MK Personal Collection Rare Steve McQueen Orange Hand Rolex Explorer II Wristwatch Ref 1655 Circa 1972

MK Personal Collection The present lot is part of a larger privately held collection and is intended for exhibition purposes only. Rare Steve McQueen Orange Hand Rolex Explorer II Wristwatch Ref 1655 Circa 1972. This is a very rare and unusual Rolex Explorer II with orange hands in a steel three piece case is topped with an engraved black fixed bezel that measures 47.60mm x 42.00mm including the crown (Ref 1655 Serial # 2.907.153). It has a Cal. 1575 GMT, rhodium plated, 26 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to temperatures and 5 positions, shock absorber, self-compensating free-sprung Breguet balance spring, Microstella regulating screws, hack mechanism that is in good running condition (Serial # D999.211). The watch is topped with an original black dial with luminous indexes, aperture for the date at 3 o'clock with luminous white bâton hands and a large orange arrow to indicate the diurnal and nocturnal hours on the 24-hour graduated bezel. The watch is in overall excellent condition. It is accompanied with the original fitted box and papers. Rolex launched the Explorer II in 1971, which provided a fresh update to the existing ‘Explorer’ line. Designed as a versatile aide for intrepid explorers, the bright orange luminous 24-hour triangle tipped hand glowed under any light condition. Rolex introduced the watch for use by spelunkers (cave diving) and speleologists (cave researchers) where the use of a 24-hour hand is important for the wearer to be able to differentiate between night and day. These watches also have the nickname ‘Freccione’ meaning ‘big arrow’ in Italian and are sometimes falsely called the “Steve McQueen” despite no evidence he ever owned or wore one. A slow seller when initially released, the reference 1655 has gained a cult following due its unusual and distinctive design.