The top pick in the fake Rolex Explorer II market is a super-clone build of the 42 mm ref. 216570, because it is the only tier where the orange 24-hour hand, the independently jumping hour hand, and the fixed 24-hour bezel all behave the way the genuine watch does. Everything below that tier trades function for price. I judged each option on four things: case and bezel geometry, dial and hand detail, movement behavior, and bracelet finishing. A fifth factor sits outside the watch itself: whether the package clears US customs at all.
What the Explorer II replica market actually sells
Most fakes target the 42 mm ref. 216570 introduced in 2011, with a smaller number copying the current ref. 226570 and the older 40 mm ref. 16570. The 216570 is the popular target because its case is easier to machine cleanly than the modern 226570 and because the design has been stable for over a decade. Listings rarely use reference numbers. They use words like "Polar," "black dial," "GMT," and "super clone," and those words mean very different things depending on the seller.
Criterion 1: Case and fixed 24-hour bezel
The Explorer II bezel is stainless steel with engraved 24-hour numerals, and it does not rotate. That makes it a finishing test rather than a mechanism test. On weak replicas the numerals are stamped shallow, the font is too wide, and the bezel sits slightly proud of the case. On good ones the numerals are cut with a visible bevel and the bezel is flush. Check lug width, crown guard shape, and the caseback profile, since clone movements sometimes force a thicker case than the genuine 12.5 mm.
Criterion 2: Dial, hands, and the orange 24-hour hand
The Polar dial is the harder one to fake. Look at the matte finish, the applied hour markers, and whether the black surrounds on the markers are even. The orange GMT hand should be a flat, saturated orange with a clean arrow, not a coated hand with visible paint buildup. Lume plots should sit level in the surrounds, and the date window should be magnified correctly with no distortion at the edges.
Criterion 3: Movement, the real dividing line
This is where tiers separate. The genuine 216570 runs calibre 3187 and the 226570 runs calibre 3285. Both are caller-GMT movements: the hour hand jumps independently in one-hour steps while the 24-hour hand stays where you set it. Cheap fakes slave the 24-hour hand to the hour hand, so it simply rotates once per day and cannot be set separately. That is the fastest tell in person and the one most listing photos hide. Mid-tier builds use a modified Asian GMT movement that jumps the hour hand but often sets the 24-hour hand with a sloppy second crown position. Only the top tier reproduces a four-position crown with correct behavior.
Criterion 4: Bracelet, clasp, and finishing
Genuine Oyster bracelets use 904L steel, and no replica at any price matches it. What you can judge is how the links articulate, whether the clasp closes with a solid click, whether the brushed grain runs in one direction across the links, and whether the end links sit flush against the lugs with no gap at the top.
Top pick: super-clone 216570-style build
- Pros: correct 42 mm case proportions, independent hour hand, settable 24-hour hand, engraved fixed bezel with a clean font, accurate dial printing on both Polar and black versions.
- Cons: highest cost tier, still not 904L steel, and the movement is a clone that needs service knowledge most local watchmakers will not touch.
Use case: you want a watch that reads correctly on the wrist and behaves correctly when someone handles it, and you accept that it will never survive the scrutiny of a loupe or a trained dealer.
Mid tier: hybrid movement builds
- Pros: meaningfully cheaper, still looks right across a table, hour hand usually jumps correctly.
- Cons: 24-hour hand setting is often crude or absent, dial lume is uneven, bezel engraving can be shallow, and case thickness drifts.
Use case: a daily wearer where the GMT function is cosmetic and you are not planning to hand it to anyone who knows the reference.
Entry tier: what a cheap Explorer II gets you
- Pros: low risk if the package is seized, convincing at a distance in photos.
- Cons: slaved 24-hour hand, printed rather than applied details on some builds, hollow end links, and a bracelet that rattles.
Use case: a costume piece or a test of the seller before spending more. Do not buy it expecting a functional GMT.
What no replica gets right
Rehaut engraving depth, the laser-etched coronet at 6 o'clock, dial lacquer under magnification, hand finishing, caseback stamping, and movement decoration all fall short at every price. The Explorer II is a simple watch, which makes small errors easier to spot, not harder.
US legal and shipping reality
Selling or trafficking counterfeit trademarked goods is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. section 2320, and US Customs and Border Protection seizes and destroys counterfeit imports. Buying one for personal wear is generally not charged as a federal crime, but a seized package means you lose the money with no recourse against the seller. Domestic resale is where buyers cross from possession into trafficking.
Arrival inspection checklist
- Pull the crown to each position and confirm the hour hand jumps independently.
- Set the 24-hour hand separately and confirm it stays put.
- Check that the bezel does not rotate at all.
- Run the date change and watch for hesitation or misalignment in the window.
- Look at the end link fit and flex the bracelet for looseness.