There's a hierarchy in the Rolex world that everyone pretends doesn't exist but absolutely does. The Submariner sits at the top of the sport watch pyramid — the icon, the gateway, the one your dad probably wanted. The GMT-Master II gets the travel crowd. The Daytona belongs to a different tax bracket entirely.

And then there's the Explorer II 226570, sitting quietly in the corner, doing everything right while everyone else chases hype. It's the most underrated Rolex in the modern lineup, and after a year on my wrist — plus a week with a Submariner and a near-miss with a Datejust, I'm more convinced of that than ever.

Winter 2023 in Alaska. A friend loaned me his Submariner 16610 for a week. I was on the Explorer II waitlist and wrestling with whether I was making the right choice. The Sub is the Rolex. Everyone knows it. Maybe I was overthinking the Explorer II.

I loved the 40mm size immediately — it wore perfectly, disappeared under a cuff when needed, had presence when it mattered. The solidity was undeniable. For a few days, I understood the appeal completely.

But I kept running into the same problem: I needed GMT time constantly. Work demands, coordinating across time zones, the practical reality of my life. Every single time, I had to pull out my phone or do mental math. The Sub was beautiful, functional, iconic — and it wasn't what I actually needed.

When I returned it, my friend asked the inevitable question.

"It's incredible," I told him. "But the Explorer II is still the one."

That week confirmed something I already suspected. The Submariner is the watch you want when you're thinking about watches. The Explorer II is the watch you want when you're thinking about everything else.

A few months later, the AD called. Not for the Explorer II — for a Datejust. White dial, fluted bezel, available immediately. No more waiting.

I stood there looking at it. It was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that makes you question your convictions. I could walk out with a Rolex on my wrist in ten minutes, or I could keep waiting for a watch that might never come.

I drove home and thought about it. The rational part of my brain was saying a Rolex in hand beats a Rolex on a waitlist. But I'd been chasing the Explorer II since 2000. I'd spent a week with a Submariner and walked away. I knew what I wanted, and a beautiful compromise was still a compromise.

I called them back and said I was waiting.

Less than a year later, I got the call. In the moment, the wait felt like forever. Looking back, it was nothing.

The Explorer II has a visibility problem. It doesn't photograph particularly well on Instagram. It doesn't have the immediate pop of a Pepsi bezel or the cultural weight of a Submariner. You can't flip it for double retail.

What it does is work. Relentlessly. Quietly.

Most people have no idea what it is, and I prefer it that way. Watch people recognize it immediately — there's a specific type of collector who lights up when they spot the orange GMT hand. But to everyone else, it's just a nice watch. The stainless steel bezel keeps it far less conspicuous than a Submariner. That's exactly how I want it.

The dial is a masterclass in legibility. The Mercedes hands aren't there because they look cool — they're there because you can read them instantly in any lighting condition. The orange GMT hand provides instant orientation. AM or PM? Second timezone? One glance. The date window at 3 o'clock is perfectly proportioned and actually useful in daily life.

The 42mm case hits a sweet spot most people overlook. After wearing that 40mm Sub and appreciating how it felt, I was curious whether the extra 2mm would be noticeable. It is — but in the right way. The 226570 has presence without demanding attention. The proportions only become apparent after months of wear. This is a watch that gets better on the wrist, not worse.

The steel bezel is a feature, not a compromise. I've worn this watch daily in Alaska weather, on beaches, while hiking, during travel. The bracelet has scratches from actual use — not Instagram life. The bezel and crystal are still clean. When the bezel eventually picks up marks, they'll be earned.

And the 70-hour power reserve changes the daily experience. I track my wrist time on WatchCrunch, and the data is clear: I have to force myself to wear other watches. The 226570 gets the vast majority of my wrist time because it just works. I can take it off Friday night and put it back on Monday morning without resetting anything.

I met another Explorer II owner completely by accident. My primary care provider was wearing a 16570, prior generation, 40mm, same spirit. I spotted it immediately. He spotted mine.

We spent ten minutes comparing notes, trying each other's on, talking about what we loved about the design. His was older, more worn, carrying decades of use in its patina. Mine was newer, still building its narrative. But the connection was instant.

That's the Explorer II owner experience. We're not the default choice. But when we find each other, there's an immediate understanding. We chose the watch that made sense, not the watch that made noise.

My son is almost nine. He's starting to show interest in watches — asking questions, noticing what I wear, beginning to understand that these things matter beyond telling time.

This watch is his someday. When I picture him wearing it in 20 or 30 years, I hope the scratches and wear tell him something specific: that his dad lived in this watch. Didn't baby it. Didn't save it for special occasions. Wore it through everything, the military, Alaska, raising three kids, and it kept going.

That's the through-line of this whole series, and it's why the 226570 was worth 24 years of waiting.

I don't know if the 226570 will be more collectible in two decades. I don't care. It'll look great on his wrist, and every mark on it will be proof that this watch was meant to be used.

The Explorer II doesn't need to be the most popular Rolex. It just needs to be the right one.

For me, and for anyone paying attention, it is.

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Thanks for reading Part 2. Next in the series: the complete buying guide for the Rolex Explorer II 226570.

— Ian