1973 Rolex GMT-Master "Rootbeer" 1675 MK3 Dial
Ref: 1675
Specification
Lugs :Â 20mm
Condition :Â Pre-Owned
Box & Papers :Â Later Rolex Box
Case Material :Â Stainless Steel & 18ct Gold
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold with a later Rolex box but no Rolex paperwork. The watch comes paired with its original Rolex 6252H-14 folded Links 20mm Rolex Jubilee stainless steel and 18ct yellow gold bracelet with a signed folding clasp, which will fit a 7.3-inch wrist. The watch is from Circa. 1973 and is in worn vintage condition, but overall good as you can see. The watch features an original MK3 dial and original Rolex bezel, the dial and hands are original tritium. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here -Â https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FnjlnTfDH5preabGjt7KoJEXW3uFasJX?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 2:20Â -Â https://youtu.be/hgyiyaQOhAE
The Watch
Here we have a 1973 Rolex GMT-Master "Rootbeer" 1675 MK3 Dial with a 40mm stainless steel Oyster case that curves over your wrist with tapered drilled lugs, a lug-to-lug length of 47mm and a case thickness of 12.5mm giving the watch an impressive wrist presence. On the right side at 3 o’clock a signed 18ct Yellow gold screw-down crown protected by crown guards, an 18ct Yellow Gold bezel has deep knurling for extra grip and an attractive 24-hour insert brown for the night hours and gold for the day hours hence “Rootbeer”. The plexiglass crystal sits above a rich brown MK3 dial, a minute track surrounds the applied 18ct Yellow Gold nipple with a Tritium pip and baton indexes infilled with Tritium marking the hours, and at 3 o’clock a date window with cyclops magnification on the plexiglass. 18ct Yellow Gold Mercedes hands with a lollipop counterweighted sweeping second hand and an arrow-pointed 18ct yellow gold GMT hand each infilled with Tritium complete this stunning traveller companion. At 12 o’clock we have an applied 18ct Yellow Gold Rolex motif with “Rolex Oyster Perpetual” printed in gold and at 6 o’clock “GMT-MASTER Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified” printed in gold. On the reverse, a screw-down coin-edged case back, inside an automatic Rolex Cal. 1575, 25 jewels, 19,800 beats per hour, this quality movement was in production from 1965. The watch comes fitted on its Rolex 6252H-14 folded Links 20mm Rolex Jubilee stainless steel and 18ct yellow gold bracelet with a signed folding clasp, which will fit a 7.3-inch wrist.
Personal Note
The Rootbber is one of my favourite vintage Rolex references, especially the 1675 and in full gold, on the oyster bracelet it would be the ultimate dream, however, a close second is this configuration with the beautifully textured MK3 dial which draws you in ever close to the details! We have been fortunate to have acquired a few fantastic vintage Rolex references in a short period, all offering their great details and all offered at a very fair price considering rarity and condition, so if you are interested, don't hesitate to get in contact!
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. The Datejust 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.