Rolex is famed for its instrument watches, watches which can be purposely designed to serve a function. Nonetheless, a instrument watch meant for cave explorers is considerably uncommon. That’s what they’d performed with the Rolex Explorer II, reference 1665 that was made between 1971 and 1985. To assist the exploration of caves the watch featured a date perform, a set 24-hour bezel, a 100-metre depth ranking, as there’s usually water in caves and famously a big vivid orange 24-hour hand, which made the watch so completely different from different Rolex instruments at the moment. These options had been very important to cave explorers or speleologists to present them their appropriate title, as they may spend so lengthy exploring caves they don’t know if it’s day or evening, not to mention what time it’s.
Rolex Explorer II Nicknames
Because of the massive orange 24-hour hand it has gained the nickname ‘Freccione’ amongst collectors. Nonetheless, this isn’t the one nickname the watch has. Resulting from poor gross sales, a watch focusing on speleologists would by no means be the most important vendor, they marketed the watch utilizing the famed Hollywood actor Steve McQueen. Resulting from this, the watch gained one other nickname ‘Steve McQueen’, regardless of him by no means sporting it. His day by day watch was the Rolex Submariner!
Gross sales Flop
The Rolex Explorer II 1665 follows the road of watches that had been gross sales flops of their time. Now they’re extremely wanted amongst collectors, such because the Daytona ‘Paul Newman’ and the primary Milgass, reference 6451. Nonetheless, the distribution of the watch by Rolex on the time might not have helped. There’s a handful of those Rolex watches, now vastly worthwhile and kind after watches, that includes Tiffany dials. I can’t think about many cave explorers popping into Tiffany to choose up their instrument watch!!!
For instance what a gross sales flop it was on the time, right here at Fellows a few years in the past we had a consumer who consigned a Rolex Explorer II 1665 roughly 10 years in the past (they don’t are available fairly often!) who acknowledged that when he popped into he’s native authorised supplier again in 1977 they discounted his Explorer II 1665 a lot it was solely £15 greater than the Explorer!! These had been the times, with no ready lists and Rolex providing reductions. How occasions have modified…
Rolex Explorer II at Public sale
Lot 157
Rolex – Explorer II
Estimate: £8,500 – £9,500
Viewing occasions (ID required):
LondonWednesday twenty first August 10:00-19:00
Birmingham
Wednesday twenty eighth August 10:00-16:00
Thursday twenty ninth August 8:30-10:00
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Steven Yambo | Watch Specialist
