Dilemma great piece but Luminova Hands???

[Lol-x]

I really like this Explorer II (misnamed the Steve McQueen). It is a 4.3million serial but the watch and dial look to be in great shape.



The problem is the hands are luminova .

Price is around $12,000

So what is the answer expert Rolexofficianados........????????
(a) forget it and move on there are others out there;
(b) get it and try to replace the hands at the risk that it will never look right and you will regret ever embarking upon this course of failure;
(c) get it and enjoy it as it is.

[dddrees]

It does look nice, but I'd move on Steve. There must be others out there with the right set of hands and the same or better overall condition.

[Lol-x]

Believe me it isn't that easy to find a great 1655 these days, there are a lot of pieces with 'issues'.

[padi56]

Well Steve hands were often changed during the life on any watch IMHO that would not take a huge dip in its value now or future.While many would like all original its the dial and the rest condition of watch that really counts. But if you could source some tritium hands I would keep them as a stand by.

[Lol-x]

Great advice there Peter.
The problem would be getting matching tritium hands....that seems to be what it comes down to in this case......

$12K is on the low side for this model which typically has been going for around $15k.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

Believe me it isn't that easy to find a great 1655 these days, there are a lot of pieces with 'issues'.

To be honest Steve I haven't tried to find a 1655 and it is a real nice watch. However I do think the hands would always bug me just a bit.

[Chris B]

Keep looking Steve, those hands will haunt you.

[Lol-x]

One needs to be mindful that these hands are very different than other Rolex sport/tool watch hands, they are unique and as such the fact that the hands are luminova are not something that really stands out as being 'non-original' from the watch.

[powerfunk]

Genuine Rolex service replacement parts don't personally bother me as long as the price is appropriate. Plus, y'know, luminova actually glows! But, it has to come down to whether or not it bothers you. If it'll always nag at you, don't bother.

And I will say this -- it seems like there are at least a few forum members who would pay well over $12k these days for a totally correct, all-original 1655. 12k seems reasonable for this example. I think we may be yet in the early stages of a worldwide 1655 craze.

[subtona]

on the bright (pun) side the luminova hands should still be somewhat visible in the dark allowing you to actually see the time vs a tritium dial (which doesn't matter as far as telling the time.)

ps really nice watch, one of my favorite vintage pieces.

[Puffy]

move on mate, you'll FOREVER be hunting for the perfect dial/hands combo!

[Johny]

what about stripping off the lumi. and replacing with trit. the colour of your choice. member "jason 71" had it done to a dial and it looks great. just an option. if the hands are the only problem/issue with the watch and the price is good perhaps buy then wait for hands to show up.

[Frogman4me]

Originally Posted by chris b

keep looking steve, those hands will haunt you.

+1

[britincali]

Originally Posted by Lol-x

(b) get it and try to replace the hands at the risk that it will never look right and you will regret ever embarking upon this course of failure;

Does anyone apart from us really notice things like replacement hands?

It would drive me nuts.....

[subtona]

are the hands luminova only in the insert or is it the whole white part of the hand???
the insert is really thin and probably not at all noticeable imho, if it is the whole hand... thats a bit different.
it seems like the luminova would be much less significant than in a sub with a mercedes hour hand for instance?

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by subtona

are the hands luminova only in the insert or is it the whole white part of the hand???
the insert is really thin and probably not at all noticeable imho, if it is the whole hand... thats a bit different.
it seems like the luminova would be much less significant than in a sub with a mercedes hour hand for instance?

If this where the case then this would make a big difference and it wouldn't be that noticeable.

[conrail]

The watch does look great but I'd personally prefer tritium, non-glowing hands. Although it might be fun to see this watch light up at night!

[azguy]

Boy, that's a tough one .......I'm far from an expert, but by reading and looking at 1,000's of watches on-line, but proper hands seem to be the way to go even if it costs waaay more.

[Beaumont Miller II]

Lots of advice so far. I would look for another example not because of the hands. You can buy hands all day long. The problem is going to be finding a Mk 1 or to Mk 2 bezel to go with that dial and case.

[greekbum]

Everything has a price. If you want a watch all period correct they are out there. Or you could buy this for a price you are happy with and source the parts when you can.

[GTS Dean]

I consider being able to read the hands after dark an absolute necessity for any wristwatch I own. I can accept dead tritium dots on the dial.

[inspires]

Wait for the right one. It would drive me crazy settling for something I ultimately did not want.

[onkyo]

Originally Posted by Beaumont Miller II

Lots of advice so far. I would look for another example not because of the hands. You can buy hands all day long. The problem is going to be finding a Mk 1 or to Mk 2 bezel to go with that dial and case.

I agree with John here.... bezel is tougher to find than a set of hands.

I would keep looking Stevo.