Reference Points Understanding The Rolex GMT-Master

Over the course of that time, Rolex made many changes, large and small, to the GMT-Master, but the boldest line of demarcation dividing production into two categories is the one between earlier gilt and later matte dial variations Matte dial 1675s account for some 14 years of GMT production, and in fact, matte dials continued into the earliest version of the reference 16750, which will ultimately retire the 1675 Its moniker comes from a characteristic of the "E" in Rolex on its dial.

The 16750 is regarded today as a transitional model and was in production for about seven years, a short period of time considering the long run 1675 had Earlier versions of this reference continued the theme of the later 1675s by having a matte dial, but Rolex eventually switched out the matte dial in favor of a glossy lacquer dial with white-gold surrounds on the indexes Four years later, when Rolex did eventually make a steel Pepsi, it switched the dial of the white gold Pepsi from black to blue, and even offered previous buyers the chance to change their dials to blue if they desired.

Rolex discontinued the 116719BLRO with black dial in favor of the 126719BLRO with blue dial, and that remains in production today Others may say GMT-Masters owned by famous individuals such as the Marlon Brando reference 1675 that sold for almost $2 million at auction, the undiscovered Pablo Picasso reference 6542, or even Tom Selleck's GMT-Master reference 16750 as worn on Magnum P.I 4. Source