Rolex GMT-Master History

Rolex GMT-Master History

Brush up on your watch history with our latest series of videos that tell you the stories behind the brands you love.

Transcript:
The Rolex GMT-Master: Bridging time zones for over sixty years.
In 1954, Rolex developed the GMT watch in cooperation with Pan American World Airways specifically to meet the evolving needs of airline pilots. In the 1940’s and 1950’s, intercontinental travel was growing in popularity, and pilots were traveling across multiple time zones more frequently. They needed a watch that could tell them the time in several time zones at once. This demand inspired Rolex to design the GMT Master, the first wristwatch to feature a fourth hand and hour markers on the outer bezel to indicate the time in multiple time zones simultaneously.

The GMT name comes from Greenwich Mean Time, known today as Coordinated Universal Time or UTC. This is the zone that pilots typically use the additional hour hand to display.

The GMT Master’s history begins with the reference 6542. The original GMT Master was an adaptation of the Datejust Turn-o-Graph with an updated movement, a two-tone bezel to distinguish daytime and nighttime hours, and, of course, the fourth hand. This model was produced until 1959.

The creation of the GMT lead to the formation of several partnerships between Rolex and the airline industry, as well as NASA and the United States Airforce, and the GMT Master became the official watch of Pan Am.

Over the years, the GMT Master line has become known for its wide variety of bezel color combinations that have been assigned quirky nicknames. For example, there’s the classic red and blue Pepsi of the reference 1675, the red and black Coke bezel that came with the 16760, and the copper-toned Root Beer. The latest addition is the modern ceramic blue and black bezel, nicknamed the Batman.
In the 1980’s, Rolex made one of the watch’s most significant updates – the GMT Master II, reference 16760.

There are a few distinct details that differentiate the GMT Master II from the GMT Master. The GMT Master II features a 24-hour GMT hand, which allows wearers to read three different time zones. This variation also houses a new movement that has an independent quickset hour hand, which adjusts to the local time without disturbing the second hand, minute hand, or 24-hour GMT hand.

While the manufacture of the original GMT Master series ended in 1999, the GMT Master II continues to be produced today. In 2007, Rolex introduced reference 116710. This GMT Master II watch was completely redesigned with a triplock crown, an anti-reflective cyclops lens, a green 24-hour hand, a maxi dial, a ceramic bezel, a new bracelet and movement, as well as a Rolex engraving on the inner bezel ring.

Today, pilots, world travelers, avid watch collectors, and Rolex enthusiasts continue to anticipate the brand’s latest updates to the GMT series.

To start your collection visit: https://www.crownandcaliber.com

To sign up for our newsletter: https://www.crownandcaliber.com/youtube