Black Dial
Explorer II 16550 — Black Dial
Glossy black dial with tritium markers in white-gold surrounds. A paint defect can make the black lacquer crack into a “spider” pattern. Dated example: case R383142, sold November 1987.
Made in smaller numbers than the references either side. Dated case numbers run from about 8.4M (1985; one sold new in January 1985) through 9.1M–9.7M (1986–1987) to R serials (1987–1988). The bezel exists with a fat, square font and a slimmer font.
Identifying details
- Independent hour hand
Local hour hand jumps in one-hour steps independently of the 24-hour hand.
- 24-hour hand
Fourth, 24-hour hand read against a 24-hour bezel for a second time zone.
- Quickset date
Date can be set rapidly with the crown.
- Date
Date display.
- Cyclops
Magnifying lens over the date.
Variants of 16550
Reference overview →| Variant | Production |
|---|---|
| Black DialCurrent | Undated |
| White Dial, White-Gold Surrounds | Undated |
| White Dial, White-Gold Surrounds · White Dial, Rail | Undated |
| White Dial, Black Surrounds | Undated |
Case & movement
- Reference
- 16550
- Production
- Undated
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case diameter
- 40 mm
- Water resistance
- 100 m
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Chronometer
- Yes
More specifications (2)
- Date
Movement
Rolex 3085
First Rolex GMT caliber whose local hour hand jumps in one-hour steps independently of the 24-hour hand, without stopping the watch. Used only in the ref. 16760.
Automatic · Introduced 1983 · 27 jewels
Read more
- Rolex Explorer II 16570Read more at aBlogtoWatch (opens in a new tab)
- Collector Guide: The Rolex Explorer II (All References In Detail)Read more at Beyond The Dial (Everest Bands) (opens in a new tab)
- In-Depth: The History of the Rolex Explorer II, The Ultimate Adventure WatchRead more at Monochrome Watches (opens in a new tab)
- The Ultimate Sports Rolex – The Explorer II Reference 1655Read more at Fratello