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There's a moment every Rolex collector dreams about — the phone call, the drive to the AD, the first time the bracelet clicks shut on your wrist. For me, that moment came in May 2024 on a warm Alaskan afternoon, and the watch was a Rolex Explorer II 226570 in black. It was 24 years in the making.

I'd been chasing the Explorer II since around 2000. Back then, I saw a white-dialed version, the polar, and it burned itself into my memory. I was young, early in my military career, and Rolex owners seemed like celebrities. That watch was a unicorn. I'd seen so few in real life that I sometimes questioned whether I'd even seen it at all, or if my mind had invented some perfect tool watch that couldn't possibly exist.

Josh at Ben Bridge Anchorage waved me in with the kind of excitement that told me he understood what this meant. My sales rep came from behind the counter to shake my hand — the same person who'd patiently answered my repetitive questions for what felt like an eternity. This was 24 years of waiting, condensed into a handshake and a box.

The AD told me they'd never seen a white dial make it to Alaska. When I got the call, it was for the black dial 226570. In that moment, I pivoted. And looking back now, months into ownership, I'm convinced it was the right call.

The Explorer II is literal. It's practical. It's tough. This isn't a watch you baby or save for special occasions. It was designed for cave exploration — spelunking — and that utilitarian DNA runs through every element of the design.

The steel bezel will pick up dings. Each one tells a story, builds character, becomes part of the legacy you'll pass to the next wearer. I wear mine everywhere — formal events, cutting the grass, everything in between. At 42mm, it has presence without crossing into "look at me" territory. The case fills my wrist perfectly, readable at a glance, substantial enough that you know it's there but never so bulky that it becomes uncomfortable.

That bright orange GMT hand against the black dial is what sealed it for me. Orange is my favorite color, and the way it pops makes the watch unmistakably mine. It's functional — tracking a second time zone or distinguishing AM from PM — but it's also personality. Rolex could have gone subtle. They went bold. That's the 226570.

The 70-hour power reserve changes how you interact with the watch. I can take it off for two full days without worrying about resetting it — which matters more than you'd think when you're rotating pieces or just need a break. Setting it can be slightly annoying, but since I bought it, I've rarely gone more than a day without wearing it.

The legibility is outstanding. The date complication saves me constantly because I'm always forgetting what day it is. The case finishing walks the line between refined and rugged. When you're conscious of it, you feel its presence — there's weight, substance, the subtle clink of the bracelet. But once you're moving through your day, it disappears into your wrist.

That's what a tool watch should do. Work when you need it, disappear when you don't.

I never got hands-on time with the previous 216570, so I can't speak to the differences in feel. But on paper and in spirit, the 226570 represents Rolex refining an already excellent formula. The updated bracelet, the improved movement, the subtle case refinements — these aren't revolutionary changes. They're evolutionary. They're Rolex saying, "We know what works, and we're making it better."

People ask what earlier Explorer IIs got wrong. I don't think Rolex does anything "wrong." When they make an unconventional choice, it develops a cult following. The "mistake" becomes cool, desirable, collectible. That's the power of the brand — everything they touch turns to gold, even the supposed missteps.

But the 226570 feels like the version Rolex was always building toward. It's the watch I pictured 24 years ago, just better.

If you're Explorer II curious and can only buy one modern reference, start with what speaks to you. The 16570, the predecessor model, comes in at 40mm. It's a great middle ground if you're new to automatics or want something slightly more conservative.

But the 226570 is the tool watch for people who actually use their tools. It's for the person who wants a watch they can wear anywhere, who values function alongside form, who understands that a few scratches on the bezel aren't damage, they're documentation.

This watch represents adaptability, toughness, readiness. After years in the military, raising three kids, and living in Alaska, those qualities feel familiar. The Explorer II isn't trying to be the most complicated, the most luxurious, or the most exclusive. It's trying to be the best at what it does.

Months in, it delivers.

— — —

Thanks for reading Part 1. This watch took 24 years to land on my wrist, and I plan to spend the next 13 parts making sure you understand why it was worth every one of them.

— Ian