The Orange Hand Explorer II

Rolex Reference 1655 — The Speleologist’s Watch

by M. Siegel · All photos by Delgado

The Explorer II model, 1655, was introduced in 1971. The movement was either the 1570 or the 1575, and essentially this particular model was a GMT with a fixed stainless steel bezel. It had a distinctive dial with an extra hour hand that was designed specifically for speleologists, or cave explorers, who Rolex claimed, “soon lose all notion of time: morning, afternoon, day, or night.”

The extra hour hand, or 24 hour hand, would tell the explorers whether the 4 on the dial was 4:00 a.m. or 4:00 p.m. (16:00 hrs).

History & Evolution

Ref. 1655 1971–1985 Cal. 1570 / 1575 Fixed SS Bezel 24-Hour Hand

When the watch was first marketed, the seconds hand was straight and the extra hour hand was a bright orange. In 1974 a luminous circle was added, and on models manufactured after 1975 the extra hour hand was painted a bright red. Production of the 1655 continued until 1985 when it was discontinued.

A debate exists in regard to when the orange hand was no longer used on the dial. Reference texts seem to agree that the orange hand was discontinued by the mid-1970s. It is interesting to note that many 1655s made after the mid-70s and into the 80s have orange 24-hour hands. Perhaps the explanation is that the red hands faded to orange, just as orange hands have been known to fade to yellow.

The Explorer II was not a popular watch during its production run from 1971 to 1985. The dial is cluttered and even considered illegible by some watch collectors.

This model has also been called the Steve McQueen Rolex. Steve McQueen may have worn a Tag Heuer Monaco wristwatch in the film Le Mans, but in real life he wore a Rolex Explorer II, model 1655. The Explorer II is very popular among collectors today.

This example below is an earlier model with the seconds hand lacking luminous material.

Reference

1655

Production

1971–1985

Movement

Cal. 1570 or Cal. 1575

Bezel

Fixed Stainless Steel

Extra Hand — Early

Bright orange 24-hour hand

Extra Hand — Post-1975