GMT-Master
1986
Model name
GMT-Master
Location
London - UK
Year
1986
Metal
Steel & Yellow Gold
Reference
16753
Dial
Black, Transitional
Serial
89XXXXX
Style
Men's / Unisex
Bezel
24 Hour
Indexes
Gold / Luminous
Case
40mm
Bracelet
Jubilee
Crystal
Plexiglass
Box & Paperwork
Oysterbar
Movement
Automatic
Condition
Excellent
Original black dial
Original black dial with luminous inlaid yellow gold markers. This dial type succeeded the earlier “Nipple” dials. The dial is correctly signed “Swiss-T<25” referring to the original tritium luminous. The dial has not been touched and remains in excellent original condition.
Two tone case with 24 hour rotating bezel
Two-tone GMT reference 16753 in stainless steel with solid gold 24 hour rotating bezel. The 8.9 million serial number in-between the lugs denotes the year of production to 1986. This is known as the Transitional reference featuring a plexiglass crystal and updated cal. 3075 with quickset date. The case & bracelet have been professionally polished during service and are in excellent condition.
Original Two tone Rolex Jubilee Bracelet
Original Rolex Jubilee steel & solid gold bracelet, reference 62523H.18 with clasp code J5 and 451 end links. Bracelets can be resized on request.
Released in 1954, the GMT-Master resulted from Pan Am and Rolex collaborating on a watch that could tell the time in two different places at once
With the further innovation and popularisation of commercial flying, the distances of flights became greater. This resulted in pilots crossing into different time zones more frequently. Thus, a need for uniformity across the industry was borne as potential issues could arise when communicating with ground teams in a different time zone to the pilots. To eliminate these errors, the aviation industry adopted a standard time-zone, Greenwich Mean Time. As such, the GMT-Master’s fourth hand, the 2nd-hour hand, was to stay on Greenwich Mean Time – which is where the name for the watch comes from.
