They brought the 36mm explorer back which I'm definitely going after , wish they did the same and brought the 40mm explorer 2 back. It would have been everything and more what I want in a sports Rolex.
Just got the black dial last week. I was so excited at the AD when I received it. Once i had it on my wrist, I knew I made the right choice. It's my first rolex, and I couldn't have asked for a better first. I wear it constantly now.
I saw the black dial at my local AD (wasn't mine but another customer's but AD called me to have a look before customer picked it up). For the new version, the black dial is spectacular. Both now use lacquered dials but the black dial is deep black and crystal has AR coating now so the white gold accents make the dial really pop. I'm on the waitlist so super stoked.
Wow really interesting comparison. They both look great on your wrist, but side by side the differences are really pronounced! My pick would be the new one. The handset seems a little cartoon-ish, but somehow seems to work better. I have an older GMT Master II with that red 24 hour hand and just find it odd while the orange hand just seems to work better (in my eyes) with those big hands.
I have the old 16570 with caliber 3185 so slightly older than yours. To me the old Explorer II size hits the sweet spot perfectly. I did look at the new one but didn't care for it at all.
I wouldn't do it, in fact it was the other way around for me. I had the 42mm 216570 found that it wears large on my wrist, feels more like a 43 or even 44mm. Sold it for the 16570, never looked back. To my 6.75 inch wrist, the size and proportions of the 16570 is just right. @@markgtba
I think what i miss most from the older Rolex models is the thinner font for the logo. it just looked more elegant. I'm sure people will think this is ridiculous, but tell them not to email me....
I absolutely love the Explorer II Polar dial with orange hands. It was on my wishlist with the Batman. I was allocated the Batman and am thrilled with it, but am still looking to add the Polar dial to the collection one day. Awesome review of both generations. I've really been enjoying your videos of late. Thanks for the great content.
Just got the 226570 in black at the local AD and, imo, the lug and bracelet size, combined with the slimmer crown and crown guards give it a vintage feel, although it is a 42 maxi-tank.
I was an owner of the Rolex 16570 “Polar” and loved it, such a beautiful watch. I’ve just paid in full for the new 2021 Rolex 226570 Explorer II “Polar” which I’m collecting tomorrow and I can’t wait!! I’ve tried my friends on “he has the black dial” and it wears better, feels more solid and I only have a 6 1/2” wrist and it doesn’t look too big. It’s perfect and I won’t be letting it go!! If you get to see it in person, this underrated, under the radar watch is the genuine 1 and done!! I’m glad it’s not as popular because it allows me to buy it new and love it. I think people are mad and glad no one else has realised how great it is 🙂.
I placed my expression of interest in April, and took delivery mid July. This is now my second Rolex from the same AD and both times it took about 3 months total. My first from this AD was the 41mm OP blue dial, then the Explorer II Polar. As mentioned both times from time of going in store and placing my name down till the call both time about 3 months. Hope this helps
@@kaseyj8284 3 months isn't so bad! Are you enjoying your explorer II polar? I think it's my favorite Rolex design but I haven't tried one on yet. Right now my everyday watch is a seamster 300m ceramic with a black dial (last gen model). Had it for 3-4 years now and it's holding up well. Wear it everyday. But yea thinking the white dial explorer II would be a nice compliment to it. But I'm also tempted by the new IWC pilot 41mm. Their bracelets are amazing!
@@pendaranroberts4350 no your right, 3 months isn’t long to wait especially when I have some other friends who are not even able to get the 41mm OP now and been waiting 5 months so far. In all honesty I love the my Explorer II so much. Prior to buying it I was wearing my Tudor Black Bay 58 “Black dial” daily which I purchased in August 2020 from a different AD and truly love that as my wrist isn’t very big. However after I sold my Explorer II 16570 about 4 years ago I’ve regretted it ever since and always wanted another and decided with so many fakes and scams I just go new now. I was concerned it would be a tad too big at 42mm but my friend got his a few weeks prior and I tried it on and it looked so good, by this time I already had my name down for mine. After having mine now I actually love it more than I thought I would and I love the “Bright White” dial and Mat black hands. It truly is a one and done watch if that’s what your looking for. It has date, dual time (I use mine for 24 hour time) it’s so easy to read and just a great watch. The white dial really does “Pop” and stands out and just looks so good, the black dial is more toned down if you prefer however I love the polar. If you ask my opinion, it’s perfect for any collection and it is actually the one Rolex I like out of the entire collection personally. Looks better in person that what the internet shows and you wouldn’t be disappointed. Suit a large wrist easily, however as I said I have a small wrist and it wears great and I am very happy. Hope this helps.
@@kaseyj8284 My main concern about the explorer II is the SS bezel getting scratched up. I like to wear my watches and not baby them and stress over them too much, but I don't want big scratches either. Do you find the SS bezel is a scratch magnet or does it hold up well? Thanks so much for the feedback so far. Very Helpful!
I bought my Submariner 2-and-half year ago and I thought that would be my only watch forever; then I was lucky enough to be able to buy a Polar Explorer II (216570) last December and this watch has never left my wrist. I absolutely adore it!
I love both watches!!but I prefer the new one !!upgrade calibre,has got a much better quality bracelet and is more “faith”to the original watch relative the gmt hand !in addition, I love the orange color to the gmt hand and in the word “explorer “
Fantastic video and review. There is no lot of videos reviewing the new Explorer II online. My. AD just call me to take a look at this new Explorer, and I was blown away by how good this watch looks in person. The pictures and video don't do justice to this watch. The metal bezel brushed had a very peculiar shine, and the bracelet's all-matte finish is incredible. When my AD offer me to buy this watch at a retail price, I couldn't refuse. To my surprise, the old model is retailing up in price, so the market is crazy. Keep the good work, cheers!!
4:20 looks amazing here. used to own the 42mm ref216570 when it was just released but sold it. now i kinda miss it. esp after looking at that outstanding wristshot
Hello, and First of all: THX for all that great content! ❤️ Mhm, in my opinion the „Maxi Dial“ was first shown in the Yacht-Master Platinum not the 50th Sub. My YM was sold 2002 and compared to old Subs it’s clearly „maxi“. BTW: I Iike the older Polar more too. Looks more refined and just Perfect. While the the new ones are clearly more readable. Thx for Your Great Content! 👍🏻❤️
Great video! I have the same year polar the 2008. What do you think that year is worth now? I’ve been on a waitlist for the larger one for a while now. Don’t think they will ever call me so will likely just hang on to my 2008.
Me too... But a great example of evolution instead of revolution. You can clearly see a devlopment between the decades. Even though the latest update took only place under the hood. Love the combination with the grey shirts Evan and it's good to see, that you wear your watches, but also take care of them. Just a few scratches for a 13 year old watch, not bad!👍🏻
Love it! Thank you for the comparison video - waiting on my 226570, hopefully (and my fingers are crossed) I’ll get it before my 50th Bday in December! Come on AD - LET’S GO!! ⏱🙏🏽
The new one seems like it was made for people that own the old one...and just got old and can't see that well nowadays...so Rolex just made everything bigger and brighter on the dial...for the faithful customer...that...just got older 🤣
I love it. Great work as always, m'dear! I used to prefer the black variant, but I was sad to see the "floating" hands leave the reference. Oh well. I still wouldn't say no! I'm dying to see some content on the new 2021 Semaster 300 41mm in blue - do you reckon you could get hands-on with one, please? 🙃
I feel Rolex didn’t put enough effort into the new 2021 version - but at the same time it’s still a nice watch - I wish there was more dial colour options in the explorer 2 range .
I can see why some think that, but I couldn’t disagree more… the polar and black being the only colors is why I love the explorer. No flash, understated, and subtle.
I've had my 216570 since new in 2014 and I'm very happy with it. When I see the previous version it seems tiny and rather delicate. That's just my opinion. Enjoy whatever you have.
Great comparison. The Explorer 2 is the only Rolex I really like but the 226570 is too much for my skinny wrists even in an age where bigger is the trend. 16750 is the one.
I much prefer the 16570. It's not even close for me. Aesthetically it was perfect, including its size and proportions. All it needed is an updated movement and newer bracelet. I'm sorry to say I wouldn't buy the 226570. Its too big, less appealing proportions, and has the general appearance of having put on some weight in unflattering ways.
I’ve got the bb58 black the size is perfect but I have vintage omega 33mm and 35mm they are also perfect ha ha I can say I’ve tried this new explorer and it doesn’t feel that big it fit great out of everything I tried on and left me wanting it, I’m on the list so we will see how long it takes 👍
I do not understand why this watch does not have the glidelock. Just about any physical activity you are performing will swell your wrist, especially if your arms spend any time at your sides. The glidelock seems supremely useful for that purpose. I am not going to carry a strap tool on my excursions, and the 5mm extension is too much for this use case. Missed opportunity.
I think the newer watch is too big and heavy, the older one is more harmonious. I always liked the Explorer II, even though I enjoy my GMT Master very much.
Would probably be an impossible engineering feat, but would love the old 16570-style bracelet with a miniature glidelock. Give me 8mm microadjust in 2mm increments with the stamped design and flip lock, and hollow links for weight and rattleness.
Great video. I have had my Explorer II since 2000. I used part of a bonus from my company. I bought it at Fred’s in the Costa Mesa Fashion Plaza. They had every Rolex available. And I had a lot more money to spend than I did. It came down to the Polar and the Black face Explorer II. They were just so much more cooler than all of the more traditional Roles dive watches that looked so much like the cheap knockoffs that I had worn since a kid. It actually reminded me of the image imprinted in my mind of Sean Connery’s 007 watch. I have been so upset the the newer 007s went to crap omegas because of product placement. Like when they had a girls BMW for one of the movies no one ever watches. My watch gets recognized more often than I ever thought it would. I have been told, that’s the cool one. And if I could afford it that’s the Rolex I would get. So it’s 22 years old. Been in every pool and ocean from Cabo to Cancun. Hasn’t missed a step. It sucks at telling time. It’s about 3 minutes fast each week. But it isn’t going anywhere any time soon. I think of all of the junk Sekos or Citizen watches I would have bought if I had not purchased the Polar. It’s probably saved me about $20k over the years. When I finally keel over dead someone in the family is going to get a great watch.
Would you say there's any meaningful difference between the 3186 and 3185 16570? Is the 3186 worth the premium or is the difference not big enough to only look for a 3186 16570?
A 2019 GMT Batman has a 3186 movement in it , you get old school charm in the proportions and a modern day movement, it’s a no brainier . 3186 was only produced for a small number of years so is also quite rare in comparison to the 3185 . The 3186 explorer 2 is the best choice in my opinion.
TOP MARKS MATE 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 YOU SHOWED THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 2 WATCHES VS TALKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE WITHOUT SHOWING BOTH WATCHES
Looks like I am going against the grain. I used to have a (new) Polar white, reference 16570 and sold it to a friend several years later because I found it's 40mm case too small. I went for a 42mm UN Maxi Marine Diver. Every time I would see my friend, I would be back to the same conclusion: "Looks too small". This same comment applies to the entire Rolex 40mm Sport line up. As soon as the 216570 came out, at 42mm, I said to myself "Finally!". When I was given the opportunity to acquire the reference 226570, I can't really explain why, but I immediately chose the Black dial version and I would never look back.
42mm is a a perfect size for my wrist. I also prefer the orange hand over the red one. It is such a beautiful combination of colors. Very subjective opinion of course.
I have a 7.5 wrist I usually like 40mm but this is a tool watch and a weekend watch so I would purchase the 26570…but I’m a VC guy and prefer to fly under the radar…so my Generation II big date chronograph is my weekend watch and the automatic my day to day..
Great review! I'm not a Rolex fanboy, however, if you play: You can only have one watch- The 16570 Polar would be the one! After seeing this review, 226570 is a real contender. Now the only problem is can you get one from the AD? Why don't Rolex have see thru case backs? What are they hiding? 🙂
16570 looks miles better with its well-proportioned, timeless design and 40mm case. 226570 could have been better if it were 40mm, 1971 OG throwback design i.e. distinctive markers Can't understand the big-watch syndrome that is still plaguing the watch industry.
Considering that when wearing 36mm watches I'm asked if they're women's watches, and seeing the number of people wearing those giant diesel watches, I'd say it's about people being insecure in their masculinity and the high rate of obesity, especially in older people who are able to afford these.
I always liked the 16570 until the 216570 came out. I had to have it and never regretted it. To be honest, the 22mm bracelet on the 226570 doest do its appearance any good bit that’s just a personal opinion. For me the 216570 still is the best of both worlds on the wrist. I don’t need a power reserve of 70 hours in my rotation, I wear my watch a few days in a row and then it goes back in the safe for some weeks. I have to admit I’m wearing mine for over a week now because for some reason I think of it as my favourite summer watch.
Dude your reviews are so good. Have you thought about joining the watch community? There are some awesome discords and a LOT of other awesome reviewers in there. If you're not already that is. Keep up the good work.
This model would be a great candidate to be released in RLX titanium. It would make it so much nicer to wear on a daily basis, while not messing up the aesthetic.
