Watches

The Rolex GMT-Master is one of the most historic and iconic watches the brand ever produced. Its origin dates back to a commission request by Pan American World Airways in the early 50’s for their fleet of pilots who needed access to different time zones. These pieces would feature a similar design to another watch that Rolex was developing around that time, the Submariner, but would include a fourth hand running on 24-hr time, and a bi-colored bezel insert to represent AM/PM times. Those colors, naturally, would be the PanAm colors: Red & Blue. Thus, in 1953, the Ref. 6542 GMT-Master was born. These early pieces were ultimately, fragile arguably flawed in some ways, and were therefor succeeded by the updated Reference 1675 in 1959. These pieces introduced a larger case size with crown-guards and a bi-colored blue + red bezel insert made of aluminum. The Ref. 1675 underwent many small changes over its 21-year production run, with a slew of dial, bezel, bracelet, and hand variations. You know, Rolex stuff. In the case of the piece that we have here (no pun intended), its 'small change' comes in the form of the metal that it is constructed out of.. solid yellow gold. The example that we have here dates to circa 1978 and comes to us in outstanding overall condition. The case is unpolished, retaining beautiful and defined factory chamfers on the lugs and it shows normal signs of wear consistent with its age and normal use. The bezel matches the condition of the case perfectly and the black insert shows very light wear. Inside, the glossy black dial exhibits a very faint and even 'matting' on its surface, with evenly patinated Tritium within the applied 'nipple' indices — which is complimented by a perfectly matching handset. It comes fitted to a correct, matching solid yellow gold Jubilee bracelet with a signed hidden clasp. Whats more, this piece is enhanced by an always alluring engraving on its caseback. Solid gold sports watches present great value next to their steel siblings, and this is one of the finest examples that we have ever come across. Condition: Case: Phenomenal unpolished condition showing light wear throughout with no notable blemishes. Caseback engraved: "In thanks, Bill, for your inspiration and friendship over many years - Harry & Vince - Sept. ‘78” Bezel: Unpolished, showing crisp factory finishing and light signs of wear throughout. Correct black aluminum insert is in superb condition showing only faint wear throughout. Dial: Outstanding, with a virtually-flawless satin surface and evenly patinated Tritium with in the applied 'nipple indices. Handset matches perfectly to the naked eye and under UV inspection. Bracelet: Rolex 18K yellow gold Jubilee bracelet with 22 links and signed hidden deployant clasp stamped 'C.' Unpolished, showing normal signs of wear throughout with minimal stretch. Sized for ≈ 7.25" wrist. Shipping: All watches will be shipped via FedEx Insured Priority Overnight shipping. International shipping will be shipped via FedEx International Priority Express, always fully insured. This service is included in the listed price and will not incur any additional fees. All watches are shipped 1-2 business days after receiving payment confirmation by Chrono24. We are unable to ship watches on Saturday or Sunday. Our Policy: We service or perform necessary maintenance to the extent necessary to all of our watches, unless otherwise noted. All watches are listed and sold running and functioning as intended. Our Guarantee: Through rigorous vetting of each watch offered, we’re able to guarantee authenticity of our pieces. Ultimately, your satisfaction is our mission, as is helping you get YOUR perfect watch. If you have any questions at all, we will get back to you ASAP. Each of our timepieces are vetted, evaluated, authenticated, and approved by our experienced team of experts and watchmakers prior to sale. We guarantee the period-correctness of all components unless otherwise disclosed. We guarantee the authenticity of each watch in perpetuity.

Introduced in 1955, the Rolex GMT-Master was designed in collaboration with Pan American Airways for its international flight crews. The watch features a distinctive 24-hour hand and a rotational bezel to allow crews to set the watch to GMT or another time zone. The model became famous for its reliability and versatility.