The last of the GMT-Master’s: The Ref 16700
The GMT-Master story began in 1955 with their very first pilot watch made for Pan Am. Some 45 years later Rolex finally decided to end the GMT-Master saga. Of course it continues today with the GMT-Master II collection, but the GMT-Master is no more.
During its over ten-year production run, the GMT Master ref. 16700 has sported two different dials. The first one was the tritium dial as seen on this example, followed by the Luminova dial seen on later models. The overall condition of the dial is amazing and the black lacquer has formed tiny spots that reflect the ambient light like flickering stars. A true candidate for a stardust patinaed dial in the next couple of years!!!
The sapphire crystal protecting the dial, white gold surrounds on the luminescent hour markers are all immaculate.
The 40mm case of this watch has sharp lines and is overall super clean with little wrist time. Moving over to the twinlock crown everything is like new. The iconic blue and red “Pepsi†bezel is in great shape and the red portion has started to fade to a matte finish, a very desirable patina trait.
At the heart of this GMT Master is a Caliber 3175, while unable to operate the hour hands independently it does have both the hacking and quickset functions.
Fitted to it’s original ref 78360 Oysterlock bracelet, a patented invention of Rolex that prevented the bracelet from accidently opening.
Rolex finally pulled the plug on the ref. 16700 in 1999, signaling the end of an era. The Swiss watchmaker grounded the GMT-Master line to make way for the GMT-Master II collection to fly solo.
The GMT-Master ref. 16700 is often an overlooked vintage Rolex reference—especially since at the time, it was competing with its fancier sibling.
Manufacturer: Rolex
Year: 1991
Reference No: 16700
Model Name: GMT-Master
Material: Stainless Steel
Calibre: Rolex 3135
Bracelet/Strap: Original Rolex Oyster ref 78360 with 501 B end links
Case Size: 40mm
Accessories: n/a
We do our best to ensure that all our watches are exactly as described. In the event that the watch operates outside of the listed specifications, the Auction house will only accept full returns.
Due to the nature of vintage timepieces we cannot guarantee water resistance. Pre-Owned timepieces may require servicing to perform to specification unless it has been specified. We provide a 24hr/Accuracy reading for reference purposes only.