Rolex Explorer II 16570 Watch Review - The best Rolex for your money!

Today, we are going to take a look at a recent addition to my personal collection of watches. I have been eyeing a 16570 Rolex for some time now and have come to the conclusion that this definitely is the best value packed rolex for your money. It is not the least expensive Rolex at around $5000-$6000 USD for a decent pre owned model with box and papers from the F serial years mine came from. The new Maxi case Explorer II is just a bit odd looking to me, using a large orange gmt hand which resembles the vintage Explorer II in a way. Anyway, enough rambling on - let’s explore this timepiece!

Case

The 904L solid stainless steel 40MM case is finely brushed and polished on the flanks of the case and bracelet in a very nice and luxurious manner. I don’t know, whenever I pick up a 904L steel Rolex it just feels of better quality and the finishing looks better, but that’s just my opinion. In terms of thickness including the Sapphire crystal which sits a bit above the stationary 24 hour bezel we are looking at 12.2MM. The lug to lug distance of 47MM allows for a perfect fit on my 6.5” wrist with zero overhang, which is very pleasing. The case itself is also water resistant to 100 Meters making this a capable watch. Whether your climbing and exploring mountains and caves, flying over different time zones, or simply riding your bicycle to the beach for a quick dip, the Explorer II will satisfy in each of these situations. The watch itself feels tough, robust, and can definitely get away with the term “Tool Watch”.

Dial

I chose to go with the glossy black dial, it just speaks to me much more than the “Feminine” white dial option. I also do really enjoy the 18K white gold hands and lips of the applied Superluminova markers. The 2.5X magnification lens is certainly helpful with reading the date at a quick glance whilst driving or jogging as well. There are three lines of text on this model and two lines at the bottom stating the COSC certification. It is a rather simple, no nonsense dial meant for use of each of the three functions ( Date , GMT time , Regular Time ). Another bonus of getting a more recent 16570 (2005) is the lume. The lume glows green and is certainly bright at night lasting a decent ammount of time.

Movement

The Rolex 3186 Automatic calibre is a COSC certified Rolex in house movement featuring a blue parachrom hairspring as well, whilst the previous 3185 did not. One can expect around 50 hours of power reserve which is quite good and a bit over two days. The movement contains 31 jewels and has a high beat of 28,800 BPH. Caliber 3186 also features a GMT function of course for the two time zones this watch can hold at any given moment. My example is performing at +2 seconds a day which is just as good as my current 2016 Submariner.

Bracelet

This model uses a 20MM 904L steel oyster bracelet with the older style stamped clasp and flip over lock. We also do get a few micro adjustments for tweeking the perfect fit to your wrist, which is always useful during summer season for me. The tops are brushed while the flanks and polished. However, you cannot compare the quality of these bracelets to the newer style bracelets. They may be comfortable and 100% functional , but the overall solidness and robustness of the newer oyster bracelets on the Maxi cases blows these away. On a good note, this model does contain the solid end links.

Conclusion

Furthermore, the 16570 is most definitely overshadowed by many and quite bland for some. However, It is certainly the best value 5 digit sports steel rolex currently on the market. I mean...you are getting a Gmt function, Date, and small details not found on any other model like the unique brushed finish on the 24 hour bezel. In some years, I can picture this watch jumping in price to around $6-$7,000.....If you are in the market for a 16570 , find one in good condition which shouldn’t be hard and I am sure you will have a great experience as I am currently having. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the full video review on YouTube.