1991 Rolex GMT-Master "Pepsi" 16700 Tritium Dial & Hands
Ref: 16700
Specification
Lugs : 20mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : Box
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with a later Rolex box and no Rolex paperwork. The watch comes paired with an original 20mm Rolex Oyster bracelet with a signed folding clasp, 12 links are included. The watch is from Circa. 1991. The watch is in worn condition, but overall very fair condition, as you can see from the photographs. The watch also comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10ZH3BCcVq64evmi-TIQk29Chf33QP8rb?usp=share_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 1:54 - https://youtu.be/_DNFDq7XGD0
The Watch
The GMT-Master story begins in 1955 when their very first pilot watch was made for Panam pilot's ref 6542, which featured a bakelite bezel. It was replaced with the ref. 1675 which was in production from 1959 until 1980 when the ref. 16750 was introduced until Rolex replaced it with the ref:16700 in 1988 and remained in production until 1999. At NASA Jack Swigert of Apollo 13 wore one in 1970, and US Air Force pilots wore them. It was also worn by Sean Connery in Goldfinger in 1964.
Here we have a 1991 Rolex GMT-Master "Pepsi" 16700 Tritium Dial & Hands with a 40mm stainless steel case, ergonomically shaped with its subtle curve to the drilled lugs making for a very comfortable fit on the wrist. The polished sides transition with the brushed top surface. Crown guards protect the screw-down crown from any knocks. Its bidirectional bezel has the iconic blue and red “Pepsi” insert, 24-hour numerals radiate around the bezel, the red indicates the daytime while the blue signifies the nighttime. The sapphire crystal sits slightly above the bezel and has the Cyclops magnifier over the date at 3 o’clock. The black dial has Tritium-filled White Gold framed discs and batons for hours, Mercedes hands with Tritium infill and are complemented by a sweeping second hand with a lollipop counterbalance, and the red GMT hand has a white Tritium arrowhead. The hour hand and GMT hand are linked making this a true GMT as opposed to a separate set GMT hand. On the reverse, a plain coin-edged case back, inside an automatic Rolex Cal. 3175, 31 jewels, 28,800 beats per hour, it has both hacking and quick set date functions. The watch comes fitted on a 20mm Rolex Oyster bracelet with the Oysterlock system that prevents the bracelet from accidentally opening, 12 links are included, and the watch also comes with a later Rolex presentation box.
Personal Note
There will forever be something alluring about the Rolex GMT-Master, especially one with tritium and aluminium as it has the potential to age and become something unique in the future. That's the allure of vintage and patina and I believe why so many are attracted to "Neo-Vintage", the "not yet patina'd but has the potential to get there eventually"... This is a wonderful 16700, well worth picking up if you are in the market for one!
The Brand
In 1905, German-born Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis set up a company in London that imported Swiss movements which were installed in British cases and sold to jewellers who put their names on the dials. Recognising the potential for their brand, Wilsdorf created the brand name Rolex in 1908. In 1910, a Rolex became the first wristwatch to carry the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision, awarded by the Official Watch Rating Centre in Bienne, Switzerland. Demand for Rolex watches rose swiftly, and British taxes on the Swiss movements Rolex used prompted Wilsdorf to move the business to Geneva, Switzerland, in 1919. With production costs lowered, Wilsdorf quickly set out to solve the age-old problem of moisture and dust entering a watch case and damaging the movement. The Rolex watchmakers came up with a fully sealed watch case, which Wilsdorf named the Oyster, and released to an appreciative audience in 1926. In 1931, Rolex introduced the first automatic winding wristwatch, giving it the legendary name Oyster Perpetual. In 1945, they released the Datejust which was the first watch to have the date jump instantaneously at midnight. The 1950s saw a whole lot of releases such as the Air-King (1958), the Explorer (1953), the Submariner (1953), the GMT Master (1955), the Day-Date (1956), the electromagnetic field resistant Milgauss (1956), the Lady-Datejust (1957) and the first Deep Sea model (1960). Wilsdorf’s death in 1960, saw ownership of Rolex S.A. (a collection of sub-companies) passed to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation which was founded by Wilsdorf in 1945, the mission of which is simply to sustain Rolex S.A. indefinitely.