A fake Rolex Explorer II is any watch built to mimic Rolex's fixed-bezel GMT. That range runs from a $50 market stall piece with a glued dial to a $700 clone that needs a loupe to catch. They are all counterfeits under U.S. law, whether the listing says replica, homage, or genuine.
The real watch comes in three generations people actually hunt: the 16570 at 40mm (1989 to 2011), the 216570 at 42mm (2011 to 2021), and the current 226570 at 42mm. All three share the same idea: a steel 24-hour bezel that does not rotate, a GMT hand, and a clean dial. The 216570 and 226570 use an orange 24-hour hand. That simplicity is exactly why the Explorer II is easy to copy well.
Why the Explorer II gets faked so convincingly
There is no ceramic insert to misalign and no rotating bezel to check. The dial is plain, the case has soft curves, and the bracelet is the standard Oyster. A factory does not have to nail a delicate bezel click or a ceramic color match. It only has to get the dial text, the cyclops, and the GMT hand behavior right. Two of those three are usually wrong.
The tiers you will actually run into
- Budget tier, $30 to $80. Mineral glass, stamped case, quartz or a basic DG2813 automatic. The GMT hand often has no independent setting. Painted index rings. Date font is wrong.
- Mid tier, $150 to $400. 316L steel, sapphire crystal, and a real GMT movement such as the DG3804 or a Hangzhou 6460. Case shape is close. The cyclops is usually the giveaway, either too much magnification or a cloudy edge.
- High tier, $500 to $900. Cloned 3186 or 3187 movements, 904L steel on some, correct rehaut engraving, dial printing that survives a macro shot. These are the ones people post as superclones. They still fail on serviceability and on the feel of the crown.
Details I check first
- GMT hand. On a genuine 216570 or 226570, pull the crown to position two and the orange hand jumps on its own. Most fakes move it with the hour hand, or it does not move at all.
- Cyclops. Genuine is 2.5x with a clean black date wheel. Fakes show a blue halo or a crooked date.
- Bezel numerals. Real ones are engraved steel filled with black paint, and the light catches the edges. Cheap fakes have flat laser etching that looks white or shallow.
- Dial text weight. The line SUPERLATIVE CHRONOMETER OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED is thin and tight on a real dial. Fakes run heavy or spaced out.
- Weight. A 42mm Explorer II on a full bracelet sits around 165 grams. A 316L fake comes in noticeably lighter.
- Crown action. Rolex crowns thread smooth and firm. Clone crowns feel gritty or wobble.
The legal side, briefly
Importing a counterfeit watch into the United States is illegal, and CBP seizes shipments. Trafficking in counterfeit goods is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 2320, and selling a fake as genuine is fraud. If a package gets held, the buyer eats the loss. That is worth saying plainly before anyone spends $600.
If you buy one anyway
Movement first. Ask for a photo of the actual movement, not a stock image, and confirm the GMT hand sets independently. Skip any seller who will not show the caseback or the crown position. Water resistance numbers on fakes are marketing, so do not swim in one. And plan for the fact that no watchmaker will want to service a cloned movement, which means a bad one is disposable.
Bottom line
A fake Explorer II can pass at arm's length. It will not pass a service, a resale, or a side-by-side with someone who owns the real thing. Genuine 16570s and 216570s trade in the $9,000 to $13,000 range on the secondary market, which is the gap you are buying into. If the look is the point and the math works for you, fine. Just know which tier you are paying for.