GMT-Master
1977
£24,500
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Find me one like thisModel name
GMT-Master
Year
1977
Metal
Stainless Steel
Reference
1675
Dial
Radial
Serial
50XXXXX
Style
Men's / Unisex
Bezel
24 Hour 'Pepsi'
Indexes
Luminous
Case
40mm
Bracelet
Oyster
Bracelet size
160-195mm
Crystal
Plexiglass
Box & Paperwork
Rolex
Movement
Automatic Cal. 1570
Condition
Excellent (Not Polished)
Original matte black radial dial
Original matte black dial with luminous markers, Mercedes hands and red GMT arrow hand. This rare dial type is referred to as a ‘radial’ dial as it has smaller lume plots than other dial types, similar to that of the early 1960s gilt chapter ring dials. The dial is marked “Swiss-T<25” referring to the original tritium luminous used on the dial. The luminous remains fairly white which is a sign that the watch was used and not stored away. This means the tritium has not yet degraded forming a patina. The dial has not been touched by us and remains in excellent original condition.
Steel case with plexiglass & 24 hour rotating Pepsi bezel
The GMT reference 1675 in stainless steel with ‘Pepsi’ bezel. The 5.0 million serial number in-between the lugs denotes to the year of production to 1977 which corresponds with the original guarantee paperwork and is correct for this ‘Radial’ dial type. The case remains not polished and has light scratches consistent with normal use. The lugs still retain the chamfered lugs and it is rare to find these watches in this condition. The rotating bezel with original 24 hour ‘Pepsi’ insert is in excellent condition with the blue and red still vibrant. It features a plexiglass crystal with a “Cyclops” magnifying the date display and an original Rolex Twinlock screw down crown.
Rolex Oyster Bracelet
Original Rolex Oyster bracelet. 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.
