Rolex · Explorer and Submariner Date
Rolex 124270 vs Rolex 126610LN
9 published specifications differ between these two, and 6 are identical. Every figure below is what the manufacturer states for that reference; nothing is inferred from the other watch.
What differs
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | Oyster, 36 mm, Oystersteel. Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown | Oyster, 41 mm, Oystersteel. Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown |
| Diameter | 36 mm | 41 mm |
| Water resistance | Waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet | Waterproof to 300 metres / 1,000 feet |
| Crystal | Scratch-resistant sapphire | Scratch-resistant sapphire, Cyclops lens over the date |
| Bezel | Smooth | Unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated, scratch-resistant Cerachrom insert in black ceramic, numerals and graduations coated in platinum |
| Crown | Screw-down, Twinlock double waterproofness system | Screw-down, Triplock triple waterproofness system |
| Clasp | Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link | Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Rolex Glidelock extension system |
| Calibre | Calibre 3230, Manufacture Rolex | Calibre 3235, Manufacture Rolex |
| Movement notes | Precision −2/+2 sec/day after casing. Centre hour, minute and seconds hands with stop-seconds; no date. Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring with Paraflex shock absorbers. | Precision −2/+2 sec/day after casing. Paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring with high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers. Instantaneous date with rapid setting and stop-seconds. |
What is identical
Worth knowing as much as the differences: these are the specifications you cannot use to tell the two apart.
- Dial
- Black, with highly legible Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence
- Case back
- Screw-down
- Bracelet
- Oyster, three-piece solid links, Oystersteel
- Movement
- Perpetual, mechanical, self-winding; bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor
- Power reserve
- Approximately 70 hours
- Certification
- Superlative Chronometer (official chronometer certification + Rolex certification after casing)
What the differences cost you
Each note below follows from the published figures in the tables above — what they mean for intake, for a listing, and for the handover. Nothing here estimates a price or a margin.
These reach different buyers
41 mm on the 126610LN against 36 mm on the 124270. Diameter is a poor predictor of how a watch actually sits, but it is the field buyers filter on, so the two land in front of different people. Do not let one listing's photographs or copy stand in for the other.
Do not describe these the same way
300 metres on the 126610LN against 100 on the 124270 — not a variation on the same watch but a different class of one, built around a case and crystal designed for depth. Expect different buyers, different questions, and a different service conversation. Never carry the 126610LN's rating into the 124270's listing.
Different movements to verify and to service
The 124270 runs the Calibre 3230, Manufacture Rolex and the 126610LN the Calibre 3235, Manufacture Rolex. Two consequences at intake: the service history that is normal for one calibre is not evidence about the other, and the calibre is the check that catches a movement swapped into the wrong case. Confirm the movement matches the reference rather than assuming it from the dial.
What to check on each
124270
- Put almost all your attention on the case. With no bezel insert, no date and no complication, condition and originality of the steel is most of what distinguishes one example from another.
- Check the crown is the Twinlock system rather than Triplock. This reference uses the two-seal crown, and knowing which you are looking at matters when assessing a case that has been apart.
- Sight along the polished lug chamfers. At 36mm there is little material to lose, and a refinished case shows in softened bevels long before it shows anywhere else.
126610LN
- Check the platinum coating in the bezel numerals under magnification. Rolex coats the graduations in platinum, and wear or inconsistency there is a strong signal the insert is not original.
- Work the Glidelock extension through its full range of settings and confirm each position locks positively. It is a mechanism, it is used constantly, and a worn one is immediately obvious to a buyer.
- Verify the crown screws down cleanly onto the Triplock system. A crown that binds or will not seat is the single most consequential fault on a 300-metre case.
Sources
- Rolex official product page for reference 124270 (Explorer 36; Oyster 36 mm; Oystersteel) - Model case: Oyster; 36 mm; Oystersteel; Oyster architecture: monobloc middle case; screw-down case back and winding crown; Diameter: 36 mm; Material: Oystersteel; Bezel: smooth; Winding crown: screw-down with Twinlock double waterproofness system; Crystal: scratch-resistant sapphire; Water resistance: waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet; Movement: perpetual; mechanical; self-winding; Calibre: 3230; Manufacture Rolex; Precision: -2/+2 sec/day after casing; Functions: centre hour; minute and seconds hands; stop-seconds for precise time setting; Oscillator: paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring with high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers; Winding: bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor; Power reserve: approximately 70 hours; Bracelet: Oyster; three-piece solid links; Oystersteel; Clasp: folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link; Dial: black with highly legible Chromalight display; Certification: Superlative Chronometer — retrieved 2026-09-22
- Rolex official product page for reference 126610LN (Submariner Date; Oyster 41 mm; Oystersteel) - Model case: Oyster; 41 mm; Oystersteel; Oyster architecture: monobloc middle case; screw-down case back and winding crown; Diameter: 41 mm; Material: Oystersteel; Bezel: unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated; scratch-resistant Cerachrom insert in black ceramic with numerals and graduations coated in platinum; Winding crown: screw-down with Triplock triple waterproofness system; Crystal: scratch-resistant sapphire with Cyclops lens over the date; Water resistance: waterproof to 300 metres / 1000 feet; Movement: perpetual; mechanical; self-winding; Calibre: 3235; Manufacture Rolex; Precision: -2/+2 sec/day after casing; Functions: centre hour; minute and seconds hands; instantaneous date with rapid setting; stop-seconds for precise time setting; Oscillator: paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring with high-performance Paraflex shock absorbers; Winding: bidirectional self-winding via Perpetual rotor; Power reserve: approximately 70 hours; Bracelet: Oyster; three-piece solid links; Oystersteel; Clasp: folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Rolex Glidelock extension system; Dial: black with highly legible Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence; Certification: Superlative Chronometer (official chronometer certification plus Rolex certification after casing) — retrieved 2026-09-22
Not affiliated with Rolex. Specifications are read from each manufacturer's own published documentation on the dates shown and may change; the manufacturer's current documentation governs.