Quick answer
The Rolex Explorer II reference 16570 is a 40 mm stainless steel watch with a fixed 24-hour bezel. Rolex built it from 1989 to 2011. Replica and first copy versions copy the case shape, dial and bezel layout. They do not use a Rolex movement. They do not use 904L steel. Rolex will not service or authenticate them. In the United States, selling or importing a counterfeit watch can lead to seizure and to civil or criminal liability.
Genuine reference 16570 specifications
- Case: 40 mm, Oystersteel (904L), Twinlock crown
- Crystal: flat sapphire, no Cyclops over the date
- Bezel: fixed steel 24-hour scale
- Dial: black or white (Polar), date at 3 o'clock
- Movement: caliber 3185, then caliber 3186 from 2007
- Water resistance: 100 m
- Lug width: 20 mm
- Bracelet: Oyster 78790 with solid end links
- Production: 1989 to 2011, replaced by reference 216570
Early dials carry tritium lume and the marking T SWISS MADE T. Later dials use Super-LumiNova and read SWISS MADE. Drilled lug holes ended around 2003. The 24-hour hand is orange on the black dial and black with a white outline on the white dial.
What a first copy 16570 contains
Most copies of this reference use a generic Chinese automatic GMT movement, such as a DG3804 or a clone of an ETA 2836 with a 24-hour module. On many of these movements the 24-hour hand links to the hour hand and does not set on its own. Case steel is 316L, not 904L. Case thickness can differ by 0.5 mm to 1 mm from the original, and lug shape changes how the bracelet sits on the wrist.
Dial details are the first place a copy shows. Check the font of the Explorer II text, the spacing of the minute track, and the size of the triangle at 12. The date font and the window cut also differ. A copy will not carry a Rolex-signed crown on the clasp at the correct depth, and bracelet end links will not meet the case with the same tolerance.
Checks on any 16570 shaped copy
- Set the 24-hour hand alone. If it moves with the hour hand, the GMT function is not real.
- Measure case thickness and lug width.
- Inspect dial printing under 10x magnification.
- Check movement bridges through the caseback. Genuine calibers have a set bridge layout.
- Ask for the serial and reference between the lugs. Copies reuse numbers.
Legal and service facts
Counterfeit watches infringe Rolex trademarks. US Customs and Border Protection can seize shipments under 19 U.S.C. 1526. Rolex does not service, repair or authenticate counterfeit watches. Independent watchmakers may refuse the work because parts do not interchange with genuine components. Resale platforms such as eBay and Chrono24 remove counterfeit listings.
Genuine prices
Used 16570 prices depend on dial color, lume type, drilled or solid lugs, and whether box and papers are present. I do not have a verified current figure for the market, so treat any single number as a starting point and check recent sale records.