Rolex Explorer II for Sale: The Watch Built for the Dark
The 1971 watch for people who cannot see the sun: fixed 24-hour bezel, orange hand, Polar or black. Sourced on request, verified in house.
Send us the reference, year, dial, or budget you want. Our team will check available options through our verified dealer network.
Tap any reference to see live results, or send the reference through our request form and we will confirm availability.
39mm. The original: calibre 1575, matte black dial only, orange hand fixed as a pure AM and PM indicator
40mm. Transitional: calibre 3085 adds the independent 12-hour hand, first Polar white dial, cream dial variants collectible
40mm. Longest run: calibre 3185, then 3186 late in production, black or Polar, the value entry to the line
42mm. 40th anniversary release: calibre 3187, the 1655 style orange hand returns on the maxi case
42mm. Current reference: calibre 3285, 70-hour power reserve, slimmer lugs and a wider bracelet
With nothing on the shelf today we will not pin dollar figures to watches we have not bought yet, but the ladder is stable: the 16570 is typically the least expensive discontinued steel sport Rolex you can buy, the 216570 sits above it, the current 226570 above that, and 16550 pricing swings hard on whether the dial is white or cream.
A vintage 1655 plays by different rules entirely: it is priced on the match between serial, bezel mark, hands and dial, and a correct example costs several times a modern reference. When you request a piece we quote a firm number against live dealer network cost, and you approve it before we commit a dollar.
Every Rolex Explorer II for sale traces back to the strangest brief Rolex ever accepted: build a watch for people who cannot see the sun. Launched in 1971 for cave explorers and polar crews, it pairs a fixed 24-hour bezel with a bright orange hand so the dial can answer one blunt question, whether 7 o'clock means morning or night.
We are an independent pre-owned dealer with by-appointment offices in Brickell, Aventura and Downtown Los Angeles, and we will be straight with you: no Explorer II sits in our case today. The line trades thin and moves fast, so we work it on request. Name the reference and dial you want, we source it through our vetted dealer network, authenticate it in house and back it with a one-year warranty.
The first Explorer II, reference 1655, arrived in 1971 with a 39mm steel case, the calibre 1575, a matte black dial and no choice about any of it. The bezel does not rotate: it is engraved with 24 hours and fixed, and the orange hand sweeping against it was locked to the main hour hand. It could not track a second time zone. Its only job was to tell a speleologist three days underground, or a researcher in an Arctic summer, whether the dial's 7 meant morning or evening. Water resistance was 100 meters, and still is across the entire line.
The 1985 reference 16550 quietly turned that trick into a travel tool. Its calibre 3085 let the 12-hour hand jump independently, so the orange hand became a real second time zone. It also introduced the white dial collectors now call Polar, and botched some of them: a lacquer defect aged certain white dials to cream, and those accidents now command the premium. The 16570 that followed in 1989 ran for 22 years at 40mm on the calibre 3185, later the 3186, in black or Polar white.
For the model's 40th anniversary in 2011, the 216570 grew the case to 42mm, brought back a full-width orange hand in the 1655 style and fitted the calibre 3187. The current 226570 of 2021 keeps the 42mm case but slims the lugs, widens the bracelet and runs the calibre 3285, with a Chronergy escapement and roughly 70 hours of power reserve.
About the legend: the 1655 is nicknamed the Steve McQueen, yet there is no verified photograph of McQueen wearing one. He is documented in a Submariner 5512. The name likely came out of the Italian trade in the 1980s and stuck hard enough to move auction results ever since. We price 1655s on bezel, dial and hand originality, not on a story.
Explorer II requests reach our Brickell and Aventura offices most often from buyers trading out of louder two-tone pieces, and in the Downtown LA Jewelry District it is the reference the trade itself tends to wear. Either coast, the buy happens by appointment: we bring the watch in, Polar versus black gets settled on your own wrist, and nothing is paid until you have seen it under the loupe.
The white Polar dial is the line's signature and usually the faster seller on the 16570 and 226570. On the 16570 it frames markers and hands in black, which reads sportier than the glossy black version. Decide before we source: your dial choice changes both the quote and how quickly we find the watch.
Across 22 years the 16570 changed underneath one name: lug holes disappeared in the early 2000s, the engraved rehaut arrived near the end, and late watches carry the calibre 3186 with a Parachrom hairspring instead of the 3185. An early holes 3185 watch and a late no-holes 3186 watch suit different buyers, so tell us which era you want.
On the transitional 16550, white dials that aged to cream through a lacquer flaw now outprice correct white examples. That premium attracts trouble: a cream 16550 needs its dial verified as original, because a service swap to a newer white dial permanently erases the value, and recreations exist.
Both are 42mm with the orange hand, so you are really choosing movements and proportions. The discontinued 216570 runs the calibre 3187, the current 226570 the 3285 with 70 hours of reserve, slimmer lugs and a wider bracelet. If wrist time matters more than the spec sheet, the 216570 is the sensible saving.
We source pre-owned Rolex watches through a network of dealers we have worked with directly, not through anonymous listings.
Every watch is inspected against the reference by our independent watchmakers before it is offered to a customer.
Insured shipping with full coverage and signature on delivery, sent only after payment is cleared and the watch is approved.
Pick up in person at our New York, Los Angeles, Miami Brickell, or Aventura locations after the watch is confirmed and authenticated.
Send photos and basic details, and our team can review your watch for a potential purchase or trade-in. Trade-in credit can be applied directly toward the watch you are buying from us.
How much does a used Rolex Explorer II cost?
Reference drives the price: a 16570 is typically the least expensive discontinued steel sport Rolex, the 42mm 216570 and 226570 cost more, and a correct 1655 costs several times any of them. We quote a firm figure when we source your specific watch, and you approve it before we buy.
Do you have a Rolex Explorer II for sale right now?
Not today: Explorer II stock trades thin, so we source the exact reference and dial you want through our vetted dealer network, usually within days. You approve a firm quote first, and the watch passes our authentication review before you pay the balance.
How do you verify an Explorer II is authentic?
Every Explorer II we sell is opened and inspected in house: the calibre must match the reference, 3185 or 3186 in a 16570, 3285 in a 226570, alongside dial, bezel and rehaut checks. We are not an authorized dealer, so our review answers to you, not to a brand.
Why is the Explorer II 1655 called the Steve McQueen?
The nickname is a trade invention: there is no verified photograph of Steve McQueen wearing a 1655, and he is documented in a Submariner 5512. The name likely spread from the Italian market in the 1980s, and it still moves 1655 prices today.
Can the Rolex Explorer II track a second time zone?
Yes, on every reference from the 16550 of 1985 onward: the 12-hour hand sets independently, so the orange 24-hour hand can hold a second zone against the fixed bezel. The original 1655 could not, its orange hand was purely an AM and PM indicator.
Where can I buy a used Rolex Explorer II in Miami or Los Angeles?
By appointment at our offices in Brickell, Aventura and the Downtown LA Jewelry District. Because the line is low-volume we usually source your exact Explorer II first, then you inspect it in person or take free insured FedEx Priority Overnight delivery anywhere in the US. Payment is cash, Zelle, wire or crypto.