Pre-owned Rolex Explorer II watches

Introduced in 1971, the pre-owned Rolex Explorer II is a Professional watch designed for people operating in environments where natural time cues can disappear. Speleologists, polar explorers and scientists may face prolonged darkness or, conversely, a sun that never sets. The Explorer II addresses this problem with an additional hand making one revolution every 24 hours and a fixed graduated bezel, allowing daytime and nighttime hours to be distinguished.

Within the world of pre-owned Rolex watches, the Explorer II therefore has an immediately recognizable architecture. Its fixed metal 24-hour bezel, date at 3 o’clock under a Cyclops lens and additional 24-hour hand set it apart from the brand’s other Professional watches. Depending on the generation, a black or white “Polar” dial reinforces an identity that is particularly technical and instrument-focused.

The first reference 1655, now nicknamed “Freccione” after its large arrow-shaped hand, marks the historical starting point of the collection. On this first generation, the 24-hour display is primarily intended to distinguish daytime from nighttime: the additional hand is not independent from the conventional time display. This detail is essential to understanding the original Explorer II and separating it from the true GMT functionality introduced later.

With references 16550 and then 16570, the Explorer II evolved significantly. The case moved to 40 mm, sapphire crystal became standard and black or white dials created some of the collection’s most recognizable configurations, especially the “Polar” versions. The movement architecture now made it possible to separate local time from the 24-hour display and use the watch to follow a second time zone while retaining the fixed bezel and exploration-tool identity.

In 2011, the 216570 increased the diameter to 42 mm and brought back a large orange hand inspired by the original 1655. Today’s 226570 continues this architecture with a more recent movement while retaining the choice between black and white dials. These generations belong fully among pre-owned modern watches, with significantly greater wrist presence than earlier 16570 references.

Despite their shared name, the Explorer II must be clearly distinguished from the pre-owned Rolex Explorer. The classic Explorer is an extremely restrained three-hand watch, recognizable by its black 3-6-9 dial, smooth bezel and absence of a date on the main line. The Explorer II is a different watch: larger, equipped with a date, an additional 24-hour hand and a fixed graduated bezel. They share an exploration spirit, but not the same function or architecture.

The pre-owned Rolex GMT-Master is another essential comparison. Modern Explorer II generations can display a second time zone, but their historical purpose remains different. The GMT-Master was developed for pilots and travel across time zones, with a rotating 24-hour bezel that is often two-tone. The Explorer II retains a fixed steel bezel and an identity rooted in underground, polar and scientific exploration.

Explorer II watches are powered by self-winding mechanical movements and therefore naturally belong among pre-owned automatic watches. With historic cases around 40 mm and a 42 mm diameter since 2011, their sporting, functional presence also places them within the world of pre-owned men’s watches, although the choice ultimately depends on wrist proportions and personal preference.

Early 1655 examples, certain white-dial 16550 watches that have naturally aged toward a cream tone, or particularly coherent and well-preserved 16570 references are highly sought after by collectors. They may belong among rare pre-owned watches or pre-owned vintage watches. To explore the history of each generation in more detail, read our Rolex Explorer II history.

At Mostra Store, every pre-owned Rolex Explorer II is authenticated, inspected and, when needed, serviced by our watchmakers. We examine movement performance, the operation of the 24-hour display and date, the engravings on the fixed bezel, the dial, hands, luminous materials, case and bracelet. On vintage references, coherence between components and the production period is especially important.

Choosing a vintage or modern Rolex Explorer II means choosing a Professional watch with a highly specific purpose: a 24-hour instrument designed to preserve temporal orientation when the environment no longer provides it. A strong identity, immediately distinct from both the classic Explorer and the GMT-Master.