Quick answer: the Rolex Explorer II ref. 16570 is a 40 mm steel watch with a fixed 24 hour bezel and an orange GMT hand, built from 1989 to 2011. A first copy of the 16570 lives or dies on five details: case diameter and lug profile, the shape of the GMT hand, dial print weight, the crystal and cyclops, and whether the movement sets the 24 hour hand on its own. Get those right and the watch reads correctly on the wrist. Miss them and no amount of polish saves it.
Know the Real Watch First
You cannot judge a copy without a baseline. Learn these numbers before you open any listing.
- Case: 40 mm diameter, brushed steel, 20 mm lug width
- Bezel: fixed steel 24 hour scale, brushed finish, does not turn
- Crystal: sapphire with a cyclops over the date window
- Movement: caliber 3185 in earlier examples, caliber 3186 in later production
- Dial: matte black or Polar white, orange 24 hour hand
- Bracelet: Oyster with solid end links on later examples
Steps to Evaluate a Replica 16570
- Measure the case with calipers. A 40 mm width and a 20 mm lug gap is the floor. Cheap copies run 41 to 42 mm and the bezel then looks too wide against the dial.
- Check the GMT hand shape. It should be a thin orange arrow with a crisp tip and a clean outline, not a blunt shape with paint bleeding over the edges.
- Set the 24 hour hand on its own. On a true GMT movement the hour hand jumps in one hour steps while the 24 hour hand stays put. If the whole stack moves together, the watch has a basic three hand movement with a decorative fourth hand.
- Read the dial print under a loupe. "ROLEX" and "OYSTER PERPETUAL" should sit light on the dial with even spacing. Thick, raised, or smeared print is the fastest tell.
- Look at the date window and the cyclops. The magnifier should sit centered over the window with no glue halo and no distortion at the edges.
- Inspect the end links. They should sit flush against the case with no gap and no rattle when you twist the watch.
- Turn the bezel. It is fixed on this reference, so it should not move at all. A rotating bezel belongs to a different watch.
- Ask for a pressure test result in writing. A real test number means more than a water resistance rating printed in a product page.
Movement Choices in First Copies
Three tiers show up in the market. The lowest uses a Chinese three hand automatic with a bolted on 24 hour hand that does not set on its own. The middle tier uses a clone of the ETA 2893, which gives a real jumping hour hand and a smooth sweep. The top tier uses a decorated clone of the Rolex 3186 with the correct hand stack and beat rate. The middle tier is where most buyers should land, because the function matches the real watch even when the finishing does not.
Black Dial or Polar White
The black dial hides print flaws and case mismatches. The Polar white dial shows every one of them, from the shade of the lume plots to the thickness of the black surrounds on the hands. If you buy sight unseen, the black dial is the safer pick. The Polar is the better look when the copy is done right.
Price Tiers and What They Buy
Under about $80 you get a 42 mm case, mineral glass, and a GMT hand that does nothing. Between $150 and $350 you get the correct case size, sapphire, and a working GMT movement. Above that you pay for sharper dial print, a closer crown profile, and a bracelet that matches the genuine taper. No tier makes the watch a Rolex.
Before You Buy
A replica is a counterfeit product. Importing one into the United States is prohibited, and selling one as a genuine Rolex is fraud. Keep the transaction honest and never pass the watch off as the real thing.