The short answer
The ref 1655 is the original Rolex Explorer II, built from 1971 into the mid 1980s. Everything that makes it recognisable is also what makes it hard to copy well: a 39mm steel case, an acrylic crystal, a fixed 24-hour bezel in steel, a black dial with a long orange 24-hour hand, and a date window at 3 with no magnifier over it. If a replica gets those five things right, it reads correctly across a table. If it misses one, you notice in seconds. The biggest offender is the date window, because a lot of so-called 1655 builds are actually 16570 cases with a cyclops glued on, and no amount of dial work hides that.
What the 1655 actually is
Rolex introduced the Explorer II in 1971 as a tool for people who lose track of day and night: cavers, polar researchers, long-haul drivers. The 24-hour hand runs against a fixed bezel, so you can read morning or afternoon without thinking. The case is 39mm, the lugs are drilled, and the bracelet moved from folded links to solid links across the production run.
Dial generations are usually labelled Mk1 through Mk5 by collectors, and the print at 6 o'clock differs between them. That matters for copies, since a rep maker working from a photo of one dial often mixes details from two. Two lines of text in the wrong order is a fingerprint.
About the "Steve McQueen" name
It gets used constantly and it is not accurate. McQueen was photographed with a Submariner, not an Explorer II, and the nickname attached itself to the 1655 later through dealers and forum shorthand. The Italian nickname has more truth in it. Collectors call the watch Freccione, big arrow, after the orange hand. If a listing leads with the McQueen story, treat the rest of the description as marketing until proven otherwise.
Where replica 1655s go wrong
- Case thickness. Originals sit slim under a cuff. Many reps add a millimetre or two, which you feel rather than see.
- The orange hand. Length matters. It should reach close to the inner edge of the bezel track, not stop short, and the arrow should be slim rather than chunky.
- Bezel numerals. Photo comparisons are worth the effort. Font weight varies across real production, so match the specific example you're copying.
- Crystal material. Acrylic, and it should dome slightly. A flat sapphire with a cyclops is a 16570 wearing a costume.
- Dial print. Look at the spacing between lines and the font of the depth rating line. Fuzzy embroidery-style print is the usual tell.
- Crown guards. Too thick or too square, and the whole case loses its shape.
Movement, and the 24-hour hand test
Originals used a GMT-based movement with a slow-set date. On the watch, the 24-hour hand has its own crown position and the main hands drive the date change. Cheap replicas fake this. If the orange hand simply moves with the hour hand, or refuses to move on its own, you are looking at a faux-GMT module. Mid-tier builds typically use a 2836-based GMT automatic or a 6460-style movement, and both will do the job once the hand length and bezel alignment are right. Ask which movement and how the 24-hour hand is set before you commit.
Questions worth asking a seller
- Which reference case is this, and what is the measured width in millimetres?
- Is the crystal acrylic or sapphire, and is there a cyclops?
- Does the 24-hour hand set independently from the hour hand?
- Photos of the caseback and the lugs straight on, not angled.
- Which dial generation is the print copied from?
A reality check
Counterfeit watches can be seized at the border and selling them in the US carries real trademark exposure. Buying one for yourself is a gray area, not a green light. Treat the money as spent on a look and a feel, not on value. A well-built 1655 homage with correct proportions will always read better than a copy with a wrong crystal, and it will not fall apart in a year.