Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 1985 Reference No: 16550 Movement No: 1’069’844 Case No: 8’597’482 Model Name: Explorer II, Steger International Polar Expedition Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3085, 27 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped “93150”, endlinks stamped “593”, max length 205mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster deployant clasp stamped "18" Dimensions: 40mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed. Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex guarantee stamped Rolex New York on June 1985, hang tag, and fitted presentation box. Literature: Literature: The present watch is featured in The Best of Time: Rolex Wristwatches by James M. Dowling and Jeffrey P. Hess, page 253
Catalogue Essay
“To the perilous North Pole by dogsled, sextant, and Rolex chronometer,” stated in a 1986 Rolex ad, as seven men and one woman launched an epic 57-day adventure. The 1986 Steger International Polar Expedition was a landmark journey in polar exploration led by the American adventurer, Will Steger. The grueling, 57-day expedition succeeded in traversing the entire Arctic Ocean via dog sled, covering a distance of over 3,700 miles from the northernmost point of Alaska to the northern coast of Greenland. This ambitious venture marked the first confirmed, unsupported traversing of the Arctic Ocean without re-supply. As the Rolex ad stated, “…the Steger Expedition shatters another precedent. Member Ann Bancroft becomes the first woman to trek to the point where all longitudinal lines meet.”
Engraved on its caseback “1986 Steger International Polar Expedition”, the present Explorer II reference 16550 is believed to have been engraved and presented by Rolex USA to a member of this expedition team, in accordance with this famous advertisement.
Accompanied with its original guarantee stamped “Rolex New York”, the present watch remains in well-preserved condition. It features what collectors have dubbed a “spider dial”. With minor fissures developing over the lacquered surface, such “spidering” is considered a charming characteristic found in black dial examples of the reference from this era. An extremely rare, historically significant, and complete Rolex NY-“issued” timepiece, it’s the ideal watch for collectors seeking a watch with an incredible story.
Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.
Ref. 16550 An historically important stainless steel wristwatch with date, “spider” rail dial, 24-hour hand, bracelet, with guarantee, hang tag, and presentation box, made for the Steger International Polar Expedition
1985 40mm Diameter Case, dial, movement, and bracelet signed.
