Anyone regret selling your Polar/White 16570?

spacemission
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
I only called it Polar because that's what I thought people called the white dial. Is it polarizing?

Why white? Short answer, I associate black dials with speedmasters. I have a few vintage and it's alot of black. I like white dials.

[Edited, too long]

For sure that you should purchase what you like. Show us photos.
 
vibe
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spacemission spacemission
Polar, kermit, batman, etc. The nicknames are a trend.
You mean “nickname?” Isn’t it an official name in this case?
 
spacemission
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vibe vibe
You mean “nickname?” Isn’t it an official name in this case?

An official name by rolex? ☕
 
pdxleaf
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spacemission spacemission
Polar, kermit, batman, batgirl, etc. The nicknames are a trend.

::stirthepot:: I forgot one, this early year is also called 'porcelain."

"In the early 90s, the Explorer II white dial construction actually changed a little. This white dial is the exact same lacquer style as the ‘porcelain’ 16520 Floating Daytona. Both Rolex of the early 90s, this was a brief era where white dials had multiple layers of lacquer and varnish that gave its printed text a layer of depth, almost as if there is a shadow underneath. They’re not actually porcelain, but the effect is notable. While highly collected in Daytona, no one really talks about the fact that this 16570 shares the same milky construction, a few Datejusts too..."

--Quote: https://hairspring.com/finds/chicchi-di-mais-16570-rolex-explorer-ii/

Native Alaskans were said to have 100 nicknames for snow. (They actually had more like 30 to 50, but a linguist popularized the myth that there were 100 different words.) Only two for this white dial seems like we're getting off easy. 😁 Nicknames are useful, not a modern trend, and a human condition.

This watch also has another nickname for the lume, "Chicchi di Mais" (Italian for "Kernals of corn).

Thankfully, it's not called the "Steve McQueen", (or "Paul Newman" or "John Mayer" ::facepalm1::)

P.s. I made a deal. Pictures to follow after it gets serviced.
 
spacemission
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
::stirthepot:: I forgot one, this early year is also called 'porcelain."

"In the early 90s, the Explorer II white dial construction actually changed a little. This white dial is the exact same lacquer style as the ‘porcelain’ 16520 Floating Daytona. Both Rolex of the early 90s, this was a brief era where white dials had multiple layers of lacquer and varnish that gave its printed text a layer of depth, almost as if there is a shadow underneath. They’re not actually porcelain, but the effect is notable. While highly collected in Daytona, no one really talks about the fact that this 16570 shares the same milky construction, a few Datejusts too..."

--Quote: https://hairspring.com/finds/chicchi-di-mais-16570-rolex-explorer-ii/

Native Alaskans were said to have 100 nicknames for snow. (They actually had more like 30 to 50, but a linguist popularized the myth that there were 100 different words.) Only two for this white dial seems like we're getting off easy. 😁 Nicknames are useful, not a modern trend, and a human condition.

This watch also has another nickname for the lume, "Chicchi di Mais" (Italian for "Kernals of corn).

Thankfully, it's not called the "Steve McQueen", (or "Paul Newman" or "John Mayer" ::facepalm1::)

P.s. I made a deal. Pictures to follow after it gets serviced.

Pesadilla en elm street.
 
Walrus
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Don’t overthink it just get it you know you want it we don’t know how many more times around the sun we got left who cares what other people did/didn’t do.

That’s what I say damnit
 
pdxleaf
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Picture time. Pretty nice. I didn't realize it has the 93150 bracelet with fliplock and extension, which was an option. It has the correct year code.

Pictures are a bit overexposed and didn't capture the bright whiteness of the dial. The so-called porcelain effect is beautiful and reminds me of my Hamilton PW. The case has never seen a polish wheel.

1000018453.jpg 1000018442.jpg 1000018445.jpg


The lume color is 🥰. Looking forward to wrist time with this.
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1000018449.jpg
140dave
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Are the H/M hands tritium also? Several shades lighter which isn’t too uncommon but they look different than second and GMT hands. (At least on my phone)
 
pdxleaf
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140dave 140dave
Are the H/M hands tritium also? Several shades lighter which isn’t too uncommon but they look different than second and GMT hands. (At least on my phone)

Yes, the hands are also tritium. Many Explorer II guides state that for tritium dials that have patina, the lume on the hands should not match, but instead be white. This advice may or may not be accurate in 100% of dials, but it seems widely repeated.

For Speedmasters we accept that the lume on the hands is often different due to hands coming from different lume batches and being raised off the dials. But we expect hands to darken, or even be darker than the dials. I don't know why these Rolex hands are supposed to remain much whiter than the dial patina. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will jump in.

Ps. This watch is a 1989 'L', with a 1990 bracelet sold in 1991. This makes me happy having a first year of production watch. Can't explain why but it does.
 
S
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The polars that have the patina'd markers are special. Maybe the only modern-ish Rolex that I would consider.
 
pdxleaf
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spacemission spacemission
Seems well worn. Enjoy your explorer II.

Yep. He wore it like a watch. It's what a real unpolished Rolex looks like.
 
spacemission
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
Yep. He wore it like a watch. It's what a real unpolished Rolex looks like.

I don't like watches polished like a chupa chups.
 
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