Rolex Explorer II
Rolex Explorer II
The Explorer II is the fixed-bezel 24-hour sibling to the Explorer I. Rolex launched it in 1971 for cave and polar use, and every Explorer II since has kept the 24-hour hand and bezel.
Five references make up the line: the 1655 with linked-hand day-night logic, the 16550 with the first true GMT function, the 16570 across the long middle run, the 42mm 216570 from 2011, and the 226570 in current production.
Common entry points
| Identifying a vintage orange-hand Explorer II? 1655 — the Freccione. Five Mark dials plus two service dials, caliber 1575 GMT shared with the GMT-Master 1675. |
Working from a Polar or cream dial? 16550 — first sapphire-crystal Explorer II, first true independent-hour GMT function, the cream / rail dial paint-defect sub-branch. |
Cross-checking a long-run modern? 16570 — twenty-one-year production run across four internal versions (V1 tritium through V4 caliber 3186), plus the 2007 SRR military limited edition. |
The first Explorer II (1971–1984)
| Reference | Production | Movement | Case | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1655 | 1971–1984 | Cal. 1575 GMT | 40mm SS, acrylic | Freccione orange straight/lollipop hand; 5 Mark dials + 2 service dials; linked-hand 24-hour; fixed engraved steel bezel |
The transitional reference (1985–1989)
| Reference | Production | Movement | Case | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16550 | 1985–1989 | Cal. 3085 | 40mm SS, sapphire | First sapphire; first independent-hour GMT; black or Polar white dial; cream/rail dial paint-defect variant |
The long-run modern reference (1989–2010)
| Reference | Production | Movement | Case | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16570 | 1989–2010 | Cal. 3185, then 3186 late | 40mm SS, sapphire | Four internal versions: V1 tritium, V2 Swiss-only, V3 Super-LumiNova, V4 no-holes case plus cal 3186; black or Polar white; SRR military limited edition 2007 |
Current-production successors
The 42mm ceramic-era successors continue the line beyond the vintage and neo-vintage generations.
- 216570 (2011–2021) — 42mm case, cal. 3187, reintroduced orange 24-hour hand
- 226570 (2021–present) — cal. 3285, current production
Movement progression
| Caliber | Frequency | Power reserve | 24-hour function | Used in | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1575 GMT | 19,800 vph | ~48 hr | linked to hour hand | 1655 | Shared with GMT-Master 1675; 24-hour hand advances with hour hand, works as day-night indicator |
| 3085 | 28,800 vph | 48 hr (disputed: some sources say 42 hr) | independent-hour | 16550 | First Explorer II with true GMT; shared with GMT-Master II 16760 "Fat Lady"; 6.3mm thick |
| 3185 | 28,800 vph | ~50 hr | independent-hour | 16570 | Successor to 3085 with minor revisions; ran through most of the 16570 |
| 3186 | 28,800 vph | ~50 hr | independent-hour | 16570 (late 2006+) | Added blue Parachrom hairspring; fixed the 3185 GMT-hand wobble |
Dial variant highlights
Variant taxonomy across the line, in brief:
- 1655 Mark dials — Mk1 (large crown), Mk2 (Frog Foot), Mk3 (Rail Dial), Mk4 (taller crown, T SWISS <25 T serif), Mk5 (sans-serif). Two Beyeler service dials also exist.
- 16550 cream / rail dial — a subset of Polar white dials aged to cream through a factory paint defect Rolex later corrected. Rail-dial sub-variant has the C of CHRONOMETER aligned vertically over the C of CERTIFIED.
- 16570 Swiss-only — about 5 percent of production, covering the 1998–1999 window when the dial carried Luminova lume but kept the older SWISS (not SWISS MADE) printing.
Cross-references
The Explorer II is the sibling of the Explorer I line and shares calibers and case architecture with the GMT-Master line. The caliber 1575 in the 1655 is the same caliber 1575 used in the GMT-Master 1675, configured differently: linked-hand on the Explorer II, independent-hour on the GMT-Master. The caliber 3085 in the 16550 is the same caliber 3085 that powered the GMT-Master II 16760.
Related families
- Explorer — the original line. Same case lineage, same Mercedes hands, no 24-hour function.
- GMT-Master — the shared-movement sibling. Caliber 1575 GMT in the 1655 and caliber 3085 in the 16550 carry over from the GMT-Master family.
- Submariner — the parallel tool line. Same case-era cadence, same generation-by-generation movement progression.
Sources
- In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Explorer II, The Ultimate Adventure Watch — Monochrome
- Tooled Up: The Rolex Explorer II Reference 1655 — Ross Povey, Revolution
- Mr Rolex Orange Hand, Reinhold Messner and Sir Edmund Hillary's Original Vintage Explorer II ref 1655 — Philipp Stahl, Rolex Passion Report
- Spelunking Into the Details: The Rolex Explorer II Reference 16550 — Tony Traina, European Watch Co.
- Buyer's Guide: Explorer II Ref. 16570, All Variations — Jorg Weppelink, Fratello
- The Rolex Explorer II Ref. 1655: A Complete Guide — Andrea David, Italian Watch Spotter
- Rolex Explorer II 16550 vs 16570 — Alessandro Metelli, Italian Watch Spotter
- Exceptional Movements In History: Rolex Caliber 1575 — Quill & Pad
- Rolex Caliber 3085 Complete Guide — Millenary Watches
- Collector Guide: The Rolex Explorer II — All References in Detail — Beyond The Dial
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra