Black Dial 16550 Rolex Explorer II

The transitional 16550 is a perfect Explorer II. I know, the 1655 is also perfect. But the 16550 isn’t even close to as famous, so we’re here to help correct that. The Polar 16550, more often known by its cream dial patina, is the ultimate Explorer II to my eye. But the black dial 16550 is almost never discussed in that same warm light. Why not? I know, the light dial is something you don’t get in many other Rolex professional models. But this has all the many beautiful nuances of the fantastic 16550 look and doesn’t really carry a super significant premium. One of the last great approachable yet collectable Rolex areas? Perhaps.

What’s special here if anything? Well, that’s relative. But the first and obvious thing, to lean into the 5-digit’s greatest trope, is the utility. Where the 1655 simply measured a fixed 24-hour time, the 16550 was the first to feature an independently jumping hour hand meaning you could now track two time zones. That’s not a small difference. This was the first time an Explorer II could really be considered an alternative to a GMT-Master, functionally.

Then we have to talk about design, and particularly that bezel font. The latter 16570’s bezel feels almost limp by comparison, something about this squared bold was far ahead of its time design-wise. And lastly, this might be the only vintage Rolex in the world where white gold surrounds feel desirable to me. The black surrounds which took over in the 16570 are what most people thing of in Explorer II. White gold was a brief flash of transitional production, and the unusual oddity of seeing them applied to an Explorer II’s design is kind of lovely.

And then there’s just so much to learn. From the brief flash of rail dial production to late examples that slowly transitioned over the 16570 look, still within reference 16550. For example, there’s a Rolex ad from the end of production that shows a 16550 with a light font 16570 bezel advertised as 16550, that end-of-production was a gradual progression and not a hard stop like references are today. But these bezels are better. And now to bring back in cream dials or Chicchi indices, well, I love how nerdy it is. And this is one of those edge cases where often the hands aged a bit lighter than the dial, which we see on this example. It doesn’t really ever get the spotlight with a black dial, because it’s not that rare or that sexy. But it is all the discreet Professional Rolex travel watch you’ll ever need, and that’s enough. A Reinhold Messner you can actually travel with (he wore a 1655).

On condition, this example might not be everyone’s taste but it’s strong. The case is likely just worn and not ever likely to have seen a refinisher’s wheel. The bevels are strong, the caseback sticker is on. Further, there’s no enamel loss inside the bezel. The hand tritium is a touch light than the dial tritium, we often see that here. That might be an aesthetic dealbreaker for some, but within reason, as here, it does not mean this is a service handset. The watch comes from a well-regarded Zurich retailer.