One of the most sought-after wristwatches on planet Earth, the Explorer II (1655), was first introduced in 1971. It had a distinctive dial with an extra hour hand that was designed specifically for speleologists, or cave explorers, who Rolex claimed, "soon lose all notion of time - morning, afternoon, day or night."  The theory was that the extra hour hand - or 24 hour hand - would tell the explorers whether the 5 on the dial was 5.00am or 5.00pm (1700hrs).

This model has also been called the 'Steve McQueen Rolex'.  Steve McQueen may have worn a Heuer Monaco wristwatch in the film Le Mans, but in real life he wore a Rolex Explorer II, model 1655. The Explorer II is very popular among collectors today and this example is one of the best you could hope to find.

Pin sharp, beautiful patina'd dial and hands and complete with its inner and outer boxes, booklets, tag, translation papers, calendar, Rolex guarantee certificate and the original sales receipt from 1983 it represents the perfect investment for the serious collector who is looking for the rarest of rare.

All the watches for sale here are from my private collection. Several London dealers can verify their authenticity - and mine.