I’m sure a lot of you are not impressed by my pick. In fact, I know that at least two members of the Fratello team own or have owned one of these luxury replica watches. It’s not particularly rare or special in any way. It wouldn’t even be fair to say that I want one of the rarer or more desirable variants out there. Whether the dial is creamy or white, whether it’s tritium or LumiNova, or whether the dial says “Swiss” or “Swiss Made”, I don’t mind. This was the same philosophy I adopted with my Speedmaster. Would I prefer a birth year super clone watch with tritium lume? Sure! Does it actually bother me now that I have one that isn’t that? Not at all. What’s important, is that this one belongs to me, and has been on my wrist for some significant moments in my life so far.
But why the cheap fake Rolex Explorer II? And why specifically the 16570? If you’ve followed my writing for a minute, you’ll know that I’m a fan of vintage watches. And I feel that, whereas the current Explorer II is a handsome thing, nothing beats the vintage vibes of a 16570. The case has the perfect shape and size. The dial is stark, functional, yet beautiful. And the skinny GMT hand, blood-red on the white dial’s canvas, is just brilliant. It does go beyond aesthetics, however. Owning a Swiss made replica Rolex does still hold some special meaning. Not as a status symbol, but more as a significant achievement. A sign that everything you have worked for in life has paid off, and that because of that, you are able to mark the achievement with a special timepiece that you’ll proudly wear for the rest of your days.
Functional appeal aesthetic perfection
But it goes beyond this. It’s not just a primordial moth-drawn-to-light feeling that attracts me to this watch. As a true watch enthusiast, I fully understand the heritage of the high quality fake Rolex brand, which adds to the romantic appeal of seeing the word “Explorer” on the dial. Will I mostly wear it while sitting in an office typing away on my keyboard? Probably, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t inspire a deeper desire to get out there and live up to what the copy watch online represents and what others have done with theirs. I’ll be happy to put my fair share of notches, dings, and scratches into it. Each one tells a story of something I experienced. It’s almost like a diary. The case is the paper, and the world around you, the pen. And the more you write on it, the more meaning it gains.
This also comes from the fact that the Explorer II 16570 is a watch that remains a trace of Rolex’s past ambitions in creating tool watches. Sure, modern Rolex replica watches for sale are just as capable. Perhaps even more so. But the bigger, shinier appearance, to me, diminishes this appeal. Whereas before, these watches were designed as the most capable tools, now they are somewhat smeared in pretentiousness, falling into the status-symbol trap. They are worn by those too rich to know better and who simply want to own something from the famous brand with the crown. In this sense, Tudor seems to hold up the flag that AAA fake Rolex once did. However, it’s undeniable that the word Rolex holds a special meaning — a promise that what you get is close to perfection, functionally and aesthetically.
The Rolex hype dilemma
As I mentioned earlier, there is a slight issue with reaching this grail, and it revolves around the well-known hype surrounding the Rolex brand. And I’m not talking about a shortage of high quality replica watches. It’s not like I’d be visiting a boutique or AD to buy one of these. Plus, there are plenty of them available online. What’s the problem then? Well, it’s all about the price. When I first started looking into the 1:1 fake Rolex Explorer II 16570, one could be had for about €6,000-€7,000. This price comes more or less close to (just over) the original retail price. However, in 2021 with the release of the new Explorer II (ref. 226570), prices began to climb. Now, the average pre-owned market price of 16570s comes close to €10,000 for a watch in good condition with box and papers.
Now, this raises the dilemma. When the retail price, as indicated on the Rolex website, for the 2021 Rolex Explorer II replica Paypal is €7,950, I have to ask myself, does it still make sense to chase the 16570? Surely, it would make far more sense to buy a brand-new Rolex straight from the brand itself, wouldn’t it? After all, prices for the 16570 do nothing but increase every month. Saving up for it is like trying to climb a tree that grows at the same pace you climb it. At some point, any sane person would just give up, sit on the nearest branch, and settle for the apples that grow at the level they can reach. However, as we all know, getting your hands on one of those delicious Swiss movement fake Rolex steel sports apples is not so simple. The only other hesitation comes from the matters discussed by Lex in this article.