The “Polar” is the white-dial Rolex Explorer II. White first appeared on reference 16550 in 1985 and has been offered on every generation since: the 16570 (1989–2011), the 42 mm 216570 (2011–2021) and the current 226570, released for the model’s 50th anniversary in 2021. Black-outlined hands and indices against matt white lacquer make it one of the most legible dials Rolex produces.
Why is it called the Polar?
The nickname is collector-coined, not Rolex’s. The Explorer II was designed for cave and polar explorers, whose fixed 24-hour bezel and dedicated 24-hour hand distinguish day from night when the sky cannot — so a stark white dial suggesting polar ice made the name irresistible. The first white dials on the 16550 used an unstable lacquer that slowly aged from white to cream, and those “cream dial” examples are now among the most collectable Explorer IIs after the original 1655. The 16570 that followed corrected the lacquer and stayed in the catalogue for 22 years, from 1989 to 2011 — the longest run of any Polar reference.
References
| Reference | Years | Key spec | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16550 | 1985–1989 | First white dial; cream-patina examples collectable | Discontinued |
| 16570 | 1989–2011 | 40 mm, Cal. 3185 then 3186 | Discontinued |
| 216570 | 2011–2021 | 42 mm, Cal. 3187, orange 24-hour hand returns | Discontinued |
| 226570 | 2021–present | 42 mm, Cal. 3285, slimmer case | In production |
Super clone availability
Grand Watch Club does not currently list a Polar-dial Explorer II in any reference — no white-dial 16570, 216570 or 226570 is in stock at the time of writing. This page exists because the Polar is a frequent request, and it is better to say so plainly than to pass off a black-dial watch as one. Collectors after the same steel tool-watch character will find the closest matches among the Rolex sports clones the site does stock: GMT-Master II, Submariner, Daytona and Deepsea models, several of which are offered in both Japanese-movement and Swiss-movement tiers. If a Polar joins the catalogue, this page will be updated to reflect it.