Welcome to our first installment of the Vintage Vault series. Today, we’re taking a closer look at the ref. 1655. Buy a pre-owned Explorer II: www.bobswatches.com/rolex-exp...
Rolex began producing the Explorer II in 1971, starting with reference 1655. Over the past several decades, the series has seen numerous updates to the movement, dial, bezel, case, and bracelet. If you’re interested in buying an Explorer II but aren’t sure which reference is right for your wrist, check out our comprehensive buying guide, where we cover the Explorer II’s history, price, references, and feature set: www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blo...
BRIEF EXPLORER II HISTORY
As you might have already guessed, the Explorer II is an extension of the popular Explorer series. Its name says it all as it was developed for the adventurous at heart, featuring a tough waterproof case and luminous display on the dial that is easy to read virtually anywhere in the world.
While the Explorer features a smooth bezel and time-only dial, the Explorer II includes a fixed 24-hour bezel, a date mechanism at the 3 o’clock position, and an extra hand. Furthermore, the original Explorer’s niche is mountaineering, while the Explorer II’s target market is spelunking and other professions that require working in dark environments for long periods.
Both models feature a tough exterior. However, the Explorer II’s primary function is offering as reliable a reading as possible in low light environments. That’s where the bezel and extra hand on the dial come in. The wearer can use these features to track day and night hours. On newer models, the wearer can even use them to read an extra time zone because the hand operates independently of the central hours, minutes, and seconds. Today, our focus is on the Explorer II’s inaugural model, the ref. 1655, which does not have an independent arrow hand.
While the Explorer II has historically always been an entry-level model often overlooked for more popular models, such as the Submariner and GMT Master II, it is growing in demand among collectors in the know. Its value is swiftly growing as well. If you’ve always thought about buying an Explorer II, now is the time to invest.
Shop the Explorer II ref. 1655 and the rest of our collection of vintage Rolex watches here: www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blo...
REFERENCE 1655
The very first Explorer II hit the market in 1971 via reference 1655, featuring a 39mm waterproof case, steel-on-steel finish, and unique dial configuration. It also features the series’ signature 24-hour bezel and what has since become known as the orange “Freccione” arrow hand.
THE DIAL
No other Explorer II features a dial quite like ref. 1655. While modern interpretations of the collection feature dot, baton, and triangle hour markers, ref. 1655 features luminous rectangles and squares and a rather large, inverted triangle at 12 o’clock. Between the lume hour markers are additional lumed square markers, creating a total of 24 Tritium luminous markers around the dial for all 24 hours of the day.
The dial also features straight hands instead of Rolex’s staple Mercedes hands. Additionally, early editions featured an orange arrow hand, which was replaced later in reference 1655’s production with a red hand. However, the red hue on most examples has since faded to a similar orange color as the original examples.
During its production, reference 1655 received numerous dial upgrades. There are approx. five dial variants, each labeled Mark 1 - 5 that feature slight differences between the font used, Rolex logo, etc. The example we have here features the Mark I or MK I dial.
THE BEZEL
Just like the dial, the bezel is also unique to ref. 1655. While newer iterations of the Explorer II feature a 24-hour scale separated by small, inverted triangles, ref. 1655 features numerals separated by sticks.
THE MOVEMENT
Rolex equipped the first Explorer II with the same movement as the GMT Master series, the cal. 1575. As we already mentioned above, the 24-hour hand was not yet independent. Also, the bezel on the Explorer II is fixed, so ref. 1655 was not yet classified as a GMT watch. Instead, it was simply an AM/PM indicator.
THE ROLEX FRECCIONE & STEVE MCQUEEN
Reference 1655 goes by two popular nicknames, “Freccione” and “Steve McQueen.” Freccione comes from the Italian word “Freccia,” meaning arrow, and was inspired by the orange arrow hand on the dial. While Steve McQueen was never actually seen wearing an Explorer II, and we don’t even know if he ever owned one, he was often associated with the model. Depending on who you ask, ref. 1655 is also known as the “Steve McQueen.”