Will Rolex release a New Explorer II in 2020?

Over the last nine years, we have seen a lot of unique changes to the Rolex sports lineup. Back in 2011, we were all quite shocked to see the Explorer II come to market quite different than its predecessor. Originally, the Explorer II was a 40mm watch that utilized a 24 hour GMT hand that had a red post and a silver tip.

If we travel back in time to the original Explorer II released in 1971, the watch featured an orange 24 hour hand not a red one. Rolex decided to make some serious changes in 2011 with a whole new look to the Explorer II 42mm by increasing the case by two mm, modified the hands set to a unique large painted set of hands and brought back a super unique orange 24 hour GMT hand. 

The rumor mill has been brewing for the last two or three years around this model being next on the block to be modified. Our view here at Everest is that we may see some unique, rather exciting changes.

One that seems like an obvious move is changing the 24 hour bezel from steel to ceramic. This is in line with what Rolex did with the Daytona back in 2016. This would greatly decrease scratches on the bezel but also add a very sporty look to this adventurer’s Rolex.

Another very likely change is the swapping out of the 3137 movement to the new 3285 movement. This Rolex movement boasts a ton of new features such as an improved power reserve and a new escapement. Plus, Rolex boasts that these new movements have a lower service interval and run at +/-2 a day. Rolex has been seriously upping their game with these new 32XX series movements.

One thing we do know is that Rolex plans to have a release event in New York City during the same time as Baselworld was supposed to be. Here is an article about the breaking news of cancellation of the basel world. Check out the article about the possible event in New York City here.

What we all don’t know is what is going to be released or modified. Our guess is as good as yours! We've explored the possible Ceramic GMT Coke here and the possibility of a new Submariner here. Stay tuned to see other articles about Rolex models that could come in 2020! 

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