At the heart of the Deepsea’s case is Rolex’s patented Ringlock system, which uses a super hard, nitrogen-alloyed steel central ring to internally support both the extra-thick sapphire crystal and the Grade 5 titanium caseback. While the Ringlock system is largely responsible for the overall increase in the case size of the Deepsea, it actually enables the watch to be smaller than it otherwise would be, had it were to follow a more traditional case design while still retaining its same colossal depth rating.The primary purpose of the Ringlock system is to reduce the amount of stress placed on the case of the watch. As pressure on the watch increases at greater depths, the majority of it gets exerted on the front and back surfaces of the watch. Since the nitrogen-alloyed stainless steel compression ring internally supports both the crystal and the caseback of the Deepsea, the amount of force exerted on the actual case itself remains relatively minimal. Additionally, as the crystal and caseback get squeezed together, with the majority of the force being supported by the internal compression ring, the front and back gaskets of the watch get pressed together, ensuring an extra tight seal.The caseback on the Rolex Deepsea consists of two components: an inner caseback made from Grade 5 titanium, and an outer, screw-down caseback ring that is constructed from Oystersteel (904L stainless steel). With a traditional, single-piece, caseback design, the entirety of the pressure placed on caseback gets exerted on the case of the watch itself, particularly near the threads. By separating the caseback into two components, Rolex is able to redistribute much of the force being exerted on the rear surface of the watch. The outer, screw-down ring performs the sole duty of keeping the inner, titanium caseback tight on the watch, while the nitrogen-alloyed steel compression ring ultimately supports all the pressure being exerted on the titanium case-back itself.
Much like the red line of text on the dial of the latest Sea-Dweller, the bright orange, arrow-shaped 24-hour hand on the latest incarnation of the Rolex Explorer II is a design element directly borrowed from the very first version of the watch from 1971. For a number of decades, this style of 24-hour hand was entirely absent from the Rolex watch catalog, during which time, the Explorer II shared a 24-hour hand design with Rolex’s GMT-Master II line of watches.However, in 2011 for its 40th anniversary, the Explorer II line received a complete makeover, both inside and out. Although the vast majority of the new reference 216570 Explorer II was completely different from the original version and classifies it as an undisputedly modern timepiece, the large, orange-colored, arrow-shaped, 24-hour hand is aesthetically almost identical to the one on the original version of the Explorer II from the early 1970s.A significant part of the allure of the Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLRO is rooted in its vintage-inspired design elements, such as its red and blue, “Pepsi” bezel insert and its Jubilee-style bracelet. The very first Rolex GMT-Master watches from the mid-1950s were made from stainless steel and fitted with half-red, half-blue bezel inserts; however, ever since the introduction of Cerachrom (ceramic) bezels, half-red, half-blue “Pepsi” bezel inserts were only available on the 18k white gold version of Rolex’s GMT-Master II. The reference 126710 GMT-Master II marked the return of a stainless steel “Pepsi” GMT, as well as the return of the Jubilee bracelet to the GMT-Master line.
Then there’s the much more subdued fixed stainless bezel of the Explorer II which matches the case and features a 24-hour marked scale. This feature was specifically built for explorers who need to distinguish day from night – think cave explorers or polar explorers in the height of summer when the sun never sets.For decades, the durable and waterproof Oyster case on the Explorer II measured 40mm, but upon its redesign for the 40th anniversary of the collection in 2011, it was enlarged to 42mm. However, while Rolex produces a precious metal version of the Submariner, the Explorer II is exclusively offered in 904L stainless steel, and there have never been any solid gold or two-tone models ever produced. The current Explorer II is only offered on a steel Oyster bracelet with a Oysterlock clasp, but to be honest, when it comes to the Explorer II, collectors are much more concerned with what really makes this watch: the face.The dial of the Explorer II is iconic for a few reasons. The most notable being the colored 24-hour hand which circles the face. First there’s the iconic orange 24-hour hand, originally designed to help polar and cave explorers distinguish night from day, that gained its cult-status from the original “Steve McQueen” reference. Rolex eventually brought back the bright orange hand with much fanfare. Then there’s the red 24-hour hand which graced the dial for decades – it’s distinctly different than the orange hand with a skinnier body and smaller luminous triangle at the tip. The dials with a red 24-hour hand are far less punchy than their orange counterparts, but still make the Explorer II standout from the rest of the Rolex lineup.Then there are the dial colors – available in effortlessly-cool black and the coveted ‘polar’ white. The polar dial is totally cool and clean, the white face outfitted with white lume plots and Mercedes hands outlined in black. The black face on the other hand has a totally different appeal. While it boasts the same features, the darker face really highlights the stainless steel bezel, lume hour plots and lume-filled Mercedes hands (this time in white gold rather than finished black). It’s a punchier look, and the colored 24-hour hand – especially the orange one – shines against the black a little brighter.
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