Hands-On Review
Rolex Explorer II 1655 Review
A hands-on evaluation of the original Explorer II, the Freccione, from the orange hand and matte dial to what separates an honest example from an over-restored trap.
Shop Rolex Explorer II 1655THE FIRST LOOK
Rolex Explorer II 1655 First Impressions
What hits you the moment you pick up the Freccione.
Pick up a Rolex Explorer II 1655 and the first thing your eye does is chase the orange. Among Rolex watches, almost nothing else from the brand commits to a single bright accent the way this one does. The Rolex Explorer II 1655 puts a thick, arrow-tipped 24-hour hand front and center, and against the flat matte black dial it reads like a tool you were issued, not a luxury object you bought. This is a watch with a job, and it never lets you forget it.
What surprises most people who only know it from photos is how cohesive it feels in the metal. The case is warm and a little soft at the edges from decades of wear, the acrylic crystal throws that unmistakable vintage glow, and the whole thing carries a patina that no modern Rolex can fake. It does not feel precious. It feels lived-in, purposeful, and genuinely old in the best way. After fifty-plus years, the 1655 still presents like the slightly oddball professional piece it was always meant to be.
THE WEARING EXPERIENCE
On the Wrist
How the Freccione actually wears, day in and day out.
Quick Specs
The Rolex Explorer II 1655 wears like a true vintage sports Rolex, which is to say smaller and flatter than anything in the current catalog. The 39mm case (Rolex marketed it as 40mm) sits close to the wrist, the lugs are relatively short, and the cushion profile keeps it planted. On a 6.5 to 7.5 inch wrist it is close to ideal. If you have only ever worn modern 42mm sports models, the 1655 will feel almost dainty at first, then quickly feel correct.
The acrylic crystal sits a touch proud, so the watch slips under a cuff without catching, and the older Oyster bracelet has that hollow-link rattle that vintage buyers either love or learn to live with. It is light, comfortable, and a little loose-feeling compared to a modern solid-link bracelet. None of that hurts the experience. The 1655 is a watch you wear because it has character, and the way it moves on the wrist is part of that character.
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Shop the Explorer II 1655
Browse authenticated Rolex Explorer II 1655 watches available now at WatchGuys.
If the orange hand and that warm vintage presence sound like a match, here is what we currently have available. Every example we list is inspected for originality before it reaches the page.
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Rolex Explorer II 1655 Specifications
Breaking down the Freccione from every angle: case, dial, bezel, and bracelet.
Case
The Rolex Explorer II 1655 uses a 39mm Oyster case in stainless steel with a screw-down crown and screw-down caseback, rated to 100m. The profile is classic vintage cushion-Oyster: brushed top surfaces, polished case sides, and lugs that have usually softened from decades of handling and the occasional polish. Originality of the case is everything here. A sharp, full, unpolished case with crisp lug holes and intact bevels commands a serious premium over one that has been buffed down over the years.
The acrylic crystal is a defining trait, and the 1655 is the only Explorer II that ever wore one. It domes slightly, scratches easily, and polishes out just as easily, which is part of the vintage ownership rhythm. The crown screws down with the slightly worn, tactile feel you expect from a watch this age. It is not a sealed modern dive case, so treat the 100m rating as historical context rather than a swimming invitation.
Dial and Bezel
The Rolex Explorer II 1655 carries a matte black dial, the only color it ever came in, with painted indices, narrow baton hands, and the famous orange arrow-shaped 24-hour hand. Collectors track the dial through five "Mark" variations (MK1 through MK5), distinguished by font details, coronet shape, and the printed text along the bottom edge. The "lollipop" seconds hand, with its luminous bubble, is another signature. The lume is tritium, which has aged to warm cream or amber tones on honest examples and is one of the first things a trained eye checks for consistency between dial and hands.
The bezel is fixed, engraved with a 24-hour scale, and works in concert with the orange hand as a day-night indicator. Unlike a Rolex GMT-Master 1675, there is no rotating bezel and no independently adjustable 24-hour hand, so the 1655 is not a true dual-timezone GMT. The bezel fonts also vary across the production run, and a correct, unfaded bezel that matches the dial generation matters to collectors. Honestly, the dial is busy and was criticized as cluttered even when the watch was new. You either find that charming or you do not.
Bracelet
Most Rolex Explorer II 1655 examples come on a folded or later Oyster bracelet, commonly the reference 78360 with 580 end links. These older bracelets use lighter, partially hollow links, so they have noticeable stretch and a softer feel compared to a modern solid Oyster. Period-correct bracelet and end links add value, while a replaced or mismatched bracelet detracts from it. Many owners pair the 1655 with a leather or NATO strap for daily wear and preserve the original bracelet, which is a sensible move for a watch this collectible.
What to Check on a Pre-Owned 1655
"The 1655 is one of the most Frankensteined references in vintage Rolex. Before anything else, I check that the dial and hands age the same way, that the orange hand has not been relumed, and that the case still has meat on the lugs. Service dials and swapped hands are everywhere on this reference. Match the Mark dial to the serial range, confirm the bezel font fits the generation, and buy the watch, not the story. Box and papers help, but on a piece this old, originality of the case and dial is what you are really paying for."
UNDER THE HOOD
Rolex Explorer II 1655 Movement Review
How the movement performs where it matters: on the wrist, every day.
The Rolex Explorer II 1655 runs the Caliber 1570 (some examples use the closely related 1575), the same robust automatic movement family that powered the GMT-Master 1675 of the era. It is a 26-jewel, COSC-certified automatic beating at 19,800 vph, with a free-sprung balance and roughly 44 hours of power reserve. By modern standards it is slow and the reserve is short, but these are famously durable, serviceable movements that any competent vintage Rolex watchmaker knows intimately.
In daily wear, a well-serviced 1570 keeps respectable time, often within a handful of seconds a day, which is remarkable for a movement of this vintage. The orange 24-hour hand is fixed to the main timekeeping, so there is no quickset and no independent hour jump like a true GMT. Setting it is a simple, slightly meditative process. The bigger ownership consideration is service: budget for a proper overhaul from a specialist, and value a watch with recent, documented service history. A neglected 1655 that has not been opened in decades is a maintenance bill waiting to happen, no matter how good the dial looks.
Service Costs for the Caliber 1570
"The 1570 is a watchmaker's friend. Parts are findable, the architecture is simple, and a good independent can bring one back to spec without drama. What I tell buyers is to factor a full service into your budget if the watch has not been touched in five-plus years. Pay the service cost up front and you get a vintage Rolex that runs like it should. Skip it and you are gambling with a fifty-year-old mechanism. On the 1655 specifically, insist the watchmaker preserves the original parts and never relumes anything."
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Current Market Snapshot
What the Rolex Explorer II 1655 costs right now on the secondary market.
Rolex Explorer II 1655 Market Price
Prices reflect complete, original examples. Condition, dial originality, unpolished cases, and box/papers move value dramatically on a reference this old.
The Rolex Explorer II 1655 is firmly a collector's piece now, and pricing reflects condition far more than any single market average. Honest, presentable examples generally start in the low-to-mid twenty thousands, with strong, original, unpolished pieces sitting in the low thirties and the very best, full-set, early-mark examples climbing well past forty thousand. The reference has performed well, rising roughly 17 percent over the trailing twelve months as of mid-2026, outpacing the broader Rolex index.
What you are really paying for is originality and condition, not just the reference. Two 1655s can differ by twenty thousand dollars based on dial mark, lume consistency, case sharpness, and whether the parts have lived together their whole lives. That spread is exactly why a documented authentication process matters more here than on almost any modern Rolex. Buy the wrong one cheap and you have overpaid. Buy the right one well and you own a genuine piece of Rolex history.
Not Sure What a Fair Price Looks Like?
Vintage pricing is all about the details. Talk to a specialist who can tell you what a specific 1655 is actually worth.
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How It Compares
The Freccione against the alternatives vintage buyers actually cross-shop.
Rolex 1655 vs. Rolex GMT-Master 1675
The Rolex Explorer II 1655 and the GMT-Master 1675 share the same Caliber 1570/1575 movement and the same era, but they serve different purposes. The 1675 has a rotating 24-hour bezel and an independently set GMT hand, making it a real travel watch for tracking a second timezone. The 1655 has a fixed bezel and a fixed orange hand that only indicates day or night. If you want a vintage Rolex that actually does dual-time duty, the 1675 is the tool. If you want the rarer, more characterful design with the unmistakable Freccione hand, the 1655 is the one.
"People cross-shop the 1655 and the 1675, and they shouldn't, because they want different things. The 1675 is the practical traveler. The 1655 is the personality piece. I have sold plenty of both, and the buyers who love the 1655 do not care that the orange hand is just a day-night indicator. They want that hand, that matte dial, that weirdness. If you need real GMT function, buy the 1675 and stop pretending. If you want one of the coolest vintage Rolex designs ever, the 1655 is worth every penny of the premium."
| Rolex Explorer II 1655 | Rolex GMT-Master 1675 | |
|---|---|---|
| Bezel | Fixed 24-hour steel | Rotating 24-hour insert |
| 24-Hour Hand | Fixed (day/night only) | Independent (true GMT) |
| Dial | Matte black, orange hand | Matte black or gilt |
| Function | Day-night indicator | Second timezone |
| Secondary Market | $22,000 - $45,000+ | $14,000 - $40,000+ |
| Production | Discontinued (mid-1980s) | Discontinued (1980) |
Rolex 1655 vs. Rolex Explorer II 16550
The Rolex Explorer II 1655 was replaced in 1984 by the Rolex Explorer II 16550, and the two could hardly feel more different. The 16550 brought a sapphire crystal, a glossy dial, a quickset date, an independently adjustable 24-hour hand (finally a true GMT), and a more modern 40mm case. It is the more practical, more legible, more usable watch. But it dropped the fat orange Freccione hand for a thinner one and lost much of the original's oddball charm. The 16550 is also collectible, especially its rare cream "Rail" dials, but it is a transitional piece. The 1655 is the icon.
| Rolex Explorer II 1655 | Rolex Explorer II 16550 | |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal | Acrylic | Sapphire |
| Dial | Matte black only | Black, white, cream |
| 24-Hour Hand | Fixed orange arrow | Independent (true GMT) |
| Date | Non-quickset | Quickset |
| Case Size | 39mm | 40mm |
| Secondary Market | $22,000 - $45,000+ | $10,000 - $20,000+ |
Comparing Vintage References?
Whether it is a 1655, a 1675, or a 16550, we can walk you through the trade-offs and find the right one for your collection.
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The Verdict
Is the Rolex Explorer II 1655 worth your money?
Yes, the Rolex Explorer II 1655 is worth buying, provided you buy the right example. This is one of the most characterful and historically significant vintage Rolex sports watches ever made, and the market has rewarded it accordingly.
It is perfect for the collector who already owns the obvious sports models and wants something with genuine personality, real exploration heritage, and a design Rolex has never repeated. It is the wrong watch for someone who wants a daily-driver GMT or maximum legibility, because the matte dial is busy and the fixed orange hand does not track a second timezone. And it is absolutely the wrong watch to buy casually off a marketplace listing, because over-restored and Frankensteined examples are everywhere. The single strongest reason to buy one is that there is no substitute: nothing else looks, wears, or feels like a 1655, and finite vintage supply means the good ones only get harder to find. For deeper vintage context, our vintage Rolex collection is a good place to keep looking.
"The 1655 is one of my favorite vintage Rolex references, full stop. Forget the Steve McQueen myth, he never wore one, and the watch does not need it. What it has is that orange hand and a story rooted in real exploration. My only warning is the same one I give every time: this reference attracts fakes, swaps, and over-restoration like no other Explorer II. Buy condition, buy originality, and buy from someone who will lay out exactly what you are getting. Do that and you own a piece of history that has only gone up in value."
