Year: Circa 1971
Reference No: 1655
Movement No: D283’158
Case No: 2’726’815
Model Name: Explorer II, MK I
Material: Stainless steel
Calibre: Automatic, cal. 1570, 26 jewels
Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped “7836”, endlinks stamped “358”, max length 190mm
Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster deployant clasp stamped “2,70”

The Rolex Explorer II was first introduced in 1971 by the way of the ref. 1655. Designed for expeditioners and professional alike, one of the most notable traits of the ref. 1655 is its large orange luminous 24-hour hand, which allowed the wearer to differentiate night and day under any conditions earning its nickname the “Freccione” or “Big Arrow”. With its production spanning to the mid-1980s, the ref. 1655 was released with a total of 5 different marks as well as two service dials (one with tritium and one with luminova). The earliest examples of the reference known as the Mark I featured a distinctive straight center seconds hand. The present example Rolex Explorer II ref. 1655 fitted with a MK I dial belongs to an early example of the reference with a 2.7 million serial from circa 1971.