White Dial, White-Gold Surrounds · White Dial, Rail
Explorer II Cream Rail Dial 16550 — White Dial, White-Gold Surrounds · White Dial, Rail
White-gold-surround white dial whose certification text forms a “rail”: the gaps between SUPERLATIVE/OFFICIALLY and CHRONOMETER/CERTIFIED line up vertically. Found from the first 1985 run. A textbook example pairs it with the fat-font bezel and a 9M serial. Dated examples: case 8'881'758 (1985, among the first), 9'100'045 (1986), 9'105'855 (sold March 1986), 9'720'297 (c. 1986), 9.58M (c. 1987), R305712 (c. 1987).
Identifying details
- Rail dial
The “C” of CHRONOMETER sits directly over the “C” of CERTIFIED, leaving a straight vertical gap (a “rail”) through the certification text.
Variants of 16550
Reference overview →| Variant | Production |
|---|---|
| Black Dial | Undated |
| White Dial, White-Gold Surrounds | Undated |
| White Dial, White-Gold Surrounds · White Dial, RailCurrent | 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 Cream Dial 16550Read more at Loupe This (opens in a new tab)
- Rolex Explorer II with Rare Transitional Cream Rail Dial (16550)Read more at European Watch Company (opens in a new tab)
- Rolex Explorer II 16550 “Cream Rail Dial”Read more at Chrono.dk (opens in a new tab)
- Rolex Polar Explorer II Ultimate Buying GuideRead more at Bob's Watches