Description

The history of the Rolex GMT-Master debuted with a collaboration with the now defunct Pan American Airways, the first model was released in 1954-1955 and given to the crew on the long-haul flights. The major feature was the second time zone (GMT) with dedicated hand giving time on the rotatable red & blue bezel that had a 24-hour display, hence the “Pepsi” nickname.
The model became quickly popular as a pilot’s watch and very recognisable among international world travellers.

Various upgrades and metal variations were released over the years such as bi-color, full gold but the most famous remain the steel versions nicknamed respectively; Coke due to its red/black bezel, model that is discontinued today, Pepsi for the red/blue bezel and Batman for the blue & black bezel model.

The present model is the latest evolution of the “Pepsi” reference 126710BLRO, the usual monobloc case of 40mm in stainless steel but with this time the bidirectional bezel in red & blue ceramic, added to the black dial, this gives an amazing contrast to the whole watch. Luminescent hours markers with the central hands indicates the local hours & minutes while the red hand is the second timezone indicator. It can be easily changed with the crown. The date is as usual visible at 3 o’clock with the « loop » effect to facilitate the reading.

The self-winding movement with a power-reserve of 70-hours is protected by the stainless steel monoblock.

Rolex – bio

Founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, initially as Wilsdorf & Davis Ltd. Renamed Rolex by 1908 and moved its base of operations to Geneva, Switzerland in 1919.  Their success is due to their innovation namely the legendary “Oyster” case – first water resistant watch and their extremely reliable movements.
The most famous models are Datejust, Day-Date, Daytona, Explorer, GMT-Master, Submariner and many more.
The company is owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, a family private trust.
One story, never confirmed by Wilsdorf, recounts that the name came from the French words “horlogerie exquise”, meaning “exquisite clockwork”.