Rolex Explorer II ref. 16550, Cream 'Rail' Dial

Dealer description — Oliver & Clarke

The Rolex Explorer’s core has always been in rugged expedition. While it was originally born out of the Everest celebratory Explorer I - the Explorer II was designed for cave diving. Officially known as spelunking ! While the initial run of Explorer II, the Reference 1655, or 'McQueen' ( spoiler: there is no evidence of a connection or that he ever wore one, but the nickname stuck! ) had black dials with orange accents, while later iterations like the Ref. 16570 added a white dial to the mix. These are commonly referred to as ‘Polar’ dials and they are among the most striking Rolex dials of the last 40 years or so, due to their monochromatic scheme with gloss white dials and blackened outer white gold indices. The watch that we have here, however, is something slightly different to your typical 'Polar.' Prior to the release of the long-running Ref. 16570, there was the Reference 16550 — the first 'Polar.' On the surface these look nearly identical to their successor, but when you look a little closer, there are a few differences, with the most notable being the dial. Ultimately because of the way that these dials were produced, a small run of these early pieces have aged over the years to a variety of cream-tones. The piece that we have here, is one of those early watches. Dating to circa 1987, it comes from nearly the end of Ref. 16550 production and is offered in outstanding overall condition. The case has been professionally refurbished to factory specification, with thick and symmetrical lugs and beautiful chamfers present. The steel 24-hr bezel retains strong finishing and shows only minimal loss of the black paint within the engraved numerals. The real highlight here, however, is that dial. It has aged to a desirable cream tone, and what make this particular piece even more compelling , is the patina that the indices exhibit. Generally, the Tritium-filled white gold indices retain a white or slightly off-white color, but this example has also patinated to a rich cream-tone. The result is a one of the finest 16550 dials that we have ever come across. The handset also matches the dial beautifully both to the naked eye and under UV inspection. Rounding out the package, this piece is accompanied by its inner and outer boxes, booklets, green vinyl folder, and punched papers dated 2/27/1987. All things considered, this is an excellent and compelling example of a neo-vintage model with a cult following, and frankly, are surfacing less and less on the open market.