Combining a steel case with an engraved 24-hour bezel and a dial with two different hour hands, the Rolex Explorer II represents one of the brand’s most tool-oriented models. Replica Rolex released the first Explorer II model in 1971 specifically for cavers. It was designed to allow cavers to distinguish between day and night when spending long hours in dark caves, thanks to the orange arrow hand pointing to the fixed 24-hour bezel. However, Rolex updated the Explorer II in the mid-1980s to include not only a separate hour hand but also a white dial option. So, what’s coming for the new year? 
The vintage and contemporary version of the Explorer II with a white dial is often referred to as the Rolex Polar Explorer. While the original Explorer II ref. 1655 was only offered with a black dial, all subsequent models offered the option of a black or white dial. Although it was overlooked for many years, the white dial Rolex Explorer II has grown in popularity in recent years and is now as popular as other iconic Rolex designs such as the Pepsi GMT and the Black Submariner. 
In addition to its short production run, the Rolex Explorer II ref. 16550 Polar has several other details that will be of interest to vintage Rolex replica collectors. First, unlike the later Polar dials with their black hour marker surrounds, the earliest Polar Explorer II dials had polished white gold surrounds. Besides, while the Rolex Explorer II ref. 16550 Polaris was originally equipped with crisp white dials, they turned a creamy ivory shade due to a paint defect.
To the untrained eye, this color shift from polar white to creamy ivory is an obvious flaw; however, it is these types of anomalies that seasoned vintage fake Rolex collectors like to pursue. In addition, the Explorer II ref. 16550 can be a worthy example of a collectible “track” dial, as the two “C’s” in “Chronometer” and “Certified” are identical. Finally, some Explorer II ref. 16550 watches also have the original hard-to-find “fat font” bezel, which features thicker numbers on the 24-hour scale. 
Given that Rolex produced the Explorer II ref. 16570 for over 20 years, this watch has undergone several updates throughout its history. It is worth noting that the production of the Ref. 16570 overlapped with the transition from a perforated to a non-perforated case, so you will find two case styles of the Polar Explorer II 16570. In addition, Rolex began introducing the “ROLEX” engraving on the replica watches in the mid-2000s as an anti-counterfeiting measure, so you will find this feature in many of the later examples.
2022 Best Rolex Polar Explorer II
