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Old 18 September 2017, 08:57 PM   #1
4rnold
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Explorer II Tritium or not

Hello guys,

i'm on the edge of purchasing an Explorer II, i saw one in the wild and really liked the look of it. I liked it much better than on the pictures.

It would be as a daily wearer.

But i'm not sure wich one to take: i hesitate between a '96 tritium dial, 3185 movement, or a 2011 3186 movement both with papers, white dial. As i have an Explorer I with black dial, i'll go for the white for a change.
I gues the 2011 is more sturdy, if i'm not wrong it has SEL? The 96 tritium dial is maybe a little less common?

Wich one would you prefer? And most important: why?

I do swap watches from time to time, so resale value should be considered.

Thank you for your time
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Old 18 September 2017, 09:42 PM   #2
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Tritium has a great look when it turns cream colored !

The newer lume will be more functional.


Choose one of the above.
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Old 18 September 2017, 10:10 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by 4rnold View Post
Hello guys,

i'm on the edge of purchasing an Explorer II, i saw one in the wild and really liked the look of it. I liked it much better than on the pictures.

It would be as a daily wearer.

But i'm not sure wich one to take: i hesitate between a '96 tritium dial, 3185 movement, or a 2011 3186 movement both with papers, white dial. As i have an Explorer I with black dial, i'll go for the white for a change.
I gues the 2011 is more sturdy, if i'm not wrong it has SEL? The 96 tritium dial is maybe a little less common?

Wich one would you prefer? And most important: why?

I do swap watches from time to time, so resale value should be considered.

Thank you for your time
If I were you, I would go with the 2011 using the later 3186 movement, provided you're not paying more than $5-$5500. It would appear that there is some collector interest in these versions as they were only made for a few years. Be advised however, if you do a search on the 3186 movement you will see that there were some minor problems with the 3186 movement.
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Old 18 September 2017, 11:57 PM   #4
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Thanks a lot for the advices. I didn't know there were some issues with the 3186 movement.

The piece i'm actually looking at (from 2011) is about 6000 $, so i guess its too expensive.

When the tritium after 25 hasnt gone creamy, is there a chance that it will in the future?
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Old 19 September 2017, 12:11 AM   #5
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Explorer II Tritium or not

As a 16570 obsessive I sympathise with your conundrum, and just to complicate things further I went right down the middle when I chose, the possibly less collectible F series black dial. I'm not a fan of the engraved rehaut and had heard of issues with some of the early 3186s, and I wanted SELs for sure and lume that would still be functional for many years. Some owners swear by the Swiss only dials that combine 'the best of both worlds' with lug holes AND SELs but I prefer the non lug holes look, which cancels out the tritium patina unfortunately. That one reference can throw up this many nuanced options is part of its appeal.
And these details aside I absolutely love the watch, and have a weekly battle to stop myself buying a polar to join my black one, of precisely the same spec!
An unbeatable daily wearer IMO, dressing up or down.


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Old 19 September 2017, 02:54 AM   #6
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thank you rgwarden,

i indeed feel the dame dilemma as you. I like the modern lume, its very usefull, but then i like the patina of the older models.

but, its not only the model, you still have to find a thrustworthy dealer. And one that has the right watch! not so easy in Europe.

finding one with papers in a good condition between 5000-5500$ , that means 4000-4500 Euro is not so easy.
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Old 19 September 2017, 03:04 AM   #7
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I picked up a U serial 16570 polar dial about six months ago, and even though I was a bit hesitant about going with the white dial, I gotta say that I have really enjoyed it. It is one of the last tritium dials. Suprisingly, even after 20 years, the markers and hands still glow.

One of the things I like about the older Rolex models with hollow endlinks is how they wear. They have a bit more of that vintage charm.

I don't think you can go wrong either way though - good luck with your search!
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Old 19 September 2017, 03:10 AM   #8
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Tritium dials are more desirable...

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Old 19 September 2017, 03:46 AM   #9
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thank you rgwarden,



i indeed feel the dame dilemma as you. I like the modern lume, its very usefull, but then i like the patina of the older models.



but, its not only the model, you still have to find a thrustworthy dealer. And one that has the right watch! not so easy in Europe.



finding one with papers in a good condition between 5000-5500$ , that means 4000-4500 Euro is not so easy.


Pricing is a further complication. In retrospect I know now I was fortunate to pick up the actual watch I did (from Watchfinder in London) because I've since seen 16570s in far worse condition. I paid over the odds because it had box papers and a fairly recent service from Rolex including warranty card, but I paid up mainly because of the speed of the exchange (I was part exchanging my BLNR - I know! Shock horror I knowingly swapped the hottest watch for a plain old Explorer II! And nope i don't regret it for a second, but that's for a different thread...) ie Watchfinder were giving me a good price for the BLNR provided I paid over the odds for the Explorer II.
Last week I saw a Polar 16570 at auction and was pretty shocked at the state of it, and indeed the price it went for! Certainly if I'd bid on it and won it without seeing it I'd have been pretty dismayed when it arrived (it needed an overhaul all round as far as I could tell, certainly new hands, bezel and crown, and I didn't like the 'feel' of the movement when winding it or setting the time when it was hacked, so likely a full service as well) so I guess you're quite right you need to not only buy the watch but buy the seller too, and I'd probably ignore any of the varied options in lieu of a well cared for timepiece.
And yes I too think the Tritium looks great, right up until it starts to flake off and Rolex insist you need to change the dial...which is my chief issue with it. I've seen just that on vintage 5513s and it'll surely happen to the 90s 16570s at some point. Luminova perhaps less so? Or certainly some flexibility to do what Rolex suggest at a service. But I'm old fashioned like that. If I buy a second hand Rolex the first place I want to take it is Rolex.


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Old 19 September 2017, 04:10 AM   #10
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I guess it depends how you use and wear your Rolex. I genuinely use it as a tool watch, wearing it to swim in (which horrifies some) and I think the Tritium dial might make me just that little bit more hesitant to do that. They look fantastic, no question.


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Old 19 September 2017, 03:16 PM   #11
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Wow, we have a lot in common, when I read your replies its like I could have written them myself. When I buy a second hand Rolex, I also immediately give it to Rolex to get it serviced. I strongly have the impression that in America they are more used to send it to an independent watchmaker. But I prefer it to give it to my official dealer. Fortunately he has a good specialist. And I have a good relationship with him. The fact that I'm on the waiting list for the new sea dweller maybe has something to do with it :)

I also have to admit that I swim with my watches, but a have a 1981 , 16800 sub with matte dial. With that one I'm not keen on doing something crazy because it's in a very good shape, all original. Bezel, pearl etc... Although it is serviced.

I'd be horrified if it would get badly damaged. That being said, obviously I'm more relaxed with a newer watch. The 16800 I wear in safer conditions :). So maybe the newer one is better as a daily watch. Plus, I see that a lot of the tritium dials don't have any patina (or not yet)
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Old 19 September 2017, 03:25 PM   #12
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If tritium is exposed to sun light, less likely to turn dark.


I blame it on the autoconnect.
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Old 19 September 2017, 04:35 PM   #13
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I chose a V series with the 3186 movement simply because it was a good price in relation to other over inflated 3186 Explorer II's I had seen. Aesthetically I prefer the tritium dial for the lovely amber dial markers. The movement is just as dependable as a 3186 in my view so I would not be too worried about this and go for the one that looks best to you. But you are right in that a newer model may be less worn and have better seals. Dial flake is unlikely to be an issue and you will have a watch with a bit more vintage charm. The ExII to "die for" (apart from the so called Steve McQueen) is the white dial with the cream coloured dial error. But those are prohibitively expensive.
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Old 19 September 2017, 09:11 PM   #14
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Personally I have different reactions to the famous 1655 and the cream dial 16550. They clearly both look great, but when I finally saw the Steve McQueen in the flesh I honestly found it tricky to read? That coupled with the fact that the 24hr hand is just that and can't be set separately to the hour hand meant paying a huge premium purely for aesthetics, and as stated I actually want to use a Rolex as a tool watch. And just to further contradict myself it's actually for aesthetic reasons I favour the 16570 over the 16550, namely the thicker and to my eye more intrusive bezel on the (way more expensive) latter.
And just to show I'm easily swayed to the engraved rehaut ones too, there's a batch of thinner plot surround Polars which are more akin to the 16550...now if I found one of those in the flesh I'm sure I'd fall for it.
As well know (and this is really why I've fallen for the explorer iis over other models, particularly ceramics) EVERY rolex I've ever seen in the flesh looks better than in photos. Hence I find the new 6 digit models (my BLNR being the obvious case in point) just too precious looking to relax with! And yet the plainer 16570 just jumps to life IMO, as I said earlier easily worn in any situation.
To say I'm a fan is to put it mildly. Heck I've considered buying another black one just like the one I have because I cannot see how they'll stay this good value for money for long.


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Old 20 September 2017, 12:19 AM   #15
4rnold
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I have that constantly, thinking that I need to buy a certain watch. Because otherwise I won't be able to buy it anymore. Or at an unrealistic price.

But if you think like that, you can't stop buying watches (until the money runs out off course).

Choices, choises...
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Old 20 September 2017, 12:31 AM   #16
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Choices * off course ;)
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Old 20 September 2017, 12:47 AM   #17
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Choices * off course ;)


All good choices of course and definitely a first world problem.

But I agree with rgwarden that the truly great thing about the Ex II is it's tool watch look compared to the more precious looking modern references. You can just relax with it. It's totally unpretentious and yet still "cool" ( I hate that word!). The 42mm is definitely a tool watch as well but I prefer the 40mm.




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Old 20 September 2017, 01:47 AM   #18
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All good choices of course and definitely a first world problem.

But I agree with rgwarden that the truly great thing about the Ex II is it's tool watch look compared to the more precious looking modern references. You can just relax with it. It's totally unpretentious and yet still "cool" ( I hate that word!). The 42mm is definitely a tool watch as well but I prefer the 40mm.




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Apologies, but what do you mean with "first world problem"?
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Old 20 September 2017, 02:01 AM   #19
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2011 no doubt.
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Old 20 September 2017, 03:31 AM   #20
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the truly great thing about the Ex II is it's tool watch look compared to the more precious looking modern references. You can just relax with it.


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This ^
Precisely this.



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Old 25 September 2017, 06:42 AM   #21
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Aged tritium on a polar dial looks kick ass. I'd go for that :D
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