This Rolex Explorer II, ref. 226570 is, at its core, a no-frills, GMT-equipped sports watch, and importantly one that mechanically advanced the collection from the previous 216570 references and brought the Explorer II line into the modern age of Rolex watches. With a solidly built 42mm stainless steel case, matching triple-link Oyster bracelet, and a fixed 24-hour outer bezel, the watch is instantly recognizable as an Explorer II, with its silhouette featuring much of the name robustness as the previous generation albeit with slightly more tapered lines, as noticeable in the slimmer lugs.

On the dial of the 226570, Rolex’s efforts toward modernization as established in the previous reference are once more displayed, with the overall configuration and aesthetic almost identical to the 216570. In this vein, the “Maxi”-type dial features some of the boldest features ever seen in the collection historically, inclusive of enlarged hands and hour markers, in addition to smart uses of contrast in both colors and textures. The 226570 does feature some subtle differences though, most notably on the white dial, Polar edition includes slightly more matte hands, while the black dial variant most notably includes the use of white gold hands as compared to the split metal and black style previously used. Both the Polar and black dial editions include the use of a small crown between “Swiss” and  “Made” at the 6 o’clock position.