The Explorer for people who cross time zones.

The Explorer II was built for speleologists, people who spend days underground and lose track of whether it is day or night. The orange 24-hour hand against the fixed bezel answers that. Set the hand to a second zone and it is a traveller’s GMT with a bezel that cannot be knocked out of place, which is the whole difference from the GMT-Master II.

The 42mm case arrived in 2011 with the 216570, forty years after the original, and brought back the big orange hand of the 1971 watch. The 2021 226570 kept the look, slimmed the case sides and lugs, and fitted Caliber 3285 with 70 hours of reserve.

The listing says 42mm, black dial, Very Good, dated warranty card. From the outside the two references are close: the 226570 has slightly slimmer lugs, a Chromalight display that glows longer, and a rehaut engraved for the new movement. The date on the warranty card settles it: 2021 or later is the 226570.

Either is a fine watch; the 226570 has the longer reserve and the newer movement, the 216570 costs less and is no longer made. Every figure here is Rolex’s published specification for the reference, not a measurement of the listed unit.

Amazon does not sell new Rolex. This unit comes from Rebag through Amazon Luxury Stores, graded Very Good with minor scratches and wear on case and band, and it ships with its dated warranty card. Amazon’s return window applies on top of the seller’s authentication, which is your chance to check the reference against the card.

A steel Rolex sports watch has historically resold close to what it cost, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. That is a pattern, not a promise, and nothing here is investment advice.