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Old 7 July 2007, 05:11 PM   #1
JJ Irani
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Explorer-II review!!

Hi guys,

Thought I'd try and throw in a brief review of my new WHITE dial Exp-II.

I'll start with the....

DIAL - Having had a bad experience with my previous white dial one about 3 years ago, I spent like 5 long minutes at my AD scrutinizing the watch very carefully under a powerful watchmaker's loupe.

PERFECT!! As WHITE as the driven snow with perfect printing and markers symmetrically spaced. Excellent and very easy to read dial printing of the usual words.

Hands nicely painted over in black to contrast clearly against the white background. RED 24-hour hand has the RED paint going all the way down to the arrowhead. RED hand to be always read off the BEZEL - never the dial!! All hands perfectly synchronised to my satisfaction!!

CASE - Solid Oyster case with crown guards just high enough to engulf the TWINLOCK crown....which more than adequately serves its purpose for what this watch was intended.

BRACELET - OYSTERLOCK with 13 original links. I can never figure out why Rolex supplies the watch with a 7+6 configuration of the watch bracelet. If you try and wear it that way, you will find the clasp going toward one side of the wrist. So the best thing to do is have your AD change it over to an 8+5 arrangement. In any event, have no more than 5 links on the 6 o'clock side even if you have a smaller wrist and have to take one off.

Very comfortable bracelet on the wrist once it has been resized properly.

MOVEMENT - Time proven 3185 movement which enables the user to move the small hour hand independently - an important convenience when travelling from one time zone to another.

31 jewels and a hi-beat 28,800 A/Hr (8 bps) gives this watch its characteristic fast ticka, ticka, tick!!

COMFORT - Very, very comfortable on the wrist. At an actual diameter of 39 mm, this is one of the slimmest Rollies in their line-up. So it sits well on the wrist and is good for small wrists too. Being slim, it slips in easily under the shirt cuffs....so can be worn as a dress watch too.

READABILITY - Superb!! The WG painted over black hands contrast so well with the Snow White dial that time reading is instantaneous!! No problems in that department. Even the cyclops is perfectly centralised over the date window. Dates are in BLACK on a WHITE background, making date readabilty instantaneous too.

PRICE - Listed at US$ 5,000...the watch is quite freely available and good discounts are possible with this model. If you plan on buying it, then buy it as a keeper. Resale on this baby is not as good as the Subs or SS Daytonas.

To summarise - The Exp-II is a superbly practical watch. If you are not a "bezel-fiddler"....even better. I love the brushed finished bezel, gently sloping away from the sapphire crystal.

If you are looking for a dual timezone watch, this would be a great choice. While the GMT-II is quite the stunner too, the SNOW WHITE dial of the Exp-II gives me an adrenalin rush like no other WHITE DIAL watch!!

So, guys, if it's a WHITE dial SPORTS Rolex you're looking for, you might want to consider the Exp-II as an option.

The other options are rather high priced (like the white SS Daytona or the TT White YM!!).

Thanks for reading.

Cheers - JJ

Easy to read dial....great lume too!!





Crown guards not too bulbous or obvious....and yet serve their purpose of protecting the crown!!



Stunning, brushed-finished, sloping bezel....



Solid OYSTERLOCK bracelet....more than adequately strong enough for the purpose it was intended for!!



Cyclops - perfectly positioned over the DATE window....for easy DATE readability...



RED 24-hour hand nicely contrasted against the white background and different from the other 3 hands - so no confusion in time reading...



No lug-hole case sides...



Very, very comfy on the wrist!!



Just go for it, guys!!
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Old 7 July 2007, 06:45 PM   #2
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Agree with the above. Only thing I found is that compared to the Black dial version, the lum is harder to see in low light conditions, and the slim minute hand is hard to see at times. Love the case adn bezel design though and the way it fits. Very nice. If, I could change one thing, it would be to put a Maxi dial on it like the new GMTs.

The Exp II is a very classy yet sporty watch at the same time.
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Old 7 July 2007, 07:25 PM   #3
richbrowne
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Good review JJ, thanks for the info.
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Old 7 July 2007, 10:26 PM   #4
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Nice review JJ.
Even better pics.
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Old 8 July 2007, 01:56 AM   #5
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JJ
Always thought the Explorer II was a bit of a naff watch, nothing special. But I've just spent an evening with an old Mate with a plat YM. Now WTF has a YM got to do with a white faced ExPII??

Nothing except

I thought the Ym was a naff watch too until I'd met one in the flesh. Sweet as.. Monday I'm off to my AD to try on an ExpII.

JJ great review but nothing beats the real thing, got to try it on and see if she smiles back. And I tell you what, the plat YM smiled and sang sweet songs. Soooooo.....

Can't wait to see and hear what the ExpII does on Monday.

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Old 8 July 2007, 02:00 AM   #6
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Nice review, JJ. Happy to see you are pleased with your Explorer.
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Old 8 July 2007, 04:44 AM   #7
JJ Irani
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Quote:
Originally Posted by miner View Post
JJ
Always thought the Explorer II was a bit of a naff watch, nothing special. But I've just spent an evening with an old Mate with a plat YM. Now WTF has a YM got to do with a white faced ExPII??

Nothing except

I thought the Ym was a naff watch too until I'd met one in the flesh. Sweet as.. Monday I'm off to my AD to try on an ExpII.

JJ great review but nothing beats the real thing, got to try it on and see if she smiles back. And I tell you what, the plat YM smiled and sang sweet songs. Soooooo.....

Can't wait to see and hear what the ExpII does on Monday.

Yes, Clive, considerable difference between the two watches....and in price too!!

Try on the Exp-II and see how you feel about the fit. In all fairness to the YM, I've owned that one too at one stage and it too is a very comfortable watch on the wrist, albeit a tad heavier.

Good luck in your final decision and do keep us updated.

Cheers - JJ
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Old 8 July 2007, 11:40 AM   #8
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Good one JJ.
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Old 8 July 2007, 12:20 PM   #9
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nice... you should write for a magazine
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Old 8 July 2007, 02:15 PM   #10
JJ Irani
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nice... you should write for a magazine
Tried Playboy....they didn't like my Rolex biased articles!!
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Old 8 July 2007, 08:29 PM   #11
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Wrong magazine for Rolex JJ. With 'Playboy' you should write about your expertise in cleavage!.



Steve
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Old 8 July 2007, 08:56 PM   #12
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Nice Job JJ.
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Old 8 July 2007, 10:00 PM   #13
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JJ,
Thanks for the great review.
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Old 9 July 2007, 06:04 AM   #14
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Superb review. ...if the price is good at the AD's I will be getting one too....hopefully the wait won't be for too long.
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Old 9 July 2007, 06:54 AM   #15
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If anybody wants an Explorer II and are near the West Coast, I can get you gauranteed 10% off from an AD out here. White or black dial. $4500. No sales tax too. MSRP is $5000.
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Old 9 July 2007, 07:36 AM   #16
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Thanks, JJ. A pleasure to read your review
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Old 9 July 2007, 08:35 AM   #17
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VERY well posted JJ!!! Thank you! (Boy, you are in love!!!)
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Old 9 July 2007, 05:50 PM   #18
JJ Irani
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VERY well posted JJ!!! Thank you! (Boy, you are in love!!!)
Show me ANY Rolex....and I'll show you LOVE, Gerardo!!
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Old 10 July 2007, 07:00 AM   #19
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Nice review JJ.

I have a challenge for you. Try and get a picture of the laser etched crown on the crystal of this bugger!

Its a tough one!
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Old 10 July 2007, 07:59 AM   #20
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VERY well posted JJ!!! Thank you! (Boy, you are in love!!!)

I agree, good review......(and it is a bit creepy, thank God they are waterproof )
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Old 10 July 2007, 01:17 PM   #21
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Tried Playboy....they didn't like my Rolex biased articles!!
Oh is that what they call them now??

"...hey George look at her Rolexes. The movement is so beautiful."

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Old 11 July 2007, 01:47 AM   #22
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How did I miss this??

Congrats JJ!! That's a beauty.
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Old 11 July 2007, 02:02 AM   #23
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Thanks JJ.
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Old 11 July 2007, 03:54 AM   #24
JJ Irani
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Nice review JJ.

I have a challenge for you. Try and get a picture of the laser etched crown on the crystal of this bugger!

Its a tough one!
Post a picture? I can barely see it. Took me like half an hour to spot the little fella tucked away somewhere in the domain of that crystal!!
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Old 12 July 2007, 02:19 PM   #25
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The white dial with the black numbers on the bezel make the white faced exp II a stunner.

I went to an AD wanting to buy a Plat/SS YM, saw the White Exp II in person for the first time, and was struck by its looks. I decided I better hold off buying the YM until I was sure which I really wanted.

I spent the next week thinking about that EXP II.

When I returned to buy the EXP II it was gone and so I had to wait a few months for another to come in. The black dialed EXP II they had was not singing to me. And the YM I once thought I had to have, well it now looked just "so-so."

I will never part with my EXP II. I have bought many watches since then, but have never felt about any of them the way I felt when I first saw the EXP II white dial in person.
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Old 12 July 2007, 06:26 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by karwath View Post
The white dial with the black numbers on the bezel make the white faced exp II a stunner.

I went to an AD wanting to buy a Plat/SS YM, saw the White Exp II in person for the first time, and was struck by its looks. I decided I better hold off buying the YM until I was sure which I really wanted.

I spent the next week thinking about that EXP II.

When I returned to buy the EXP II it was gone and so I had to wait a few months for another to come in. The black dialed EXP II they had was not singing to me. And the YM I once thought I had to have, well it now looked just "so-so."

I will never part with my EXP II. I have bought many watches since then, but have never felt about any of them the way I felt when I first saw the EXP II white dial in person.
Hi Karwath.
Noticed that you own an awful lot of watches, are you a dealer of some sort or just an enthusiast?
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Old 13 July 2007, 06:55 AM   #27
JJ Irani
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Hi Karwath.
Noticed that you own an awful lot of watches, are you a dealer of some sort or just an enthusiast?
Let's call him a collector, shall we?
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Old 14 July 2007, 06:29 AM   #28
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Just found this thread. Nice review JJ.
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Old 14 July 2007, 12:00 PM   #29
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Quote:
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Hi Karwath.
Noticed that you own an awful lot of watches, are you a dealer of some sort or just an enthusiast?
Quote:
Originally Posted by JJ Irani View Post
Let's call him a collector, shall we?
Just someone with a slight watch fetish. Unlike some others here, I don't flip the ones I buy.
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Old 15 July 2007, 04:34 AM   #30
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Explorer II (2006 F-Series)

Great review!

Here's my new (pre-owned) 2006 Explorer II. Sold my Yachtmaster to get this one. And never regretted it. I love my Explorer II especially with its white dial.

Took me around a dozen tries to get the laser micro-etched crown. Here it is...
Attached Images
File Type: jpg IMG_4697.jpg (55.1 KB, 6969 views)
File Type: jpg IMG_4855.jpg (35.5 KB, 6934 views)

Last edited by mc1010; 15 July 2007 at 04:38 AM.. Reason: n/a
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