Just got one of the hottest models from this year's Baselworld a while back.
My first impression on it was that Rolex was a little lazy as there was little change in the new design. The case is just a bigger version of the older explorer II. The font used to indicate the hours on the bezel also were the same as the ones on the older version. On top of that, the increased size of 42mm does not seem to 'pop'. It is a little subdued. This could be due to a lack of thickness. 42mm does not seem to wear any larger than the 40mm sub ceramic. However having worn it for a few days, it will warm up to you and it is now my daily watch.
a comparison with the older 16570 explorer ii and the Hulk on the wrist
The main highlight of this watch is the orange GMT 'freccione' hand from the legendary 1655 explorer II. On top of the orange hand, I like the fact that they use the newer maxi dial and the words 'Explorer II' are written in orange. This gives a striking contrast to the dial of the watch. Also with the base of the 'freccione' hand painted black, it seems that the 'freccione' hand is floating on the dial.The use of the 'mercedes hands' as opposed to the baton hands in the 1655 also adds a nice touch to the watch in creating its own character.
The watch does not have the triple locking system used in the submariner and the deepsea hence the line below the rolex crown on the crown as shown below. If it has the triple locking system, the three dots would be below the crown. In my opinion, I would have liked it better if rolex made a bigger crown for this watch. The current one is very similiar to the older versions and is a slight pain for me to pull out and to wind due to its small size.
To end this pictorial review, the successor of the throne next to the homage bearer also in 42mm.
Thank you for reading. If you are wondering why the dates are different, the pictures were shot over the span of a week. Was going to write the review sooner but could not upload the photos.
