The short answer
If you want the 24-hour Explorer II look on your wrist and you are not chasing a vintage collectible, the practical pick is the current Rolex Explorer II ref. 226570, with a clean secondhand 16570 as the budget alternative. Four criteria decided that: how close the case and dial read to the original, whether a working watchmaker can service it, what it is worth on resale, and the legal exposure of owning it. A replica Explorer II 16550 fails the last three every time, and it fails the first one the moment you put a loupe on the dial.
I am not ranking replica sellers here. What follows is what the real reference is, why copies cannot match it, and where your money does the most work.
What the genuine 16550 is
The 16550 replaced the 1655, the orange-handed Explorer II that collectors call the Freccione. It kept the fixed 24-hour steel bezel and the fourth hand, added a sapphire crystal, and ran Rolex caliber 3085, a 30-series automatic with a quick-set date. Rolex built it from 1985 to 1989 and sold it with a black dial or the white Polar dial. The 16570 took its place in 1989.
The dial is why collectors want it
Two production quirks made the 16550 famous. Some white dials shifted from white to a warm cream, and some black dials developed a cracked brown web that the market calls a spider dial. Both come from the lacquer Rolex used at the time, and both vary from watch to watch. A replica can print a cream color, but it cannot print four decades of uneven fade, edge wear, and depth.
Pros of holding out for a genuine patina dial
- No two dials age the same way, so the watch you buy is a one-off.
- Originality is priced by the market, and documented examples hold value.
Cons
- Cream and spider dials carry a large premium over a service-dial watch.
- Real patina draws fakers who bake, tint, or re-lacquer dials, so every purchase needs an expert inspection.
Where replicas give themselves away
Case profile is the first tell. The 16550 has a specific lug shape, crown guard blend, and bezel engraving depth, and most copies soften all three. The second tell is the movement. Genuine 3085 movements are serviceable and still have parts support; replica GMT movements are generic and often have no parts path at all. The third tell is the crystal and cyclops magnification, which rarely matches the original. If a watchmaker will not touch the watch, you are not buying a watch, you are buying a disposable object.
Pros people claim for replicas
- Low entry cost compared with a vintage 16550.
- Modern clone movements can keep reasonable time when new.
Cons
- No service network and no spare parts.
- Resale is close to nothing, and the value drops to zero the moment it stops running.
- Counterfeit watches are illegal to sell in the United States, and buying one carries its own risk.
Who should buy what
- Want the look and wear it daily: buy a used 16570 or a current 226570. Both are serviceable and hold value.
- Want the vintage reference: budget for a 16550 with papers and have a specialist confirm the dial before you pay.
- Want a 24-hour bezel for under a thousand dollars: buy a clearly branded microbrand GMT, not a watch with someone else's name on the dial.
The Explorer II 16550 is a great reference and a bad thing to fake. Buy the real one, buy the modern one, or buy something honest. Skip the middle.