Rolex · Family: Explorer II
The Rolex Explorer II ref. 226570 is the current generation (launched in 2021) of the exploration watch Rolex created in 1971 for cave explorers and polar expeditions who needed to tell day from night without natural light. It has a 42mm Oystersteel case, calibre 3285, and a fixed 24-hour bezel. As of July 22, 2026, Cazador does not yet have sufficient market observations (n<5) to publish a reliable price range. Differentiator: it is the first generation in the family to feature a Cyclops lens over the date.
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Cazador does not yet have sufficient market observations for this reference: n<5 verified PricePoints as of July 22, 2026. To protect data integrity, we do not publish an estimated price range or trend chart until we reach our minimum threshold of curated observations.
The Explorer II was born in 1971 as reference 1655, built for a very specific profile: speleologists and polar explorers who spent entire days without natural light, whether underground or during continuous polar night, and needed a way to tell whether it was 3pm or 3am. The solution was an additional hand that completes one full rotation of the dial every 24 hours (versus two rotations for a conventional hour hand), read against a fixed 24-hour graduated bezel. Unlike the GMT-Master, designed for pilots crossing time zones, the Explorer II solves a different problem: orienting yourself in time when there is no sun or moon to indicate it.
The 1655, with its orange dial accents and matching hand, was discontinued in 1985 and is now a cult vintage piece among collectors. It was followed by the 16550 (1985-1988, the first with an available white dial), then the 16570 (1989-2011, 40mm case, the longest-running generation in the family), and in 2011 the 216570, which brought the diameter to 42mm and introduced the calibre 3187 with a paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring. Notably, none of these generations featured a Cyclops lens over the date, a distinctive trait of the Explorer II family compared to other date-equipped Oyster models.
The ref. 226570, unveiled at Watches & Wonders 2021, keeps the 42mm case but introduces calibre 3285 (the same movement fitted to the GMT-Master II of that generation), with a Chronergy escapement and roughly 70 hours of power reserve. It also marks the first time the family gains a Cyclops lens over the date, a change that divided opinion between purists who valued the "clean" look of earlier generations and those who see it as a functional legibility upgrade. It remains available with a white ("Polar") or black dial, both sharing the same indices and Chromalight hands.
Not in the strict sense. Its orange 24-hour hand is fixed to the same position as the hour hand and rotates with it; it cannot be adjusted independently like a GMT-Master II's hand. It is used to tell day from night by reading the fixed 24h bezel, not to track a second active time zone simultaneously.
The 226570 (2021) introduces calibre 3285 with roughly 70 hours of power reserve, versus the 3187 in the 216570. It is also the first Explorer II generation with a Cyclops lens over the date, an element no earlier reference in the family had carried since 1971.
Both share the exact same movement, case, and technical specifications; the choice is purely aesthetic. Cazador does not yet have enough data on this specific reference to confirm a consistent price gap between variants.
We do not yet know with the reliability we require: Cazador has fewer than 5 verified market observations for this reference as of July 2026. Once we accumulate enough curated listings and auction results, we will publish a price range here with an update date.
It is a direct legacy of the 1971 ref. 1655, whose dial accents and 24h hand were orange for maximum visibility in low-light conditions, the watch's original use case (caves and polar expeditions). The color has remained a signature of the entire Explorer II family ever since.
100 meters (330 feet), the same figure the entire Explorer II family has kept since 1971. It is not a dive-oriented rating (that role belongs to the Submariner), but it is more than enough for daily wear and terrestrial exploration activities.
Yes, calibre 3285 is shared between the current Explorer II (226570) generation and the GMT-Master II, though each model integrates it with a different 24h hand module: independently adjustable in the GMT-Master II, fixed in the Explorer II.