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Spark · 27 August 2009, 06:27 AM

That's been a long time coming Steve, but it sure looks like it was worth it.
Congrats and wear that beauty in good health mate

Omega_Precision · 27 August 2009, 07:26 AM

Congrats Steve!

It's very nice and I love how the orange hand has the nice little fade.

Lol-x · 27 August 2009, 11:33 AM

Thanks guys for all the positive well wishes.

This watch is vintage, so you might be expecting a little too much for it to be perfect. But, it is a great example IMHO.

Here's a couple more photos:

The 'doof' at the 4 on the bezel is a little disappointing, but it shows the watch has not been a safe queen

1655-7.jpg
The mark on the bezel really isn't noticable is it when you look at it like this

1655-8.jpg

Although quite clear the markings on this dial lend themselves to confusion. The 2.5 minute markers are easily mistaken for 5 minute markers

The dial is a lot of fun and has a very 1970's style that is really unique in the Rolex dial range. It doesn't have the usual GMT,Sub,SD dial markings except for the 12, 6 & 9 markers.

I love the way the hands are blacked out at and about their central point to the dial. This gives the hand a floating illusion and is akin to some aircraft cockpit instrumentation.

The large orange triangle hand is also unique to Rolex models. It adds a great splash of colour.

Finally the second hand is white, not white gold, just painted white, again a very different feature to other vintage and current Rolex tool watches.

All in all this watch is a winner, and given it was produced from 1971 - 1984 the supply is finite and it is a great collectable whose price is likely to steadily rise over time.

Tools · 27 August 2009, 12:31 PM

Grat ;pplomg watcj///"doof" amd a;;//////

Now I'll try thlat with my fingers in the right place..

Great looking watch "doof" an all............

maverick · 27 August 2009, 12:44 PM

That is a beautiful 1655, congratulations.

=) maverick

Lol-x · 27 August 2009, 03:49 PM

Thanks once again guys and a special thanks to the guys at Rolex Australia Service Centre in Melbourne.

When I received the watch the endlinks were a little compressed, but thanks to the friendly and efficient service of the guys in the Service Centre at Rolex Australia, Melbourne, this (major issue to me

) was rectified in a matter of minutes.

Thank you guys very much.

diablojota · 27 August 2009, 03:53 PM

That is a stunning looking watch, Steve. Congratulations on quite an exquisite purchase. What a beauty.

Lol-x · 27 August 2009, 04:06 PM

Thanks Frank, not an easy watch to photograph.
However I will try to take some better photos soon

:

Gaijin · 27 August 2009, 08:57 PM

Nicely Done Steve!

R1@160@alltimes · 27 August 2009, 09:09 PM

Awesome piece Steve!!! Enjoy it for many years.

I actually ordered my own copy of The Rolex Report last night.....can't wait until it gets here

Moe99 · 27 August 2009, 10:02 PM

Beautiful and stunning.

Brushpup · 27 August 2009, 11:50 PM

WOW Steve,

Very impressive indeed and I'm very happy for you! About the dial confusion...Isn't this one of the things that made it unpopular at the time?

Once again congrats on an awesome piece!

Lol-x · 28 August 2009, 10:02 AM

I don't know what made the EXII unpopular back in the 1970-80's. It was a time where digital watches were at their peak. Maybe it was the lack of clarity of the dial that affected it's popularity.

I do know that according to Skeet & Urul "Vintage Rolex Sports Models" that Rolex on this rare occasion agreed to change a 1655 EXII dial over for a 1675 GMT dial for Oliver Shepard for the purposes of his Transglobe Expedition of 1979-82. Quite remarkable for Rolex to do that and I can only guess it was to make the dial more legible.

EX-GMT.jpg

SLS · 30 August 2009, 12:30 AM

Great looking piece Steve, the 1655 is on my short list...but sadly I am also short on the cash! Enjoy it!
Scott

Submarino · 30 August 2009, 12:36 AM

Amazing watch!!!!

dgill · 22 September 2009, 04:40 AM

could you please tell me how much you paid for this watch?

Rebel · 22 September 2009, 04:42 AM

DadsWatch72 · 22 September 2009, 04:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snow_rocks

I can't tell from the photo, but is the 24 hr hand red, as this should be consistent with the year you stated.

This is a 1980 here on http://doubleredseadweller.com/oh_e2.htm

DadsWatch72 · 22 September 2009, 04:54 AM

Very nice Explorer, congrats.

Tools · 22 September 2009, 05:21 AM

Again... You got a real beauty Steve..

I think that the Exp II was really pretty popular in the 70's.....very much a working mans watch..

It, along with many others and entire watch companies, got slammed by the quarts and digital revolution where you could now display a lighted 24 hr display, and show it for any place in the world..

Kind of left the Exp II without much of a market at the time as the dial was very 'business-like"... I believe that is why it got a more dressy treatment...... expand the market out to the wannabe explorers....

uberman20 · 22 September 2009, 06:25 AM

I am painfully jealous! Congrats on the beautiful piece :)

ob1 · 22 September 2009, 11:01 PM

Sorry to get in so late, I've been having problems getting onto TRF, but you know that better than I Steve.
Congratulations on finding such a beautiful watch. Its an absolute winner

I also like the way the hands seem to float too.
Wear it in the very best of health

Lol-x · 22 September 2009, 11:22 PM

Thanks guys, I love this watch, I thoroughly recommend it as a vintage purchase, it will not disappoint, and I predict it to rise in worth over time.

Most of all, it is just so iconic, you will never get a watch like it again.

adr · 23 September 2009, 02:27 AM

Steve great find, great read & great links. Truly a beauty & never fade against time....

guys, please advise why Rolex discontinued this model & how long this model appear in the market ?

Lol-x · 23 September 2009, 11:07 PM

Thanks guys for all the well wishes.
This watch cost in the high teen 000's.
The 1655 model was commenced in or about 1971 and discontinued in or about 1985.

shaugn · 23 September 2009, 11:34 PM

Great acquisition Steve! Congrats!

This one is high on my wish list as well!...

fusionstorm · 24 September 2009, 02:10 AM

Lovely piece with papers and original box! What would the correct Explorer booklet for this run nowadays?

Lol-x · 25 September 2009, 04:06 PM

The 1655 is pure 70's Retro

There is nothing more 70's from Rolex than the legacy of the 1655.

1655-9.jpg

I don't think I will every find a dial/hands combo that is quite so stylized for the 1970's as this Explorer dial. It's funky design will give it a huge collector potential in years to come.

Tombstone · 25 September 2009, 07:06 PM

Way to go I, I love it as well.

onkyo · 26 September 2009, 02:16 AM

What a beauty Steve.... (even with that huge ding at 4 o'clock

).

27 August 2009, 11:33 AM	#33
Lol-x Facilitator Join Date: Nov 2005 Real Name: Steve Location: Omnipresent Posts: 33,564	Thanks guys for all the positive well wishes. This watch is vintage, so you might be expecting a little too much for it to be perfect. But, it is a great example IMHO. Here's a couple more photos: The 'doof' at the 4 on the bezel is a little disappointing, but it shows the watch has not been a safe queen 1655-7.jpg The mark on the bezel really isn't noticable is it when you look at it like this 1655-8.jpg Although quite clear the markings on this dial lend themselves to confusion. The 2.5 minute markers are easily mistaken for 5 minute markers The dial is a lot of fun and has a very 1970's style that is really unique in the Rolex dial range. It doesn't have the usual GMT,Sub,SD dial markings except for the 12, 6 & 9 markers. I love the way the hands are blacked out at and about their central point to the dial. This gives the hand a floating illusion and is akin to some aircraft cockpit instrumentation. The large orange triangle hand is also unique to Rolex models. It adds a great splash of colour. Finally the second hand is white, not white gold, just painted white, again a very different feature to other vintage and current Rolex tool watches. All in all this watch is a winner, and given it was produced from 1971 - 1984 the supply is finite and it is a great collectable whose price is likely to steadily rise over time. __________________ *Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.* ~Abraham Lincoln Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F. Kennedy ROLEXploitation - yeah I'm a victim

27 August 2009, 12:31 PM	#34
Tools TRF Moderator & 2024 SubLV41 Patron Join Date: May 2007 Real Name: Larry Location: Mojave Desert Watch: GMT's Posts: 43,500	Grat ;pplomg watcj///"doof" amd a;;////// Now I'll try thlat with my fingers in the right place.. Great looking watch "doof" an all............ __________________ (Chill ... It's just a watch Forum.....) NAWCC Member

27 August 2009, 12:44 PM	#35
maverick Banned Join Date: May 2005 Real Name: maverick Location: Prescott Watch: Rolex Posts: 1,180	Wow,that's SUPER >>> That is a beautiful 1655, congratulations. =) maverick

27 August 2009, 03:49 PM	#36
Lol-x Facilitator Join Date: Nov 2005 Real Name: Steve Location: Omnipresent Posts: 33,564	Thanks once again guys and a special thanks to the guys at Rolex Australia Service Centre in Melbourne. When I received the watch the endlinks were a little compressed, but thanks to the friendly and efficient service of the guys in the Service Centre at Rolex Australia, Melbourne, this (major issue to me ) was rectified in a matter of minutes. Thank you guys very much. __________________ *Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.* ~Abraham Lincoln Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F. Kennedy ROLEXploitation - yeah I'm a victim

27 August 2009, 03:53 PM	#37
diablojota "TRF" Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Real Name: Frank Location: Chattanooga, TN Watch: SS Submariner Date Posts: 4,042	That is a stunning looking watch, Steve. Congratulations on quite an exquisite purchase. What a beauty. __________________ RTFT - Read The Friggin' Thread FcB

27 August 2009, 06:27 AM	#31
Spark "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Real Name: Mark Location: U.K. Watch: Too Many Posts: 2,097	That's been a long time coming Steve, but it sure looks like it was worth it. Congrats and wear that beauty in good health mate

27 August 2009, 07:26 AM	#32
Omega_Precision Banned Join Date: Dec 2008 Real Name: Henry Location: CA, US Watch: ing basketball Posts: 2,977	Congrats Steve! It's very nice and I love how the orange hand has the nice little fade.

27 August 2009, 04:06 PM	#38
Lol-x Facilitator Join Date: Nov 2005 Real Name: Steve Location: Omnipresent Posts: 33,564	Thanks Frank, not an easy watch to photograph. However I will try to take some better photos soon : __________________ *Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.* ~Abraham Lincoln Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F. Kennedy ROLEXploitation - yeah I'm a victim

27 August 2009, 08:57 PM	#39
Gaijin 2024 ROLEX DATEJUST41 Pledge Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Japan Watch: ing your back. Posts: 16,179	Nicely Done Steve!

27 August 2009, 09:09 PM	#40
R1@160@alltimes "TRF" Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: USA Watch: ♛ Posts: 4,408	Awesome piece Steve!!! Enjoy it for many years. I actually ordered my own copy of The Rolex Report last night.....can't wait until it gets here __________________

27 August 2009, 10:02 PM	#41
Moe99 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Real Name: Kris Location: Texas, USA Watch: President Day Date Posts: 102	Beautiful and stunning.

27 August 2009, 11:50 PM	#42
Brushpup "TRF" Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Real Name: Patrick Location: Texas Watch: what I'm wearing Posts: 5,943	WOW Steve, Very impressive indeed and I'm very happy for you! About the dial confusion...Isn't this one of the things that made it unpopular at the time? Once again congrats on an awesome piece! __________________ *TRFs "AFTER DARK" Bar & NightClub Patron-Founding Member* PClub # 10 74,592 The safest place for your watch is on your wrist.

28 August 2009, 10:02 AM	#43
Lol-x Facilitator Join Date: Nov 2005 Real Name: Steve Location: Omnipresent Posts: 33,564	I don't know what made the EXII unpopular back in the 1970-80's. It was a time where digital watches were at their peak. Maybe it was the lack of clarity of the dial that affected it's popularity. I do know that according to Skeet & Urul "Vintage Rolex Sports Models" that Rolex on this rare occasion agreed to change a 1655 EXII dial over for a 1675 GMT dial for Oliver Shepard for the purposes of his Transglobe Expedition of 1979-82. Quite remarkable for Rolex to do that and I can only guess it was to make the dial more legible. EX-GMT.jpg __________________ *Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.* ~Abraham Lincoln Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F. Kennedy ROLEXploitation - yeah I'm a victim

30 August 2009, 12:30 AM	#44
SLS "TRF" Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Real Name: Scott Location: GMT -7 Watch: GMT's & Sub's Posts: 10,401	Great looking piece Steve, the 1655 is on my short list...but sadly I am also short on the cash! Enjoy it! Scott __________________ "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of lower price is forgotten." -Benjamin Franklin Member No. 922

30 August 2009, 12:36 AM	#45
Submarino "TRF" Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Real Name: Mr. H Location: Dallas Watch: them for me! Posts: 7,180	Amazing watch!!!! __________________ WATCHES ARE THE NEW CURRENCY!/ MEMBER 27491/OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED OLD TIMER /AP OWNERS CLUB MEMBER Instagram @watchcollectinglifestyle

22 September 2009, 04:40 AM	#46
dgill "TRF" Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Real Name: Don Location: Huntsville Watch: Explorer II 1655 Posts: 6	could you please tell me how much you paid for this watch?

22 September 2009, 04:42 AM	#47
Rebel "TRF" Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Real Name: Dr Mark R Nail Location: New Albany Watch: Tudor Sub 75090 Posts: 8,241	__________________ ------------------------------- Member of the Nylon Nation

22 September 2009, 04:54 AM	#49
DadsWatch72 Banned Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: USA Watch: DRSD 1665 #3551XXX Posts: 2,401	Very nice Explorer, congrats.

22 September 2009, 05:21 AM	#50
Tools TRF Moderator & 2024 SubLV41 Patron Join Date: May 2007 Real Name: Larry Location: Mojave Desert Watch: GMT's Posts: 43,500	Again... You got a real beauty Steve.. I think that the Exp II was really pretty popular in the 70's.....very much a working mans watch.. It, along with many others and entire watch companies, got slammed by the quarts and digital revolution where you could now display a lighted 24 hr display, and show it for any place in the world.. Kind of left the Exp II without much of a market at the time as the dial was very 'business-like"... I believe that is why it got a more dressy treatment...... expand the market out to the wannabe explorers.... __________________ (Chill ... It's just a watch Forum.....) NAWCC Member

22 September 2009, 06:25 AM	#51
uberman20 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Real Name: Charlie Location: Milwaukee, WI Watch: Rolex Sub., 1680 Posts: 23	I am painfully jealous! Congrats on the beautiful piece :)

22 September 2009, 11:01 PM	#52
ob1 Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Real Name: Mark Location: canterbury Watch: new pussycat? Posts: 635	Sorry to get in so late, I've been having problems getting onto TRF, but you know that better than I Steve. Congratulations on finding such a beautiful watch. Its an absolute winner I also like the way the hands seem to float too. Wear it in the very best of health

22 September 2009, 11:22 PM	#53
Lol-x Facilitator Join Date: Nov 2005 Real Name: Steve Location: Omnipresent Posts: 33,564	Thanks guys, I love this watch, I thoroughly recommend it as a vintage purchase, it will not disappoint, and I predict it to rise in worth over time. Most of all, it is just so iconic, you will never get a watch like it again. __________________ *Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.* ~Abraham Lincoln Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F. Kennedy ROLEXploitation - yeah I'm a victim

23 September 2009, 02:27 AM	#54
adr "TRF" Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Malaysia Posts: 185	Steve great find, great read & great links. Truly a beauty & never fade against time.... guys, please advise why Rolex discontinued this model & how long this model appear in the market ?

23 September 2009, 11:07 PM	#55
Lol-x Facilitator Join Date: Nov 2005 Real Name: Steve Location: Omnipresent Posts: 33,564	Thanks guys for all the well wishes. This watch cost in the high teen 000's. The 1655 model was commenced in or about 1971 and discontinued in or about 1985. __________________ *Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.* ~Abraham Lincoln Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F. Kennedy ROLEXploitation - yeah I'm a victim

23 September 2009, 11:34 PM	#56
shaugn "TRF" Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Real Name: Shaun Location: Singapore Watch: 1680 Posts: 4	Great acquisition Steve! Congrats! This one is high on my wish list as well!...

24 September 2009, 02:10 AM	#57
fusionstorm "TRF" Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Piedmont, CA Watch: various vintage Posts: 2,272	Lovely piece with papers and original box! What would the correct Explorer booklet for this run nowadays?

25 September 2009, 04:06 PM	#58
Lol-x Facilitator Join Date: Nov 2005 Real Name: Steve Location: Omnipresent Posts: 33,564	The 1655 is pure 70's Retro There is nothing more 70's from Rolex than the legacy of the 1655. 1655-9.jpg I don't think I will every find a dial/hands combo that is quite so stylized for the 1970's as this Explorer dial. It's funky design will give it a huge collector potential in years to come. __________________ *Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.* ~Abraham Lincoln Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F. Kennedy ROLEXploitation - yeah I'm a victim

25 September 2009, 07:06 PM	#59
Tombstone "TRF" Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Real Name: Richard Location: LV, NV Watch: LV Sub and others Posts: 2,689	Way to go I, I love it as well. __________________ Always working...by choice

26 September 2009, 02:16 AM	#60
onkyo Banned Join Date: Apr 2008 Real Name: Pav Location: Manhattan Posts: 11,495	What a beauty Steve.... (even with that huge ding at 4 o'clock ).

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