sub). Do they have that on anything but divers? Maybe the Daytona too? I know they don't on my Milgauss or GMT II.
Whoa nice one. The footage was actually the previous exp ii? Really fooled me. No wonder you didn't talk about the dimensions like you usually do. Nice vid, Hafiz!
Thanks for another great video! But in this one I disagree with you. Yes, at first glance the new ref looks the same as the discountinued. But on the wrist it feels so different, its sleeker and wears much better due to slimmed down lugs and wider bracelet. Try it on and my guess is you will agree.
It is my favorite Rolex. I own a black 216570 and polar 226570. But I prefer the black dial of 216570 with black lacker base. Now, with the Rolex craze, although it is not most sought after but starts be noticed. Finally I'm happy that nothing happened change for 50th anniversary. Because next will be a ceramic bezel that would ruin it.
Doing "nothing" with its design *is* showing it love and the respect it deserves. I wish they did that in the 80s too honestly. That being said, a 50th variant with a different color gmt hand could have worked I suppose
Hi Hafiz, I owned a TAG HEUER AQUARACER but now from last many months am planning to buy Rolex but am really confused which should i buy. I want you suggestion can you please suggest me the watch which will hold the price as well. Options:- SUBMARINER DATE GMT-MASTER II YACHT-MASTER 40 ALL are in steel only.
Love the black dial 😍😍 to me (even if I own the GMT Master ii) it’s the perfect traveling watch as you have the nice orange GMT hand and it’s not shiny/bling like the GMT’s
Rolex essentially perfected the Exp2 with the 226570, save for not including the GlideLock clasp (which they should include on ALL of their sport models) and not luming the numbers and markers on the bezel. I'm glad they kept the steel bezel. Ceramic would've sullied it. I wouldn't mind an open/clear case back either, but that's not really necessary or even advisable on a sports watch designed for spelunking, climbing and exploring.
Yep! That was my thought watching the video. I normally agree with the presenter (and his camera work is the best out there), but I think he is off the mark here. For Rolex to have made changes for the sole purpose of celebrating the 50th milestone would not have made sense. Change for change sake is not Rolex style. Incremental improvement, definitely. And I'm glad they did keep it intact since I had the opportunity to add a black dial to the collection last month, from the AD. Also agree that the lack of on-the-fly adjustment is the true "missed opportunity". GlideLock is awesome! Fliplock from the DSSD is even better. I had a DSSD for a while and that was by far the best part of the watch. I would love to see that clasp become more standard for Rolex.
The Milgauss also changed it’s form over time the lightning bolt second hand is the only thing that remains the same for the original Milgauss. Even the Daytona has evolved and changed it’s basic look over time. Look at a Paul Newman and today’s ceramic version. These watches are distant cousins. The size is my only issue with the Explorer II. I do agree with the fact that Rolex passed on an opportunity to evolve the watch. Rolex is conservative. And what can we really expect from this brand?
Own this watch and am happy with it. Try this , make believe the older model had a green gmt hand and now the 50 th has an orange hand and wallah Nirvana
Well i think the 16550 was released in 1985 and it run for a span of a good 26 years before redesigning a new look in 2011 with a 42mm case. Seriously Rolex might not have come up with a great design for Explorer 2 therefore decided to retain same look with minor changes on case size and hour and minute hands. Maybe sometimes less is more.
Dear Hafiz, in your latest video - explorer II - there is a mistake, because it is not the new 2021 model! The new one has a lot of changes - so it is a really 50 years modell. Kind regards H
First off, thanks for another excellent quality video as always! The BLNR has been my grail watch as long as I can remember and I'm on the list for it. However, I've added the Explorer II polar to my wishlist and made it my option #1. Mainly for how discreet it is. At this stage in my career, the "under the radar" Rolex is exactly what I'm looking for.
This white dial is one of my favorites, but when always wearing a 40mm GMT/Sub the crystal seems too large on the Explorer. They could have really changed the looks by going down to a 41mm case and decreased the crystal 2mm and they would have had a new and exciting update….too bad…
Hey Hafiz, nice video as always! Do you think you can start taking high Res photos of the watches and you wearing them next time as well? I think these shots would make awesome wallpapers or printed out (maybe on metal?) amazing wall art as well. Just an idea! :)
I've always liked the newer Explorer II's but owing to their size, they've been more of a "nice to look at" sort of watch for me. Still happy with my white 16570, my beater for 4 years now.
It’s a beautiful watch, but they have yet, apart from the 1971 original run, to achieve goldilocks proportions. The more modern versions either have hands too small or cases too big, and that was their missed opportunity. If any watch in the catalog should replace the discontinued 39mm Explorer I, it’s this one. Talk about a glorious birthday celebration.
i wish it was smaller. i also have a 6.5 inch wrist, and this watch size is at the maximum of what i can wear. i know i can go vintage but i prefer the modern references for everything else but size
I’m not a fan of this watch, but I think it has reached exactly where Rolex wants it to be. For this reason there are so little changes. Changing just for the sake of changing doesn’t really make sense
Around 4:25 when Hafiz started talking about how a little printing differences change the desirability of rolex’s of the same model…. that got me thinking, the value people place on the value of rolex is so superficial. When a brand can so easily be replicated and would required experts to tell apart the real vs fake watches, that just means the real ones arent all that great.
I prefer the previous reference (#216570) with its more understated matte black dial and its shadow hands. It's the most 'tool watchesque' model in the entire Rolex lineup. One of the reasons that I love it so much. A model that hearkens back to the roots and early history of Rolex.
I actually prefer the black but now without the "floating hands", I'm not tempted to wear this big boy. Show me a 40mm with some green. Agreed. Do something Rolex!
Sadly you are talking rubbish. Your personal opinion is ok we can leave that to the side because we are all entitled to one. But false incorrect statements and talking nonsense bashing it, I cannot sit and say nothing. Check the tech spec of this new release and do your homework first. Lots of incorrect facts and you have also contradicted yourself in this video. The biggest change is inside. The movement has improved to 70hrs new shock absorbers and improved magnetic resilience which is huge, resized lugs and bracelet, thicker clasp and link. plus matte hour markers and hands and antireflective coating. How dare you call this NOTHING! 😂 Do your research properly before making such false statements which are offensive to the watch community. You should do a part 2 and come clean 😂😂😂 Did you say you wanted a green bezel?! That would kill the explorer 2 range! . 😂😂😂 orange hand differentiate this from the other green bezel and hands watches in the GMT II. They would all look too similar. Less is more. Rolex nailed it with the 50th anniversary model.
One almost feels as if on occasion they simply will not do what everyone thinks just for that very reason. This kinda goes along with everyone predicting the Explorer going to 41 and shocking the audience with the original size and of course the two tone version. You can’t exactly accuse them of trolling us….or can you 😉
They got rid of the floating hands on the black dial one. I’d agree that this model got a lump of coal for its 50th birthday. If you want a green dial explorer 2 look a like with a40 mm case, a steel bezel, an Orange GMT, a 72 h power reserve, and a 28,800 vph beat, there’s the Grand Seiko SBGM247 just released in November. Unlike the Rolex, no games are required to buy it from an authorized dealer. In addition this Grand Seiko is 1/3 the price of the Rolex explorer II on the grey market (the one place ordinary customers can get the Rolex).
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