Watches and Wonders 2021 kicked off with a bang with many brands releasing some very desirable models that definitely get watch enthusiasts excited about what is to come this year. There was a bunch of speculation around the releases from Rolex, being one of the most interested brands out there. Rolex was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Explorer II, so many enthusiasts felt this was something they would capitalize on.

To kick off the releases, Rolex did release something to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Explorer II with a new reference, the 226570, an update to the 216570. For the most part, this watch is very similar to its predecessor but now has the caliber 3285 which was released in 2018 for the GMT Master II’s. I think many collectors speculated on what they might release, which always gets ones hopes up for what is to come. With the Explorer II, Rolex also released two new Explorer modes, the reference 124270 and the reference 124273 in steel and two tone respectively. This is the first time we see a two-tone Explorer. Rolex also brought the size down on these Explorer’s to 36mm, hitting home to the true size and scale of the original Explorer.

Rolex also had some fun with the dials on some of their very desirable watches. They released meteorite dials on three of their Daytona models and also released a Datejust with a Palm design to it. Rolex does not often change very integral design decisions for their watches, and so playing around with dial variations is a fun way of changing their watches. The meteorite dial looked great on the GMT Master II, and looks even better on the Daytona’s. It was nice to see something fresh for the Datejust. It is again another way for them to create a different feel for such a classic watch.

Enjoy!