The beautiful cream dial of this his extremely rare Explorer II immediately identifies it as one of the first ref. 16550 ever produced by Rolex. The paint on these early white dial versions started off as a pale ivory colour, which in time has faded to a distinctive cream. Its 'rail dial' is named after the text configuration first used by the Stern Company, manufacturers of the 660m Comex dials, whereby the space in the two lowest lines of text aline to create a near vertical track. With white gold hands & settings around the luminous markings, which in 1989 Rolex changed to black, along with a non-fade bright white dial. The short 3-year production run and captivating colour of the dial have turned this watch into one of the most desirable Explorer II ever made. Complete with original box and guaranteed by Watch Club for 2 years.