Rolex — Explorer II
Explorer II 1655
“Freccione / Steve McQueen (misattributed)”
Produced 1971–1984. The original Explorer II 1655 is the cave-exploration branch of the Explorer idea: a 39 mm stainless-steel Oyster watch with an acrylic crystal, fixed 24-hour steel bezel, dense tritium dial, and large orange Freccione…
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Reference1655
BrandRolex
FamilyExplorer II
Produced1971–1984
StatusDiscontinued
Editorial context
Stories featuring 1655
Follow this reference into the histories, collector guides, and cultural stories where it matters.
Rolex — 9 min readRolex Explorer: Everest, Caves, and the Cleanest Tool-Watch IdeaA connected history of the Rolex Explorer and Explorer II, from the Everest-era Oyster Perpetuals and early 6350/6610 references to the long-running 1016, the modern 14270 and 114270, the 39 mm and revived 36 mm Explorer, and the orange-hand Explorer II built for darkness.
Rolex nicknames — 9 min readPepsi, Batman and the Names Rolex Will Never PrintRolex says bleu/rouge; everyone else says Pepsi. A field guide to the soda cans, superheroes and Muppets collectors have named their watches after, and to the handful of names the purists still won't say out loud.
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