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[[File:Ref 16550 hero.webp|thumb|right|340px|alt=Explorer II 16550 Polar|16550 Polar white dial]]
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Explorer II 16550}}
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|description=Reference guide to the Rolex Explorer II 16550, its calibre 3085, black and Polar dials, rail printing and documented prototype claims.
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|image_alt=Rolex Explorer II 16550 with fixed 24-hour bezel
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The <code>16550</code> is the short-run transitional Explorer II. Produced from roughly 1985 to 1988 or 1989, it replaced the <code>1655</code> Freccione and held the Explorer II slot for four years before the <code>16570</code> took over on a very similar architecture and a near-identical case. The 16550 carries the entire rebuild of the Explorer II line: the first sapphire crystal on the reference, caliber 3085 with a genuine independent-hour GMT function that finally made the 24-hour complication usable as a traveler's tool rather than a day-night indicator, a redesigned 40mm steel case, and two dial options — a matte black dial and a white Polar dial that became one of the most-recognizable modern Rolex dial configurations. A subset of white-dial examples shifted to a cream tone through a documented factory paint defect that Rolex corrected mid-run. The cream-dial 16550 is what most collectors mean when they talk about the reference.
<small>[[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II]] → '''16550'''</small>


Four years is short by Rolex standards. The 16550's replacement by the 16570 in 1988–1989 moved the line to caliber 3185 and kept most of the 16550's architecture, which is why the 16550 reads as a transitional reference in a way the eighteen-year 16570 does not. But the cream-dial variant, the first-sapphire-crystal distinction, and the caliber-3085 provenance make the 16550 a reference with its own collector identity rather than a footnote on the way to the longer-run successor.
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 16550 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Explorer II 16550 with fixed 24-hour bezel|Rolex Explorer II 16550.]]
</div>
 
Rolex introduced the Explorer II 16550 around 1985. It replaced the 1655’s linked 24-hour hand with calibre 3085’s independently jumping local-hour hand, added a sapphire crystal and a nominal 40mm case, and brought the line its first white dial. The 16570 followed around 1989. Auction catalogues sometimes date individual 16550 cases earlier, so the model’s first year is best treated as an introduction date rather than a cutoff for every case.


==Core facts==
==Core facts==


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
|-
! detail
! detail
Line 19: Line 33:
|-
|-
| production
| production
| 1985 to approximately 1988 or 1989
| introduced around 1985; replaced by the 16570 around 1989; published accounts and lot dates vary
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| caliber 3085 (28,800 vph, independent-hour GMT, first on Explorer II)
| automatic calibre 3085; independent local-hour setting; 27 jewels; 28,800 vph
|-
| power reserve
| published figures range from about 42 to 48 hours
|-
|-
| case
| case
| 40mm steel Oyster, sapphire crystal, fixed engraved 24-hour bezel
| stainless-steel Oyster case, nominally 40mm; catalogues record both 39mm and 40mm
|-
| crystal
| sapphire, with Cyclops date magnifier
|-
|-
| water resistance
| water resistance
| 100m
| 100m in specialist specifications
|-
| bezel
| fixed steel bezel with engraved 24-hour scale
|-
| dials
| black or white; the white dial is commonly called Polar
|-
|-
| dial
| lume
| matte black or white Polar; a subset of white dials aged to cream
| tritium on documented original examples
|-
|-
| bracelet
| bracelets
| 78360 Oyster with 501B hollow end links; very late production on 93150
| published tables list 7206, 7836, 78360 and 93150 combinations; fitment should be checked on each watch
|-
|-
| predecessor
| predecessor
| <code>1655</code>
| Explorer II 1655
|-
|-
| successor
| successor
| <code>16570</code>
| Explorer II 16570
|}
|}


==Where it sits in the line==
==Place in the line==
 
The 16550 takes the Explorer II out of its first era and sets it up for everything that followed. The <code>1655</code> that came before used an acrylic crystal, caliber 1575 with a linked 24-hour hand that advanced together with the hour hand, and a case and bezel design that belonged to the early 1970s. The 16550 replaces all of that: sapphire crystal, caliber 3085 with a truly independent local-hour hand for second-time-zone use, and a redesigned 40mm case that sheds the thicker mid-1970s proportions.


The caliber 3085 is the single biggest change. On the 1655, setting the watch advanced both the hour hand and the 24-hour hand together; the 24-hour function was a day-night indicator and nothing more. On the 16550, the local hour hand moves independently of the 24-hour hand — arrive in a new time zone, jump the hour hand forward or back, and the 24-hour hand stays on home time. The 16550 is therefore the first Explorer II that functions as a GMT in the conventional sense, putting it alongside the contemporary GMT-Master II 16760 that shares the same caliber.
The 1655’s 24-hour hand moved with its hour hand, so it showed day or night against the fixed bezel. Calibre 3085 changed that arrangement: its local-hour hand jumps in one-hour steps while the red 24-hour hand continues to show the reference time. With the Explorer II’s fixed scale, the wearer can read one other time zone. The same calibre powered the GMT-Master II 16760, whose rotating bezel can be used to read a third zone.


The 16570 replaces the 16550 in 1988 or 1989 and runs through 2010 on the same 40mm case architecture and the successor caliber 3185, which is the 3085 with a slightly different rotor and minor internal changes. Most of the 16550's visual and functional DNA carries forward. What changes between 16550 and 16570 is the movement generation, the dial-surround treatment on the Polar dial (white-gold surrounds on the 16550, black-painted surrounds on the 16570), and the lume composition that transitioned from tritium through the 16570's life. The 16550 is the shortest-production Explorer II after the transitional references and before the modern 126570 shift.
The 16550 also moved the Explorer II to a sapphire crystal and a larger, 40mm case. Its dial kept the engraved steel bezel but replaced the 1655’s orange arrow hand with a narrower red 24-hour hand and Mercedes-style hour and minute hands. The 16570 followed with calibre 3185 and continued the black-or-white dial choice.


==Production outline==
==Production dates and serials==


The 16550 runs for four years or less, with production start disputed between 1984 and 1985 and end disputed between 1988 and 1989. The strongest editorial consensus places the window at 1985–1989; some writers round to 1985–1988; an early handful of "1984" examples exists in dealer listings though whether those are genuine pre-production or misdated serials is not publicly settled. The end boundary is better-anchored around late 1988 or early 1989, with the 16570 launch absorbing production from that point forward.
Specialist histories usually place the 16550’s introduction in 1985. They differ on the end of production: Monochrome gives 1988, while European Watch Company and Sotheby’s use 1989. Auction catalogues include earlier estimates for individual cases. Antiquorum describes serial B431181 as circa 1985 and case 8584610 as circa 1984; Christie’s catalogued case 8399062 as manufactured in 1983 in its account of an unusual dial. These dates are the auction houses’ descriptions, not a complete production sequence.


Surviving 16550 examples typically fall in the R, L, E, X, and 8.4M–9.7M serial ranges, with dealer-catalogue consensus placing the cream-dial peak in the 8.4M–8.5M band and continuing examples documented into 9.6M. The earliest cream-dial examples show up on B-series serials from 1985; later examples into 1987 and 1988 show the same issue. That four-year window for the paint defect covers most of the reference's production rather than a narrow early band.
Specialist histories and auction estimates place the run in the mid-to-late 1980s. Rolex’s general serial chart gives overlapping year estimates; the auction cases below add reference-specific examples without fixing a serial cutoff. See [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]] for the chart and 16550 anchors.
 
No formal Mark dial taxonomy has converged across editorial sources for the 16550 the way it did for the <code>1016</code> or the <code>1655</code>. Late-production 16550 watches received the dial and hand design Rolex would use on the 16570, which is the transition that Wound for Life flags as the service-replacement authenticity question: a cream dial with black hour-marker surrounds is a late-transitional configuration and should be scrutinized against the watch's paperwork, because the combination also describes a later service-replaced dial.


==Movement notes==
==Movement notes==


Caliber 3085 is the movement that defines the 16550. Rolex introduced it in 1983 for the GMT-Master II 16760 — a reference known as the "Fat Lady" because the 6.3mm movement thickness pushed the case to thicker proportions than any previous GMT — and carried it into the 16550 when the Explorer II rebuild arrived. The 3085 runs at 28,800 vph (4 Hz), with an indirect-drive independent local-hour hand, quickset date, and hacking seconds. Power reserve and jewel count are cited inconsistently across editorial sources: Monochrome and Millenary give 27 jewels with a 48-hour reserve; European Watch Co. (Tony Traina) and Italian Watch Spotter give 31 jewels with a 42-hour reserve. Rolex's own literature from the period is thin on this specification, and the inconsistency has not converged in public editorial. The 27-jewel / 48-hour spec is the more commonly-repeated value; the 31-jewel / 42-hour figure may reflect a late production revision or a mis-reading of the caliber specification sheet.
Calibre 3085 first appeared in the GMT-Master II 16760 and later powered the 16550. It has 27 jewels and beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. Published power-reserve figures differ: Monochrome gives 48 hours and European Watch Company gives 42. The Movement reference records the broader specification and its source limits.


The independent-hour GMT feature is the mechanical headline. On the 3085 and its 3185 successor, setting local time pulls the hour hand through an intermediate gear that does not engage the 24-hour hand train. The 24-hour hand stays on whatever reference time was last set on it; the hour hand jumps forward or back in one-hour increments for time-zone changes. A 16550 wearer arriving in a new city pulls the crown to the intermediate position, jumps the hour hand to local time, and leaves the 24-hour hand on home time.
The crown’s intermediate setting advances or reverses the local hour hand in one-hour steps. The date changes as that hand crosses midnight; the movement does not have a separate direct quickset-date position. This is the first Explorer II arrangement that lets the wearer change local time without stopping the 24-hour hand. Sotheby’s catalogues identify 27 jewels on several individual 16550 watches.


The 3085 was replaced by the caliber 3185 in 1988. The 3185 is the same architecture with minor revisions and is the movement that powered the 16570 for most of its run.
[[File:Ref 16550 caliber-3085.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Rolex calibre 3085 movement|Calibre 3085.]]


==Dial map==
==Dial map==


===Black dial===
===Black dial===
[[File:Ref 16550 detail.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=16550 black dial|16550 black dial]]


The black dial has a glossy finish, applied hour markers with white-gold surrounds, tritium plots, a red 24-hour hand and Mercedes-style hour and minute hands. Some examples have a “rail” layout, with the two C letters in the chronometer text aligned vertically. Rail describes the printing; it is separate from dial color.


The black dial 16550 is the base configuration. Matte black, applied white-gold indices with tritium lume plots, white-gold baton hands, a red 24-hour hand, quickset date at 3. The dial printing carries the standard Explorer II layout — <code>EXPLORER II</code> at 12, <code>OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED / CHRONOMETER</code> above six, depth and water-resistance text at the bottom, <code>T SWISS T</code> tritium notation on most production.
Some black dials show fine cracks in the glossy lacquer, usually called spider dials by collectors. Auction and dealer photographs document this surface condition on individual watches. The cracks describe condition; originality and factory history require other evidence.


A small share of early-to-mid-production black dial examples show spider-crack patterns in the dial lacquer: a network of fine hairline fractures radiating across the dial surface, particularly visible under raking light. The spider pattern is a manufacturing defect in the early dial lacquer that Rolex did not catch at production. Collectors accept spider-cracked black dials as genuine period production; an aggressively-spider-cracked example is sometimes called a "super spider" and reads as period-authentic patina rather than damage.
===White Polar dial===


===Polar (white) dial===
The white dial introduced the Polar version of the Explorer II. Early examples use white-gold surrounds around the luminous plots; the 16570 that followed is generally distinguished by black surrounds. Specialist and auction records also show late 16550 dials with black surrounds, though they leave the factory changeover date unsettled. A dial’s fit depends on the watch’s service and ownership history as well as its color.


The Polar dial 16550 is the first appearance of the white-dial Explorer II. Matte white lacquer, applied white-gold indices with tritium plots framed by white-gold index surrounds — not black-painted surrounds, which is the distinction that separates a 16550 Polar dial from the 16570 Polar that followed. The white-gold-on-white construction gives the 16550 Polar a cleaner, higher-contrast read than the 16570 Polar, which uses black-painted surrounds to hold the lume plot against the white dial. A 16550 Polar dial with black surrounds on the indices is either a service-replacement dial from the 16570 era or a late-production 16550 with a transitional dial that Rolex fitted as the 16570 design rolled out.
===Cream and rail dials===


===Cream and rail dial===
Some white dials have aged to cream or ivory. European Watch Company attributes the creaming to a defect in the white dial paint; Sotheby’s catalogues describe the tone as aging. Neither gives paint chemistry or a factory correction date. Italian collectors use ''panna'', meaning cream, for this color.


The most-discussed variant on the 16550. A subset of Polar white dials aged to a distinctive cream or ivory tone — sometimes called <code>panna</code> in Italian collector usage, or <code>peach</code> on the most orange-shifted examples. The cream color is not a factory-specified finish. European Watch Company and Analog:Shift both attribute the shift to a defect in the white dial paint composition that Rolex later corrected: the defective batch was more photosensitive and oxidized unevenly over time, producing the cream shift. Rolex's correction of the paint formulation mid-run is cited across sources without a precise date.
“Rail” refers to the vertical alignment of the C in <code>CHRONOMETER</code> with the C in <code>CERTIFIED</code>. It appears on black as well as white dials, so cream and rail are separate features. Auction catalogues identify cream rail examples from around 1985 through 1988, though their dates remain estimates for individual watches.


The <code>rail dial</code> sub-category within the cream family refers to the vertical alignment of the <code>C</code> in <code>CHRONOMETER</code> with the <code>C</code> in <code>CERTIFIED</code> — the same typographic feature collectors track on the 1655 Mk3 Rail Dial. On the 16550, rail and non-rail variants both exist, with the rail dial commanding a premium at auction. The rail-dial 16550 with a cream tone is the top configuration on the reference and the one that anchors cream-dial pricing.
[[File:Ref 16550 cream dial example.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Cream dial example on a Rolex Explorer II 16550|Cream dial example.]]


Cream dials with black hour-marker surrounds are late-transitional dials or service replacements, as noted above. Collectors scrutinize cream-dial 16550 watches for dial-surround color, lume plot consistency, printing alignment, and paperwork. A papered cream-dial 16550 with white-gold surrounds and consistent lume is the reference gold standard.
===Nipple-style dial===


===Disputed nipple-dial prototype===
Christie’s and Antiquorum have catalogued three 16550s with raised, cup-shaped luminous markers, described as “bicchierini” or nipple-style dials. Christie’s attributes case 8399062 to two Beyeler dials requested for the 1982 Basel fair, with one later fitted to that watch. Antiquorum called case 8584610 a prototype in 2020, then described case 9376077 as a prototype in 2021. In the later catalogue, Antiquorum said it had seen three such examples on the market, including the Christie’s and 2020 Antiquorum lots. Antiquorum’s count is a report of market sightings. The two auction houses present the dial origin as an attribution, rather than citing a Rolex production record.


Antiquorum has catalogued three 16550 watches with nipple-style applied indices — raised conical indices with lume plots at the tips, similar to the gold-case nipple dials used on other 1970s-1980s Rolex sport references. The nipple-dial 16550 is labeled as a prototype in the auction catalog entries, but the prototype status is disputed by forum consensus without Rolex documentation to support it. Surviving examples have sold at Antiquorum across 2020–2022. Treat nipple-dial 16550 examples as a disputed sub-variant rather than a settled one.
==Case, bezel and crown==


==Case, bezel, crystal, crown==
The case is stainless steel, with drilled lugs and crown guards. Rolex-related reference guides describe a 40mm case; Sotheby’s measured one example at 39mm and another at 40mm. The difference may reflect measuring practice or individual catalogue work, so 40mm is the nominal size rather than a guarantee for every surviving case.


===Case===
The bezel is fixed and engraved with a 24-hour scale. The sapphire crystal and date magnifier distinguish this generation from the acrylic-crystal 1655. Specialist specifications give 100m water resistance. The case and movement share their broad architecture with the contemporary GMT-Master II, while the Explorer II retains its fixed bezel.


40mm steel Oyster, brushed top surface, polished case flanks, with the redesigned lug shape that the 16570 inherits. Lug-to-lug runs approximately 47mm. Case thickness is approximately 12.5mm, somewhat thicker than the 16570 in part because of the 3085 movement's 6.3mm depth — the 16550 inherits the "Fat Lady" dimensions from its 16760 movement sibling, though the case diameter at 40mm remains constant across the Explorer II line until the 216570 jumps to 42mm in 2011.
==Bracelets and end links==


Drilled lug holes are standard throughout the 16550 production. The no-holes case treatment that arrives on the 16710 in 2003 never reaches the 16550 because production ended well before that transition.
The Vintage Rolex Field Manual lists six combinations for the 16550:


===Bezel===
* 7206 with end-link 58
* 7836 with end-link 580
* 78360 with end-links 580, 593 or 501B
* 93150 with end-link 501B


Fixed engraved 24-hour steel bezel, machined as part of the case top and filled with black paint. Same construction as the 1655 and continuing through all subsequent Explorer II references up to the 226570. The 16550 bezel is thinner than the 1655's but thicker than the 16570's.
Antiquorum’s 2020 prototype lot also records a 78360 bracelet with 501B end links. These are published fitments and an individual example; original delivery still needs watch-specific evidence. A clasp code dates the bracelet, not the watch head.


===Crystal===
==Auction examples==


Sapphire, flat. The 16550 is the first Explorer II reference with sapphire crystal, replacing the acrylic that the 1655 carried. Cyclops magnifier over the date window at three.
The lots below record catalogue dates, dial labels, movements and measurements on individual watches:


===Crown===
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
Twinlock screw-down with crown guards, consistent with the 100m water resistance. Standard Explorer II crown architecture.
! source example
 
! catalogue description
==Bracelets, end links, clasps==
! what it documents
 
|-
The 16550 runs primarily on bracelet reference 78360, the twenty-millimetre Oyster that Rolex used across the sport lines through the mid-to-late 1980s. Hollow-stamped end links coded 501B are standard. Very late-production 16550 examples have been documented with bracelet 93150, which carries an updated clasp architecture that Rolex rolled out ahead of the 16570 launch. A papered 16550 on 93150 is a transitional example rather than a swap, though bracelet swaps on the reference are common enough that any 93150 on a 16550 without paperwork should be scrutinized.
| Christie’s, lot 217, case 8399062
 
| “bicchierini” prototype; catalogue says manufactured in 1983
Clasp codes across the run carry standard Rolex clasp-date stamps. Clasp dates date the bracelet, not the watch head. A 1986-case 16550 with a 1988 clasp stamp is not wrong on its own — it simply indicates a later bracelet on the watch, which happens regularly on the dealer market as bracelets are replaced or swapped during service.
| Christie’s account of two special dials requested for Basel 1982 and one fitted to this watch
 
|-
==Market and collector context==
| Antiquorum, 2017, case B431181
| circa 1985, ivory rail dial, calibre 3085, 40mm
| an early catalogue description of a cream rail example
|-
| Antiquorum, 2020, case 8584610
| circa 1984, black prototype nipple dial, 78360/501B bracelet, 40mm
| an auction-house prototype attribution and a documented bracelet pairing
|-
| Antiquorum, 2021, case 9376077
| circa 1986, black prototype nipple dial, calibre 3085, 78360/501B, 39mm
| a third auction example and Antiquorum’s report of three market sightings
|-
| Sotheby’s, 2020, case 9,673,878
| circa 1987, cream rail dial, calibre 3085 with 27 jewels, 39mm
| one catalogue’s case measurement and dial description
|-
| Sotheby’s Geneva, 2020, case R828043
| circa 1988, cream rail dial, calibre 3085 with 27 jewels, 40mm
| a second rail example with a different case measurement
|-
| Sotheby’s, 2024, case R387466
| circa 1987, cream rail dial, calibre 3085 with 27 jewels, 40mm
| catalogue lists a K7 bracelet clasp; that stamp dates the bracelet, not the case
|}


The 16550 trades in three distinct tiers corresponding to its dial configurations. Black-dial 16550 examples in good condition with original parts sit in the $10,000–12,000 range as of the mid-2020s. Polar white dial examples carry a premium over the black dial, trading closer to $15,000–20,000 depending on condition and papers. Cream or rail-dial examples are the reference's top market — clean cream rail dials with boxes and papers have hammered above $20,000 at auction; the $21,250 Wright Auctions result from October 2022 sits near the middle of that tier rather than at the top.
Each auction entry records one house’s description of a specific watch. Taken together, the lots illustrate catalogue dates, measurements and prototype attributions; production chronology and dial-to-serial rules remain unresolved.


Collector interest in the 16550 has grown through the 2020s as the broader vintage-modern Rolex market expanded. The reference's short production run gives it a genuine scarcity story — four years versus the 16570's twenty-one — but the production-volume figures are not publicly documented, so the scarcity claim rests on inference rather than confirmed numbers. The cream-dial variant is what anchors the reference in the collector lexicon. Without the cream dial, the 16550 reads as a short transitional reference between the 1655 and 16570. With it, the 16550 has its own distinct identity and its own market curve.
==Related references==


Spider-cracked black dials sit in their own collector category — some buyers seek them as period patina, others avoid them as damage. The market has not converged on one reading, and pricing reflects that split.
* [[Reference:1655|Explorer II 1655]]
* [[Reference:16570|Explorer II 16570]]
* [[Reference:16760|GMT-Master II 16760]]


==Still open==
See also [[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II family]], [[Reference:Movements|Movements]], [[Reference:Bracelets|Bracelets and clasps]] and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]].


The production-volume estimate for the 16550 has not been published in any source that cites Rolex-authorized data. The 1985 versus 1984 start year and the 1988 versus 1989 end year remain imprecise across editorial. Caliber 3085 jewel count and power-reserve specifications vary between 27/48h and 31/42h across otherwise-credible sources without a clean resolution. Cream-dial authentication lacks a single published standard, and dealer judgment carries most of the weight on any specific example. The late-production transition to 16570-style dials with black hour-marker surrounds creates an authentication gray zone on any watch whose dial configuration does not align with its serial number. The disputed nipple-dial prototype status remains unresolved across Antiquorum and forum sources.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 16550 hero.webp|Explorer II 16550
File:Ref 16550 detail.webp|Black dial detail
File:Ref 16550 polar-dial.webp|White Polar dial
File:Ref 16550 cream dial example.webp|Cream dial example
File:Ref 16550 caliber-3085.webp|Calibre 3085
</gallery>


==Sources==
== Sources ==


* Colin A. White (pseudonym Chevalier), "The Vintage Rolex Field Manual", Morning Tundra
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-ii-adventure-watch-gmt-1655-16550-16570-216570-226570-in-depth/ unknown, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Explorer II, The Ultimate Adventure Watch", Monochrome]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-ii-adventure-watch-gmt-1655-16550-16570-216570-226570-in-depth/ Erik Slaven, "In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Explorer II, The Ultimate Adventure Watch", Monochrome, 2024-12-17]
* [https://www.europeanwatch.com/blog/rolex-explorer-ii-reference-16550-review Tony Traina, "Spelunking Into the Details: The Rolex Explorer II Reference 16550", European Watch Co., 2020-08-30]
* [https://www.europeanwatch.com/blog/rolex-explorer-ii-reference-16550-review Tony Traina, "Spelunking Into the Details: The Rolex Explorer II Reference 16550", European Watch Co., 2020-08-30]
* [https://www.analogshift.com/blogs/transmissions/guide-to-the-rolex-explorer-ii-polar "A Brief Guide to the Rolex Explorer II Polar", Analog:Shift]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/rolex-explorer-ii-paragone/?lang=en Alessandro Metelli, "Rolex Explorer II 16550 vs 16570", Italian Watch Spotter, 2020-02-05]
* [https://www.beyondthedial.com/post/collector-guide-the-rolex-explorer-ii-all-references-in-detail/ "Collector Guide: The Rolex Explorer II — All References in Detail", Beyond The Dial]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/what-would-you-buy-rolex-explorer-ii/ "You Asked Us What Rolex Would You Buy", Fratello]
* [https://journal.craftandtailored.com/the-deep-dark-details-of-the-rolex-explorer-ii/ "The Deep Dark Details of the Rolex Explorer II", Craft + Tailored]
* [https://www.woundforlife.com/2015/04/22/under-the-loupe-rolex-explorer-ii-16550/ Shane Griffin, "Under the Loupe: Rolex Explorer II 16550", Wound for Life, 2015-04-22]
* [https://www.woundforlife.com/2015/04/22/under-the-loupe-rolex-explorer-ii-16550/ Shane Griffin, "Under the Loupe: Rolex Explorer II 16550", Wound for Life, 2015-04-22]
* [https://www.perpetualpassion.com/en/2021/04/07/the-explorer-saga-la-storia-completa-del-rolex-explorer-ii/ "The Explorer Saga Complete Story of the Rolex Explorer II", Perpetual Passion, 2021-04-07]
* [https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5065388 "Explorer II 16550, case 8399062, prototype bicchierini dial, lot 217", Christie's, 2008-05-12]
* [https://millenarywatches.com/rolex-caliber-3085/ "Rolex Caliber 3085 Complete Guide", Millenary Watches]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-16550-explorer-ii-lot-329-250 "Ref 16550 Black Prototype Nipple Dial", Antiquorum, 2020-06-28]
* [https://reference.grail-watch.com/movement/rolex-3085/ "Caliber 3085 Reference Entry", Grail-Watch]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-16550-explorer-ii-prototype-nipple-dial-lot-338-244 "Explorer II 16550, black nipple dial prototype, lot 244", Antiquorum, 2021-04-25]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-rolex-and-audemars-piguet/rolex-explorer-ii-reference-16550-a-stainless "Explorer II 16550 Cream Rail Dial circa 1987", Sotheby's, 2020-01-01]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/lot-308-274 "Ivory Rail Dial 16550 B431181 circa 1985", Antiquorum, 2017-07-19]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-geneva-15/rolex-rail-dial-explorer-ii-ref-16550-stainless "Rail Dial Explorer II 16550 circa 1988", Sotheby's, 2020-01-01]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-rolex-and-audemars-piguet/rolex-explorer-ii-reference-16550-a-stainless "Explorer II 16550 Cream Rail Dial circa 1987", Sotheby's, 2020-04-08]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/important-watches-2/reference-16550-explorer-ii-a-stainless-steel "Reference 16550 Explorer II Automatic", Sotheby's, 2024-01-01]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-weekly-geneva-15/rolex-rail-dial-explorer-ii-ref-16550-stainless "Rail Dial Explorer II 16550 circa 1988", Sotheby's, 2020-08-27]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-16550-explorer-ii-lot-329-250 "Ref 16550 Black Prototype Nipple Dial", Antiquorum, 2020-01-01]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/important-watches-2/reference-16550-explorer-ii-a-stainless-steel "Reference 16550 Explorer II Automatic", Sotheby's, 2024-12-06]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/lot-308-274 "Ivory Rail Dial 16550 B431181 circa 1985", Antiquorum]
* [https://www.wright20.com/auctions/2022/10/watches/106 "Cream Rail Dial 16550 October 2022 Lot 106", Wright Auctions, 2022-10-01]
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-explorer-ii-reference-16550-unpolished "Ref 16550 Unpolished circa 1987", Wind Vintage]
* [https://mentawatches.com/product/sold-watches/rolex-16550-cream-rail-dial-explorer-ii/ "16550 Cream Rail Dial listing", Menta Watches]
* [https://bulangandsons.com/products/rolex-explorer-ii-16550-cream-rail-dial "16550 Cream Rail Porcelain and Galaxy Tropical Listings", Bulang & Sons]
* [https://hqmilton.com/products/1986-rolex-explorer-ii-16550-black-spider-cracked-rail-dial-with-service-papers "16550 Black Spider Rail and Cream Rail Listings", HQ Milton]
* [https://www.craftandtailored.com/products/1984-rolex-explorer-ii-ref-16550-cream-peach-dial "1984 Cream Peach 16550", Craft + Tailored]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/vintage-rolex-16550-explorer-ii.html "Vintage Rolex 16550 Explorer II", Bob's Watches]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=459841 "Official Explorer II 16550 Cream Dial Owner Thread", RolexForums]
* [https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vintagerolexforum/16550-cream-dial-first-generation-bezel-t10768-s165490.html "16550 cream dial first generation bezel", Vintage Rolex Forum]
* [https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/vintagerolexforum/cream-dial-explorer-serial-range-t34825.html "Cream Dial Explorer Serial Range", Vintage Rolex Forum]
* [https://www.watchprosite.com/rolex/a-curiosity-rolex-explorer-ii-16550-prototype-/732.1358126.11928856/ "A Curiosity: Rolex Explorer II 16550 Prototype", WatchProSite]


[[Category:Explorer-Ii]]
[[Category:Explorer II]]
[[Category:working-draft]]
[[Category:References]]
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