Rolex GMT-Master

Why We Love It The Rolex GMT-Master line is a perennial favorite amongst us here at Analog/Shift and is truly an icon of design that transcends the mere category of “tool watches”. The Reference 1675 is to the GMT-Master, what the reference 5513 is to the Submariner. The quintessential version of an iconic watch. Despite the fact that the 1675 is the second iteration of Rolex’s famed GMT-Master, it was in production for over twenty years, produced without interruption from 1959 to 1980, and underwent numerous changes in that time. However, as with all designs, the earliest is always the truest to its form, and that is exactly what we have here. This beauty is a first generation matte dial 1675 with what the Rolex cognoscenti call a “Mark I, Long E” Dial, dating to approximately 1968. Sporting a very light, creamy patina to the Tritium luminous bits on the dial and hands, this particular GMT-Master comes fitted on a period-correct folded-link Jubilee bracelet and sports a correct early silver date wheel and a vibrant red and blue 'Pepsi' service bezel insert. While not commonly seen with such crisp luminous, the dial on this example remains untouched and will likely continue to develop even more character as time goes on. Who wouldn't want to bear witness to that magic? The Story October 26, 1958 – The PanAm Clipper America departs from New York City to Paris. The staff impeccably dressed, the guests in their Sunday finest, the menu catered by Maxim’s of Paris. The occasion? The very first transatlantic crossing of the new Boeing 707. The first American airline to offer daily flights across the ocean, and the arrival of the Jet Age. Preparation for this began many years ago, including conversations between PanAm and Rolex to create a more elegant and simple solution to reading time across multiple time zones – something that was necessitated by jet travel – and jet lag. In 1955 Rolex released the GMT-Master, using a rotating 24 hour bezel, and a secondary hour hand, the watch was born to be an icon and was in fact was sported and issued to PanAm pilots during these early years. A true tool watch, the red and blue “Pepsi” bezel was meant to show day and night hours in 24 hour time, the name standing for Greenwich Mean Time. In 1959, Rolex replaced the first generation GMT-Master (linked to our 6542) and its delicate bezel, no crown guard case, with the 1675 reference we see here.