Highest Quality Luxury Cheap Replica Rolex Submariner Date

We often hear the term tool watch' or professional watch' used about some of the most iconic and desirable timepieces. Dive Replica Rolex Submariner Gold were originally developed for divers to time descent and ascent periods via the rotating bezel which indicated elapsed time. To be clear, in the 1960s and 1970s these watches weren't just cool accessories that looked good, they were vital safety tools that saved lives.

The GMT complication was developed for professional use by pilots and travellers, through necessity due to the advent of commercial air travel, to allow them to monitor two time-zones. The chronograph had a number of different timing scales that aided racing car drivers, military leaders and doctors in their professional duties. The Submariner, GMT-Master and Daytona, therefore, have some deep roots as tool watches. But here, we lift the lid on one of the quiet stars of the Rolex tool watch line.

Like other more esoteric members of the Rolex sports line, the Milgauss and the Turn-O-Graph for example, the Explorer II received a muted reception when launched in 1971. To many, the watch was garish and the dial too busy and so it was slow to sell. It has, however, become a very desirable watch in today's market and while it's not necessarily rare (a term that is used far too readily in the current vintage market) it's not as easy to find in outstanding condition as say a Submariner or GMT-Master.

Replica Rolex Submariner Gold

One of the reasons it was slow to sell was the fact that it had a 24-hour hand and a 24-hour bezel, but the bezel was fixed and so it wasn't technically a GMT function, as one couldn't monitor two time-zones. But it was a tool watch and to understand the watch we need to go deep; deep underground and into the earth's hidden cervices, like true speleologists.

Speleology is the study of caves and it has been, since the late nineteenth century, its own specific science that is quite distinct from geography and geology. Carried out by potholers and cavers as part of their hobby, speleology is not for the feint hearted. These cavers have to get themselves through some very small spaces and can spend prolonged periods of time within the cave networks. This can become acutely disorientating, especially when one loses track of time. Step forward the Explorer II and its 24-hour hand and fixed bezel.

Designed for speleologists and potholers, the watch allowed the adventurers to keep a track of time and whether it was am or pm via the large luminous 24-hour hand. A specialist application for sure, but also useful for those who spent large amounts of time away from natural daylight. It would also prove useful for explorers in continents where there were periods of constant daylight or darkness.

The ref. 1655 was powered by the 26-jewel Calibre 1575 GMT, the same movement as in the ref. 1675 GMT-Master. A modified base Calibre 1570 movement, the Calibre 1575 had a date feature and logically the Calibre 1575 GMT had the additional 24-hour hand. The movement was automatic, had the hacking-seconds feature (where the seconds hand stops when the winding crown is full pulled out to adjust the time) and boasted a 48-hour power reserve. This chronometer-rated movement was housed in a 39mm stainless-steel case with crown guards and the watch had a fixed, non-rotating, bezel with 24-hour markings; even numbers in Arabic numerals and odd numbers represented with hash markers.

The vintage Rolex collecting community loves nothing more than giving a watch a nickname or a namesake. The Paul Newman Daytona is the most obvious example of a namesake at the moment. Arguably, the art of watch collecting was spearheaded by the Italians and we have a lot of Italian parlance in our everyday vintage watch language. Ovettone (big egg) for the big 1950s bubbleback watches, Padellone (large frying pan) for the large ref. 8171 moonphase watch and Stelline (little star) for watches with the small stars as hour markers.