Explorer II homages — the affordable Rolex Explorer II alternatives
The closest Rolex Explorer II homage we rank is the Watchdives WD16570 V2 Pioneer — it scores 81/100 on our published fidelity rubric at about $229, against $9,350 for the original. The Automatic GMT (Seiko NH34) it is ranked on was sold out on Watchdives’s own store at our last check, so that is a fidelity ranking rather than a buying recommendation — the row below says what, if anything, is still available. Below: all 6 spec-checked homages (24h fixed bezel, orange gmt hand, steve mcqueen, tool gmt), closest first, with prices, movements and honest notes.
Last reviewed August 2026.
Check official availability for the WD16570 V2 Pioneer › The Automatic GMT (Seiko NH34) we rank was sold out at our last check. Exact first-party link; carries our referral.
Closest one you can buy on Amazon: Timex TW2W53000 (Expedition Pioneer Titanium GMT) › fidelity 76/100 at about $629.
The Rolex Explorer II (ref 226570) is a 42mm gmt watch, 100m water resistant, running a Automatic GMT (Rolex 3285). At about $9,350 it is one of the most homaged designs in the hobby — here is the honest field, closest first.
The 6 best Explorer II homages, ranked by fidelity
| Homage | Brand | Fidelity | Price | Movement | Size | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WD16570 V2 Pioneer named straight after the 16570 reference and the closest dial in the field — enamel polar-white with the orange GMT hand, fixed 24h steel bezel and sapphire; it wears a compact 37mm against the original's 42mm, which is the one big honest gap. Sold out new on Watchdives' own store when we re-checked on 18 Aug 2026 — re-checked 2026-09-04 and all five variants are still out of stock, so this row is marked sold-out and its link goes to the exact product page rather than pretending there is a buy; the 38mm WD16570B is the live sibling, $189 on 2026-09-04 · often cheaper direct | Watchdives | 81 | $229 · watchdives.com 2026-08-13 / 100m | Automatic GMT (Seiko NH34) | 37mm | Check availability › |
| PD-1693 the freccione orange 24-hour hand and fixed bezel at a fraction of the money, with sapphire and a real 200m rating; it wears 42mm, a size up on the modern original and two on the vintage one it echoes. Pagani's official page identifies the movement as a Pearl DG5833A. It showed every variant sold out on 2026-08-30; on 2026-10-02 the Orange variant, the one with the freccione hand, was available again, while White and Black stayed sold out. Amazon search did not surface PD-1693. The link now opens that exact official availability page instead of an unrelated PD-1645 search result and is not affiliated. · often cheaper direct | Pagani Design | 77 | $148 · paganidesign.com 2026-08-30 / 200m | Automatic GMT (Pearl DG5833A) | 42mm | View product › |
| TW2W53000 (Expedition Pioneer Titanium GMT) titanium case, a real Seiko GMT movement and a sapphire crystal, from a mainstream brand with a warranty network; Timex has retired the Expedition North name for this piece but the reference carries across, and it is one of the few watches here actually in stock | Timex | 76 | $629 · timex.com 2026-08-13 / 200m | Automatic GMT (Seiko NH34) | 41mm | Shop › |
| SN0054-G-C2 the watch the community means by a San Martin Explorer II — honestly a hybrid: fixed steel bezel, matte white or black dial and a true NH34 GMT, but Tudor-style snowflake hands and 39mm where the original is 42mm. Sold out in every variant on San Martin's own store at our 2026-08-27 check. · often cheaper direct | San Martin | 75 | from $370 · sanmartinwatches.com 2026-08-27 / 100m | Automatic GMT (Seiko NH34) | 39mm | Check availability › |
| S6073AB Baltany's only fixed-bezel GMT — the orange-hand tool-GMT look in a vintage-leaning 39mm case; periodically sells out direct, so check both stores · often cheaper direct | Baltany | 73 | $283 · baltany.com 2026-08-13 / 200m | Automatic GMT (Seiko NH34) | 39mm | Shop › |
| SSK023 (Seiko 5 Field GMT) not a copy — the spiritual fixed-24h-bezel alternative from a real watchmaking house, with an in-house GMT caliber and its own red-hand dial identity; the polar-dial SSK059 sibling is a limited release that comes and goes. On 2026-10-02 the SSK023 listing this row used to link (B0D3WBXVP9) had no buy box on Amazon US, so the link is an Amazon search rather than that product page; the price is the one that listing showed on 2026-09-11 | Seiko | 64 | $360 · amazon.com 2026-09-11 / 100m | Automatic GMT (Seiko 4R34) | 39.4mm | Shop › |
Prices are approximate and drift — check the listing before you buy. Where a price shows a source and date it was read from that seller on that day; “from” means the seller quotes a range across configurations and this is the base one. Amazon pricing for these brands often differs from the brand’s own store, in both directions.
How we scored these
Fidelity is a design-closeness score, not a quality score — dial and handset, bezel, case shape and proportions, movement class, and spec parity, per the published rubric. Open the homage finder to filter every watch by budget, case size, movement and original side by side.
FAQ
What is the best Explorer II homage?
By our rubric the closest is the WD16570 V2 Pioneer from Watchdives (fidelity 81). On a budget, the PD-1693 at about $148 gets you most of the look for the least money.
Are Explorer II homages legal?
Yes. An homage borrows design language — proportions, dial layout, bezel style — without carrying another brand's name or logo. That is legal and openly traded; Timex, Bulova and Steinhart all sell homages. We list only homages here, never counterfeits.
How much can you save versus a Rolex Explorer II?
The original is about $9,350. Homages here run from roughly $148 up, so you keep the design cues and lose most of the price.
Further reading: The best Rolex GMT homage, ranked · The best Explorer II homage, ranked · Are San Martin watches any good? · Pagani Design, model by model · Baltany watches review · Are Watchdives watches any good?