The 16570 and That Wobble Everyone Talks About

So this is the reference 16570, and these were manufactured from around 1989 to 2011. For most of that production run, it had a 3185 movement. Now, the one thing with the 3185, when you set the second time zone and you’re moving the hour hand, the GMT hand has this wobble to it. You can literally watch the red hand bounce around while you set it.

What the 3186 Actually Fixed

Rolex developed the next generation of the movement, the 3186, and it only went into this model for the last couple years of production. That resolved the wobble completely. Change the hours on one of these and that red hand doesn’t move an inch out of place.

It’s Never Just the Movement

Here’s the thing. There are other features on a Rolex that collectors look for, and all those upgrades happen to land on the watches with the 3186, just because they’re later production. Originally these watches had holes on the case, hollow end links, and the rehaut, that inner ring around the dial, didn’t have the serial number or the word Rolex engraved into it. So when you get the upgraded movement, you’re also getting all of those later features that came with it. It’s a package deal, not just a swap under the caseback.

Why This Specific One Is Rare on Top of That

One other collectible thing worth knowing: from 1989 up until around 2007, Rolex watches came with a paper warranty certificate before they switched to the warranty card. This one has the card, which already makes it later production. And Rolex serial numbers were always letter-based until they moved to a random serial system around 2011, which this one also has. So you’ve got the upgraded movement, the later features, and a rare version of the 16570 with a warranty card on top of it all. And here’s the funny part: the warranty card is dated 2013, two years after the 16570 was already discontinued. That means this watch probably sat in a Rolex store for two years before anyone bought it. This was back when Rolexes weren’t flying off the shelf with a million-person wait list out the door.

So What’s the Price Difference?

We’re able to sell a fully decked out version, like this one, for $11,500. You can get one of the older versions as a full set for around $8,500. That’s a $3,000 gap for a black dial 16570, and I think the real question is whether you’d pay that difference to get the best version of the watch, or whether the earlier one still does everything you actually need it to do.

If you’re trying to figure out where your own Explorer II lands, or you’re shopping for one and want someone to walk you through it before you buy, that’s exactly what we do at TNS. Check out our current inventory of Rolex watches, or if you’re thinking about selling or trading yours, here’s how our watch exchange works.

Every Rolex that comes through TNS gets the same inspection, whether it’s a customer bringing one in to sell, a trade coming from across the country, or a piece we’re buying at auction. We’re not glancing at it and taking someone’s word. We go bezel, dial, index, movement, then finish under a microscope, and by the time we’re done,q we know exactly what we’re holding. The reason we’re this thorough isn’t paranoia; it’s that the best fakes out there now get almost everything right. Almost.

The Bezel

We start at the bezel because it’s one of the first places a fake gives itself away under pressure, literally. A genuine Rolex bezel clicks with a specific resistance and sound, evenly, in both directions, with the insert seated flush and centered against the case. Fakes are often close but not quite, the click feels mushy or inconsistent, or the insert sits a hair off-center. On ceramic bezels specifically, we’re looking at how the numerals are filled: genuine Rolex ceramic uses a platinum or gold coating applied with a precision that’s genuinely hard to fake, and under any kind of magnification the edges of counterfeit lettering tend to bleed or look slightly soft.

The Dial and Index

This is where we spend the most time, because it’s where sellers and even some dealers get fooled. We’re checking the printing on the dial itself, the font weight, the spacing, whether the text sits perfectly level and centered. Then we move to the hour markers, the index. On a real Rolex, the index application is precise down to the fraction of a millimeter, each marker identically placed, identically finished, with lume applied evenly and fully inside the marker with no bleed at the edges. Fakes almost always slip somewhere here, a marker sits a fraction off, the lume creeps past the edge, or the finish on one hour marker doesn’t quite match its neighbor. On a real piece, every marker looks like it came from the same exacting process, because it did.

What the Movement Tells Us

Once we’re inside, the movement tells us almost everything. We’re looking at the decoration, the finishing on the bridges, the engraving depth and clarity on the rotor, and how the whole thing is laid out relative to genuine Rolex calibers we’ve handled hundreds of times. A real Rolex movement runs with a smooth, near-silent sweep. Fakes running cheaper movements often have a slightly audible tick or a sweep that isn’t perfectly even, something you can catch by ear before you even need a loupe.

Under the Microscope: Finish and Regulator

This is the step that separates a real authentication from a guess. Under magnification, we’re checking case and bracelet finishing, the transition between polished and brushed surfaces, laser-etched details like the crown at 6 o’clock on the crystal, and the regulator itself. Genuine modern Rolex movements use a free-sprung balance system, adjusted through Microstella nuts on the balance wheel rather than a traditional regulator arm. A lot of counterfeit movements still use a cheaper regulator-arm design because it’s easier and cheaper to produce, and once you know to look for it, that difference alone can end the conversation. Under the microscope, machining marks, edge finishing, and etching depth either look like factory work or they don’t, and there’s no faking that consistency across the whole piece.

Why This Matters More Than a Checklist

None of this is a five-minute glance. It’s the accumulation of small, consistent details, and a fake only has to fail one of them for the whole story to fall apart. That’s also why we don’t rely on any single test, serial number, weight, or a single glance at the dial. We build the full picture, and if anything doesn’t add up, we don’t move forward.

If you’re buying or selling and want a real answer instead of a guess, bring it in or send us close-up photos. We’ll walk you through exactly what we’re seeing and why. Get an offer on your watch, ask us about watch repair and servicing, or check our FAQ page for more on how authentication works at TNS.