With a timeless design right from the start, all the Rolex GMT Master needed were technological upgrades over the decades. Here’s what sets the two editions apart.

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Transcript:

From SwissWatchExpo…
Spotlight on: the Rolex GMT Master, and GMT Master II. Knowing the difference.

It is said that Rolex watches practice evolution, rather than revolution. With very strong, but classic visual identities, the look of Rolex watches have rarely been changed drastically.

In fact, one has to develop a keen eye, and some technical knowledge, to know the difference between models.

Such is the case with the GMT-Master and GMT-Master II. With a timeless design right from the start, all it needed were technological upgrades over the decades. Here’s what sets the two watches apart.

Let’s take a step back to the beginnings of the GMT Master, whose history is pretty well known.

In the 1950s, long-haul and transatlantic flights became possible and more commonplace. This development made the world smaller, but presented a problem for pilots – jetlag.

Not knowing the timezone back home, and staying in a place hours behind or ahead wreaked havoc on their circadian rhythms.

Pan American Airways thought that the solution was a watch that displayed two timezones at once. This way, pilots can monitor their home timezone, while also knowing the time in their destination.

They commissioned Rolex for the task, and in 1954, the Rolex GMT-Master was launched. It came with a 24-hour hand and marked bezel to display a second timezone, along with the traditional hour and minute hands to display the home timezone.

Since 1954, there have been many iterations of the GMT-Master and GMT-Master II. Each line has four generations to-date.

GMT Master came in the inaugural reference 6542, 1675, and 16700. Bezel colors varied from blue-red, brown-gold, all black, and even the very rare all blue.

In 1982, Rolex launched the GMT Master II, whose references are the 16760, 16710, 11671 and 12671. The GMT-Master II eventually replaced the GMT-Master in 1999, but there was an overlap between the two models for about 17 years.

The two editions look almost the same, and their main difference actually lies inside the watch.

The GMT-Master was designed to display time in two time zones, with the 24-hour hand telling the second time zone with the bezel as reference.

The GMT-Master II meanwhile, can display three separate timezones. Rolex was able to do this by making the 24-hour hand (the red hand with an arrow) independent from the hour and minute hands.

While the center hour and minute hands tell home time, the 24-hour hand can be moved freely on the dial and read with the 24-hour bezel to show another time zone. Rotating the bezel in either direction allows for the reading of a third time zone.

This feature of the GMT-Master II called for an updated movement, and in order to accommodate it within the watch, the GMT-Master II also had to be thicker.

This is the only real visible difference between the two watches, aside from very minor tweaks over the years.

The main appeal of the GMT-Master is in its bezel, and the materials used for it have also changed over the years.

Very early models made use of the Bakelite bezels, a plastic made from synthetic components. These were prone to cracking, so Rolex changed the material to aluminum beginning 1956.

Beginning 2007, Rolex began fitting the GMT-Master II with their patented Cerachrom bezels. Made from extremely hard ceramic material, the Cerachrom is virtually scratch-proof, and fade-proof.

With a 65-year history, the GMT Master and GMT Master II, remain the most popular watches of Rolex. Its classic looks and practical function ensures that it will still be around for decades to come.

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