The Best Watch I Have Ever Owned: How My Rolex Explorer II Ref. 16570 Stumbled To Number One

When RJ asked me to kick off a new series in which Fratello writers describe the best watch they have ever owned, I had to think for a moment. The idea is for each writer to describe his favorite watch, the one that served him most loyally and brought the most joy. We’re not talking about the objectively best watch, as that wouldn’t really mean anything. We’re talking about the watch we would crown as the subjective best watch-owning experience we’ve had. So, what is the best watch I have ever owned? Let’s have a look.

For the sake of neutrality, I have added one condition for my pick: it could not be a watch I developed myself. Naturally, the connection with those watches is much stronger, but in an effort to steer clear of another shameless plug, I disqualified those options up front.

A close call between two old Rollies

My mind first jumped to my 1967 Rolex Datejust ref. 1601. This watch is close to my heart, as it served as the cover model for my since-discontinued book, The Vintage Rolex Datejust Buyers’ & Collectors’ Guide (I don’t have any left, so I consider this an acceptable plug). Publishing that book was a major highlight in my career, and the watch on the cover represents that milestone for me. It is funny how one thing leads to another. The book got me on RJ’s radar and landed me the Fratello gig. Also, as it enjoyed some modest success, it set me up for my more ambitious efforts later on. I am quite sure I would never have started a watch brand if the book hadn’t worked out. Naturally, it holds a special place.

Based on the book, people often assume that I am some big Datejust collector. That could hardly be further from the truth. I could write the book because, while working at a vintage boutique, I had unbridled access to a never-ending stream of vintage Rolex Datejusts. So, while I got my hands (and my camera and microscope) on tons of them, I only ever owned the one on the cover.

All of this is still circumstantial evidence, of course. But even at a material level, the Datejust 1601 is one of my all-time favorite watches. I still think it is hard to beat a vintage Datejust when it comes to pure, effortless cool. It possesses a unique blend of restraint and flashiness that is hard to find elsewhere. It is humble and modest but kind of cheekily brash at the same time. I have spent tons of time wearing mine, and it is only barely surpassed by another (less) old Rolex as the best watch I have ever owned.

The best watch I have ever owned: Rolex Explorer II ref. 16570

It’s funny how one’s taste can change over time. I vividly remember that when I was young and only casually into watches, I felt the Explorer II was one of the ugliest. So if I could travel back in time and show my younger self this article, he would be gobsmacked. Weirdly, I don’t remember when my taste started to pivot. I remember hating it, and I remember loving it. And now I consider it the best watch I have ever owned. There is no recollection of what happened in between. Weird, isn’t it?

I do still see why I didn’t rate it very highly before. To this day, I don’t think this is a very pretty watch. There is a certain clumsiness to its appearance, as if it has been unofficially modified in some way. I liken it to how a car can look a bit off with an aftermarket body kit but also kind of cool. It’s in the steel bezel, with its clunky, oversized numerals. It contrasts the glossy black dial and its fine printing in a way that doesn’t quite harmonize. The dial asks for a refined, black bezel insert with more elegant numerals, as on a Submariner. It gets an industrial, crude, naked steel bezel instead. The stamped clasp with its faux links doesn’t exactly win beauty pageants either.

As much as that friction annoyed me before, I now find it the most badass configuration. It also goes a long way to explaining why I so strongly prefer the black version, while the watch community seems to favor the “Polar” dial. The stark white dial leans further into that naked aesthetic, giving it less internal tension. That tension seems to be exactly what swung me from one end of the spectrum to the other in appreciating the Explorer II. Sometimes, character and oddness beat straight-up beauty.

But why is it the best watch I have ever owned?

The above doesn’t quite explain why this is the best watch I have ever owned, does it? I think it is down to two convergent factors — character and versatility. The most characterful watches tend to be the least versatile. The opposite is also true: the most versatile watches don’t tend to be the most characterful. It makes sense, as versatility is easiest to achieve by simply blending in. The 16570 is distinctly characterful, yet I found it so versatile that I often wore it for weeks on end, forgetting to swap watches as I usually do.

Perhaps more importantly, the Explorer II ref. 16570 feels very close to my character and style. I cannot really put it into words, but if I had to describe myself through one watch, I would hand you a black-dial 16570. So much so that any old black or white T-shirt instantly becomes my personalized drip when I strap on my Explorer II, a notion that — I will point it out before you do — lives only between my ears.

The fact that the best watch I have ever owned is a Rolex isn’t entirely coincidental. I spent the majority of my time as a vintage dealer — a job in which I was mentored to grow from enthusiast to professional — buying, selling, and studying mostly vintage Rolex watches. Going deep instilled in me an appreciation for vintage and neo-vintage Rolex that I have for very few other brands. Interestingly, modern Rolex really doesn’t do anything for me.

The serendipitous nature of how the Explorer II became the best watch I have ever owned

The Rolex Explorer II ref. 16570 became the best watch I have ever owned in a rather weird, serendipitous way. As explained above, it started as a watch I thoroughly disliked from a distance. Then, to my surprise, after years of not giving it a second look, I found myself lusting after it. I ended up pursuing it and buying one, but I didn’t immediately connect with it much. Then, it crashed in value, which somehow took the overly precious edge off for me. I stopped babying it and started wearing it intensively, as it was meant to be worn. And then…only then…did it conquer my heart.

I am still not sure how this all happened. With my taste for versatile, casual Rolex models, it would have made much more sense for me to chase a Submariner ref. 5513 or 14060 at the time, or even an Explorer ref. 1016 or 114270. Those are all much more “up my alley” at heart, and any one of them would have probably grown to be the best watch I have ever owned. It might just be Instagram’s algorithm that nudged me another way, as much as I hate to admit it. Once I truly bonded with my 16570, though, it sat glued to my wrist until I developed my first watch. It gave me so much joy that I simply had to dedicate my entry into this new series to it.

The fact of the matter is that the Rolex Explorer II ref. 16570 became the best watch I have ever owned via the most unlikely route. Frankly, it could have been so many other watches, but it turned out to be the 16570 in black. Reflecting on it, I feel there are some valuable life lessons to be taken from this experience. Something about control and not forcing things…

What is the best watch you have ever owned? Let us know in the comments section below!