The annual watch event Watches & Wonders has officially kicked off, and the center of attention every year, Rolex, has just unveiled a series of new works. This year’s release sees popular pieces taking on a new tone, niche works shining, and women’s styles showcasing a new level of elegance. Among all these situations, the most surprising is the appearance of the popular Daytona series in a series of new works, but the focus is on the 50th anniversary of the Explorer II this year. What upgrades has the Explorer II, which has not appeared in Rolex’s new releases for a long time, made?
With the new 3285 movement Explorer II (Ref. 226570) on, in fact, at first glance, there is not much difference in appearance from the previous generation, and even after the new work was launched, it immediately attracted a group of watch fans to compare the old and new generations.
Rolex has made changes to the “SWISS MADE” font between the six o’clock positions of the new watch to symbolize the identity of the new generation. This is Rolex’s designated action for updating new generation movements for each series – adding the brand’s iconic crown logo. In terms of size design, the brand new Explorer II still features a 42mm diameter stainless steel case, with a main dial design in all white lacquer, and a black dial option; water resistance remains at 100 meters, and the bezel continues to be engraved with prominent black numerical scales, with no significant difference from the previous generation.
However, there are still changes, the all-new Explorer II is equipped with black hour and minute hands and the iconic orange GMT hand, the axis of the latter even has orange (only visible at extremely close range), and the hands and markers are coated with “blue light” Chromalight luminescent material.
It is worth noting that Rolex has also made a very updated update to the Explorer II this year. The new watch is equipped with an Oyster bracelet, with a clasp that features the brand’s newly developed Easylink extension link, allowing the wearer to easily extend the bracelet by about 5 millimeters. The design of the concealed lugs ensures a seamless visual connection between the bracelet and the case.
In terms of movement, the new generation Explorer II is equipped with the 3285 movement featuring Rolex’s patented Chronergy escapement system, with the former also equipped with Rolex’s patented blue Parachrom hairspring, further enhancing its shock resistance performance. The new movement, driven entirely by automatic winding components, will provide approximately 70 hours of power reserve. As for the price that watch enthusiasts are most concerned about, according to Rolex’s official information, this year’s “50th Anniversary” return of the Explorer II is priced at approximately HKD 66,400. Interested friends may want to visit the official website before making a purchase.
資料及圖片來源：Courtesy of Rolex
