Every Rolex Explorer and Explorer II reference, 1953 to today. From the Hillary-Tenzing summit watch to the modern 36mm 124270 and 42mm 226570 Polar.
Introduced1953
References14
Spanning1950s - 2020s
The Rolex Explorer was born from a 1953 ascent. After Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited Everest wearing modified Rolex Oyster Perpetuals, Rolex commercialised the lessons learnt as the Explorer ref. 6098 and 6150 (1953), then the iconic 1016 (1963-89). The watch is the simplest in the brand: time-only, 36mm, black dial with 3-6-9 Arabic numerals (the most-copied dial layout in tool watches), luminous hour markers, no date, no rotating bezel, no extra hands. Pure timekeeping.
The Explorer II is a different watch. Launched 1971 (ref. 1655) for cave explorers who needed AM/PM disambiguation underground, it added a fixed 24-hour bezel and a fourth (orange GMT) hand. The II went 39mm to 40mm to 42mm over the decades and added independent-jumping-hour true GMT in 1985. Today both lines run side by side: the 124270 (36mm, 124273 in 41mm) and 226570 (42mm Explorer II).
Filter:
6098
1953
36mm case100m WR
DialBlack with 3-6-9 Arabic numerals appearing for the first time
BezelSmooth steel
MovementCal. A.296
BraceletRiveted Oyster
First Explorer-spec Oyster Perpetual. Hillary and Tenzing wore this generation on Everest in May 1953. Honey-coloured dials are the rarest sub-variant.
6150
1953-1954
36mm case100m WR
DialBlack, 3-6-9 Arabic numerals
BezelSmooth steel
MovementCal. A.296
Sister reference to the 6098. Both used as the basis of the official "Explorer" name when Rolex registered the trademark in January 1953.
6350
1953-1954
36mm case100m WR
DialBlack with 3-6-9, "Officially Certified Chronometer" added
BezelSmooth steel
MovementCal. A.296
First Explorer with the chronometer designation on the dial. Honey-dial variants exist, often re-luming during service caused colour shifts.
1016
1963-1989
36mm case100m WR
DialBlack gloss, then matte (1969-onward), 3-6-9 Arabic
The longest-produced Explorer reference. Twenty-six years of production, multiple dial sub-variants (gloss to matte to gloss; "underline", "frog foot" coronet, "swiss-T"), and the watch most collectors picture when they hear "Explorer".
14270
1989-2001
36mm case100m WR
DialBlack gloss with applied indices, 3-6-9 in painted tritium then SuperLumiNova
BezelSmooth steel
MovementCal. 3000
BraceletOyster
Sapphire crystal Explorer with applied (no longer painted) hour markers. Twelve-year production. The "black-out" sub-variant has black-painted 3-6-9 numerals.
114270
2001-2010
36mm case100m WR
DialBlack gloss, applied indices and 3-6-9
BezelSmooth steel
MovementCal. 3130
BraceletOyster
Six-digit modernisation: solid bracelet links, the Cal. 3130. The "Maxi dial" variant arrived late in the run with chunkier hour markers.
214270
2010-2021
39mm case100m WR
DialBlack gloss, applied indices, "Maxi" 3-6-9 from 2016 with lumed numerals
BezelSmooth steel
MovementCal. 3132 (Parachrom hairspring)
BraceletOyster 904L Oystersteel
First 39mm Explorer. Initial dials had non-lumed Arabic numerals; in 2016 Rolex updated to lumed Arabic numerals with a small case revision (the "Mark 2"). Discontinued 2021 when the 36mm size returned.
124270
2021-present
36mm case100m WR
DialBlack with applied indices, lumed 3-6-9 Arabic
First two-tone Explorer in the catalogue. Yellow-gold and steel Rolesor combination - a controversial release on a model that had been steel-only for nearly seventy years.
First Explorer II. Designed for cave explorers who needed AM/PM disambiguation underground. The orange 24-hour hand reads against the fixed bezel. Often (incorrectly) nicknamed "Steve McQueen".
16550
Polar
1985-1989
40mm case100m WR
DialBlack or white "Polar"; cream-dial sub-variant on early examples
First Explorer II with independent-jumping hour hand (true GMT functionality). White dial variant introduced; cream-Polar (oxidised early dials) is the rare collectible.
16570
1989-2011
40mm case100m WR
DialBlack or white Polar; later examples with white-gold-surrounds applied indices
Twenty-two-year five-digit Explorer II. The "Mark 1" through "Mark 5" dial sub-variants change tritium to luminova to SuperLumiNova; later examples have applied (not painted) indices.
216570
2011-2021
42mm case100m WR
DialBlack or Polar white, Maxi indices, "Freccione" orange GMT hand restored
BezelEngraved steel 24-hour fixed bezel
MovementCal. 3187
BraceletOyster 904L Oystersteel
40th-anniversary Explorer II. Case grew to 42mm; the orange GMT hand from the 1655 returned (the 16550 / 16570 had a red GMT hand). Multi-year waitlists in the late 2010s.
226570
2021-present
42mm case100m WR
DialBlack or Polar white, Maxi indices, orange GMT hand
50th-anniversary refresh. Cal. 3285 with 70-hour reserve. Slimmer lugs than the 216570. Both dial colours (black and Polar) continue.
No references match all selected filters.
Was the 1016 really worn by Steve McQueen?
No. McQueen wore a Rolex Submariner 5512 in The Getaway (1972) and personally owned several Subs. The "Steve McQueen Explorer" tag was a misattribution that got attached to the Explorer II 1655 in the 1990s and stuck for years. Real photo evidence consistently shows him in the Submariner. The 1655 is still nicknamed "Steve McQueen" by some collectors, despite the historical correction.
Polar dial: what counts
"Polar" refers to the white-dial variant of the Explorer II. It first appeared on the 16550 (1985-89) as a result of the dial Rolex was experimenting with for white-dial sport watches. Early 16550s with cream-tone dials are the rare "cream Polar" sub-variant, since Rolex changed the dial paint mid-production after some examples turned cream when the printing oxidised. The 16570, 216570, and 226570 all continue the Polar option.
The 39mm-40mm-42mm-39mm size journey
The Explorer settled at 36mm and stayed there for 50 years (1953-2010), then went to 39mm with the 214270 (2010-21), and reverted to 36mm with the 124270 (2021-present). The Explorer II went 39mm (1655), 40mm (16550, 16570), 42mm (216570, 226570) - growing each generation. Many collectors prefer the size journey of the 39mm Explorer 214270 ("the wrist size") to the 36mm classic.