Why We Love It
The Rolex GMT Master is one of the hottest watches on the vintage and contemporary market, and for good reason. Their history, slim profile, clean looks and functionality make for a winner in the eyes of collectors.
Dating to 1984, this stunning GMT-Master 'Rootbeer' is presented in a rare solid 18k Yellow Gold Oyster case. Housed within is a beautiful and sought after 'Tigers-eye nipple' dial. The caramel hued bezel contrasts with its resplendent sunburst dial. Its no wonder solid gold 16758s are always in such high demand.
With prices of Steel Rolex hitting astronomical highs, consumers are turning to gold more and more by the day. The value in the material aside - expect to see more yellow gold Rolexes on wrists and less under display glass.
The Story
As the legend goes, Pan-Am approached Rolex in 1953 looking for a watch specially designed for their pilots, and a partnership was quickly formed. A Submariner became the base for this new watch, and several important modifications were made to turn a Sub into the GMT-Master that we know today. Rolex added a date function with a cyclops lens magnifier, GMT complication, and two-colored bezel to provide long-haul pilots with the info they needed as they circumnavigated the globe.
The GMT-Master’s 24-hour hand works in conjunction with the rotating bezel to make tracking a second time zone incredibly simple. When the bezel’s triangle is aligned to 12 o’clock, the red arrow hand points to the time on a 24-hour military scale, which in itself is valuable as a day/night indicator (at least if you’re a cave explorer). The usefulness of the complication really shines when the wearer rotates the bezel so that the numbers around the bezel correspond the a 2nd time zone (such as Greenwich Mean Time), allowing the watch to track any two time zones in the world at once.
Five decades later, the GMT-Master and its “Pepsi” bezel has become a true icon of the watch world. Instantly recognizable and eternally stylish, the watch represents vintage Rolex at its best.
