The Rolex GMT Master II 16710
With our âIn Focusâ series we explore what to look out for when youâre on the search for some of your favourite watches. In this first instalment, we take a look at the classic Rolex watch, the GMT Master II 16710.
Weâve been there ourselves: youâre looking for a watch, but what should you look out for? Watch forums are littered with sporadic knowledge on watches. Unfortunately, though, thereâs no real coherent way to take this all in (without trawling through 1000s of posts - some of which may not be entirely useful). Hopefully this In Focus series might be able to help you out here. Letâs get into it.
The Rolex GMT Master II - 16710
With Rolexâs release of the Pepsi GMT Master II 126710 BLRO (and its corresponding lack of supply), demand for its predecessor â the 16710 - has gone through the roof. Those who canât find the latest BLRO are turning to the 16710 to quench their thirst. So, what should you look for when youâre buying this?
Understanding the reference
Weâre not going to go into the history of the GMT watch, its form and function (the guys at Fratello Watches did a great job in a story which details the entire history of the Rolex GMT Master here). Letâs assume you know all that, and pick up the story during the late 80s when the 16710 came in after a number of iterations of the first GMT Master which was first produced in the 1950s.
The 16710 was produced from 1989 until 2007 but, as you can guess with a watch that was made over an 18-year period, there were quite a few changes to the watch which itâs good to be mindful of when you buy. Dates are approximate as, in reality, only Rolex knows the exact date of when things changed.
Dial â indices and lume plots
The first dials on the 16710 were produced with tritium white gold indices and were in production until 1997/1998. They featured the writing âT<25â at the 6 oâclock position. Given this is tritium, today - some twenty plus years later - in a dark room the tritium should glow for a very short while (or might not glow much at all!) before the glow fades away quickly.
From 1998/99, dials then changed to using luminova lume and were instead marked with the word âSwissâ instead at the 6 oâclock. Today, these luminova dials should emit a stronger green glow (compared to tritium) when you expose it to UV light, and should still be able to hold their charge.
From 2000 onwards, the dial indices used superluminova lume, and were marked with âSwiss Madeâ instead like below. Superluminova uses the same base compound as luminova and both possess very similar qualities. If you flash a UV light to this dial today, it should also be able to hold its charge with a quite bright greenish hue for a longer while still compared to luminova. Like this.
Saying that, there are variants out there. Luminova has been said to have been found on a T<25 dial (which in theory should read Swiss at the bottom instead). Presumably, as is the case with certain Omega Speedmasters from the 1960s, parts and materials were used towards their transitioning out â if a manufacturer had material left which was good to use, it might well have been used.
The Bezel! That beautiful design. The aluminium bezel on the 16710 came in three colours: black (âLNâ â Rolex code for âlunette noirâ, which in Swiss means âblack bezelâ), the classic blue and red (the âBLROâ â code for âBleu Rougeâ), and black and red (er, sorry â weâre not sure what the Rolex code for this one is. Youâll often hear this referred to as the âCokeâ). Some have reported that the newer plastic service warranty cards (as opposed to the previous paper warranties which used to be issued as proof of service) print âNâ for Noir (Black bezel), "A" for Black/Red and "B" for âBlue/Redâ on them. I canât attest to this; when I had my 16710 serviced at the Rolex Service Centre it simply came back to me and had â16710â printed on it.
The bezel should also be bi-directional and have 120 clicks in one full turn.
Collectors in the US will swear that original papers for the 16710 should also have the specific bezel colour model printed on them. Whilst this may be true for American pieces, this isnât necessarily the case for the rest of the world. Friends on The Rolex Forum (âTRFâ), particularly those in Europe, have said that the papers often will not have this printed on. Mine donât and my papers were originally stamped by a German retailer.
Buyers will also usually want to know whether the bezel on the watch is an original Rolex part. The capacity for aftermarket (read this as a polite way of saying ânon-Rolex originalâ) bezels is huge. Producers know that they cost very little to make and can be sold on for a healthy profit, particularly with the current craze for faded bezels. I bought a genuine 16710 myself which turned out to have an aftermarket pepsi bezel (Rolex politely informed me of this when I took the watch for service). Although it did have an authentic Rolex black and red bezel with it too.
If you are worried about a bezel, your best bet is to visit a Rolex Service Centre to confirm that your bezel is genuine. I wouldnât bother buying âgenuineâ bezels often advertised on ebay/gumtree or anywhere else at - the often - extortionate prices you see them listed for. A Rolex Service Centre will happily let you buy a brand new, genuine bezel for about ÂŁ30 (or ÂŁ50 if you want to keep any existing genuine bezel whilst buying a new one).
One thing frequently debated is the print of the âIIâ wording on the GMT Master dial. There are three different variations known out there at present: the stick dial, roman dial, and the rectangular dial. From my own experience, Iâve seen less rectangular dials out there available compared to stick dials, and less stick dials out there compared to roman dials. See the picture below which shows the difference between these dial variations.
Some argue that the so called âstickâ dials (once referred to as âerrorâ dials) on the 16710 are worth more given their rarity (and apparent pairing with the 3186 movement - see more below). Others say that the change in font is actually nothing more than just that: a change in font as years of production has gone on, and that, today, stick dials can are increasingly found on replaced service dials. If so, we may see more stick dials in the wild as time goes on. The reality is - no one other than Rolex knows the truth here on this, and, personally, I donât obsess about this sort of thing.Â
The 16710 featured the 3185 movement until 2007 when the 3186 movement was introduced. The very last batch of reference 16710 GMT-Master II watches had the updated 3186 movement which included Rolexâs famous Parachrom bleu hairspring (in basic terms, and without overdoing the physics/watchmaking lessons, this is the regulator that controls how precise the watch runs). Youâll see 16710s with the 3186 movement being priced at a premium compared to those with the 3185s.
The crystal used on all versions of the 16710 was a sapphire glass crystal. One thing to note is that those 16710s from 2003 should have a laser etched Rolex crown (âLECâ) - the Rolex symbol - etched into the sapphire glass, usually at the 6 oâclock (although some examples have been said to have been found as early as 2001). Itâs tiny, but it should be there. It should also be fairly visible without a loupe, but you may need some good lighting to spot it. If the crystal is a service crystal, you will likely be provided a service replacement crystal, and the LEC will have an "S" (service) inside the Rolex crown.
To lug hole, or not to lug hole: that is the question. On the side of the case youâll find 16710s from before 2003 (Y series models) which have lug holes on them. What does this mean? This means that you can change the bracelet on your watch easily with a strap of your own choice - using something as simple as a toothpick to remove and reinsert the spring bars. Thatâs not to say you canât change straps with a 16710 that is without holes, itâs just a bit fiddly and youâll probably need a spring bar tool to make life easier. Also: word of warning â you might scratch the lugs if youâre not used to putting spring bars back on, so be a bit careful here.
The GMT Master II 16710 is usually found on an oyster bracelet (models 78360 or 78790A) â the latter featuring an oysterlock (one of Rolexâs previous iterations of its safety clasps to ensure the bracelet safely remains on the wrist). However, during its lifetime of production the 16710 was also available for sale with a jubilee bracelet too (the 62510H). If you prefer one style over the other, speak to the Rolex Service Centre who will be able to sell you the version of the bracelet in question youâre after.
The 16710s can also be found with two different types of end links (the part of the watch that connects the bracelet to the watch head): hollow and solid. The first versions of the 16710 until around 2000 came with hollow end links, and later versions from here onwards came with solid end links (âSELâ). Whatâs the difference? SELs are meant to be slightly stronger as they are, well, solid â albeit, not entirely solid (I know, a bit confusing right?). Hollow end links have a more vintage feel to them and generally rattle a little more as you wear the watch. The Crown & Calibre guys did a great video on the difference between these sorts of endlinks which you can watch here.
The GMT Master 16710 is an iconic watch reference which remains loved by watch enthusiasts over the world. Thatâs no small coincidence: the watch possesses the style and story of a classic vintage Rolex, and was the last GMT iteration before the move to todayâs larger Rolex GMT cases.Â
A final word of advice when it comes to buying the GMT Master II 16710: bearing in mind the pointers above, if something feels off - or you donât trust the seller - my advice would be to stay clear. Itâs common sense, I know, but we can often overlook such basic advice when we find - what we think is - a great price. Remember with any Rolex vintage watch purchased, you can always ask a Rolex Service Centre (provided you live close to one) to verify a watchâs legitimacy post sale when you take it in to get a quote for service. And despite all the above variance that exists among the 16710, the usual rules apply: buy what you like, and buy the best condition you can for money available.
Hopefully that was a helpful guide. If you enjoyed the article (or didnât!) â please let us know below. And as usual, if you have any comments, questions or suggestions on what you might want us to look at next feel free to drop them below.