Posts Tagged ‘GMT-Master’
Spider Dial 16750 Rolex GMT-Master
Of all the varied types of ageing a watch may exhibit, what collectors call a spider dial must be the most contentious amongst people who really know Rolex. You think Israel v Palestine has some ardent extremists? Walk this GMT into the Hodinkee office and watch a civil war ensue. Every watch journalist has used…
Read More1675/8 Rolex GMT-Master
Opulence is often said to be distasteful by definition, but a gold nipple dial? C’mon, that’s an exemption many amongst us and I will gladly make. While the GMT-Master was made for the jet set, Rolex recognized early on that its well-heeled, travel-hungry clientelle could afford a little extra aureate. Almost as soon as the…
Read More6542 Rolex GMT-Master Bakelite
More than any other watch, the 6542 embodies the romance of the jet set’s dawn. All the details align to that era. The radium (or not). The understated proportions. The bakelite bezel. This was a watch made to live life the fullest with. However, not all examples age quite this gracefully. The majority of early…
Read MoreFuchsia, Mk1 Long E 1675 Rolex GMT-Master
The difference a simple bezel can make is quite extreme. In the 1675, which enjoyed quite a long run, there was a period of a few years where early aluminum bezels were manufactured with a paint composition that would turn from red to this beautiful fuchsia tone over time. They have all been observed in…
Read More1675/8 ‘President’ Rolex GMT-Master
For what mass hysteria surrounds steel sport Rolex today, I simply cannot imagine a stronger antidote. For what is not a massive price difference compared to the current secondhand market base GMT-Master II value, this insane vintage reference is on the table: 1978 production in full gold, substantially less common, and brimming with nuance and…
Read MoreTropical Gilt 1675 Rolex GMT-Master
As many have pointed out, I have a soft spot for four and five digit Rolex. I could nod toward the charm, immense history, or the fact that I regret letting many go in equal measure as cause. The thing is though, I don’t have to justify it. Everyone loves the 1675, everyone past a…
Read MoreMk5, Pumpkin 1675 Rolex GMT-Master
The difference a bezel can make is extreme. In March 2015, I had the opportunity to attend the Geneva Motor Show. What I expected to find there were many Cosmographs, and I did. But what surprised me, more than any concept, was the sheer quantity of Batman GMTs on wrist. No exaggeration—not Coke, not Pepsi,…
Read MoreTropical Gilt 1675 Rolex GMT-Master
If you can’t tell by this point, I like 1675s quite a lot. I could nod toward the charm, immense history, or the fact that I regret letting one go a few years back in equal measure as cause. The thing is though, I don’t have to justify it. Everyone loves the 1675, everyone past…
Read MoreTropical Gilt Service 6542 Rolex GMT-Master
I simply can’t get the 6542 out of my head recently. There’s the timeless charm. The radium (or not). The understated proportions. However, not all examples age quite this gracefully. The soul of a GMT is its dial, and this dial is utterly marvelous. However, the watch was not born with it. Rolex history is…
Read MoreWell-Preserved ‘Concorde’ 1675/8 NCG Rolex GMT-Master
I was recently quite ashamed to realize that despite featuring many 1675s, I have not yet spilled ink on behalf of my preferred variant. I often lament the retirement of Concorde. Yes, the plane; hear me out. It’s not often technology takes such a defiant step backwards. Particularly at all of humanities’ expense. However, a…
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