Rolex · GMT-Master II and Explorer II
Rolex 126710GRNR vs Rolex 226570
7 published specifications differ between these two, and 8 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, 40 mm, Oystersteel. Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown | Oyster, 42 mm, Oystersteel. Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown |
| Diameter | 40 mm | 42 mm |
| Crystal | Scratch-resistant sapphire | Scratch-resistant sapphire, Cyclops lens over the date |
| Bezel | Bidirectional rotatable 24-hour graduated bezel, two-colour grey and black Cerachrom insert in ceramic, moulded numerals and graduations | Fixed, 24-hour graduated |
| Crown | Screw-down, Triplock triple waterproofness system | Screw-down, Twinlock double waterproofness system |
| Bracelet | Jubilee, five-piece links, Oystersteel | Oyster, three-piece solid links, Oystersteel |
| Movement notes | Precision −2/+2 sec/day after casing. Second time zone with independent rapid-setting of the hour hand, 24-hour display, instantaneous date, stop-seconds. | Precision −2/+2 sec/day after casing. 24-hour display, second time zone with independent rapid-setting of the hour hand, instantaneous date, stop-seconds. |
What is identical
Worth knowing as much as the differences: these are the specifications you cannot use to tell the two apart.
- Water resistance
- Waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet
- Dial
- Black, with highly legible Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence
- Case back
- Screw-down
- Clasp
- Folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link
- Calibre
- Calibre 3285, Manufacture Rolex
- Movement
- Perpetual, mechanical, self-winding, GMT function; 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
42 mm on the 226570 against 40 mm on the 126710GRNR. 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.
What to check on each
126710GRNR
- Set the local hour hand forward and back in one-hour jumps and confirm it moves alone. The 24-hour hand and the minutes must stay put — that independence is the whole complication.
- Check where the two bezel colours meet. A two-colour Cerachrom insert has a defined transition, and it should sit precisely on the graduation rather than drifting to one side.
- Look along the Jubilee bracelet for stretch. Five-piece links mean many more pins than an Oyster bracelet of the same length, and Jubilees show their age in the hand before they show it in photographs.
226570
- Confirm the bezel does not rotate. It is fixed by specification, and one that turns has either been replaced with the wrong part or damaged at the mounting.
- Check the 24-hour graduations on the steel bezel for wear. They are engraved into metal rather than moulded into ceramic, so they mark and dull in a way a Cerachrom insert never does.
- Exercise the independent hour hand in one-hour jumps and confirm the 24-hour hand and minutes hold position throughout.
Sources
- Rolex official product page for reference 126710GRNR (GMT-Master II; Oyster 40 mm; Oystersteel) - Model case: Oyster; 40 mm; Oystersteel; Oyster architecture: monobloc middle case; screw-down case back and winding crown; Diameter: 40 mm; Material: Oystersteel; Bezel: bidirectional rotatable 24-hour graduated bezel with two-colour grey and black Cerachrom insert in ceramic and moulded numerals and graduations; Winding crown: screw-down with Triplock triple waterproofness system; Crystal: scratch-resistant sapphire; Water resistance: waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet; Movement: perpetual; mechanical; self-winding with GMT function; Calibre: 3285; Manufacture Rolex; Precision: -2/+2 sec/day after casing; Functions: centre hour; minute and seconds hands; 24-hour display; second time zone with independent rapid-setting of the hour hand; instantaneous date; 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: Jubilee; five-piece links; Oystersteel; Clasp: folding Oysterlock safety clasp with Easylink 5 mm comfort extension link; Dial: black with highly legible Chromalight display with long-lasting blue luminescence; Certification: Superlative Chronometer — retrieved 2026-09-22
- Rolex official product page for reference 226570 (Explorer II; Oyster 42 mm; Oystersteel) - Model case: Oyster; 42 mm; Oystersteel; Oyster architecture: monobloc middle case; screw-down case back and winding crown; Diameter: 42 mm; Material: Oystersteel; Bezel: fixed; 24-hour graduated; Winding crown: screw-down with Twinlock double waterproofness system; Crystal: scratch-resistant sapphire with Cyclops lens over the date; Water resistance: waterproof to 100 metres / 330 feet; Movement: perpetual; mechanical; self-winding with GMT function; Calibre: 3285; Manufacture Rolex; Precision: -2/+2 sec/day after casing; Functions: centre hour; minute and seconds hands; 24-hour display; second time zone with independent rapid-setting of the hour hand; instantaneous date; stop-seconds; Oscillator: paramagnetic blue Parachrom hairspring with 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 Chromalight display; Certification: Superlative Chronometer — 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.