Rolex GMT-Master: owner reviews and feedback

The Rolex GMT-Master, launched in 1955, is a professional watch created at a time when the development of intercontinental flights required pilots and travellers to follow the time in several regions of the world simultaneously. From the outset, it combines an additional hand completing one revolution of the dial every twenty-four hours with a rotating bezel graduated over twenty-four hours. When the bezel is correctly positioned, local time is read with the conventional hands while the additional hand indicates a second time zone. Adopted notably by Pan American World Airways, the GMT-Master rapidly becomes one of the watches most directly associated with civil aviation.

Four major references structure its career: 6542, 1675, 16750 and 16700. Over the decades, a 40 mm case with crown guards, aluminium bezel inserts, quick-set date, water resistance increased to 100 metres and finally a sapphire crystal appear. Unlike the GMT-Master II launched in 1982, however, the local hour hand and 24-hour hand remain synchronised. Production of the classical GMT-Master ends in 1999.

Design & legibility: the origin of the red and blue bezel

The GMT-Master establishes in 1955 a visual language that remains immediately recognisable more than seventy years later. Its black dial uses large geometric markers, a Mercedes-style hour hand, a date at 3 o’clock beneath a Cyclops magnifier and, above all, a fourth hand ending in a triangle. This completes one full revolution every twenty-four hours and is read against the bidirectional bezel. On the first stainless-steel watches, the red part of the bezel corresponds to daytime hours and the blue section to nighttime. The combination of the triangle-tipped 24-hour hand and red-and-blue bezel forms the fundamental distinguishing feature of the GMT-Master. Collectors now use the nickname “Pepsi” for this combination, although it was not Rolex’s historical designation. Other inserts subsequently appear, notably entirely black or brown and gold on certain Rolesor versions. Legibility also evolves with luminous materials: radium on the earliest references, tritium through much of production and finally LumiNova on the last 16700 examples.

Case, bezel and comfort: from 38 to 40 mm without losing its tool-watch purpose

The first reference 6542 uses an approximately 38 mm Oyster case without crown guards, dimensions that are very restrained for a professional watch. In 1959, the 1675 increases the case to approximately 40 mm and adds protection around the crown, an architecture that becomes the foundation of later Rolex sporting GMT watches. The crystal remains acrylic on the 1675 and subsequently on the 16750, giving the watches characteristic profiles and reflections but making them more vulnerable to scratching than sapphire. The final 16700 eventually adopts a sapphire crystal. The move to 40 mm in 1959 establishes proportions that largely explain the remarkable aesthetic longevity of the GMT-Master. Older references remain comparatively slim and their narrow lugs occupy less wrist area than a contemporary Rolex sports watch. Three-link Oyster and five-link Jubilee bracelets also create two different sensations: Oyster appears more utilitarian while Jubilee is more flexible and dressier. Water resistance is around 50 metres on the first generations and then reaches 100 metres with the 16750 and 16700.

Movement: two linked time displays, then quick-set date and 4 Hz frequency

The operating principle of the historical GMT-Master is simpler than that of the GMT-Master II. The conventional hour hand and 24-hour hand are mechanically linked: when the time is adjusted, they move together. To display a second time zone, the wearer therefore rotates the 24-hour bezel according to the required offset. The first 6542 watches successively use automatic calibres 1036, 1065 and 1066. The 1675 then uses calibres 1565 and 1575, with the latter later gaining hacking seconds. In 1981, calibre 3075 in the 16750 brings a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and, above all, quick-set date correction. The essential mechanical difference from the GMT-Master II is the absence of independent adjustment for the local hour hand. The final 16700 uses calibre 3175, still operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour, with hacking seconds and quick-set date for approximately 48 hours of power reserve. This relative simplicity limits the GMT-Master to two simultaneous time zones but makes its operation especially straightforward to understand.

Chronological milestones and main models (1955–2025)

(1955) Rolex GMT-Master 6542 Steel First “Pepsi”:

The first GMT-Master establishes the foundations of the complete lineage. The Rolex GMT-Master 6542 has an approximately 38 mm stainless-steel Oyster case without crown guards, an acrylic crystal and a date at 3 o’clock beneath a Cyclops magnifier. Its most spectacular feature is the bidirectional red-and-blue rotating bezel initially made from a synthetic material now generally referred to as Bakelite. Numerals and graduations contain luminous radium, allowing nighttime reading but contributing today to the extreme rarity of original inserts. Their fragility leads to their progressive replacement by metal inserts. Black lacquered dials use gilt printing and substantial luminous material. Several automatic movements follow one another during the short production life of the reference, notably calibres 1036, 1065 and 1066. Water resistance is around 50 metres. A second time zone is read by rotating the bezel because both hour indications remain synchronised.

(1958) Rolex GMT-Master 6542/8 Gold Burgundy-Brown Bezel:

The gold version demonstrates very early that the GMT-Master is not intended solely as an austere cockpit instrument. The Rolex GMT-Master 6542/8 uses an approximately 38 mm 18-carat yellow-gold case and a synthetic bezel in a burgundy-brown colour instead of the red and blue used on stainless-steel references. The dial may be champagne or a darker tone and uses small raised applied markers that will subsequently become widely associated with precious-metal GMT watches. The hands also differ from the sporting configuration of the steel model: certain watches have alpha hands for hours and minutes. The Twinlock crown is gold and the bracelet can also be made from yellow gold. The automatic movement belongs to the same family as that used in steel 6542 watches and the display retains date, central time and 24-hour indication. The crystal is acrylic and water resistance remains that of an Oyster from this period, far removed from the ratings of modern sports watches.

(1959) Rolex GMT-Master 1675 Gilt Pepsi Crown Guards:

Reference 1675 is the second generation and becomes one of the longest-produced Rolex sports watches. The Rolex GMT-Master 1675 increases the diameter to approximately 40 mm and introduces crown guards, initially very pointed on some early examples and progressively becoming more rounded. The bezel now uses a red-and-blue aluminium metal insert, far more appropriate for a tool watch than the fragile material of the 6542. Early executions retain a glossy black dial with gilt printing and a peripheral minute track. Automatic calibre 1565 operates at 18,000 vibrations per hour on the earliest watches; calibre 1575 subsequently replaces it with a higher frequency and later gains hacking seconds. The crystal remains acrylic, the date stays at 3 o’clock and water resistance is still around 50 metres. Oyster and Jubilee bracelets progressively accompany the reference and contribute strongly to the diversity of configurations now sought by collectors.

(1967) Rolex GMT-Master 1675 Matte Dial Pepsi:

During the second half of the 1960s, the glossy gilt dial gradually gives way to a matte black surface with white printing, a change defining much of subsequent production. The Rolex GMT-Master 1675 retains its approximately 40 mm steel case, acrylic crystal, Cyclops magnifier and red-and-blue aluminium bezel but its appearance becomes noticeably more functional. Luminous markers are painted directly onto the dial and use tritium, a material whose colour may evolve towards cream or yellow tones with age. Automatic calibre 1575 powers most of these watches and operates at around 19,800 vibrations per hour. From the early 1970s, certain executions also have hacking seconds. Oyster and Jubilee remain available. During this long period, several dial layouts and bezel fonts appear, now classified by collectors into different variations. Their authenticity and correspondence with the production date of the case strongly influence the value of surviving examples.

(1970) Rolex GMT-Master 1675/3 Root Beer Rolesor:

The two-tone variation becomes one of the most emblematic GMT-Master watches of the 1970s. The Rolex GMT-Master 1675/3 combines stainless steel with yellow gold and generally receives a brown dial together with a brown-and-gold bezel insert, a combination subsequently nicknamed “Root Beer” by collectors. The case remains close to 40 mm and retains its acrylic crystal, crown guards and approximately 50 metres of water resistance. Several dials use small raised applied markers frequently described as a “nipple dial”. Automatic calibre 1575 GMT retains the mechanical architecture of the steel 1675 with linked hour and 24-hour hands. The watch can be fitted with an Oyster or two-tone Jubilee bracelet, the latter strongly reinforcing its characteristic 1970s aesthetic. This configuration demonstrates that by then the GMT-Master has already moved beyond its original role as a professional instrument to become a luxurious travel watch. Patina on the brown dials, inserts and tritium now creates significant differences from one example to another.

(1981) Rolex GMT-Master 16750 Matte Pepsi Quick-Set Date:

The 16750 substantially modernises the GMT-Master while retaining almost exactly the overall appearance of the late-production 1675. The Rolex GMT-Master 16750 has a 40 mm stainless-steel case, red-and-blue or black aluminium bezel, acrylic crystal and now a stated water-resistance rating of 100 metres. Early watches retain a matte black dial with tritium-painted markers, making them especially desirable today because they combine vintage aesthetics with significantly modernised mechanics. Automatic calibre 3075 operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and introduces quick-set date correction: the hands no longer need to be turned through repeated twenty-four-hour cycles to change the calendar. It also provides hacking seconds and approximately two days of autonomy. The 24-hour hand nevertheless remains linked to the main hour indication, maintaining the fundamental functional distinction from the GMT-Master II that appears at almost the same time.

(1984) Rolex GMT-Master 16750 Gloss Dial Framed Markers:

During the middle of the 16750 production period, Rolex progressively replaces the matte dial with a glossy black dial featuring hour markers surrounded by white gold. The Rolex GMT-Master 16750 thus visually enters the era of modern Rolex sports watches while retaining its acrylic crystal and aluminium bezel. The 40 mm case remains water-resistant to 100 metres and can receive either a red-and-blue or completely black bezel. Automatic calibre 3075 continues to operate at 4 Hz with quick-set date and hacking seconds. Some glossy dials from this period develop fine cracks in their lacquer with age, creating the collector designation “Spider Dial”. This phenomenon is not systematic and was neither a feature nor a series officially named by Rolex. Oyster and Jubilee remain available. This execution is particularly useful for understanding the transitional position of the 16750: newer mechanics and a modern dial combined with the proportions, Plexiglas and aluminium inserts of the preceding generation.

(1988) Rolex GMT-Master 16700 Pepsi Sapphire Final Generation:

The final GMT-Master generation is introduced while the GMT-Master II has already existed for several years. The Rolex GMT-Master 16700 uses an approximately 40 mm Oystersteel case, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal, screwed caseback and crown and 100 metres of water resistance. It is offered principally with a red-and-blue or entirely black aluminium bezel. Its glossy dial has applied white-gold-surrounded markers and the date remains magnified beneath the Cyclops lens. Automatic calibre 3175 operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour, provides approximately 48 hours of power reserve, quick-set calendar adjustment and hacking seconds. Despite these developments, the hour and 24-hour hands remain linked, explaining why it stays in the range as the simpler alternative alongside the GMT-Master II. Luminous material is tritium for most of production before moving to LumiNova on the last examples.

The 16700 disappears in 1999, ending forty-four years of classical GMT-Master production.

Choosing the right version: 6542, 1675, 16750 or 16700 according to use

The 6542 is above all a collector’s watch. Its 38 mm case is highly attractive but original dials, hands and especially bezel inserts are rare and can represent a considerable proportion of the watch’s value. An inappropriate intervention can therefore significantly alter its historical interest. The 6542 is best suited to an experienced collector able to have every component carefully authenticated. For simply wearing a vintage GMT regularly, a later generation is generally less demanding.

The 1675 probably represents the best aesthetic summary of the historical GMT-Master. It retains an acrylic crystal, slim proportions and an aluminium bezel capable of gradually fading. Its long production life, however, creates an enormous number of dial, insert, hand and bracelet variations. The 1675 is particularly attractive for someone seeking the visual character of Rolex sports watches from the 1960s and 1970s. Case condition and consistency between dial, bezel insert and production year should take priority over searching for spectacular patina.

The 16750 is an excellent transition for someone wanting to retain a vintage appearance while gaining more practical operation. Early versions still have a matte dial and acrylic crystal, but calibre 3075 contributes quick-set date, 28,800 vibrations per hour and 100 metres of water resistance. The 16750 offers one of the best compromises between historical aesthetics and everyday ease of use. Matte dials are now more sought after, while glossy dials create an appearance closer to the 16700.

The 16700 is the easiest version to integrate into regular use. Sapphire resists scratches better, the case is water-resistant to 100 metres when the seals are in good condition and calibre 3175 provides quick-set date and hacking seconds. It nevertheless retains the aluminium insert and slim proportions that clearly distinguish it from present-day Rolex sports watches. The 16700 is the most logical choice for someone wanting actually to wear a classical GMT-Master rather than mainly preserve it as a collectible. The owner simply needs to accept that its travel function is less convenient than that of a GMT-Master II.

Finally, an old GMT-Master should be purchased by looking well beyond the reference engraved between the lugs. Service dials, replacement hands, later inserts, incorrect bracelets or excessively polished cases can profoundly change its character and value. Original water resistance is never a guarantee several decades later. Historical consistency of the components and the real condition of the case are often more important than the presence of box and papers. Movement inspection and a pressure test are recommended before everyday use or any exposure to water. Other customers’ opinions are essential.

Conclusion

The Rolex GMT-Master is aimed at enthusiasts attracted by the history of intercontinental travel and by a tool watch whose design has had a lasting influence on sporting watchmaking. The 6542 provides the earliest and rarest form of the concept, while the 1675 establishes the proportions and aesthetic that still define the image of the GMT today. The 16750 contributes more practical mechanics without abandoning the acrylic crystal, while the 16700 concludes the lineage with sapphire and a modernised calibre. All nevertheless retain the same essential characteristic: conventional time and the 24-hour hand remain synchronised, requiring use of the bezel to display the second time zone. This feature clearly distinguishes them from the GMT-Master II and is now part of their historical charm.

To compare ease of use, comfort, accuracy and the ownership experience of these different generations, Dialicious customer reviews provide a particularly useful complement.

(Updated August 2026)