1971 Rolex Explorer II “Freccione” MK1 Dial & Bezel 1655 on Bracelet

Here we have one of the rare and first year of production 1971 Rolex Explorer II “Freccione” MK1 Dial & Bezel 1655, so named “Freccione” which means Arrow in reference to its orange GMT hand. First released in 1971 and remaining in production until 1985, nicknamed the ‘Steve McQueen’ after using his image in a Rolex marketing campaign to promote the watch. The 40mm polished and brushed stainless steel Oyster case curves over your wrist, featuring thick, tapered lugs with a still visible serial number, a lug-to-lug length of 47mm, and a case thickness of 12.5mm, which gives the watch an impressive wrist presence. On the right side at 3 o’clock, a signed screw-down crown is protected by crown guards. The stainless steel MK1 bezel has large 24-hour numerals engraved into it, painted black, holding a domed plexiglass crystal above a black MK1 dial. Squares of Tritium mark the 24 hours, while baton indexes coated in Tritium mark the hours. At 3 o’clock, a date window with cyclops magnification is located on the plexiglass. At 12 o’clock, an inverted triangle coated in Tritium, slender minute and hour hands are filled with Tritium, and a large triangular tipped 24-hour GMT hand hits the square marker precisely. Over time, the orange hand has faded, complemented by a stick sweeping second hand. At 12 o’clock, we have the Rolex motif with “Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date Explorer II” printed underneath, and at 6 o’clock “, Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” completes this rugged vintage travel companion. On the reverse, a screw-down coin-edged case back, inside an automatic Rolex Cal. 1575, 25 jewels, 19,800 beats per hour, this quality movement was introduced in 1965. The watch comes paired with its original signed 1971 folded link 7836, 20mm Rolex Oyster stainless steel bracelet, with 280 End links and a signed folded clasp, and will fit up to a 7.1-inch wrist.

This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and therefore comes with no Rolex box or Rolex paperwork. The watch comes paired with its original signed 1971 folded link 7836 20mm Rolex Oyster stainless steel bracelet, with 280 End links and a signed folded clasp, and will fit up to a 7.1-inch wrist. The watch is from Circa. 1971 and is in worn, vintage condition, but overall in good condition, as you can see. The dial and bezel are both MK1; the dial and hands are original tritium. The reference number is no longer visible due to rubbing and general wear on the bracelet. The inner case back has ‘1655.11.71’ as you would expect. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.

The Rolex Explorer II 1655 is one of my favourite 4-digit sport models, and I have been fortunate enough to have sold a few over the years, but this is my first 'Mark 1' example, and it doesn't get much better than this. This example is from the very first year of production, 1971, and features its original MK1 dial, hands and bezel and even comes paired with its original 1971 folded link bracelet. An example destined for a great collection. I would not hesitate to book an appointment to see this gem in person for yourself!

Reference : 1655
Movement : Automatic Rolex Cal. 1575
Age : Circa. 1971
Year : 1971
Case Size : 39mm
Case Thickness : 12.5mm
Lug to Lug : 47mm
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box and Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
The wrist model's wrist size is 7inch

In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements which are installed in British cases and sold to jewellers who put their names on the dials. Recognising the potential for their brand, Wilsdorf created the brand name Rolex in 1908. In 1910, a Rolex became the first wristwatch to carry the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision, awarded by the Official Watch Rating Centre in Bienne, Switzerland. Demand for Rolex watches rose swiftly, and British taxes on the Swiss movements Rolex used prompted Wilsdorf to move the business to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1919. With production costs lowered, Wilsdorf quickly set out to solve the age-old problem of moisture and dust entering a watch case and damaging the movement. The Rolex watchmakers came up with a fully sealed watch case, which Wilsdorf named the Oyster, and released to an appreciative audience in 1926. In 1931, Rolex introduced the first automatic winding wristwatch, giving it the legendary name Oyster Perpetual. In 1945, they released Datejust. The Datejust was the first watch to have the date jump instantaneously at midnight. The 1950s saw a whole lot of releases such as the Air-King (1958), the Explorer (1953), the Submariner (1953), the GMT Master (1955), the Day-Date (1956), the electromagnetic field resistant Milgauss (1956), the Lady-Datejust (1957) and the first Deep Sea model (1960). Wilsdorf’s death in 1960, saw ownership of Rolex S.A. (a collection of sub-companies) passed to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation which was founded by Wilsdorf in 1945, the mission of which is simply to sustain Rolex S.A. indefinitely.