Rolex Explorer · Super Clone Guide
Explorer Super Clones
The clean 3-6-9 tool watch.
The Explorer is the most understated Rolex — no date, no rotating bezel, just a clean black dial with the 3, 6 and 9 numerals and a smooth bezel. That simplicity makes it deceptively hard to clone, because there is nothing to distract the eye from a flaw.
The 40mm 124270 and the smaller 36mm sit at the heart of the line, with the two-tone 124273 a newer addition.
What it takes to clone the Explorer
With no complications to hide behind, an Explorer clone is all about the dial and the lume. The 3-6-9 numerals and the Mercedes hands have to be perfectly proportioned and filled, the lume even, and the case lines clean. It is a purist's clone — easy to underestimate, hard to perfect.
How to spot a quality Explorer clone
- Dial: perfectly proportioned 3-6-9 numerals, evenly lumed.
- Mercedes hands at the correct height with clean lume fill.
- Smooth bezel and crisp case lines — no soft polishing.
- No date, no cyclops — any magnifier is wrong.
Key references
- 124270
- 40mm, black dial — the modern Explorer.
- 124273
- 36mm two-tone, yellow gold and steel.
The movement
Real: Cal.3230 (no-date). Clones use a cloned 3230.
Browse Explorer super clones
See the Explorer references we carry, each with its movement, factory and price.
View the collection →Explorer super clones — FAQ
Is the Explorer easy to clone well?
Counter-intuitively, no. With no date or bezel to focus on, every flaw in the dial, hands or case finishing is exposed. A clean Explorer clone is a good sign of a careful factory.
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