1986 Rolex Explorer II “Spider Dial” [Sold]

The Rolex ref 16550 was a transitional model between the first Explorer II, the 1655, and the later and more well-known 16570. It’s upgraded movement with jumping hour function allowed the user to track a second time zone, even with the fixed 24-hour bezel. This particular example features a black dial that has both the rare “Rail Dial” (observe the spacing in the “Superlative Chronometer – Officially Certified”) and a “Spider Dial” – a special type of aging that occurred on the early glossy dials. This was typically “corrected” by Rolex at subsequent servicing, so it is not something we see very often! The tritium lume plots have aged to a light vanilla tone and the GMT hand is a later replacement.

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