16570 Explorer... Do you consider it one of the air/pilot watches?
 

If you put together a land/air/sea trio would you include the 16570?

I’m curious because as we all know the spelunking storyline of the watch especially the polar version and then I read this earlier elsewhere:

“ There is an extra 24-hour hand that points to a fixed bezel with 24-hour markings. The logic behind this is that cave explorers are often in the dark, and therefore, can’t tell the difference between AM and PM. The 24-hour hand points to either 10:00 or 22:00, the wearer can now know whether it’s day or night.”

I’ve heard others state it’s not a true GMT watch whatever they mean by that...

Thoughts?

Yes I’d add it to the trio for land (not air).


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I've always thought of the explorer II as Rolex's travel/adventure watch. For a few reasons:

- Rugged (aren't they all, though). More so with the tough and easy to replace steel bezel. Nothing to rotate on the outside and get jammed with sand or dirt. Waterproof enough for most anything you can throw at it, and a tough steel bracelet.
- Two time zones. When you're traveling, all you want to know at a quick glance is the local time, and your home time. No need to constantly flip between time zones with a rotating gmt bezel. Land in your new time zone, quick hour hand adjustment to local time and you're good to go
- If the GMT hand is set to local time, it can be used as a compass. Part of the adventure aspect.

Air? No. Land? Yes.

Wonder why some would say it's not a true GMT...?

But isn’t land usually referencing a vehicle/racing and a chronograph?

not really

the explorer name is land related as the name suggests - the ascent of Everest will always be linked with the names Hillary and Explorer

a racing themed watch will normally have a tachymetre scale and probably a chronograph function like say a Daytona

I have been wearing mine on an airplane as well as out walking, seemed to work fine.

The original Explorer II was not a dual-time watch. It only depicted time in either 12 hour format or 24 hour format.

The GMT was always a dual-time watch because you could use the bezel for a second time-zone (GMT is the name of the watch, not the function).

Today, both the Explorer II and the GMT II are true dual-time watches as both have independently adjustable hour/24 hour hands.

If you are putting together an air/land/sea group, you are putting a historical representation together, nothing more. Air-king/DJ/Sub would work, but tradition says GMT/Sub/Daytona - it's your collection, call them how you want. :thumbsup:

Can you explain how that last feature works?

My understanding is that technically speaking, the Explorer II was created to assist speleologists while inside the cave where, due to the dark environment, they are unable to tell the difference between daytime and nighttime. With that in mind, I personally would consider it more of a land vs air watch.

Great point! In my estimation it’s a dual time watch therefore works as a Pilot’s watch. I need to pick one up!

Or, more simply. because it doesn't have a rotating bezel.

Also, the bezel numbers are recessed- supposedly so they can be felt in the dark (e.g. of a cave).

And, the numbers on the bottom of the bezel, numbers (10-12-14-16) are flipped "rightside up" because they don't ever rotate, vs. a GMTs bezel on which all the numbers are arranged so that they are always upright at the top when the bezel is rotated.

A perfect description. I love my Exp II. :thumbsup:

I never noticed that tidbit of trivia. And I look at my watch a million times a day.

:lol:

Point 12 hour hand at sun, the 24 hour hand will point north (if they are set on the same time zone).

Thanks, I did not know that. By 12 hour hand you mean hour hand, correct?

Yes

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This is the definitive Explorer thread and IMO the best thread I have ever encountered on this forum:https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=345242

The only 16570 black dial i've ever seen in the wild was on the wrist of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A320 Captain. He told me he had been wearing it daily for 20 years.

Solved!

I did not know that at all and I have been collecting and swapping Rolexes for the last 10 years! Wow.

Explorer II is considered a land piece as the purpose is to help cave explorer to tell the time in a 24-hours format.....

True in Northern Hemisphere only, during standard time (not daylight saving time).

Exp II was really for spelunking originally so neither fish nor fowl nor good red herring. :cheers:

Its good for all purposes, since its all steel construction makes it practically indestructible. Gmt, plus 100M Wr!