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Results for Rolex Explorer

91 articles · 69 videos found · page 1 of 6

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Reference · Guide
All Rolex Explorer & Explorer II References Rolex

Every Rolex Explorer (1953-) and Explorer II (1971-): 6098, 1016, 14270, 124270; 1655, 16550 Polar, 226570.
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Friday thoughts: does the one-watch collection actually exist, and could any WIS sit still with it?

Every enthusiast has this thought at 3am: sell everything, keep one watch, be done. If we had to pick, we would pick an Explorer 39mm. But is it still a collection with one, and can any watch enthusiast actually sit still?

Articles & videos

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We Had It So Good: The IWC Mark XV And The Rolex Explorer Ref. 114270 Fratello
Rolex Explorer Ref 114270 Put Jul 22, 2026

We Had It So Good: The IWC Mark XV And The Rolex Explorer Ref. 114270

Put an IWC Mark XV next to a Rolex Explorer ref. 114270 on a table, and you might wonder why anyone would bother comparing them. One is a Schaffhausen pilot’s watch built around a military lineage. The other is Rolex’s purest expression of the no-nonsense sports watch, worn by mountaineers and geologists long before it […] Visit We Had It So Good: The IWC Mark XV And The Rolex Explorer Ref. 114270 to read the full article.

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The Best Watch I Have Ever Owned: How My Rolex Explorer II Ref. 16570 Stumbled To Number One Fratello
Rolex Explorer II Ref 16570 Jul 4, 2026

The Best Watch I Have Ever Owned: How My Rolex Explorer II Ref. 16570 Stumbled To Number One

When RJ asked me to kick off a new series in which Fratello writers describe the best watch they have ever owned, I had to think for a moment. The idea is for each writer to describe his favorite watch, the one that served him most loyally and brought the most joy. We’re not talking […] Visit The Best Watch I Have Ever Owned: How My Rolex Explorer II Ref. 16570 Stumbled To Number One to read the full article.

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Bring a Loupe: A Cartier Platinum Pocket Watch, A Gilt Rolex Explorer, An Omega Railmaster, And A Broad Arrow Polerouter Hodinkee
Jaeger-LeCoultre ? Have Jun 5, 2026

Bring a Loupe: A Cartier Platinum Pocket Watch, A Gilt Rolex Explorer, An Omega Railmaster, And A Broad Arrow Polerouter

June's upon us, everyone, and while technically it's still spring, let's all agree to go ahead and round up to summer right now. You're salivating for beach time, or checking the market for pointers about what to do regarding the SpaceX IPO, or you couldn't care about either, and your full attention is on what seems likely to be a wildly excellent NBA finals. Regardless of where your attention's generally pointed, let's look at some watches together before you're whisked off to full weekend mode. Scorekeeping last week's picks, the Universal Geneve Super went for a mere €550, the Movado for CHF 2,600, the Rotary Compressor for £350, while the Rolex Submariner Ref 16800 somehow sold for only $60,000 HKD ($7,655). The Louis Vuitton Monterey II also sold. Strays Photo courtesy FauveParis. No-name skin divers will always get under my skin, and this week there's this sweet-looking Allaine. Or are you after an overwhelmingly 1980s quartz perpetual calendar from Corum? As you wish. How about an extraordinarily clean manual-wind Seamaster dress watch? Get it. Someone, please bid on this and *also* pay once you've won: this Autavia has popped up thrice over the last two months, and certainly one of you has a soft spot for modular chronograph movements that'll lead your favorite watchmaker to curse you, right? A Heuer triple calendar in 14k gold, perhaps? Ta da. A fantastic Jaeger-LeCoultre? Have at it. Finally, I don't know if this Omega Speedmaster 145.022 is actually NOS, but ...

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Fratello’s Top 5 Rolex Explorer Alternatives In 2026 Fratello
Rolex Explorer Alternatives Mar 27, 2026

Fratello’s Top 5 Rolex Explorer Alternatives In 2026

Another Friday, another list. This week, we picked a Rolex that many of us praise as one of the brand’s best - the Explorer. Introduced in 1953 with its signature 3-6-9 dial, this watch has become a favorite within the enthusiast community. Some of the Fratello team members own one, and I am sure plenty […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Rolex Explorer Alternatives In 2026 to read the full article.

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Fratello’s Top 5 Rolex Explorer II Alternatives In 2026 Fratello
Rolex Explorer II Alternatives Feb 27, 2026

Fratello’s Top 5 Rolex Explorer II Alternatives In 2026

Another Friday, another list. This week, we follow up on last week’s list of the top five Rolex GMT-Master II alternatives with the best alternatives to the Rolex Explorer II. It’s a logical step since the two models offer much of the same functionality. But they are inherently different watches in terms of presence and […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Rolex Explorer II Alternatives In 2026 to read the full article.

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Why I Could Fall In Love With The Quirky Rolex Explorer II Ref. 16570 Fratello
Rolex Explorer II Ref 16570 Feb 18, 2026

Why I Could Fall In Love With The Quirky Rolex Explorer II Ref. 16570

There’s an odd sort of feeling to taking a Rolex Explorer II into the ocean. Even here, off the rolling waves of Sydney’s eastern beaches, you notice something about this watch that most sports watches I’ve spent time with simply don’t share: it feels in its element. You don’t take a 16570 into the surf […] Visit Why I Could Fall In Love With The Quirky Rolex Explorer II Ref. 16570 to read the full article.

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Earthen Co.’s New Summit Collection Convinced Me About Ceramic Watches Fratello
Rolex Explorer - one without Aug 31, 2025

Earthen Co.’s New Summit Collection Convinced Me About Ceramic Watches

Back in the ’90s, I got really into watches. I remember sitting across from a guy on the train who was wearing a Rolex Explorer - one without the white gold surrounds on its hour markers, so probably a reference 1016. I asked him about it, and he said he had owned it for a […] Visit Earthen Co.’s New Summit Collection Convinced Me About Ceramic Watches to read the full article.

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Rolex Explorer 36mm 124270 Review Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex Jun 26, 2025

Rolex Explorer 36mm 124270 Review

The story of the Rolex Explorer 36 124270 began at Watches & Wonders 2021, which represented an important anniversary for Rolex in marking 50 years of the Explorer II, and expectations were high on what we might see the brand do with the collection. Contrary to some of the wilder predictions, Rolex played things relatively conservatively, bringing the new 3285 movement into the line while retaining the model's 42mm case. Ironically, a reversion to classic proportions did come, but it would be in the Explorer collection and a new Reference 124270, which moved back to a 36mm case size for the first time since the 39mm 214270 was introduced in 2010. This was seen as a very un-Rolex move at the time, but today, more than three years later, it’s a watch that makes a lot of sense, not just on its own, but for Rolex as a brand. The Rolex Explorer 36mm next to the older 39mm Rolex is a brand that generally moves in one direction and, until relatively recently, doesn’t go out of its way to acknowledge its past in any overt way. While Rolex still isn’t making throwback or vintage-inspired watches, the company has taken a slightly different approach in embracing its historic design DNA while transitioning its full range to the 32xx series of movements. Examples of this include the current generation of the Submariner, which has gone back to a thinner, more traditional lug; the Sea-Dweller Reference 126600, which uses a bit of red text on the bottom of the dial; and the most ove...

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Rolex Explorer II 16570: The Best Value Rolex GMT Teddy Baldassarre
Rolex May 14, 2025

Rolex Explorer II 16570: The Best Value Rolex GMT

My first Rolex was an Explorer II 216570 with black dial and I absolutely loved that watch. It was rarer than the GMT-Master II or Submariner, and didn’t have the ceramic bezel, which I found to be a little too glossy and “luxe” for what I was looking for in a watch at the time. I kept and wore the heck out of that watch for almost six years until I just felt like it didn’t speak to me anymore. The 42mm wide “Maxi” case seemed too big and the big, thick hour and minutes hands just began to bug me. I can’t explain why I was so dead set on the 216570 rather than the older 16570 at the time but I can certainly say that now, in 2025, the Rolex Explorer II 16570 is not just my preferred iteration of the modern spelunking watch, but an all-timer from Rolex. I’ve started to refer to the 16570 as a “Forever Rolex” because it ticks all the boxes - size, reliability, dual-time functionality, and discrete aesthetics - all while remaining one of the few Rolexes that isn’t immediately recognizable to every casual observer. Let’s take a look at why I’m such a big fan of this old-school Rolex. Case and Specs: The Other Rolex GMT Measuring 40mm wide and 12.2mm thick with a 47mm lug-to-lug height, the 16570 is an eminently wearable Rolex. And while this is very obviously a sport/tool watch, these proportions make for a very versatile and subdued piece. No, there isn’t a rotating bezel with a nickname-ready color combo here. Rather, there is a demure, fixed ...

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Five Recent Affordable Alternatives To The Rolex Explorer For 2025 Fratello
Rolex Explorer Feb 7, 2025

Five Recent Affordable Alternatives To The Rolex Explorer For 2025

The Rolex Explorer is one of those classics that will never go out of style. Unfortunately, it is also a rather costly watch that certainly does not fit every enthusiast’s budget. Today, I want to take a look at some recent affordable alternatives to the Rolex Explorer. How do you scratch that itch without scratching […] Visit Five Recent Affordable Alternatives To The Rolex Explorer For 2025 to read the full article.

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Sunday Morning Showdown: Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Vs. Rolex Explorer II Ref. 226570 Fratello
Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Vs Dec 15, 2024

Sunday Morning Showdown: Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Vs. Rolex Explorer II Ref. 226570

It’s Sunday morning, so it’s time for your weekly dose of early-morning caffeine! Pour yourself a hot cup of coffee, grab a seat, and let’s get going. This week, Jorg and Mike return to the battlefield with another interesting duo of contenders. We read your comments, dear Fratelli! Today’s matchup is a much-requested battle that […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Tudor Pelagos FXD GMT Vs. Rolex Explorer II Ref. 226570 to read the full article.

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Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Explorer Vs. Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Fratello
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Jul 7, 2024

Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Explorer Vs. Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra

The Rolex Explorer, with its stainless steel Oyster case, glossy black dial, and mix of applied indexes and numerals, is one of the most iconic sports watches out there. Recently, Omega launched a new version of its Seamaster Aqua Terra, which, in terms of design, comes quite close to the iconic Explorer. It has a […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex Explorer Vs. Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra to read the full article.

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“A Great Deal Of Rough Treatment” - When The Rolex Explorer 1016 Went Caving Fratello
Rolex Explorer 1016 Went Caving May 14, 2024

“A Great Deal Of Rough Treatment” - When The Rolex Explorer 1016 Went Caving

This is a story of pioneering adventurers. It is a tale about a group of expert cave divers that may never have surfaced if not for the tireless efforts of volunteers at the Oxford University Cave Club. It was also an opportunity for the watch brand Rolex to test out its Explorer 1016 on the […] Visit “A Great Deal Of Rough Treatment” - When The Rolex Explorer 1016 Went Caving to read the full article.

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Exploring Evergreens: The Rolex Explorer Ref. 114270 Fratello
Rolex Explorer Ref 114270 Mar 4, 2024

Exploring Evergreens: The Rolex Explorer Ref. 114270

In this series called Exploring Evergreens, we review watches that have been around for over a decade - or long enough to feel ubiquitous - and ask ourselves whether they have managed to stand the test of time. We’ll address whether they’re still relevant, how they feel today, and, ultimately, if they’re worth their current […] Visit Exploring Evergreens: The Rolex Explorer Ref. 114270 to read the full article.

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