Short answer: The Explorer is Rolex's time-only model: 36 mm (124270, or 124273 in yellow Rolesor) or 40 mm (224270), with a smooth bezel, a black 3-6-9 dial, no date and calibre 3230. The Explorer II (often written Explorer 2) is the 42 mm 226570 on calibre 3285: it adds a date and an orange 24-hour hand read against a fixed 24-hour bezel, which tells day from night or keeps a second time zone, with a white "Polar" or black dial. Rolex's 2026 US list prices are $7,900 (steel Explorer 36), $8,350 (Explorer 40) and $10,600 (Explorer II). On October 19, 2026 Bizak's asks started at $6,975 for a pre-owned Explorer 36, $9,735 for a pre-owned Explorer 40 and $11,968 for a pre-owned Explorer II 226570.
Last reviewed on October 19, 2026 by Filip Biczak. Specifications and US list prices come from Rolex's 2026 catalog on rolex.com, read that day; Bizak prices are that day's asking prices, not quotes. Bizak & Co. is independent and not affiliated with Rolex.
Shop by model: Explorer · Explorer 40 · Explorer II · Explorer II Polar
Explorer vs Explorer II at a glance
Rolex's 2026 US catalog lists the Explorer 36 in Oystersteel (124270) or yellow Rolesor (124273), the Explorer 40 (224270) and the Explorer II 226570 with a white or a black dial.
| Explorer 36 | Explorer 40 | Explorer II | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reference | 124270, 124273 | 224270 | 226570 |
| Diameter | 36 mm | 40 mm | 42 mm |
| Bezel | Smooth, polished | Smooth, polished | Fixed, engraved 24-hour scale |
| Date | No | No | Yes, with Cyclops lens |
| 24-hour hand | No | No | Orange; second time zone |
| Dial | Black, 3-6-9 numerals | Black, 3-6-9 numerals | White (Polar) or black |
| Movement | 3230 | 3230 | 3285 |
| Metals | Oystersteel, yellow Rolesor | Oystersteel | Oystersteel |
| Rolex US list from | $7,900 | $8,350 | $10,600 |
| Bizak ask from, Oct 19 | $6,975 pre-owned | $9,735 pre-owned | $11,968 pre-owned |
All are waterproof to 100 m (330 ft) with about 70 hours of power reserve, a screw-down Twinlock crown and an Oyster bracelet with an Oysterlock clasp and 5 mm Easylink extension.
The real difference: the orange 24-hour hand
Rolex launched the Explorer II in 1971, as the reference 1655 and the heir to the Explorer, with an orange hand that turns once a day and points to the 24-hour scale engraved on its fixed bezel, so cavers, volcanologists and polar scientists could tell 3 a.m. from 3 p.m. when daylight gave no clue. The date was there for the same reason. Rolex later gave it a sapphire crystal and an hour hand that sets independently, which lets the 24-hour hand keep a second time zone: on the 226570, set the orange hand to home time, then move the hour hand to local time.
The Explorer has none of this: its calibre 3230 shows hours, minutes and seconds under a smooth bezel. For a second time zone with a rotating bezel, the steel GMT-Master II 126710BLNR uses the same calibre 3285 with a two-colour Cerachrom bezel in a 40 mm case; Rolex lists it at $11,800.
Size: 36, 40 or 42 mm
The Explorer was a 36 mm watch until the 39 mm 214270 of 2010. Rolex went back to 36 mm with the 124270 in 2021 and added the 40 mm 224270 in 2023. The Explorer II grew from 40 to 42 mm in 2011, for its 40th anniversary, and the 226570 keeps that size; Rolex says the larger case allows a wider dial opening. There is no smaller Explorer II, so if 42 mm is too big for your wrist, the choice is an Explorer.
The bezels change the look as much as the diameters: a smooth polished ring on the Explorer, a satin-finished steel bezel engraved all the way round on the Explorer II, which looks bolder. Try both on if you can.
Dials: black 3-6-9 or white Polar
Every current Explorer has a black dial with the 3, 6 and 9 numerals, baton markers and the triangle at 12 that Rolex gave the first Explorer after the 1953 Everest ascent. The Explorer II comes in white or black with the triangles, circles and rectangles of Rolex's Professional dials, the orange 24-hour hand and a date at 3 o'clock. Collectors call the white Explorer II the Polar; Rolex simply calls the dial white. All five models use Chromalight lume, which glows blue in the dark.
Both Explorer II dials list at $10,600, but on October 19, 2026 Bizak asked $14,094 for a new Polar against $12,925 for a new black dial. Pre-owned, they were $31 apart: $11,999 for the Polar and $11,968 for the black dial. See every white-dial Explorer II in our Explorer II Polar collection.
Movements: calibre 3230 vs 3285
Both are self-winding Rolex calibres with the Chronergy escapement, a blue Parachrom hairspring and about 70 hours of power reserve, certified as Superlative Chronometers to -2/+2 seconds a day after casing, so neither is more accurate. The 3285 adds the 24-hour display, the independently set hour hand and an instantaneous date; Rolex lists it with a GMT function. The previous 42 mm Explorer II, the 216570, used calibre 3187.
Prices: Rolex list vs Bizak asks
| Reference | Model and metal | Rolex US list | Bizak ask from, Oct 19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 124270 | Explorer 36, steel | $7,900 | $6,975 pre-owned; $10,277 new |
| 124273 | Explorer 36, yellow Rolesor | $14,600 | $11,114 pre-owned; $12,003 new |
| 224270 | Explorer 40, steel | $8,350 | $9,735 pre-owned; $10,514 new |
| 226570 | Explorer II, white (Polar) | $10,600 | $11,999 pre-owned; $14,094 new |
| 226570 | Explorer II, black | $10,600 | $11,968 pre-owned; $12,925 new |
At list, the Explorer II costs $2,250 more than the Explorer 40 and $2,700 more than the steel Explorer 36; between Bizak's lowest pre-owned asks the gaps were $2,233 and $4,993. Only the Explorer 36 was asked below list pre-owned (the 124273 new as well); every Explorer 40 and Explorer II was asked above list.
Earlier references for less
The 40 mm Explorer II 16570, made until the 42 mm case arrived in 2011, started at $7,906 pre-owned with a black dial and $8,046 in white on October 19, 2026, less than a pre-owned Explorer 40. The 42 mm 216570 of 2011 to 2021, which brought back the orange hand, started at $10,306 pre-owned in black and $11,540 in white. Among Explorers, the 39 mm 214270 (2010 to 2021) started at $8,141 and a 36 mm 14270 (1989 to 2001) at $6,509. See the Explorer II 16570 and Explorer II 216570 collections.
Which should you buy?
- Explorer 36 (124270) for the original proportions and the lowest price of any current Explorer; the 124273 adds yellow Rolesor.
- Explorer 40 (224270) for the same dial and calibre on a wrist that finds 36 mm small.
- Explorer II (226570) if you want a date, a second time zone or the Polar dial, and 42 mm suits you.
- Explorer II 16570 for the lowest-priced route to the 24-hour hand, at 40 mm.
Quick answers
What is the difference between the Rolex Explorer and the Explorer II?
The Explorer is a time-only watch in 36 or 40 mm with a smooth bezel and calibre 3230. The Explorer II is 42 mm with a date, an orange 24-hour hand and a fixed 24-hour bezel on calibre 3285, so it can show a second time zone.
Is the Explorer 2 bigger than the Explorer?
Yes. The Explorer II 226570 is 42 mm across; the Explorer is 36 mm (124270, 124273) or 40 mm (224270). Rolex publishes no thickness figures.
Does the Rolex Explorer have a date?
No. Every current Explorer shows hours, minutes and seconds only. The date, under a Cyclops lens, is on the Explorer II.
Is the Explorer II a GMT watch?
Yes. Rolex lists its calibre 3285 with a GMT function: the orange 24-hour hand keeps a second time zone against the fixed bezel while the hour hand shows local time. The GMT-Master II uses the same calibre with a rotatable two-colour bezel.
Which costs more, the Explorer or the Explorer II?
The Explorer II. Rolex lists the Explorer 36 124270 at $7,900, the Explorer 40 224270 at $8,350 and the Explorer II 226570 at $10,600. On October 19, 2026 Bizak's lowest pre-owned asks were $6,975, $9,735 and $11,968.
Do the Explorer and Explorer II use the same movement?
No. The Explorer uses calibre 3230 and the Explorer II calibre 3285, both self-winding with about 70 hours of power reserve and certified to -2/+2 seconds a day; the 3285 adds the 24-hour hand and the date.
What is the Rolex Explorer II Polar?
The collectors' name for the white-dial Explorer II. Today it is the 226570 with Rolex's white dial, listed at the same $10,600 as the black dial.
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Related reading: Explorer II 226570 guide · Explorer 40 224270 guide · Explorer 36 124270 guide · Explorer II Polar dial guide · Explorer 214270 guide
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