When it comes to Rolex watches – especially their sporty models – the Submariner and Explorer II are among the most beloved watches. While they are both tough, dedicated watches sold at similar prices, the Explorer II and Submariner models differ in many ways.
For example, the Submariner is a dive watch, while the Explorer II is a GMT watch for adventure. What’s more, not only does one have a rotating bezel and the other a fixed bezel, but the scales and styles of these bezels are also different. The sizes, material choices and color schemes are also different, not to mention the movements and functions. If you’re not as familiar with all the details of a replica Rolex Submariner or Explorer II watch, comparing these two giants of the industry can seem daunting, and here we’ll see more of them.
The Submariner’s Oyster case is 41mm and is water resistant to 300 meters (1,000 feet). Like the strap, the Submariner’s case can be constructed of Oystersteel (904L stainless steel), solid 18K yellow gold or Yellow Rolesor (two-tone steel and yellow gold).
The Explorer II’s dial is iconic for several reasons. First, there’s the iconic orange 24-hour hand, originally designed to help polar and cave explorers distinguish between day and night (as an AM/PM indicator), but now used as a GMT hand. Then there’s the dial color – available in effortless black and an enviable “polar” white. The Explorer II Polar has a cool and clean dial, with a white background with a black outlined luminous plot and Mercedes hands.
The current Submariner line also offers two dial color options: black or blue. However, while the black dial is available on all current Submariner 41 models, the blue is only available on the yellow Rolesor or gold Submariner reference.
Both the Submariner and Explorer II include centrally located Mercedes-style hands coated with long-lasting Chromalight luminescence, which glows blue in the dark. There are also luminescent geometric hour markers, including sticks at 6 and 9 o’clock, an inverted triangle at 12 o’clock, and a circle for the remaining hours. Finally, both imitation Rolex watches have a date window at 3 o’clock, magnified by the Cyclops lens protruding from above.
In addition, the latest Submariner and Explorer II watches both benefit from the latest generation of Rolex movements. These movements not only offer a longer power reserve than their predecessors, but they also offer substantial improvements in terms of precision, durability and reliability.
As you can see, the Submariner is significantly more valuable on the pre-owned market than the Explorer II. However, pre-owned Explorer II watches still sell for more than their official list price on the pre-owned market.
Whether you prefer a classic dive watch or a powerful expedition GMT watch, the Submariner and Explorer II are both great modern clone Rolex sports watches. While they each bring something different to the table, they both benefit from Rolex’s solid design and expert engineering.
