Short answer
The watch people call the Steve McQueen Rolex Explorer II is reference 1655, a steel Rolex released in 1971 with a fixed 24 hour bezel and an orange 24 hour hand. A replica of that reference is a counterfeit watch that copies Rolex trade dress. Copies of the 1655 exist in several quality tiers, from crude novelty pieces to close visual matches, but none of them share the original movement, the original case finishing, or any Rolex service history. In the United States, importing a counterfeit watch is illegal, and a replica carries no resale value in the legitimate market.
The original reference 1655
Rolex built the Explorer II for people who spend long stretches without daylight, including cave researchers and polar expedition teams. The fixed bezel is engraved 24 to 24, and the orange arrow hand tracks a second time zone against that scale. The case measures roughly 39 mm across, the crystal is acrylic on early examples, and the dial carries the word Explorer over II at twelve o clock. Production ran from 1971 into the mid 1980s, and surviving examples show wide variation in dial layouts, hand shapes, and bezel fonts.
Where the nickname comes from
Steve McQueen is not documented wearing a 1655. Collectors attached his name to the reference decades after his death because it sold better than the model number. The nickname stuck, and the watch that carries it is still one of the least expensive vintage Rolex sports models relative to its rarity. That gap is part of why replicas of the 1655 are common.
What replicas of the 1655 tend to get wrong
- The bezel font spacing sits too tight, and the numerals lose the thin serif shapes of the original.
- The orange on the 24 hour hand runs too bright or too flat compared with aged tritium era color.
- Case lugs are thicker, and the mid case is often taller than the genuine profile.
- Dial text uses a heavier font weight, and the coronet is a stamped approximation.
- Movements are generic Asian automatics with a 24 hour hand that is often a decorative add on rather than a true independent GMT function.
How to tell a replica from the real thing
You need a 10x loupe, a clean reference photo of a known genuine 1655, and access to completed auction listings for comparison.
- Measure the case across the bezel. Genuine 1655 cases land near 39 mm, and most replicas run 40 mm or larger.
- Turn the bezel. The 1655 bezel is fixed and does not rotate; any replica with a rotating 24 hour bezel is copying the later 16550 instead.
- Check the 24 hour hand independently. Set the main hands, then confirm whether the orange hand moves on its own or stays locked to the hour hand.
- Inspect the dial print under the loupe. Look for uneven lacquer edges, blurry coronet detail, and text that sits too close to the center hole.
- Read the caseback engraving. Genuine stamps are crisp and shallow; replica engraving is often deep, buffed, or missing internal reference numbers.
- Ask for a movement photo. A genuine 1575 family movement shows Geneva stripes, a signed rotor, and a regulated balance bridge that no budget replica reproduces.
Legal and practical reality in the United States
US Customs and Border Protection treats counterfeit watches as prohibited merchandise. A shipment can be seized and destroyed, and the buyer can face civil penalties. Beyond the legal exposure, a replica 1655 has no parts supply, no warranty, and no service network. Gaskets fail, water resistance disappears, and a repair often costs more than the watch did. If the goal is a 24 hour steel sports watch on a budget, a legitimate alternative from a non luxury brand does the same job without the risk.