Very Rare 1972 Mk1 Unpolished Rolex 1655 Explorer 2 ‘Steve McQueen’

Here we have an absolutely stunning one owner unpolished Rolex 1655 Explorer II Orange Hand, with rare straight seconds hand, mint condition MK1 dial and lovely yellow lume patina!

This very rare mk1 dial watch with a 3.18m serial dates it to late 1972 and has become known by enthusiasts as the “Steve McQueen” or the “Freccione”.

Finding good condition early mk1 dial Steve McQueen Explorers with straight seconds hand is not a simple task these days – they are one of the rarest standard production vintage Rolex sports watches out there!

This one owner watch however is superb. It has a great thick case with unpolished lugs still showing the original wide bevels and only softened slightly from regular wear. The serial number and model number are clearly readable between the lugs and has a very good condition early mk2 fixed bezel as is usual with many mk1 dial watches.

Comes on an original Rolex 7836 folded link undated bracelet with only a little typical stretch. Movement is clean and keeping good time.

They don’t become available very often and this one is out of my own personal collection.