Face Off: Rolex Explorer II Showdown

We’ve mentioned a few times that the large watch trend thankfully seems to be slowing down a bit. However, lots of big watches are still out there, whether being worn, or peddled on the second hand market. Although we prefer our watches modestly sized, not all increased cases are bad. Today, I’m going to take an up-close and personal look at Rolex Explorer II, in both its original and current forms.

Explorer II Closeup Comparison

Reference 1655: The Original Spelunker

Created with spelunkers in mind, the original Explorer II aimed at a very specific demographic, and much to its detriment. The 1655 was not a huge seller at the time, as it didn’t resonate with a large part of the market. When it comes to vintage Rolex sports watches, though, this is exactly the formula that makes for a market of crazed collectors willing to pay high prices – well, that and a trumped up story about it being the watch Steve McQueen wore. And just to quickly address that story, there’s no evidence to support he ever wore an Explorer II; it seems that the story may have been made up in Italy as a marketing effort that transformed from a regional white lie to an almost universal truth.

Closeup of reference 1655 Rolex Explorer II

Despite not being a big seller for Rolex, they kept it running for nearly 15 years (1971-1985), before the transitional reference 16550 was released. Powered by the caliber 1575, the reference 1655 had a date function and fourth hand, acting as a 24-hour hand. The idea was that cave divers would know what half of the 24-hours they were on, even when in a dark cave for days at a time. Though it used the same movement as the GMT Master, the fixed bezel made it much less useful for the average, non-spelunker. Fun fact about the caliber 1575, they’re pretty much all labeled as 1570s, but that’s not a mistake by Rolex, just the way they did things. The “5” at the end of “1575” signifies a calendar function, which the Explorer II utilizes.

On the wrist, the 1655 Explorer II’s case wears quite nicely. The original rivet bracelet fitted to the example I was able to check out isn’t the most comfortable, but it certainly has vintage charm. I’ve seen some 1655s with washed out 24-hour hands, but this one had almost no fading, which really adds a nice pop of color. The dial is quirky, no doubt, especially compared to other sport models of the era. To further aid in cave legibility, Rolex added an extra luminous marker at the 2.5-minute mark between each hour marker, making 24 lume plots for the 4^th hand to track. I think the overall look is fantastic, and showed Rolex was willing to take chances back in the 70s and 80s. The fact that this didn’t sell well should help answer the question why Rolex’s designs seem to change so slowly.

There’s a lot to like about the 1655. Submariners, Daytonas, and Sea-Dwellers get a lot of the vintage love on the market, so the 1655 is a great way to get a different look at a price similar to other highly coveted models. If you’re on the hunt for one, know what you’re buying. Things to look out for are the straight seconds hand versus the classic lollipop seconds hand. For the first few years of production, Rolex went with a non-luminous straight seconds hand, followed by the lollipop hand we all know. A straight hand combined with a “T Swiss T” dial (Mark I), and Mark I bezel will likely command the most money. However, the Mark II and III dials with the “frog foot” Rolex crown dials will also be right up there. The best thing to do is to use as many verified comparison photos as possible to match up the dial, bezel, and seconds hand, looking for a period correct example. Here’s a great article by Stefano Mazzariol comparing the many variants of the 1655.

Reference 216570: The Current Spelunker

Back in 2011, Rolex rolled out the all-new reference 216570 Explorer II, a follow-up to the long-running 16570. While I’m a fan of the 16570, and think it’s one of the best values out there when it comes to Rolex sports watches, the Explorer II was due for a facelift. Completely new from head to toe, Rolex has carefully kept the Explorer II slightly different than its sporty Rolex brothers, just like it was with the reference 1655.

Closeup of the reference 216570 Rolex Explorer II

For the GMT Master II and the Submariner, Rolex maintained the standard case dimensions (diameter and thickness), but beefed up the crown guards, lugs, and bezel. The results are watches that appear much larger on the wrist than their predecessors. With the Explorer II, Rolex actually increased the case diameter 2mm to 42mm. Normally, us vintage nerds get up in arms over increased case sizes, but it absolutely works here. I’m going to be bold enough to say the new Explorer II has better proportions than the Submariner or GMT II, and it’s because of the larger case size. The wider crown guards and lugs make sense, and flow better with the wider diameter. What’s more, the puffed up hands and hour makers seem to have naturally increased in size with the rest of the watch, rather than just for the sake of being bigger.

The reference 216570 feels great on the wrist, despite being on the big end of what I’m usually comfortable with. It’s a sharp look that I hope Rolex keeps going for many years. It would be difficult for Rolex to go back to the slimmer-styled cases, at least anytime soon, but what we have here is a good alternative. With a retail price of $8,100, you’re getting a serious tool watch for about half the price of a decent 1655 example. If you decide to go second hand, you’ll find the price much closer to the $7,000 mark.

Whether you’re into the vintage look, or the reliability of modern technology, each Explorer II will give you something a bit different than the common Submariner. For us, there’s something about vintage watches that draw us in, especially quirky ones that weren’t quite as popular in their day. On the other hand, we very much appreciate improvements in materials and quality control. As a friend of mine likes to say, “Your watch, your story,” and you can’t really get that out of a 40 year old watch. So, we say, pick your poison, or you can just pick both.

by