Rolex Explorer 16550 rail dial advice

Hi everybody,

So I’m thinking of buying my first Rolex. I’m not really a fan of the submariner but the Explorer 2 has caught my eye. After a bit of research I’ve found out about the rail dials which appeals me.

Just wondering if anyone has any pointers on what to look out for for a genuine Explorer with a rail dial? Perhaps serial number range? I’ve checked eBay and only one is shown as sold in August for £8995 so I’m not sure what is the going rate for a good example.

I’ve seen this one on chrono24 which seems ok to my untrained eyes although seems a bit pricey, the bezel looks like a replacement though, not sure how that affects the value.

https://www.chrono24.co.uk/rolex/ro...-dial-spider-web-box-and-paper--id8631885.htm

Any advice, tips etc is greatly appreciated, cheers.

Rail dials fall in to the niche categories for me, when you are going niche you need to be patient and have the budget to pounce when available. For example my polar explorer 2 falls into the slight transition area with the 3186 in the Z serial, but no engraved rehaut.