Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1980 Reference No: 1655 Case No: 6’339’043 Model Name: Explorer II “Freccione” Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, stamped 78360, end links stamped 580, max overall length 190mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp stamped 78360 and Z4 Dimensions: 38mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
Catalogue Essay
Rolex introduced the Explorer II as a new generation of the famed Explorer family of wristwatches first introduced in 1953. With the successful ascent of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzig Norgay, Rolex sought to offer a robust and wearable tool watch meeting the demands of early mountaineers.
The unique design, with the engraved 24-hour calibrated bezel and oversized, additional 24-hour hand, referred to by collectors as “Freccione” or big arrow, permits the wearer to easily tell time in the darkness of caves. The triangular-shaped hand indicates the time on the non-rotating 24-hour calibrated steel bezel. While reminiscent of the 24-hour rotating bezel of the GMT-Master, this watch is not for dual time purposes, but solely for those who are in darkness for prolonged periods of time to enable the wearer to differentiate night and day.
Displaying a "Mk 4" dial which is correct for the serial number, the present watch is preserved in excellent condition with a beautifully aged dial. The 1655 is an exciting reference for collectors – a prominent yet uncommon model within the Rolex product line since it was first introduced.
Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.