Join the Biel Watches Official Discord Server and experience some real cool features like watch raffles and more! Look forward to seeing you all there! https://discord.gg/WDQKevPyB

There are watches that earn their nicknames, and there are watches that have nicknames thrust upon them. The Rolex Explorer II Reference 1655 belongs firmly in the latter camp. Ask any dealer, any collector, any casual enthusiast what the "Steve McQueen" Rolex is, and they will point without hesitation to the orange-handed, fixed-bezel Explorer II produced from 1971 to 1985. It is an article of faith in the watch world. It is also, almost certainly, wrong. That contradiction, between the legend and the ledger, is precisely what makes the 1655 one of the most fascinating vintage Rolex references you can buy today. A Watch Built for Caves? Not Cool The Explorer II was never designed with movie stars in mind. Rolex introduced the Ref. 1655 in 1971 as a tool for speleologists, the cave explorers who spent days underground with no natural cue to distinguish morning from night. The twenty-four-hour hand, locked to a fixed bezel engraved with hour markers, was the answer. Lose track of time in a cavern, and the orange arrow would still tell you whether your watch read three in the afternoon or three in the morning. It is, in other words, a deeply unglamorous brief. The case is a 40mm Oyster, the dial is matte black with painted tritium markers, and the hands are the familiar Mercedes set with one dramatic addition: that orange 24-hour pointer, sweeping slowly around the dial like a second opinion. The movement inside was the Caliber 1575, a workhorse automatic Rolex had been refining for nearly two decades. It was, by any honest measure, a commercial flop. Rolex produced the 1655 for fourteen years, and the market largely ignored it. Safe-queen status was not in its future. These watches were bought by people who actually needed them, worn hard, and traded in for something more conventional when the novelty wore off. Then the nickname arrived, and everything changed. The McQueen Problem Here is what can be documented. Steve McQueen, the actor whose taste in cars, motorcycles, and watches arguably did more to shape mid-century masculine style than any other single figure, was a committed Rolex wearer. He owned a Submariner Ref. 5513, which sold at auction in 2009 for more than $230,000. He wore it constantly, including on the set of films and in personal photographs that have been reproduced endlessly.

Nothing is worse then packaging up a watch and it not making it safely to the recipient, or even arriving damaged when a lot of these things could have been prevented. Free informational video. Check it out in the classroom!

Watch as Mike walks you through the basics of how we authenticate a watch over here at Biel Watches. More in depth videos on watch movements and more will be saved for Premier and VIP members down the road. Enjoy!

Alright, so let’s clear this up right away — yes, Biel Watches Academy is a real thing, and no, Skool isn’t some weird new social network trying to be the next TikTok or Instagram. My name is Michael Bielat, owner of Biel Watches. I’ve been a collector way longer than I’ve been a dealer. Before I was ever sourcing Rolexes, APs or Pateks for clients, I was just another guy obsessed with watches — reading books and forums, watching videos, and trading pieces to fund the next one. This whole thing started from passion, not profit. That’s why I created Biel Watches Academy. It's an outlet for collectors, enthusiasts, and anyone looking to learn the ins and outs of the luxury watch world. It’s not about sales pitches or hype — it’s about sharing real insights, collector stories, market talk, and the stuff we all geek out over. Now, what’s Skool? Think of it as a mix between a private Discord, a classroom, and a community feed. It’s where everything happens — videos, group discussions, courses, and exclusive updates. Instead of bouncing between a dozen platforms, it’s all in one spot. There’s a Free tier for anyone who just wants to hang out, learn, and talk watches. Then there’s the Premium tier for deeper dives into collecting, sourcing, and market analysis. And for the serious collectors, there’s the VIP level — that’s where the real insider stuff happens. This is my way of building a legit community around what I love most — luxury timepieces and horology. Whether you’re here to learn, buy, or just talk shop, I welcome you to the Biel Watches Academy.