Answer first
The Rolex Explorer II reference 1655 is a real watch. Rolex made it from 1971 to 1985. Listings that use the phrase replica rolex explorer 2 1655 sell counterfeit goods, not Rolex watches. Selling counterfeits is illegal in the United States. Copies also leave out the movement and dial details that define the reference.
Specifications
- Production: 1971 to 1985
- Case: stainless steel, about 39 mm wide, 20 mm lugs
- Movement: Rolex caliber 1575, automatic
- Date: at 3 o'clock, no quickset
- Bezel: fixed steel, 24-hour scale, does not turn
- Crystal: acrylic
- Water resistance: 100 m rating when new
- Extra hand: orange 24-hour hand
Purpose and design
Rolex built the 1655 for cave exploration and polar research. Teams worked in places with no change between day and night. A fixed 24-hour scale plus an orange 24-hour hand let the wearer read a second time zone and tell noon from midnight.
Collectors split 1655 dials into marks. The orange 24-hour hand is small on early watches and larger on later ones. Font and tritium markings at 6 o'clock change across the run. The later Explorer II references 16550 and 16570 moved to a rotating 24-hour bezel and a 40 mm case.
Counterfeit note
Copies of the 1655 exist in large numbers. They are counterfeits. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1114, a seller who puts the Rolex mark on a fake watch can be sued, and US Customs and Border Protection can seize shipments. Buyers get no service history, no parts support, and no warranty.
A copy also fails basic checks. The 1575 movement is not reproduced. Case back stampings between the lugs do not match a real reference or serial number. The acrylic crystal profile sits wrong against the bezel. Dial printing and tritium color are the fastest tells.
Checks on a genuine example
- Reference 1655 stamped between the lugs at 12 o'clock, serial between the lugs at 6 o'clock.
- Caliber 1575 under the case back, with a movement number.
- Fixed steel 24-hour bezel insert with engraved numerals, often faded.
- Tritium dial and hands with a 6 o'clock marking that matches the production year.
- Case back date code inside the case back.
Original boxes and papers raise the price. Market prices move, and a specialist dealer or auction house can confirm a current figure. This guide does not quote one.