ROLEX GMT Master

Of all the Rolex models, one of the most well known is the GMT (and the subsequent GMT II).
With the advances in long-distance aviation, it was no longer sufficient for professional pilots to know the current time, they needed to know both the time where they were, but also the time where they were going. Resolving this issue was the reason for the launch of the GMT.
The GMT sits alongside Submariners, Explorers, Deep-Seas, Daytonas and Milgauss as the mainstays of Rolexes range of sports and professional watches. The GMT was originally launched in the early 1950s, with the 6542 model.
The most distinguishable feature of the model is its 4th, ‘24 hour’ hand. This additional hand, sitting alongside the usual hour, minute and second hands, will complete one full rotation of the dial every 24 hours. (i.e. at midnight this hand will be at the 12 ‘o’ clock position on the dial. At 6am it will be at 3, at noon it’ll be at the bottom of the dial at 6, at 6pm the hand will be at 9 and then back at the 12 ‘o’ clock position again at midnight). This ‘GMT’ feature (GMT standing for Greenwich Mean Time) enabled pilots to use this fourth hand, in conjunction with the rotatable bezel (marked 0 – 24) to quickly calculate a second time zone. An essential tool in distance aviation.
In the early 1980s, Rolex launched the GMT II. This version of the GMT had all the benefits of its predecessor, but with the addition of an independently adjustable hour hand, which can be changed without affecting the minute, second or 24-hour hand. This allows the user to quickly calculate a third time zone.
The GMT and GMT II are highly popular and sought-after Rolex watches. Several different models and designs have been released over the years, each with their own nicknames and devoted aficionados. These include the ‘Batman’, (current model number 116710BLNR, black dial, blue and black bezel), the ‘Pepsi’ (current model number 126710, black dial, blue and red bezel), the ‘Coke’ (current model number 16710, black dial, black and red bezel) the ‘Root Beer’, (current model number 126711CHNR, brown dial, brown and gold bezel) and the new ‘Sprite’, (model number 126720VTNR, black dial, black a green bezel).
If ever you are the owner of a Rolex GMT, of whichever model, you can relax in the knowledge that you are in possession of a watch manufactured to the highest of standards, and it will remain sought-after and desirable for many years to come.