
Alexandre de Lamberterie
Specialist
€22,000 - €28,000
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Rolex's Explorer models were watches designed and intended for adventurers. While the Explorer I was marketed to mountain climbers, the Explorer II with its 24-hour graduated bezel and its large, luminescent 24-hour hand arrow, was intended for those spending extended time in dark environments, such as spelunkers.
Launched in 1985, the Rolex Explorer II reference 16550 was the first Explorer II model to be fitted with a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. Only in production for less than a handful of years, it has become a favourite amongst collectors of Rolex sport watches. Due to a flaw in the paint used in the reference's earliest dials, watches fitted with originally white dials are often seen with tones that have aged to pleasing shades of ivory or cream.
The most coveted among these are those fitted with "rail" dials, as found on this extremely well-preserved example. The term "rail" is used to describe the near perfect alignment of the vertical space between the text written across the two lines on the dial at 6 o'clock. You will notice "Superlative" and "Officially" are on the left, while "Chronometer" and "Certified" are on the right.