GMT-Master II
1991
Model name
GMT-Master II
Location
London - UK
Year
1991
Metal
Steel & Yellow Gold
Reference
16713
Dial
Root Beer
Serial
N2XXXXX
Style
Men's / Unisex
Bezel
24 Hour
Indexes
Gold / Luminous
Case
40mm
Bracelet
Oyster
Crystal
Sapphire
Box & Paperwork
Oysterbar
Movement
Automatic Cal. 3185
Condition
Excellent
Original sunburst brown dial
Original sunburst brown dial with luminous inlaid gold markers, referred to as a “Nipple” dial. This dial & bezel colour combination is referred to as the “Root Beer”. The dial is signed “Swiss-T<25” referring to the original tritium luminous on the dial which is showing a nice patina. The dial has not been touched and remains in excellent original condition.
Steel case with yellow gold 24 hour rotating bezel
The two-tone GMT reference 16713 in steel & yellow gold. The N serial number in-between the lugs denotes the year of production to 1991. This reference features a sapphire crystal with a “Cyclops” magnifying the date display and a gold Rolex Twinlock crown. The original bezel insert has a nice natural fade. The case & bracelet are in excellent condition having been professionally polished during service.
Original Rolex Two-Tone Oyster Bracelet
Original Rolex Oyster bracelet in stainless steel and yellow gold, reference 78363 with clasp code P2 and 401 B 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.
