Rolex should never have pumped up the new Exp-II to 42 mm!!

[ghinghi]

Originally Posted by The GMT Master

Hi JJ, great to see you posting

My thinking with the new Explorer II is to get it firmly out of the GMT's shadow. That was always the problem with the 16570 - whether for right or wrong, it was seen as a watered down 16710, and that impacted on sales. Visually, it wasn't that different (particularly on the black dial model), it struggled to make a case for itself, unfortunately. However, with this new one, it's breaking off all ties with the GMT, even little details like the change from the cal. 3186 to the cal. 3187. We all know that they're essentially the same movement, but it highlights it as something different and unique. The case size is unique for Rolex, and so is the handset - I really love the bold look of that "maxi maxi" hour hand The orange hand is a big thing too - that was the defining feature of the original Explorer II, and goodness knows why they ever got rid of it in the first place! People love the link to a watch's heritage, and it's going to make it a hundred times easier to sell than the current one.

The Explorer II is back, ladies and gentleman, and is finally going to get some of the attention that it deserves

Chris

:) agree 100% even if I voted for the 40 mm size and I have a mid size wrist.
I am not a big fan of big cases (not a fan of oversized shirt collars or large ties too) but you always should try on your wrist before judging because balance among all parts (case, lugs, bracelet, end links) means more than simple measures. BTW the old speedmaster case (from 145.012 on) is 42 mm but the watch doesn't look huge or out of place.

[Ducky]

Originally Posted by Dr. T

Great post Ducky - I tried to post that link yesterday and failed! It really highlights just how big on the wrist the new explorer II will look. The 1655 (which is 38-39 mm?) looks soooo much smaller than the new 42mm!

Thanks Dr. T, it would be nice to know the wrist size of the person wearing the 1655/216570.