Explorer 2 16570 Polar

[shie6523]

Hi All,

I'm thinking of buying a 2006 Explorer 2 Polar 16570 ("Swiss Made" dial).

The seller of the watch states the watch's production year is 2006, however the watch appears to have a holes case? I thought the holes cases on the 16570's were phased out between 2002 and 2003? Also, is there a possibility the watch could contain the 3186 movement even though the watch has a plain rehaut i.e. not the engraved one - there was a transition period 2006/07 where plain rehaut's with 3186 movements were still available I believe?

TIA,
Darren.

[Cru Jones]

3186 will not be found in a non-engraved rehaut version. That movement was only available at the very end of the 16570's life.

[rmagoo57]

Originally Posted by shie6523

Hi All,

I'm thinking of buying a 2006 Explorer 2 Polar 16570 ("Swiss Made" dial).

The seller of the watch states the watch's production year is 2006, however the watch appears to have a holes case? I thought the holes cases on the 16570's were phased out between 2002 and 2003? Also, is there a possibility the watch could contain the 3186 movement even though the watch has a plain rehaut i.e. not the engraved one - there was a transition period 2006/07 where plain rehaut's with 3186 movements were still available I believe?

TIA,
Darren.

Serial number?? Pics? Who cares what the seller states. Y series was the holes case transition period was late 2002. Sales date/papers could state 2006???

[Sub24541]

There is at least one example of a 16570 with a 3186 movement in a plain rehaut case in the forum Classifieds and several threads over the last decade with examples of this variant and also vice versa (engraved rehaut with 3185). They mostly appear to be Z-serial from ~2007.

[77T]

None of those questions really matter - the watch’s pedigree matters most. If the watch is an assemblage of replaced parts, be careful and hope they are genuine.

Then the seller’s pedigree. If it proves to be a franken or stolen watch will the seller refund your money.

Then the price…is it reasonable considering service history, condition and originality?

Last and least are the particulars about a movement caliber, lugholes, actual production date, etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[DigNtime]

I had a 2003 16570 Polar. F serial. It had a no holes case and I think 2003 was the first year of the no holes case. Great watch. But I'd be cautious. 2006 with a holes case means something got switched up or the dealer may not really know what they have (which isn't a good sign).

[Polarexplorerii]

My 2006 is a 3185 no holes z serial

[Sub24541]

There is a page at Millenarywatches titled Rolex 16570 Caliber 3186 Complete Guide that details the history (I don’t have enough posts to post links yet).

[Tools]

'06 may be a bit late for a no-holes case, so I might want to check that.

The 3186 was used in the Exp II at the same time that it was used in the pre-C GMT but the Exp II was continued to be made for several more years. This means that there are a lot more 3186 movements in Exp II models than there are in pre ceramic GMT models.

It's easy enough to check.