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It has been a few weeks since I laid hands on the new 42mm Rolex Explorer II and I must say that its impressed me far more than the 39mm Explorer (21470) that I previously had (and quickly disposed of).
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First, it looks better compared to its discontinued ancestor - the 16570. The orange coloured GMT hand and "Explorer" script are refreshing and together with the thicker "mercedes" hour and "sword" minute hands, they contrast perfectly with the white dial to give a crisp, bold look.
Second, Rolex has kept everything awesome about the Explorer 2 and updated some.
The new brushed bracelet features an Oysterlock clasp with the Easylink extension. - thumbs up.
The fully brushed steel bezel with engraved numerals has been kept - drool.
But the main update is its new 42mm size. So how does a 42mm Rolex wear then? Heres a side by side shot with my Daytona (40mm). The additional 2mm, coupled together with the thicker case and lugs gives the watch a more substantial presence.
And here are two wrist shots (both on my wrist of course), one with the 216570 and the other with the 16570. It's immediately obvious that the 216570 has more of a presence. Where once the 16570 might exclaim its presence on your wrist, the 216570 with its refreshing sportier look, bellows.
So what do I not like? In one word - Tapering. There's too much tapering of the bracelet. The bracelet starts off at 21mm at the lugs and by the time it reaches the clasp its only 15mm. That's a whole 6mm narrower!
I get that Rolex is trying to give the Explorer II a dressier look by tapering the bracelet but this is way overdone. I mean most of the time straps / bracelets taper smaller something like 2mm or 4mm max, e.g., 22mm to 20mm or 22mm to 18mm. But 21mm to 15mm?! It's like designing something with the shoulders of Vin Diesel and ending with Natalie Portman's tiny waist...it's going to look slightly unbalanced.
Anyhow, I am a huge huge fan of the 216750, it really is the best thing out of Rolex's stable in recent years. Just wish the bracelet was 2mm thicker at the end.
==================================
First, it looks better compared to its discontinued ancestor - the 16570. The orange coloured GMT hand and "Explorer" script are refreshing and together with the thicker "mercedes" hour and "sword" minute hands, they contrast perfectly with the white dial to give a crisp, bold look.
Second, Rolex has kept everything awesome about the Explorer 2 and updated some.
The new brushed bracelet features an Oysterlock clasp with the Easylink extension. - thumbs up.
The fully brushed steel bezel with engraved numerals has been kept - drool.
But the main update is its new 42mm size. So how does a 42mm Rolex wear then? Heres a side by side shot with my Daytona (40mm). The additional 2mm, coupled together with the thicker case and lugs gives the watch a more substantial presence.
And here are two wrist shots (both on my wrist of course), one with the 216570 and the other with the 16570. It's immediately obvious that the 216570 has more of a presence. Where once the 16570 might exclaim its presence on your wrist, the 216570 with its refreshing sportier look, bellows.
So what do I not like? In one word - Tapering. There's too much tapering of the bracelet. The bracelet starts off at 21mm at the lugs and by the time it reaches the clasp its only 15mm. That's a whole 6mm narrower!
I get that Rolex is trying to give the Explorer II a dressier look by tapering the bracelet but this is way overdone. I mean most of the time straps / bracelets taper smaller something like 2mm or 4mm max, e.g., 22mm to 20mm or 22mm to 18mm. But 21mm to 15mm?! It's like designing something with the shoulders of Vin Diesel and ending with Natalie Portman's tiny waist...it's going to look slightly unbalanced.
Anyhow, I am a huge huge fan of the 216750, it really is the best thing out of Rolex's stable in recent years. Just wish the bracelet was 2mm thicker at the end.
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