This watch has been sold in France in September 2020. Unworn.The reference 216570 is discontinued and has been replaced by the reference 226570.
The Oyster Perpetual Explorer II evolved from Rolex’s deep involvement with exploration. It go where few people venture.
The brand was able to test these watches in real life by equipping polar, mountaineering and caving expeditions over many years. Some of the world’s most intrepid explorers, mountaineers and scientists took Explorer and Explorer II watches to places that tested their reliability in the toughest conditions.
This Oyster Perpetual Explorer II in Oystersteel with an Oyster bracelet features a black dial with an arrow-shaped 24-hour hand and hour markers in Chromalight.
Its highly legible dial, extremely resistant Oystersteel and waterproofness have made it the watch for the extremes.
The Explorer II is equipped with an additional 24-hour display; a dedicated hand circles the dial in 24 hours rather than the usual 12, pointing to a fixed bezel with 24 hour graduations. This function enables the wearer to distinguish the hours of the day from the hours of the night, an essential feature for those who venture into environments where darkness reigns supreme – such as in the depths of caves, or where the sun never sets – like the polar regions in summer.
On this black-dial version of the Explorer II, the black base of the hands blend with the dial to create a “phantom” effect in which they seem to float over the dial – a nod to the 1971 model. The Explorer II features a date display, an additional orange 24-hour hand and a fixed bezel with 24-hour graduations, enabling day to be distinguished from night. It became the watch of choice for speleologists, volcanologists and polar explorers. Its hour markers and hands feature a highly-legible Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence.
Rolex uses Oystersteel for its steel watch cases. Specially developed by the brand, Oystersteel belongs to the 904L steel family, alloys most commonly used in high-technology and in the aerospace and chemical industries, where maximum resistance to corrosion is essential. Oystersteel is extremely resistant, offers an exceptional finish once polished and maintains its beauty even in the harshest environments.
The Oyster bracelet is a perfect alchemy of form and function, aesthetics and technology, designed to be both robust and comfortable. It is equipped with an Oysterlock folding clasp, which prevents accidental opening and the Easylink comfort extension link, also exclusive to Rolex. This ingenious system allows the wearer to increase the bracelet length by approximately 5 mm, providing additional comfort in any circumstance.
