Explorer II is a super-clone Rolex product line with a distinctive style. Since the launch of the first model Ref. 1655 in 1971, the brand has not made major adjustments to the appearance of the series, and all previous generations of products have continued to maintain a stable style. It is this design heritage that established Explorer II’s status and also triggered the “tribute” of many competing products. In fact, an important reason for Explorer II's enduring popularity lies in its uniqueness.
The super clone Explorer II is the only remaining “Rolex second generation” product.
In 2024, Rolex will officially remove the Yacht Master II from the current product list, marking the official withdrawal of the series from the stage. Looking at the Rolex product line, the only models still named after the Roman numeral "II" are the "GMT-Master II" and the "Explorer II".
The super clone Explorer II was born in 1971, with the first product model Ref.1655. The watch adopts a 39mm diameter, with an orange GMT pointer added to the black dial, corresponding to the 24 o'clock reading value on the stainless steel outer ring. Since the outer ring cannot rotate, the Explorer II is only a "dual time watch" and cannot obtain third time zone information through rotation like the GMT-Master. In terms of details, Explorer II did not use the Mercedes-Benz needle and 3/6/9 Arabic numeral time scales, but reconstructed the crown shoulder guard, small window convex lens and other components.
The early Explorer II movement kept pace with the GMT-Master: the Cal. 1575 movement equipped in the Ref. 1655 was also used in the GMT-Master I Ref. 1765. Entering the 21st century, since Rolex no longer launches "GMT-Master I" watches, in fact "GMT-Master II" has become the only choice, and its "second generation" meaning has been weakened. After this product adjustment, the Explorer model has become the only series that currently has a "first generation" model with basic functions and a "second generation" model with complex functions (GMT), which highlights its specialness.
The uniqueness of Explorer II is first reflected in the light-colored dial
Super clone Rolex watches are divided into two themes: "professional" and "classic". The so-called "professional" sports watches are commonly known as sports watches. They are mostly presented with a dark or black dial and a black outer ring. The Explorer II was the first to introduce "cream noodles" as early as the Ref. 16550 in the 1980s. This combination of light-colored dial and steel outer ring is rare among Rolex professional watches.
Different from the white lacquered dial of the modern Explorer II, the Ref. 16550 uses a slightly yellowed cream surface, giving it a classic look. This work slightly expands the watch diameter to 40mm, and is equipped with the Cal. 3085 movement used in the GMT-Master II at the same time. The GMT hand supports quick adjustment in 1-hour increments. Whether the GMT pointer supports quick adjustment is an important difference between GMT-Master I and GMT-Master II. It can be said that except for the fact that the luminous material is still tritium, many details of Ref. 16550 are very close to the current model.
So far, the combination of light-colored dial and steel outer ring has become one of the characteristics of Explorer II. Time came to 1989, and the "third generation" product of the series, Ref. 16570, was released. The third-generation Explorer II changed the cream surface of the previous model to a white surface. The fresh color scheme makes it more modern.
Explorer II also used a "special movement"
Ref.216570, which came out in 2011, is the fourth generation product of the series. Based on the choice of black and white disks, the watch diameter is increased to 42mm, which is in line with the popular trend of "large watch diameter" in sports models during the same period. The GMT hand of this generation of Explorer II has been adjusted to orange, making it more youthful and energetic.
The fourth generation super clone Rolex Explorer II is equipped with Rolex Cal.3187 movement, which is a "special edition" specially created for Explorer II. Compared with the Cal.3186 movement equipped on the GMT-Master II, the Cal.3187 movement uses Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock absorber, which improves the anti-magnetic performance to fit the positioning of a mountaineering watch. Similar to this practice of creating anti-magnetic movements for designated series, it has also appeared on Airmaster and Green Glass.
2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the advent of the Explorer II. Players have speculated that Rolex may launch important changes on the anniversary, including speculation about the ceramic ring. However, the 2021 Explorer IIRef.226570 has only undergone routine upgrades. Considering that Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock absorber have become standard equipment of 32 series movements, the fifth-generation Explorer II no longer uses a separate "special supply" movement, but synchronizes the Cal.3285 movement of the GMT-Master II.
The fifth-generation super clone Rolex Explorer II Watches continues to use a 42mm diameter, which is slightly larger than the 40mm of the GMT-Master II. In terms of details, the fifth-generation Explorer II adds a crown logo between “SWISS MADE” at 6 o’clock.
As the saying goes, fashion is reincarnation. As small-sized men's watches have returned to the popular stage in recent years, the new Tanyi Ref. 124270 returns to the same 36mm diameter as the original model, and retains the 40mm model for players to choose from. In the future, will the super-clone Rolex Explorer II return to the classic size, or will it follow the example of Tanyi and provide two watch diameter models? let us wait and see.
