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For a number of years, modern consumer trends have been favoring larger watches. As a result of this, Rolex’s 34mm references have become somewhat forgotten in all the excitement and shuffle that surrounds their larger, sport/professional watchlines. However, recently it seems that smaller-sized watches are starting to make a comeback, and Rolex’s once-overlooked, 34mm watches now represent some of the best values for the money among all Rolex timepieces, both vintage and contemporary.When it comes to Rolex sports watches, the Submariner and Explorer II are amongst the most beloved. And despite the fact that they are both tough, purpose-built timepieces, they’re just about as different as it gets in nearly all respects.But if you’re not very familiar with either watch, comparing these two industry titans can seem daunting. So here, I’m breaking down everything you need to know – and compare – about the Rolex Submariner and the Rolex Explorer II.True sports watches, both the Submariner and Explorer II were built by Rolex with specific jobs in mind – and the hint lies in their names. Unsurprisingly, the Submariner is a divers watch, built to time out scuba dives and withstand the unrelenting pressure of 300-meter (1,000 foot) depths. In fact, this watch has been one of the world’s top diving watches since it was first released back in 1953.The Explorer II, on the other hand, was originally introduced in 1971 for speleologists who work in deep underground caverns. But like the original Rolex Explorer – the watch that provided its foundation – the Explorer II appeals to adventurers and explorers of all kinds, especially since its popular 40th anniversary remodel.

While their sister-company, Tudor has garnered a strong following with their vintage-inspired heritage watches, Rolex is notorious for only moving forward with their designs, and never re-creating (or re-releasing) vintage Rolex inspired watches from the past. However, despite not manufacturing any outright heritage watches, Rolex does implement a few subtle, vintage-inspired design traits into the otherwise very modern watches that they manufacture today.Most obvious among the various vintage design elements is the red line of text on the dial of the new Rolex Sea-Dweller reference 126600. An obvious throwback to Rolex’s early Submariner and Sea-Dweller watches which had their respective names printed in red letters on the surfaces of their matte black dials, the red line of text on the dial of the new Sea-Dweller 126600 is an unmistakably vintage-inspired design element, which Rolex has recycled and reintroduced on an otherwise very modern and technologically-advanced, luxury dive watch.