The short answer: no replica of the Rolex Explorer II reference 1655 survives close inspection, so the real question is not which copy looks closest but how to avoid paying genuine money for a counterfeit. This guide covers the five checks that decide authenticity on this reference: case profile and crown guards, the fixed 24 hour bezel, dial and hand details, the caliber 1575 movement, and provenance paperwork. Each section states what a genuine example should show, where copies fail, and what that means for a buyer.

What Reference 1655 Is

Rolex introduced the Explorer II as reference 1655 in 1971 and produced it into the mid 1980s. It uses a 39 mm Oyster case with no crown guards, a fixed steel bezel engraved with 24 hour numerals, and a bright orange 24 hour hand built for cave explorers and people working through polar winter. The movement is the caliber 1575, a 26 jewel automatic with a date and hacking seconds. Collectors call the watch the Steve McQueen, after an actor who never wore one, and Italian collectors call it the Freccione, meaning big arrow. Dial production is grouped into generations that collectors number Mk1 through Mk5, and the version on a watch changes its value by a wide margin.

Check 1: Case Profile and Crown Guards

• Genuine: 39 mm across the case, thick lugs with bevels that run the full length and catch light along the edge.
• Genuine: no crown guards around the winding crown, and drilled lug holes on most production.
• Genuine: spring bar holes placed so the bracelet sits tight against the case with no gap.

• Counterfeit: rounded or polished away lug bevels, a sign of casting instead of machining.
• Counterfeit: crown guards taken from a later 16570 case, or a case measured at 40 mm.
• Counterfeit: lug holes drilled off center, so the bracelet rattles against the case.

What this means for a buyer: a case with crown guards is not a 1655 at all. That single detail eliminates most copies before you look at anything else.

Check 2: The Fixed 24 Hour Bezel

• Genuine: machine engraved numerals with black fill, even spacing, and crisp interior edges.
• Genuine: the bezel does not turn. It is fixed to the case and cannot be rotated by hand.

• Counterfeit: laser etched or printed markers that sit on the surface instead of cut into it.
• Counterfeit: soft numerals with uneven spacing, or a bezel that rotates like a GMT Master.

What this means for a buyer: run a fingernail across the numerals. Real engraving catches; a printed insert slides.

Check 3: Dial, Printing, and Hands

• Genuine: a matte black dial with tritium plots that have aged to a warm cream or pumpkin tone.
• Genuine: an orange 24 hour hand with a matte finish and an arrow tip that matches the bezel scale.
• Genuine: text with correct weight and spacing, applied crown at 12, and a date window with a flat magnifier.

• Counterfeit: a glossy dial, which this reference never had.
• Counterfeit: lume that glows bright under ultraviolet light, meaning modern paint instead of aged tritium.
• Counterfeit: orange paint that looks wet or plastic, and hour markers that sit uneven.

What this means for a buyer: bring a small ultraviolet torch. Fresh glow on a 1970s watch is a contradiction.

Check 4: Movement, Caseback, and Engravings

• Genuine: caliber 1575 beating at 19,800 vibrations per hour, which looks and sounds slower than a modern watch.
• Genuine: reference 1655 stamped inside the caseback, with a serial between the lugs that matches the paperwork.

• Counterfeit: a generic automatic running at 28,800 vibrations per hour under a display back.
• Counterfeit: engraved serials cut with a rotary tool, leaving rounded grooves instead of sharp lines.

What this means for a buyer: have a watchmaker open the case. This is the only check that cannot be faked on the spot.

Check 5: Provenance and Paperwork

Boxes, guarantee papers, and service records raise confidence, but they are also easy to print. A 1655 with no history and a price far under market is the classic setup for a counterfeit sale, and the venues that move these watches, social media groups and unregulated marketplaces, rarely offer returns. Treat a low price on a rare reference as a warning rather than an opportunity.

Why Buying a Fake 1655 Costs More Than It Saves

• Legal exposure: trafficking in counterfeit goods carries civil and criminal penalties in the United States.
• Customs seizure: counterfeit trademarked goods can be detained and destroyed with no refund to the buyer.
• No service: no authorized watchmaker will repair or source parts for a counterfeit.
• No resale: a fake has no market value and cannot be sold honestly.
• Materials and water resistance: cases built to look right are not built to seal.

How to Buy a 1655 Without Getting Burned

1. Buy from a seller with a written return policy and a record of past sales.
2. Ask for macro photographs of the lugs, bezel engraving, dial text, and caseback.
3. Verify the serial and reference against the papers before money changes hands.
4. Pay for an independent inspection by a watchmaker who works with vintage Rolex.
5. Walk away if the seller refuses any of the four steps above.

The Explorer II 1655 is one of the most distinctive Rolex references ever built, and that is exactly why it gets copied. Learn the five checks, insist on an inspection, and the difference between a genuine watch and a fake becomes plain.