Rolex Basel 2011 Thread

[By-Tor]

@Ronin: I agree that the old Explorer II is visually perfect. The new one isn't an improvement based on the looks only. The white version that you have... it's really beautiful watch.

But as much as I enjoy wearing the 16610 and GMT 16710, ExpII always felt a tad too small for me. Just a little bit... and I think it really needed an extra mm or two. 42mm is not big by today's standards. The smooth bezel does it... that makes Daytona wear very small too. 16610 and 16710 actually wear pretty big, despite being only 40mm. Just perfect really.

Other than than the increased size, I'm not sure about the maxi dial, either. Strangely, I like the old tiny twinlock crown. Just imagine ExpII with a triplock... it wouldn't look correct. It sure doesn't look correct on the GMTIIc.

As I said... new Submariner was a clear downgrade. Ok, maybe the clasp is better but so what... that flimsy old clasp is so "Rolex"... just like air cooled rear engine is so "Porsche".

And 16610 is MUCH nicer looking watch. Classic Pepsi vs. new GMTIIc... not even worth discussion to me. Old Seadweller vs. super ugly DSSD = no brainer. It was a mistake to screw up those beautiful classics. Those three new models do absolutely nothing for me, and I think Rolex lost something essential with them... the real Rolex "spirit" that I've been talking about. But I'm not sure about the new Explorer II... I think I like it.

Would I choose it over the classic white that you have? I'm not sure.

[docdoc]

Now tell me, where is the rep of this black explorer II beauty (with the blue lume, the cool hands, the gridlock bracelet…) :bounce:

Guess we will have to wait a little year before it pops out !

[dluddy]

[HauteHippie]

The new Explorer II looks very nice.

+1

The Yachtmaster, though.... whoa.

[d-rock]

I've never been fond of the white dials....at all. But looking at it this way...well, the new version looks MUCH better in white, for sure.

[Utheman]

I still like the look of the older version Expl II better. It's less cluttered than the new maxi dial with the thicker GMT hand. Also, I like the older, thinner bezel font more than the new. Now, if they just scaled the whole older version up to 42mm, that would be perfect in my opinion.

[watchjunkie]

Too bad the 2-24 on the bezel is too big and the minute hand is undersized on the EX2 clones. Those are two obvious tells that any novice (like me) can see and will be the major flaws that we will talk about in the evolutions to come.