1996 Rolex GMT-Master "Pepsi" Faded Bezel 16700
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 Rolex box but no Rolex paperwork. The watch comes paired with an original 20mm Rolex Oyster bracelet with a signed folding clasp and an Oysterlock system that prevents the bracelet from accidentally opening. The watch is from Circa. 1996. The watch is in all original unpolished, lightly worn condition and the dial and handset are in fantastic 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/1zegF4Q7Z-9G0wS22wDIZP42eTwnEUoH-?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 2:41 - https://youtu.be/yoQJ6CNiA-M
The Watch
Here we have a 1996 Rolex GMT-Master "Pepsi" Faded Bezel 16700, 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. 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. The curvaceous unpolished 40mm stainless steel case, ergonomically shaped with a lug-to-lug length of 46.5mm and a case thickness of 11mm has a subtle curve to the drilled lugs making for a very comfortable fit on the wrist. Crown guards protect the screw-down crown from any knocks. Its bezel has the iconic blue and red “Pepsi” insert, the red is lightly fading to a subtle pink tone. 24-hour numerals radiate around the bezel, the red indicates the daytime while the blue signifies the nighttime, and the insert has faded over time cementing that vintage aesthetic. 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 complete with a sweeping second hand with a lollipop counterbalance, the red GMT hand has a Tritium-filled arrowhead, the hour hand and GMT hand are linked making this a true GMT as opposed to a separate set GMT hand. At 12 o’clock we have the Rolex motif “ Oyster Perpetual Date” and at 6 o’clock “GMT-Master Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified”, on the bottom edge “Swiss- T< 25” completes this striking vintage sports watch. 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, it is fitted with a Parachrom hairspring, designed by Rolex; it offers greater resistance to shocks and temperature variations, this movement was first introduced in 1988. It is fitted on a 20mm Rolex Oyster bracelet with the Oysterlock system that prevents the bracelet from accidentally opening, this watch is sold with a Rolex box but no Rolex paperwork.
Personal Note
This reference 16700 is one of my favourite neo-vintage GMTs and this one being 1996 it's just one year away from a birth year for me! The subtle fade on the bezel leaning towards a pink tone is just beautiful, the tritium starting to show small signs of age and the case is strong and sharp in its unpolished condition with the green reference sticker still present on the case back. This is one you truly cannot go wrong with, so if its of interest snap it up whilst you can!
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.