Watch One: Rolex Explorer II (My Favorite Rolex)

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer II Mens Watch 16570-WSO

Watch Two: Rolex GMT-II (The New Version)

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date GMT-Master II 116710BKSO

If you look past the shiny or brushed exteriors, differing colors, different fonts, and overall differences in perceived demeanor, you will notice that these two watches are essentially the same. They both have a 24 hour bezel, they both have an independent 4th-hour hand, the dials are essentially the same, the date bubble is in the same place, and if you just look at the core of the watch you would be hard-pressed to find any difference.

So then, you might be asking, why make two different watch models in the first place?

You see while the fundamental core of both watches appear to be the same there is actually only ONE difference between the two watches that makes ALL the difference, and that is in the bezel. In the GMT-II the bezel (the ring around the watch that has the 2-22 numerals on it) can be turned either counterclockwise or clockwise, whereas on the Explorer II the bezel cannot.

Why have they done that?

Well the answer to that is separated by the very extremes of vertical airspace.

If the two watches share anything, it is the fact that they are both purpose-built watches, and while they are very similar, the purposes and intentions as to the use of these watches are very different. It doesn’t make too much of a difference these days since most Rolex models spend their days on some golf course rather than the extremities for which they were originally built, but back in the day Rolex sport watches were built with purposes for purpose-minded individuals. And just like the diving watch pioneer the Sea-Dweller, the GMT-II and the Explorer II were both built with a purpose in mind.

You see the original Rolex GMT was originally designed with pilots in mind. The idea was that the time would be set to Greenwich Mean Time (hence the name GMT) while the bi-directional bezel is turned either clockwise or counterclockwise depending on whether you are traveling westward or eastward through the time zones. The original GMT did not have an independent 4th hour hand. In other words if the time was 10:10 p.m. your 4th hour hand would be pointing toward 22 and that could not be changed. The GMT-II, however, allowed that hand to be independent, so that, in tandem with the bi-directional bezel meant that you could track a total of 3 time zones.

The Explorer II, however, was very different.  Whereas the GMT-II is for pilots, the Explorer II is for adventurers.  The reason why the 24 hour bezel doesn’t turn was because traversing time zones was not the priority in mind for the Rolex Explorer.  The fourth hour hand, furthermore, was never really designed to track another time zone but rather to act as an a.m./p.m. indicator for those in the most polar extremes or darkest of caves where day and night cannot be distinguished simply by looking at the sky.

Whether or not you choose to get the watch for pilots or the watch for adventurers is your call, but either way you can’t go wrong.  They are both solid watches with iconic status.

With spring blossoming in large parts of the northern hemisphere many of us Rolex wearing office dwellers may have our minds on taking a little vacation to ease our souls from the tedium of our everyday lives. Whether it be a weekend tryst with your sweetie or a full blown out excursion into areas unknown, the time to get out is here, but I warn you, if you are thinking about wearing your Rolex overseas, think again!

I know that you may think that just because you wear your Rolex everywhere in your cushy suburb without incident that it is just as fine to wear your Rolex everywhere and anywhere else in the world without incident as well. You may even have one of those “discreet” Rolex models, and you may think to yourself that no criminal could possibly distinguish this watch from the ordinary. That, unfortunately, is not the case.

Well to state the obvious for all you golf playing, SUV driving, Polo shirt wearing, big house dwelling Blackberry jockeys out there! While we may think that our affluent suburb may, or should represent the status quo for all the parts in the world, that is very far from the truth. While your high-priced watch may seem like just an expensive trinket to you, to many of the bad elements in other parts of world that watch is their meal ticket, and they will gladly chop off your hand to get at it. If you put things in perspective, a Rolex watch represents more than the annual income of a huge percentage of the worlds’ population so the temptation for evildoers is very high indeed.

So why is it particularly dangerous to wear a Rolex as opposed to another high dollar watch brand?

Well as much as I hate to admit it, Rolex is the most highly regarded watch brand in the world. And it is made particularly valuable by the fact that Rolex is one of few brands that NEVER discount, and also by the fact that Rolex frequently increase their prices. The end result is a watch that retains their value like no other brand can.

On top of that, for all intents and purposes it is very easy to recognize a Rolex, because short of the obscure Rolex Cellini line, the Rolex Oyster line, which consists of the vast majority of Rolex watches bought and sold in the world, have very distinguishing features that even the most blurry-eyed of bandits can recognize.

One dead giveaway is the date magnification bubble, or as we watch enthusiasts like to call it, the “cyclops lens.”

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date Steel Mens Watch 16610

This useless lens used only by Rolex (and imitators) magnifies the date excactly 2.5 times. Honestly I find it more distracting than helpful, but if your Rolex has a date function, than unless your watch is a Rolex Sea-Dweller, your watch has got this very recognizable feature.

On top of that Rolex watches really only use TWO bracelet patterns. They may have leather straps on some models and a “President” bracelet for their really high-end models, but for all intents and purposes you will find the vast majority of Rolex watches sporting a bracelet that looks either like this “Oyster” band:

Or like this Rolex “Jubilee” band:

They may have different polishes and may be made of different metals such as gold or whatever, but the patterns are still easily recognizable to those who are lurking about.

The fact that there are so many imitations and fakes out there may help your chances a little bit if you dare to venture to area unknown with such an expensive watch on your wrist. I heard stories in which a Rolex was used to get tourists out of a tight situation abroad, but the stories of tourists being mugged,hurt, or even killed far outweigh those. It is just not worth the risk.

My friends father, a scientist and world explorer has always advised travelers to look impoverished while traveling abroad, and that’s a policy I think we should all live by. So my advice to the travelers of the world is to save your showing off for the local mall and enjoy your vacation without the worries.