Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces
Monaco, Jan 24, 2021
LOT 153
ROLEX, REF. 1655, EXPLORER II “STEEVE MCQUEEN”, STRAIGHT HAND, RETAILED BY TIFFANY & CO, STEEL*
Fine and very rare stainless steel, self-winding wristwatch, caseback engraved, black dial Mark 1 with 24 hours and date at 3.
Brand Rolex
Model Explorer II
Reference 1655
Year Circa 1970
Movement No. D44911
Case No. 2919949
Bracelet stainless steel Oyster bracelet Ref. 7836 endlinks 380, with stainless steel deployant clasp 3-72 signed
Caliber 1570
Dimensions 39 mm
Signature Case, dial and movement
EUR 20,000 - 30,000 *
USD 24,000 - 36,000 / HKD 186,000 - 279,000
Sold: EUR 31,200
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 2-8 |
Very good Slightly scratched |
Movement: 2* |
Very good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 2-01 |
Very good HANDS Original |
Notes
Caseback III.71
* a 20% import VAT is due on the hammer price, only if it is delivered within the EU.
Hans Wilsdorf loves exploits, as evidenced by the Rolex watches that have equipped many adventurers. He designed and manufactured the Explorer I for Sir Edmund Hillary who decided to climb Mount Everest, "the roof of the world", at an altitude of 8,848 m. Designed to withstand all kinds of challenges, it is robust, reliable, readable and precise. It raises the brand to the rank of iconic myth-maker: a true legend is born, and the manufacturer strikes hard with this historic model.
Then Rolex launched production of the Explorer II in 1971 with the reference 1655. Instead of presenting an improved version of the Explorer I, a brand new model was introduced. A 24-hour steel bezel with a 24-hour scale allows the explorer working underground, mainly speleologists, to distinguish between day and night. For better legibility, there is a central orange GMT hand which Italian dealers call "freccione", from Freccia meaning arrow, and which is most probably a legacy of the taste for extravagant colours of the 1970s. Typical of the 1655 reference, the steel bezel is engraved and enamelled 24 hours with " thin " Arabic numerals. It has undergone 4 di"erent evolutions; here we are facing a first generation Explorer II called Mark I.
What makes this model so original is the presence of the retailer's signature on the dial: Ti"any. If it was designed for scientists, it is to the famous Hollywood actor "Steve McQueen" that it owes its fame and nickname, even if there is no certainty that he never owned a model...
Then Rolex launched production of the Explorer II in 1971 with the reference 1655. Instead of presenting an improved version of the Explorer I, a brand new model was introduced. A 24-hour steel bezel with a 24-hour scale allows the explorer working underground, mainly speleologists, to distinguish between day and night. For better legibility, there is a central orange GMT hand which Italian dealers call "freccione", from Freccia meaning arrow, and which is most probably a legacy of the taste for extravagant colours of the 1970s. Typical of the 1655 reference, the steel bezel is engraved and enamelled 24 hours with " thin " Arabic numerals. It has undergone 4 di"erent evolutions; here we are facing a first generation Explorer II called Mark I.
What makes this model so original is the presence of the retailer's signature on the dial: Ti"any. If it was designed for scientists, it is to the famous Hollywood actor "Steve McQueen" that it owes its fame and nickname, even if there is no certainty that he never owned a model...