Got to look at a 1655 the other night...fell in love

[swiss_seth]

I was at my local AD and was looking over their pre-owned selection and there it was. I asked to see it and I must say I can see why people love this model. The dial seemed smaller in diameter than my 16610 and the plexi gave it a warm almost living feel.

It was unwound so I gave a few turns to the crown/mainspring and it started right up. Super smooth wind and the beat was slow and rhythmic. It is in pristine condition, no big shocker there as this AD has an authorized in-store Rolex watchmaker. Also it was nice and light feeling even compared to my D Sub. I can imagine it is very comfortable as a daily wearer.

I really fell in love with this design.

[Snow-Dweller]

It's the only vintage model that interests me.

[swiss_seth]

Originally Posted by Snow-Dweller

It's the only vintage model that interests me.

Gotta say I really love the older GMT's too. ca. 1970 etc

[onthedial]

@swiss_seth
...and so it's yours now, right?
______
Instagram: @onthedial

[jdmi32]

It's a quirky watch with a busy dial that makes it sometimes hard to tell the time and the fixed bezel makes it less useful than a GMT Master. Still, I really do enjoy my 1655.

[swish77]

Perhaps the funkiest, most interesting vintage Rolex dial. I love it. Screams '70s. I never have trouble telling time on mine, although I agree that the 24-hour hand isn't all that useful, alebit super cool-looking. If you don't know if it's day or night without looking at your watch, you're in trouble, even if you're in a cave.

[janice&fred]

i understand how someone individually could be attracted to that model when seeing one however it's purely subjective. unfortunately i do wonder if that subjective personal attraction is partly and sometimes subconsciously driven by it's recent (within the past decade or so) value spike by dealers pushing them as being sought after and collectible. honestly i and quite a few other collectors as well as dealers never really tripped over ourselves to snag one back before they became trendy. now before people pile on me defending their ownership, my wife and i don't have one, we actually have two of them...one an earlier straight hand version and the other a bit newer. we have them as over the years we managed to get them on the cheap. however in all honesty i think most of the hoopla on them is just hype as they made a gazillion of them over the years and aside from the market driven inflated value they really aren't anything special. to pay today's market value for one i would hope the purchaser is actually in love with it's looks and not influenced by the market.

[Mick P]

Originally Posted by swiss_seth

I was at my local AD and was looking over their pre-owned selection and there it was. I asked to see it and I must say I can see why people love this model. The dial seemed smaller in diameter than my 16610 and the plexi gave it a warm almost living feel.

It was unwound so I gave a few turns to the crown/mainspring and it started right up. Super smooth wind and the beat was slow and rhythmic. It is in pristine condition, no big shocker there as this AD has an authorized in-store Rolex watchmaker. Also it was nice and light feeling even compared to my D Sub. I can imagine it is very comfortable as a daily wearer.

I really fell in love with this design.

Seth

I bought a 1655 last year and I try to wear it in rotation with my other Rolex.

The 1655 is actually a bloody awful watch in that Rolex really did make a bad choice in the design of the dial. It has a mixture of a 12 and 24 hour markings on the periphery of the dial which makes it difficult to read and hence its nickname of the "disco dial". It takes about a month to learn how to quickly read the dial, so it is not the sort of watch that you would wear for short periods of time because you will always be at the bottom of the learning curve.

Also the orange 24 hand is fixed and all it does is confirm that 10.00pm is 22.00 hours. That may be useful if you are down in a cave with no clue if you are in the morning or evening but for 99% of us it is a totally redundant function.

The end result was that back in the 1970s and 1980s it was a very slow seller and relatively unloved.

So fast forward 35 years, it is very rare and hence very collectible and due to its scarcity, will always be so.

OK after all this negativity why did I buy it. The answer is that it is a dead sexy watch and I really enjoy wearing it. It may take me about 15 seconds to accurately read the time but its overall appearance is like no other.

It is the sort of watch that you ought to wear 365 days a year. It is light in weight, extremely comfortable to wear and after you have mastered the "disco dial", it is a real pleasure to wear.

It is, and always will be, a keeper for me.

Regards

Mick

[pkwu]

just got mine last week,still cant take it off...

[adam78]

I agree with all the sentiments here. I know the dial is very odd and hard to read, but strangely beautiful. I never liked the "albinos" -- orange always for me. Fred, the price has been in the mid-teens for nice examples for a number of years; I wish I had the foresight to buy mine when they were lower, but -- hey -- I only bought my first Submariner and Explorer in '07.

Still, I really don't regret buying mine last year. If anything, prices for comparable examples have gone up since then. I agree, though, that certain dealers' prices for certain nice ones do seem over-optimistic (and don't seem to be selling quickly).

[harry in montreal]

It's nuts how attractive the dial is. I still don't get why the Ranger II has not shot up like the Tudor subs.

[Cantab]

Next on my acquisition list, just need to seriously save.

[subx]

one of my fav dials to just geek out and stare at, lots of cool details ;)

[swish77]

Originally Posted by janice&fred

i understand how someone individually could be attracted to that model when seeing one however it's purely subjective. unfortunately i do wonder if that subjective personal attraction is partly and sometimes subconsciously driven by it's recent (within the past decade or so) value spike by dealers pushing them as being sought after and collectible. honestly i and quite a few other collectors as well as dealers never really tripped over ourselves to snag one back before they became trendy. now before people pile on me defending their ownership, my wife and i don't have one, we actually have two of them...one an earlier straight hand version and the other a bit newer. we have them as over the years we managed to get them on the cheap. however in all honesty i think most of the hoopla on them is just hype as they made a gazillion of them over the years and aside from the market driven inflated value they really aren't anything special. to pay today's market value for one i would hope the purchaser is actually in love with it's looks and not influenced by the market.

Don't agree, and "hype" can apply to any watch. Shall we talk about the "hype" over red 1680s? Now those are way overpriced, IMHO. They're no more rare than white 1680s, and the visual impact on the wrist of one word in red is certainly not worth double the money. (I've owned both and sold the red.)

The original Explorer II is indeed a special watch. I don't care about trends or hype. This is a stunning, cool and unusual dial. There's nothing else like it in the Rolex lineup. I've always loved the look of this watch, including when I was a kid in the '70s and no one cared about collecting them. For many watch hobbyists, it's about the love of the watch, not about trends or hype. In fact, I love it so much I need to add another photo of mine!

[1675-David]

the 1655 is a gorgeous piece of kit and a beautiful object in it's own right, I've been wanting one for ever but never seem to be in the right place at the right time... for those of you who don't like the look, trust me you are wrong!! ;-)

[Fan rolex]

I totally agree with you
I been safe money to pick this one and after I have it I am very happy so much .....

[swiss_seth]

I hadn't realized but I can see where you would have trouble reading the time.

I didn't buy it, I am content with my Sub 16610 but if I do buy an Explorer it would be the current Explorer II model with the white dial. That's the perfect mix of old and new for me and retains a lot of tool watch capability.

As for the Explorer II models and the 1655 I must say that in the 20 years I am been a WIS I haven't ever seen much love toward this models. They seem to be the red headed step child of the Rolex line and I really don't understand why...?

[janice&fred]

Originally Posted by swiss_seth

I hadn't realized but I can see where you would have trouble reading the time.

I didn't buy it, I am content with my Sub 16610 but if I do buy an Explorer it would be the current Explorer II model with the white dial. That's the perfect mix of old and new for me and retains a lot of tool watch capability.

As for the Explorer II models and the 1655 I must say that in the 20 years I am been a WIS I haven't ever seen much love toward this models. They seem to be the red headed step child of the Rolex line and I really don't understand why...?

i gave my honest opinion on the 1655 and it's far from self-serving since we own two of them in our collection. back a few years ago a trend started when someone, probably a dealer, proclaimed this model as the "Steve Mcqueen" rolex. hype can pretty much make anything seem special and before this "Mcqueen" phenomenon this model was mostly ignored. it snowballed into what we see now.

[Dr. Robert]

[BNA/LION]

The 1655 is a Beautiful Watch!

[janice&fred]

Originally Posted by adam78

I agree with all the sentiments here. I know the dial is very odd and hard to read, but strangely beautiful. I never liked the "albinos" -- orange always for me. Fred, the price has been in the mid-teens for nice examples for a number of years; I wish I had the foresight to buy mine when they were lower, but -- hey -- I only bought my first Submariner and Explorer in '07.

Still, I really don't regret buying mine last year. If anything, prices for comparable examples have gone up since then. I agree, though, that certain dealers' prices for certain nice ones do seem over-optimistic (and don't seem to be selling quickly).

i understand where you are coming from Adam and with ourselves owning two examples i can say we are not trying to claim the watch isn't a good looker or interesting, it's just that i think the value is grossly inflated thus possibly causing people to follow an online trend and want one for the wrong reasons.

sort of the same thing with "rail dial", "underline", "maxi dial", "floating" and other seemingly insignificant and esoteric nuances to mass produced items that somehow make them different and more collectible. however, the 1655 does have enough of it's own visual differences from other rolex models to distinguish itself to most anyone and does deserve attention. it's just my opinion that most of the "desirability" lately is more trend than substance.

this sort of thing is seen when most newbies we meet discuss vintage watches. they rattle off their wish list that mirrors what they read and see on ebay and forums rather than form their own preferences. "submariner, GMT, daytona", blah blah blah. it's a rare conversation when we hear of a beginner rolex enthusiast interested in anything else. for the most part they read online and follow the trends, convincing themselves that they finally got their "grail". buying what one likes? is this really true? just something to think about when most seem to be liking the exact same stuff

just my opinion

[Vigilance247]

Love that dial!

[Jfullm42]

It is a cool watch and very unique. I miss mine that I had for sure! What I loved was when I walked into a room, even at a watch function no one else was ever wearing one.

[BrazenC5]

Originally Posted by Fan rolex

I totally agree with you
I been safe money to pick this one and after I have it I am very happy so much .....

Love the look with the superdome.

[Boaters]

Love that dial

[218225]

Originally Posted by Mick P

Seth

I bought a 1655 last year and I try to wear it in rotation with my other Rolex.

The 1655 is actually a bloody awful watch in that Rolex really did make a bad choice in the design of the dial. It has a mixture of a 12 and 24 hour markings on the periphery of the dial which makes it difficult to read and hence its nickname of the "disco dial". It takes about a month to learn how to quickly read the dial, so it is not the sort of watch that you would wear for short periods of time because you will always be at the bottom of the learning curve.

Also the orange 24 hand is fixed and all it does is confirm that 10.00pm is 22.00 hours. That may be useful if you are down in a cave with no clue if you are in the morning or evening but for 99% of us it is a totally redundant function.

The end result was that back in the 1970s and 1980s it was a very slow seller and relatively unloved.

So fast forward 35 years, it is very rare and hence very collectible and due to its scarcity, will always be so.

OK after all this negativity why did I buy it. The answer is that it is a dead sexy watch and I really enjoy wearing it. It may take me about 15 seconds to accurately read the time but its overall appearance is like no other.

It is the sort of watch that you ought to wear 365 days a year. It is light in weight, extremely comfortable to wear and after you have mastered the "disco dial", it is a real pleasure to wear.

It is, and always will be, a keeper for me.

Regards

Mick

I have to agree 100% with you. The 24hr hand is a gimmick in this form, the dial is like a kid's drawing with all the lines.
But is just a gorgeous watch that somehow is pefectly proportioned.
It slides beautifully under the cuffs of a shirt or just on your wrist wearing a polo.

[Robbyvm]

Vintage rolex collection has become very trendy...
Correction : the word Vintage has become trendy....

People just want things because they are declared vintage.

Everything is hyped and that's the only reason the prices have gone up (sometimes in ridiculous proportions)
The internet, the dealers, the customers are all responsible for this trend so to me nobody and everybody is to blaim...

As long as you buy what you like for the reason you want for the amount you want to spend... there is no issue at all

To me the 1655 is a very unusual reference, anonymous to most people with a love it or hate it dial.

I love it

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by swish77

Perhaps the funkiest, most interesting vintage Rolex dial. I love it. Screams '70s. I never have trouble telling time on mine, although I agree that the 24-hour hand isn't all that useful, alebit super cool-looking. If you don't know if it's day or night without looking at your watch, you're in trouble, even if you're in a cave.

[CKLinLA]

I have one and I don't have any trouble telling the time at all. Actually to me the dial is rather 'military' , .. .. except for the Orange hand.

I like the look, and it's an added 'benefit' that it is a different enough look that most people don't realize it's a Rolex.

[Mick P]

Originally Posted by CKLinLA

I have one and I don't have any trouble telling the time at all. Actually to me the dial is rather 'military' , .. .. except for the Orange hand.

I like the look, and it's an added 'benefit' that it is a different enough look that most people don't realize it's a Rolex.

Yes I like the below the radar appearance of the watch but I suspect that if you can quickly read the time then you are wearing it on a regular basis.

I tend to wear mine in 2 hits of 6 weeks and I find at the begining I have to concentrate whereas after a month I am ok.

Regards

Mick