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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 1655 Explorer II}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex Explorer II 1655}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex Explorer II 1655 'Freccione' — Orange Hand, 1971–1984 | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex Explorer II 1655 'Freccione' (1971–1985) | Rolexopedia
|description=The Rolex Explorer II 1655 — the original Explorer II "Freccione" with the orange 24-hour arrow hand, fixed steel 24-hour bezel, produced 1971 to 1985 across five distinct dial generations.
|description=Collector guide to the Rolex Explorer II 1655: its linked 24-hour hand, five commonly catalogued dial types, service dials and documented provenance.
|keywords=Rolex, 1655, Explorer II, Freccione, Steve McQueen, orange hand, fixed bezel, caliber 1575, reference guide
|keywords=Rolex, 1655, Explorer II, Freccione, calibre 1575 GMT, dial variants
|image=Ref 1655 hero.webp
|image=Ref 1655 hero.webp
|image_alt=1655 Freccione hero
|image_alt=Rolex Explorer II 1655 showing its orange 24-hour hand and fixed engraved bezel
|type=Article
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-20T00:02:25Z
|published_time=2026-04-20T00:02:25Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:09:13Z
|modified_time=2026-09-23T17:15:00Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


<small>[[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II]] › '''1655'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II]] → '''1655'''</small>


[[File:Ref 1655 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=1655 Freccione hero|1655 Freccione]]
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 1655 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex Explorer II 1655 with orange 24-hour hand and fixed engraved bezel|Rolex Explorer II 1655.]]
</div>


The 1655 is the original Explorer II. Produced from 1971 through roughly 1984, it brought the 24-hour complication to Rolex's Explorer line in a single 40mm steel case with a fixed, engraved 24-hour bezel. The orange straight-arrow GMT hand gave the watch the nickname that stuck, Freccione, Italian for "big arrow." Thirteen years of production yielded five dial generations and four bezel variants, with two Beyeler service dials surfacing afterwards. Caliber 1575 came from the GMT-Master 1675, configured differently here. The provenance mixes real expedition use with a pop-culture myth Rolex never wrote.
Rolex introduced the Explorer II 1655 in 1971. Its fixed 24-hour bezel and orange arrow hand let the wearer distinguish day from night when there was no daylight. The hand is linked to the regular hour hand, so the 1655 cannot track a second time zone independently. Collectors call it the ''Freccione'', Italian for “big arrow.”
 
The reference sits at an odd angle in the Rolex family. It is the only Explorer with a 24-hour complication, and the only Rolex whose 24-hour hand is geared to the hour hand instead of running independently, which makes the orange hand a day-night indicator rather than a second time zone. Steve McQueen never wore one, marketing shorthand notwithstanding.
 
<span id="core-facts"></span>


==Core facts==
==Core facts==
Line 31: Line 29:
|-
|-
| reference
| reference
| 1655
| <code>1655</code>
|-
|-
| family
| family
Line 37: Line 35:
|-
|-
| production
| production
| 1971 to approximately 1984; some editorial extends the end to 1985
| introduced in 1971; sources place the end around 1984–1985
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
| caliber 1575 GMT (19,800 vph, approximately 48-hour power reserve)
| automatic calibre 1575 GMT, date, 26 jewels, 19,800 vph
|-
|-
| case
| case
| 40mm steel Oyster, fixed engraved 24-hour bezel
| approximately 39mm stainless steel Oyster case
|-
|-
| crystal
| crystal
| acrylic, flat
| acrylic
|-
|-
| water resistance
| water resistance
| 100m
| 100m (Fratello)
|-
|-
| bezel
| bezel
| fixed, engraved on the steel bezel ring, four production variants plus a service bezel
| fixed steel bezel engraved with a 24-hour scale
|-
|-
| dial variants
| dial
| five Stern-produced production dials (Mark 1 through Mark 5) plus two Beyeler service dials
| black; five commonly catalogued production types and two later service types
|-
|-
| bracelet
| bracelet
| 7206 / 7836 / 78360 Oyster references across the run, with 380 folded or 580 solid end links
| Documented examples include Oyster references 7206, 7836 and 78360
|-
| hand
| orange straight-arrow 24-hour on first-year production; orange lollipop through the rest of the run
|-
| predecessor
| none; the 1655 is the first Explorer II
|-
|-
| successor
| successor
| 16550
| Explorer II 16550
|}
|}


==Where it sits in the line==
==Where it sits in the line==


Nothing precedes the 1655. The Explorer line before 1971 ran from the 1016 back through its Bubbleback and OCC ancestors, all single-time-zone watches. Rolex aimed the Explorer II at speleologists, polar expeditioners, and anyone else working where ambient light could not be trusted to tell day from night. The fixed 24-hour bezel and matching orange hand do one job, which is to show which half of the day is running outside whatever the main dial reads.
The 1655 was added to the Explorer range while the Explorer 1016 remained in production. Rolex describes the Explorer II’s orange hand and fixed 24-hour bezel as aids to reading day and night. In the 1655, the orange hand follows the hour hand at half its rate and indicates AM or PM against the fixed scale.


The 16550 (1984–1989) took over and rebuilt the line on a sapphire crystal, a redesigned 40mm case, and caliber 3085 with a genuinely independent hour hand for time-zone use. The 16570 then ran from 1989 through 2010 on that architecture, the 42mm 216570 carried the Explorer II through the 2010s, and the 226570 is in production now. Only the 1655 uses caliber 1575, an acrylic crystal, a fixed engraved bezel, and the straight-hand/lollipop split. Everything after it is a different watch wearing the same family name.
The 16550 followed in 1984, according to Rolex and specialist histories. Its calibre 3085 introduced an independently adjustable hour hand, and the line moved to a sapphire crystal and a different dial design. Sources give the 1655’s final production year as either 1984 or 1985, so a delivery or catalogue date in 1985 does not by itself establish when the watch was made.


==Production outline==
==Production outline==


The 1655 ran as one long production with no reference change, and collectors have cataloged its internal drift into a generation map. Caliber 1575 and the 40mm Oyster shell hold steady from the first watch to the last. What moves is the dial printing, and to a lesser extent the bezel font and the seconds hand. The map below follows the consensus published on Italian Watch Spotter and in Revolution; none of it is Rolex nomenclature.
Collectors group the black dials into five production types, usually called Mark 1 through Mark 5. Collectors introduced these names and date ranges; Rolex did not use them as designations. The table summarizes published dial guides, while surviving watches and catalogues leave exact serial-number cutoffs unresolved.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! dial
! dial type
! rough period
! approximate period
! tells
! commonly cited features
|-
|-
| Mark 1
| Mark 1
| 1971 to about 1973
| early production, from 1971
| large-crown coronet, round-foot R, T SWISS T printing without angle brackets
| broad coronet, round-foot R in <code>ROLEX</code>, <code>T SWISS T</code> at six o’clock
|-
|-
| Mark 2
| Mark 2
| about 1973 to 1977
| early to mid-1970s
| the "Frog Foot" coronet with thicker feet; closely related to Mark 1 but visibly heavier on the logo
| wider coronet feet; the L in <code>PERPETUAL</code> aligns with the lower-right stroke of the X in <code>ROLEX</code>
|-
|-
| Mark 3
| Mark 3
| about 1977 to 1979
| later 1970s
| the "Rail Dial" — the Cs of CHRONOMETER and CERTIFIED line up vertically, which no other Mark does
| “Rail Dial”: the C letters in <code>CHRONOMETER</code> and <code>CERTIFIED</code> align vertically
|-
|-
| Mark 4
| Mark 4
| about 1979 to 1982
| late 1970s to early 1980s
| taller narrower crown; T SWISS < 25 T printing in serif font
| taller, narrower coronet; <code>T SWISS < 25 T</code> in serif lettering
|-
|-
| Mark 5
| Mark 5
| about 1982 to 1984
| late production
| same T SWISS < 25 T line but in sans-serif; the last production-era dial
| narrower coronet with a larger lower opening; tritium line in sans-serif lettering
|-
| Service Mark A
| Beyeler-produced
| post-production service replacement, identifiable by printing vendor characteristics
|-
| Service Mark B
| Beyeler-produced
| a second service printing era
|}
|}


The Mark boundaries are approximate and no Rolex document defines them. The Vintage Rolex Forum serial-number project places the transitions inside three-to-six-month windows instead of at specific serial cutoffs, and the Mark 2 to Mark 3 boundary is the fuzziest of the set. It has moved across collector writeups as new examples surface. A Mark 1 on a 1973 serial and a Mark 2 on a 1972 serial both exist on the open market, which is the kind of overlap any long-run vintage Rolex reference shows.
Ross Povey’s Revolution survey describes five Stern production dials and two later Beyeler service dials. Dial boundaries are approximate. For example, auction catalogues identify individual watches by dial and bezel types, but those labels do not create a definitive year-by-year sequence. The lollipop seconds hand replaced the earlier straight seconds hand during production; published accounts place the change early in the run but do not agree on a precise serial boundary. The 24-hour hand is usually described as orange. Antiquorum’s 2008 catalogue describes the pictured hand as orange, then says a later version changed to red. Its own description leaves the color history unclear, and the sources reviewed here do not establish a distinct red-hand production variant.


The seconds hand is the other visible production variable. First-year examples ship with a straight seconds hand; the round-tipped lollipop most people associate with the reference arrives early, usually reported on late 1971 or 1972 production, and runs to the end. Straight-hand watches are the narrowest collector branch on the 1655, and a straight hand paired with a Mark 1 dial on a matching early bezel is the best-documented early configuration.
Rolex’s successor arrived in 1984, while some references describe 1655 production as continuing into 1985. The available published record supports an approximate end date rather than a firm last-production serial.
 
Production end is usually placed in 1984, though some editorial rounds to 1985. Leftover inventory delivered through 1985 is real, but active production ran out in 1984 when the 16550 took over.


==Movement notes==
==Movement notes==
[[File:Ref 1655 caliber-1575.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Caliber 1575|Caliber 1575 movement]]


Caliber 1575 powered the 1655 for the whole run. The same movement ran the GMT-Master 1675 over a similar period, and the difference between the two references is in the 24-hour-hand configuration. On the 1675 the hour hand advances independently of the 24-hour hand, so a traveler sets local time on arrival and leaves the 24-hour hand on home time. On the 1655 the two are geared together at a fixed ratio, and setting the watch moves both. That gearing is the single most-misunderstood specification on the reference.
The 1655 uses calibre 1575 GMT, also used in the period GMT-Master 1675. In both watches, the 24-hour hand is linked to the hour hand and makes one turn per day. The 1675’s rotating bezel lets the wearer track another time zone; the Explorer II’s fixed bezel leaves the orange hand to indicate day or night. Independent adjustment of the hour hand came with the later 16550 and calibre 3085.


The 1575 runs at 19,800 vph on 26 jewels with about 48 hours of power reserve. Hacking seconds arrived on the 1575 family during the early 1970s and are present on most 1655 examples from launch onward. Late Mark 4 and Mark 5 watches hack most consistently; earlier examples sometimes show minor inconsistencies that track production-era caliber revisions rather than service wear.
Calibre 1575 GMT runs at 19,800 vibrations per hour and has 26 jewels. Some auction catalogues identify the movement as calibre 1570. Ashton Tracy notes that a 1575 bridge may carry that stamp, so identification depends on the movement configuration as well as its markings. Early examples did not all hack; hacking seconds appeared during the movement’s production, and the exact changeover for 1655 examples remains unresolved.


Rolex serviced the 1655 through the standard caliber-1575 network for decades after production ended. Paperwork rarely survives, so the practical way to tell a serviced movement from an untouched one is the service stamp on the movement itself. An entirely un-serviced 1655 is rare, and a documented service history reads as a stronger signal than silence.
[[File:Ref 1655 caliber-1575.webp|thumb|right|240px|alt=Calibre 1575 GMT movement used in the Rolex Explorer II 1655|Calibre 1575 GMT.]]


==Dial map==
==Dial map==
[[File:Ref 1655 dial-generations.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=1655 dial generations|1655 dial generations]]


===Mark 1===
The comparison image shows the dial-printing changes; the close-up shows the orange 24-hour hand and its scale.
[[File:Ref 1655 detail.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=1655 Freccione detail|1655 Freccione orange arrow hand]]


The Mark 1 is the first 1655 dial. Its coronet uses the large-crown shape, a flared and slightly rounded outline that reads heavier than the tighter crown on later Marks. The ROLEX signature carries a round-foot R. Bottom-line printing reads T SWISS T, without the <code>< 25</code> notation that arrived later. Mark 1 dials pair most reliably with caliber 1575 movements bearing early serial-band stamps.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1655 dial-generations.webp|Dial-printing variations in a specialist comparison.
File:Ref 1655 detail.webp|Orange 24-hour hand and dial detail.
</gallery>


A straight-hand Mark 1 is the earliest documented 1655 configuration. Mark 1 dials with the lollipop hand also exist and make up the majority of surviving Mark 1 examples; the straight-hand sub-variant is a small share of Mark 1 production.
===Mark 1===


===Mark 2 (Frog Foot)===
The first production type has a broad coronet, a round-foot R in the <code>ROLEX</code> signature and <code>T SWISS T</code> at the bottom of the dial. Examples appear with both the early straight seconds hand and the later lollipop seconds hand, so the seconds hand alone does not identify a Mark 1 dial.


Mark 2 keeps the Mark 1 layout and changes the coronet to the thicker-footed shape collectors call Frog Foot, widened crown feet that give the logo a chunkier visual weight. The rest of the printing stays close enough that the coronet carries almost the whole distinction. Some writeups place Mark 2 production from 1973 through 1977; others narrow it depending on which surviving examples they count. No published serial boundary exists.
===Mark 2===


===Mark 3 (Rail Dial)===
The coronet’s wider feet distinguish the Mark 2 in the collector taxonomy. “Frog Foot” is a nickname for that shape. The L in <code>PERPETUAL</code> also lines up with the lower-right stroke of the X in <code>ROLEX</code>; on Mark 1, the A in <code>PERPETUAL</code> sits below the X. Published date ranges overlap with those given for Mark 1 and Mark 3, so the visual features are more useful than a claimed year cutoff.


Mark 3 is the Rail Dial. The C in CHRONOMETER sits exactly above the C in CERTIFIED, two letters stacked into the vertical "rail" the nickname points at. On Mark 1, Mark 2, Mark 4, and Mark 5 those letters land at slightly different radial positions and never line up. That single alignment is why the Mark 3 reads cleaner than its siblings; the rail pulls the printing into a grid the other dials lack.
===Mark 3===


Mark 3 production is usually placed in the 1977–1979 window, and Rail Dial examples are well documented at auction. The alignment holds across surviving examples. Printing weight varies slightly from dial to dial, but none of that variation breaks the rail.
The “Rail Dial” name refers to the vertical alignment of the C letters in <code>CHRONOMETER</code> and <code>CERTIFIED</code>. The coronet also differs from the earlier two types. Specialist guides place this dial in the later 1970s. Auction catalogues provide identified examples, including a Phillips lot catalogued as an early Mark 1 and an Antiquorum example described as a Mark 5 dial on a differently classified bezel.


===Mark 4===
===Marks 4 and 5===


Mark 4 takes the crown taller and narrower than anything before it. Bottom-line printing updates to <code>T SWISS < 25 T</code>, the tritium-radiation notation that spread across the Rolex sport lines in the late 1970s and reaches the 1655 at Mark 4. The font is serif, which is what separates Mark 4 from the later Mark 5.
Both types carry the <code>T SWISS < 25 T</code> tritium marking. The collector distinction is chiefly the lettering style: serif on Mark 4 and sans serif on Mark 5. Mark 5 also has a narrower coronet with a larger opening in its lower oval. Their approximate dates overlap across sources.


===Mark 5===
===Service dials===


Mark 5 carries the same <code>T SWISS < 25 T</code> line in sans-serif. The two dials are otherwise near-twins, and the font is the primary Mark 5 identifier. It is the last production-era dial before the 1655 was discontinued.
Revolution’s dial survey describes two later service-dial types attributed to Beyeler. They form a replacement category alongside the five production Marks. Printing and service history help identify a service dial; age alone cannot establish the maker.


===Service dials (Beyeler)===
===Tropical dials===


Two Beyeler-made service dials are known on the 1655. They are genuine Rolex parts fitted after production ended, which is exactly why they matter to value and originality. Collectors keep them in their own branch instead of folding them into the production Mark sequence.
Some 1655 dials show brown discoloration where the black finish has changed with age. Collectors call this appearance “tropical”; it is an aging description rather than a factory variant. Assessment also depends on the dial’s surface, lume, condition and provenance.


===Tropical examples===
==Bezel variants==


A small share of Mark 1 through Mark 3 dials have turned an even brown across the black surface, the result of photochemical and environmental aging in the early dial lacquer. Warm, even discoloration with intact lume plots is the narrow definition collectors hold to. Patchy brown spotting, damaged lacquer, or mismatched lume plots are aging damage rather than tropical patina, and the market keeps the two categories firmly apart. A genuine tropical Mark 1 or Mark 2 is one of the strongest collector targets on the reference and commands a clear premium over a black-dial example of the same generation.
Ross Povey’s Revolution guide separates four production bezel types and one service type. Its labels describe collector-observed engraving differences, not a Rolex parts catalogue.


==Bezels==
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
Four production-era bezel variants and one service bezel cover the run. The bezel is part of the steel case top, machined and engraved with the 24-hour markers, so there is no insert at all; the numerals and indices are cut straight into the steel and filled with black paint. The 1655 bezel is far more durable than an aluminum-insert GMT-Master bezel for it, and it never develops the fade and patina that turn vintage GMT inserts into collector objects on their own.
! type in the guide
 
! described features
The four production variants differ in numeral font weight and in how the indices are spaced around the ring. No collector system labels them cleanly as Mark 1 through Mark 4 bezels the way the dials are labelled. The service bezel gives itself away through different numeral proportions on one or two indices, a product of service-era tooling. Bezel and dial generations do not lock to each other. A Mark 3 dial on a Mark 2 bezel is period-correct if the watch was delivered during the transition window.
! dial combinations reported
 
|-
==Case, crystal, crown notes==
| Mark 1
 
| Heavy numerals sit close to the bezel’s inner edge
===Case===
| Mark 1 and Mark 2 dials
 
|-
40mm Oyster steel with a brushed top surface and polished flanks. The case runs thicker than later Explorer II generations and keeps the slightly heavier lug shape common to early 1970s Rolex sport references. Lug-to-lug is about 47mm. Diameter is quoted as 39mm in some older editorial and 40mm almost everywhere else; caliper measurement on surviving examples gives 40mm, and the 39mm claim most likely refers to the visible bezel-to-lug width rather than the full case.
| Mark 2
 
| Heavy numerals are centered
Drilled lug holes are standard across the run. The 1655 never got the no-holes case treatment that arrived on the 16710 in 2003.
| Some Mark 1 examples; mainly Mark 3 and Mark 4
 
|-
===Crystal===
| Mark 3
 
| Thin, centered numerals
Flat plexiglass. The 1655 is the only Explorer II with an acrylic crystal; the 16550 moved the line to sapphire in 1984. Acrylic collects the small scratches and micro-mars that collectors read as character with age, and polishing one is standard service work that does not affect originality.
| Some Mark 3 examples; mainly Mark 4
 
|-
===Crown===
| Mark 4
 
| Thin numerals with a distinctive long hook on the <code>1</code>
Twinlock screw-down with guards, the standard early-1970s Rolex Oyster crown on a 6mm tube.
| Mark 5 dials
|-
| Service
| Later replacement bezel
| Service fitment; identification depends on the individual part
|}


==Bracelets, end links, clasps==
Dial and bezel labels describe separate components. Antiquorum catalogued a Mark 5 dial with a Mark 3 bezel, an example of why a dial Mark alone cannot identify the bezel.


The bracelet arc is short. The 7206 comes first, the 7836 follows, and the 78360 arrives late in the run. That progression, read against the end-link and clasp dates, is one of the fastest authenticity checks available on a 1655.
==Case, crystal and crown==


Clasp codes across the run carry I-series stamps from Rolex's internal clasp-date system, so a clasp stamped Q4 1972 dates the bracelet to that quarter. It dates the bracelet, not the watch head. A 1973-case 1655 wearing a Q4 1975 clasp is perfectly consistent; a later bracelet on an earlier watch head turns up regularly on the open market.
Revolution, Fratello and the Vintage Rolex Field Manual give a case diameter of 39mm. Auction catalogues differ: Sotheby’s lists 38mm for a circa-1971 example, while Antiquorum gives 40mm for a circa-1980 example. The measurement is best treated as approximate; catalogue dimensions may use different measuring points.


==Special branches and provenance==
The 1655 has an acrylic crystal, followed by sapphire on the 16550. Its screw-down Oyster crown sits between crown guards. The cited material does not establish a consistent crown-tube measurement.


===Reinhold Messner===
==Bracelets, end links and clasps==


The mountaineer Reinhold Messner wore a 1655 through the expedition years that overlap the reference's production run. Philipp Stahl handled Messner's watch and published its identification on Rolex Passion Report. It is the best-documented case of a 1655 doing the job it was engineered for, in the light-deprived conditions where the 24-hour hand earns its place.
Auction records and reference tables document 7206, 7836 and 78360 Oyster bracelets on 1655 watches. The examples pair these with different end-link codes: the Field Manual lists 7206 with 58 ends; Phillips catalogued a circa-1973 7836 with 380 ends and a circa-1978 78360 with 580 ends. The 1973 lot’s clasp is stamped <code>4.72</code>. These records show configurations on individual watches, not factory fitment for every 1655. A later bracelet or clasp does not date the watch head.


===Sir Edmund Hillary===
==Provenance and names==


Sir Edmund Hillary, who summited Everest with Tenzing Norgay on 29 May 1953, also wore a 1655, and Stahl has documented that watch too. His Explorer II sits at the far end of a line that starts with the 6610 and 1016 Explorers.
Philipp Stahl documents Explorer II watches associated with mountaineers Reinhold Messner and Sir Edmund Hillary. These are individual provenance cases, not evidence of expedition-wide use.


===Don McCullin===
The nickname “Steve McQueen” appears in auction and dealer descriptions. Accounts differ on how it spread; Nick Gould’s account examines the disputed connection between McQueen and Loren Janes’s 5513. The documented McQueen watches in the sources cited here are Submariners; none is a 1655. “Freccione” describes the orange arrow hand without making an ownership claim.


A 1978 Rolex advertisement photographed by Don McCullin puts the 1655 front and centre, and the image is widely reproduced in archival collections and period editorial. McCullin is a photographer, and the ad belongs in the marketing history of the reference rather than its celebrity-wearer file.
Rolex’s 1978 advertising included a 1655 photographed by Don McCullin. That is a documented advertising association, distinct from ownership or personal wear.


===The Steve McQueen myth===
==Auction record==


The 1655 is often called the Steve McQueen. It should not be. McQueen's documented Rolex was a 5513 Submariner (the Loren Janes watch covered by Quill & Pad in 2018), and no period photograph or auction record places a 1655 on his wrist. The nickname is dealer-era marketing that outlived its evidence. Serious collectors call the watch the Freccione.
Auction catalogues record different specifications for individual examples. Sotheby’s describes a circa-1971 watch with a calibre listed as 1570 and a 38mm case. Phillips’ 2017 Geneva catalogue gives 1570 and 38mm for its circa-1973 example, with a 7836 bracelet, 380 end links and a <code>4.72</code> clasp stamp. Antiquorum lists 1570 and 40mm for a circa-1980 example, with a Mark 5 dial and Mark 3 bezel. Sotheby’s lists 1575 and 39mm for a circa-1984 example. Ashton Tracy notes that a 1575 bridge may be stamped <code>1570</code>; calibre identification depends on the movement configuration, not the stamp alone. These catalogues describe individual watches, and their measurements vary.


==Market and collector context==
==Related references==


The 1655 sits in the middle tier of vintage Rolex sport-watch collecting, and the spread inside the reference is wide. Early Mark 1s, tropicals, and straight-hand watches anchor the top of the range; later examples with mixed parts sit well below it.
* [[Reference:16550|Explorer II 16550]]
* [[Reference:16570|Explorer II 16570]]
* [[Reference:216570|Explorer II 216570]]


The auction record through the 2020s puts standard-production 1655 hammers in the £15,000–£25,000 range, with exceptional Mark 1 or tropical lots reaching £30,000 or more. Dreweatts' £22,000 result on a non-retailer-signed example is the UK benchmark most often cited for standard production. Provenance watches on the scale of the Messner or Hillary examples sit in a separate market entirely on the rare occasions they surface.
See also [[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II family]], [[Reference:Movements|Movements]] and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|Serial numbers]].


Secondary-market pricing tracks the wider vintage-Rolex cycle. The 2020–2022 peak lifted 1655 prices to levels that had compressed again by 2024, in line with the general correction. The floor has held, partly because production was modest next to the contemporary Submariner and GMT-Master lines, and partly because the documented expedition history carries weight without any help from the McQueen story.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
 
File:Ref 1655 hero.webp|Explorer II 1655, whole-watch view.
== Related references ==
File:Ref 1655 detail.webp|Close view of the orange 24-hour hand.
 
File:Ref 1655 caliber-1575.webp|Calibre 1575 GMT.
* [[Reference:16550|Explorer II 16550]] — 1985–1989
File:Ref 1655 dial-generations.webp|Dial-printing comparison.
* [[Reference:16570|Explorer II 16570]] — 1989–2011
</gallery>
* [[Reference:216570|Explorer II 216570]] — 2011–2021
 
See also the [[Reference:explorer-ii|Explorer II family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].


== Sources ==
== Sources ==


* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.rolex.com/en-us/oyster-story/collection-shaped-by-innovation Rolex, "The Explorer II — Rolex Oyster Story", Rolex]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-explorer-ii-adventure-watch-gmt-1655-16550-16570-216570-226570-in-depth/ "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://revolutionwatch.com/tooled-rolex-explorer-ii-reference-1655/ Ross Povey, "Tooled Up: The Rolex Explorer II Reference 1655", Revolution, 2018-08-01]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-explorer-ii-reference-1655/ "The Ultimate Sports Rolex: The Explorer II Reference 1655", Fratello]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/tooled-rolex-explorer-ii-reference-1655/ Ross Povey, "Tooled Up: The Rolex Explorer II Reference 1655", Revolution, 2018-08-07]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/the-story-of-an-explorers-rolex-explorer-ii-ref-1655/ "The Story of an Explorer Rolex Explorer II ref. 1655", Revolution]
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/the-story-of-an-explorers-rolex-explorer-ii-ref-1655/ "The Story of an Explorer Rolex Explorer II ref. 1655", Revolution]
* [https://rolexpassionreport.com/2867/ Philipp Stahl, "Mr Rolex Orange Hand, Reinhold Messner and Sir Edmund Hillary Original Vintage Explorer II ref 1655", Rolex Passion Report]
* [https://rolexpassionreport.com/2867/ Philipp Stahl, "Mr Rolex Orange Hand, Reinhold Messner and Sir Edmund Hillary Original Vintage Explorer II ref 1655", Rolex Passion Report]
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-explorer-ii-reference-1655/ "The Ultimate Sports Rolex: The Explorer II Reference 1655", Fratello]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/rolex-ref-1655-a-complete-guide/?lang=en Andrea David, "The Rolex Explorer II Ref. 1655: A Complete Guide", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/rolex-ref-1655-a-complete-guide/?lang=en Andrea David, "The Rolex Explorer II Ref. 1655: A Complete Guide", Italian Watch Spotter, 2024-01-01]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/tropical-dials/?lang=en "Everything You Need To Know About Tropical Dials", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://quillandpad.com/2018/06/15/exceptional-movements-in-history-rolex-caliber-1575-the-watchmakers-watch/ "Exceptional Movements In History: Rolex Caliber 1575, The Watchmaker Watch", Quill & Pad, 2018-06-15]
* [https://quillandpad.com/2018/06/15/exceptional-movements-in-history-rolex-caliber-1575-the-watchmakers-watch/ Ashton Tracy, "Exceptional Movements In History: Rolex Caliber 1575, The Watchmaker Watch", Quill & Pad, 2018-06-15]
* [https://quillandpad.com/2018/06/14/the-steve-mcqueen-loren-janes-rolex-submariner-5513-coming-to-auction-how-long-did-he-own-it-how-often-did-he-wear-it-and-how-much-if-any-survived-the-fire/ "Steve McQueen / Loren Janes Rolex Submariner 5513 Saga", Quill & Pad, 2018-06-14]
* [https://quillandpad.com/2018/06/14/the-steve-mcqueen-loren-janes-rolex-submariner-5513-coming-to-auction-how-long-did-he-own-it-how-often-did-he-wear-it-and-how-much-if-any-survived-the-fire/ Nick Gould, "Steve McQueen / Loren Janes Rolex Submariner 5513 Saga", Quill & Pad, 2018-06-14]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2021/04/the-orange-hand-explorer-ii.html Jake Ehrlich, "The Orange Hand Explorer II", Rolex Magazine, 2021-04-01]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2021/04/the-orange-hand-explorer-ii.html Jake Ehrlich, "The Orange Hand Explorer II", Rolex Magazine, 2021-04-07]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2021/08/rolex-explorer-ii-1655-and-226570.html Jake Ehrlich, "Rolex Explorer II 1655 and 226570", Rolex Magazine, 2021-08-01]
* [https://www.rolexmagazine.com/2021/08/rolex-explorer-ii-1655-and-226570.html Jake Ehrlich, "Rolex Explorer II 1655 and 226570", Rolex Magazine]
* [https://www.watchprosite.com/rolex/the-evolution-of-the-freccione/732.574096.3563066/ "The Evolution of the Freccione", Watchprosite]
* [https://www.watchprosite.com/rolex/the-evolution-of-the-freccione/732.574096.3563066/ "The Evolution of the Freccione", Watchprosite]
* [https://italianwatchspotter.com/tropical-dials/?lang=en "Everything You Need To Know About Tropical Dials", Italian Watch Spotter]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/60db879c-cc93-4b34-8bee-830456483399/lots/1671b06e-9b02-4989-bece-07146b7af3e5 "Rolex 1655 Steve McQueen circa 1971 Watches Online", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/60db879c-cc93-4b34-8bee-830456483399/lots/1671b06e-9b02-4989-bece-07146b7af3e5 "Rolex 1655 Steve McQueen circa 1971 Watches Online", Sotheby's, 2020-01-01]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/11e901d0-412f-442a-ae43-8eca28cd9ef1/lots/c46af8fc-7250-480a-b986-552cc9cd3e0a "Rolex 1655 circa 1971 Driver Collection", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/11e901d0-412f-442a-ae43-8eca28cd9ef1/lots/c46af8fc-7250-480a-b986-552cc9cd3e0a "Rolex 1655 circa 1971 Driver Collection", Sotheby's, 2020-01-01]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/25e5416b-f436-484a-834e-1ba10a9dfc69/lots/9656a922-7866-4748-99c6-5770652110a6 "Rolex 1655 circa 1984 Driver Collection", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/buy/25e5416b-f436-484a-834e-1ba10a9dfc69/lots/9656a922-7866-4748-99c6-5770652110a6 "Rolex 1655 circa 1984 Driver Collection", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/fine-watches/steve-mcqueen-explorer-ii-ref-1655-stainless-steel "Steve McQueen Explorer II 1655 circa 1981", Sotheby's, 2021-01-01]
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/fine-watches/steve-mcqueen-explorer-ii-ref-1655-stainless-steel "Steve McQueen Explorer II 1655 circa 1981", Sotheby's]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080217/131 "Rolex 1655 Geneva Watch Auction Six Lot 131", Phillips, 2017-11-01]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080217/131 "Rolex 1655 Geneva Watch Auction Six Lot 131", Phillips]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080116/179 "Rolex 1655 Geneva Watch Auction Three Lot 179", Phillips, 2016-05-01]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1655-explorer-lot-352-104 "Rolex Explorer II 1655 Mark 5 dial and Mark 3 bezel, Forte dei Marmi lot 104", Antiquorum]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-1655-explorer-lot-352-104 "Rolex Explorer 1655 MK5 Dial MK3 Bezel Forte dei Marmi", Antiquorum]
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/25956/lot/1/ "Multiple Rolex 1655 auction lots 1972 to 1984", Bonhams]
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/209581 "Rolex Explorer II reference 1655, circa 1978", Phillips]
* [https://www.dreweatts.com/news-videos/the-rolex-explorer-ii-ref-1655/ "The Rolex Explorer II Ref 1655 UK Hammer Record", Dreweatts]
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-lot-204-105 "Explorer II reference 1655, New York lot 105", Antiquorum, 2008-04-17]
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-explorer-ii-mk-i-dial-reference-1655-full-set "Multiple Wind Vintage 1655 MK1 straight-hand unpolished listings", Wind Vintage]
* [https://bulangandsons.com/products/rolex-1655-straight-hand-explorer-ii-mk2-freccione "MK1 MK2 MK4 MK5 1655 listings", Bulang & Sons]
* [https://journal.craftandtailored.com/a-love-letter-to-the-rolex-explorer-ii-ref-1655/ "A Love Letter to the Rolex Explorer II ref 1655", Craft + Tailored]
* [https://www.rolexforums.com/archive/index.php/t-166770.html "1655 Mark Dial Discussions Archive", RolexForums]
* [http://vintagerolexforum.info/vrf/index3.html "Vintage Rolex Forum Serial Number Project and Dial Project", Vintage Rolex Forum]
* [https://rubberb.com/blog/1655-rolex-explorer-ii-or-the-steve-mcqueen-rolexexploreriiwatchstrap/ "1655 Steve McQueen Generation Breakdown", RubberB]


[[Category:Explorer II]]
[[Category:Explorer-Ii]]

Latest revision as of 07:53, 29 September 2026


Explorer II → 1655

Rolex Explorer II 1655 with orange 24-hour hand and fixed engraved bezel
Rolex Explorer II 1655.

Rolex introduced the Explorer II 1655 in 1971. Its fixed 24-hour bezel and orange arrow hand let the wearer distinguish day from night when there was no daylight. The hand is linked to the regular hour hand, so the 1655 cannot track a second time zone independently. Collectors call it the Freccione, Italian for “big arrow.”

Core facts

detail value
reference 1655
family Explorer II
production introduced in 1971; sources place the end around 1984–1985
movement automatic calibre 1575 GMT, date, 26 jewels, 19,800 vph
case approximately 39mm stainless steel Oyster case
crystal acrylic
water resistance 100m (Fratello)
bezel fixed steel bezel engraved with a 24-hour scale
dial black; five commonly catalogued production types and two later service types
bracelet Documented examples include Oyster references 7206, 7836 and 78360
successor Explorer II 16550

Where it sits in the line

The 1655 was added to the Explorer range while the Explorer 1016 remained in production. Rolex describes the Explorer II’s orange hand and fixed 24-hour bezel as aids to reading day and night. In the 1655, the orange hand follows the hour hand at half its rate and indicates AM or PM against the fixed scale.

The 16550 followed in 1984, according to Rolex and specialist histories. Its calibre 3085 introduced an independently adjustable hour hand, and the line moved to a sapphire crystal and a different dial design. Sources give the 1655’s final production year as either 1984 or 1985, so a delivery or catalogue date in 1985 does not by itself establish when the watch was made.

Production outline

Collectors group the black dials into five production types, usually called Mark 1 through Mark 5. Collectors introduced these names and date ranges; Rolex did not use them as designations. The table summarizes published dial guides, while surviving watches and catalogues leave exact serial-number cutoffs unresolved.

dial type approximate period commonly cited features
Mark 1 early production, from 1971 broad coronet, round-foot R in ROLEX, T SWISS T at six o’clock
Mark 2 early to mid-1970s wider coronet feet; the L in PERPETUAL aligns with the lower-right stroke of the X in ROLEX
Mark 3 later 1970s “Rail Dial”: the C letters in CHRONOMETER and CERTIFIED align vertically
Mark 4 late 1970s to early 1980s taller, narrower coronet; T SWISS < 25 T in serif lettering
Mark 5 late production narrower coronet with a larger lower opening; tritium line in sans-serif lettering

Ross Povey’s Revolution survey describes five Stern production dials and two later Beyeler service dials. Dial boundaries are approximate. For example, auction catalogues identify individual watches by dial and bezel types, but those labels do not create a definitive year-by-year sequence. The lollipop seconds hand replaced the earlier straight seconds hand during production; published accounts place the change early in the run but do not agree on a precise serial boundary. The 24-hour hand is usually described as orange. Antiquorum’s 2008 catalogue describes the pictured hand as orange, then says a later version changed to red. Its own description leaves the color history unclear, and the sources reviewed here do not establish a distinct red-hand production variant.

Rolex’s successor arrived in 1984, while some references describe 1655 production as continuing into 1985. The available published record supports an approximate end date rather than a firm last-production serial.

Movement notes

The 1655 uses calibre 1575 GMT, also used in the period GMT-Master 1675. In both watches, the 24-hour hand is linked to the hour hand and makes one turn per day. The 1675’s rotating bezel lets the wearer track another time zone; the Explorer II’s fixed bezel leaves the orange hand to indicate day or night. Independent adjustment of the hour hand came with the later 16550 and calibre 3085.

Calibre 1575 GMT runs at 19,800 vibrations per hour and has 26 jewels. Some auction catalogues identify the movement as calibre 1570. Ashton Tracy notes that a 1575 bridge may carry that stamp, so identification depends on the movement configuration as well as its markings. Early examples did not all hack; hacking seconds appeared during the movement’s production, and the exact changeover for 1655 examples remains unresolved.

Calibre 1575 GMT movement used in the Rolex Explorer II 1655
Calibre 1575 GMT.

Dial map

The comparison image shows the dial-printing changes; the close-up shows the orange 24-hour hand and its scale.

  • Dial-printing variations in a specialist comparison.
    Dial-printing variations in a specialist comparison.
  • Orange 24-hour hand and dial detail.
    Orange 24-hour hand and dial detail.

Mark 1

The first production type has a broad coronet, a round-foot R in the ROLEX signature and T SWISS T at the bottom of the dial. Examples appear with both the early straight seconds hand and the later lollipop seconds hand, so the seconds hand alone does not identify a Mark 1 dial.

Mark 2

The coronet’s wider feet distinguish the Mark 2 in the collector taxonomy. “Frog Foot” is a nickname for that shape. The L in PERPETUAL also lines up with the lower-right stroke of the X in ROLEX; on Mark 1, the A in PERPETUAL sits below the X. Published date ranges overlap with those given for Mark 1 and Mark 3, so the visual features are more useful than a claimed year cutoff.

Mark 3

The “Rail Dial” name refers to the vertical alignment of the C letters in CHRONOMETER and CERTIFIED. The coronet also differs from the earlier two types. Specialist guides place this dial in the later 1970s. Auction catalogues provide identified examples, including a Phillips lot catalogued as an early Mark 1 and an Antiquorum example described as a Mark 5 dial on a differently classified bezel.

Marks 4 and 5

Both types carry the T SWISS < 25 T tritium marking. The collector distinction is chiefly the lettering style: serif on Mark 4 and sans serif on Mark 5. Mark 5 also has a narrower coronet with a larger opening in its lower oval. Their approximate dates overlap across sources.

Service dials

Revolution’s dial survey describes two later service-dial types attributed to Beyeler. They form a replacement category alongside the five production Marks. Printing and service history help identify a service dial; age alone cannot establish the maker.

Tropical dials

Some 1655 dials show brown discoloration where the black finish has changed with age. Collectors call this appearance “tropical”; it is an aging description rather than a factory variant. Assessment also depends on the dial’s surface, lume, condition and provenance.

Bezel variants

Ross Povey’s Revolution guide separates four production bezel types and one service type. Its labels describe collector-observed engraving differences, not a Rolex parts catalogue.

type in the guide described features dial combinations reported
Mark 1 Heavy numerals sit close to the bezel’s inner edge Mark 1 and Mark 2 dials
Mark 2 Heavy numerals are centered Some Mark 1 examples; mainly Mark 3 and Mark 4
Mark 3 Thin, centered numerals Some Mark 3 examples; mainly Mark 4
Mark 4 Thin numerals with a distinctive long hook on the 1 Mark 5 dials
Service Later replacement bezel Service fitment; identification depends on the individual part

Dial and bezel labels describe separate components. Antiquorum catalogued a Mark 5 dial with a Mark 3 bezel, an example of why a dial Mark alone cannot identify the bezel.

Case, crystal and crown

Revolution, Fratello and the Vintage Rolex Field Manual give a case diameter of 39mm. Auction catalogues differ: Sotheby’s lists 38mm for a circa-1971 example, while Antiquorum gives 40mm for a circa-1980 example. The measurement is best treated as approximate; catalogue dimensions may use different measuring points.

The 1655 has an acrylic crystal, followed by sapphire on the 16550. Its screw-down Oyster crown sits between crown guards. The cited material does not establish a consistent crown-tube measurement.

Bracelets, end links and clasps

Auction records and reference tables document 7206, 7836 and 78360 Oyster bracelets on 1655 watches. The examples pair these with different end-link codes: the Field Manual lists 7206 with 58 ends; Phillips catalogued a circa-1973 7836 with 380 ends and a circa-1978 78360 with 580 ends. The 1973 lot’s clasp is stamped 4.72. These records show configurations on individual watches, not factory fitment for every 1655. A later bracelet or clasp does not date the watch head.

Provenance and names

Philipp Stahl documents Explorer II watches associated with mountaineers Reinhold Messner and Sir Edmund Hillary. These are individual provenance cases, not evidence of expedition-wide use.

The nickname “Steve McQueen” appears in auction and dealer descriptions. Accounts differ on how it spread; Nick Gould’s account examines the disputed connection between McQueen and Loren Janes’s 5513. The documented McQueen watches in the sources cited here are Submariners; none is a 1655. “Freccione” describes the orange arrow hand without making an ownership claim.

Rolex’s 1978 advertising included a 1655 photographed by Don McCullin. That is a documented advertising association, distinct from ownership or personal wear.

Auction record

Auction catalogues record different specifications for individual examples. Sotheby’s describes a circa-1971 watch with a calibre listed as 1570 and a 38mm case. Phillips’ 2017 Geneva catalogue gives 1570 and 38mm for its circa-1973 example, with a 7836 bracelet, 380 end links and a 4.72 clasp stamp. Antiquorum lists 1570 and 40mm for a circa-1980 example, with a Mark 5 dial and Mark 3 bezel. Sotheby’s lists 1575 and 39mm for a circa-1984 example. Ashton Tracy notes that a 1575 bridge may be stamped 1570; calibre identification depends on the movement configuration, not the stamp alone. These catalogues describe individual watches, and their measurements vary.

Related references

See also Explorer II family, Movements and Serial numbers.

  • Explorer II 1655, whole-watch view.
    Explorer II 1655, whole-watch view.
  • Close view of the orange 24-hour hand.
    Close view of the orange 24-hour hand.
  • Calibre 1575 GMT.
    Calibre 1575 GMT.
  • Dial-printing comparison.
    Dial-printing comparison.

Sources

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