Rolex GMT-Master II Buying Guide: the quick answer
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This Rolex GMT-Master II guide covers the ultimate travellers watch. Born in the 1950s for Pan Am pilots crossing time zones, the GMT-Master II uses a 24 hour hand and rotating bezel to track a second and even third time zone. With its colourful two tone bezels and famous nicknames, it is one of the most desirable sports Rolex models, and this Rolex GMT-Master II guide explains how to buy the right one.
On this page
How the GMT function works
The GMT-Master II shows a second time zone using a dedicated 24 hour hand read against a bidirectional 24 hour bezel. By rotating the bezel you can even track a third zone, and the independently settable local hour hand makes crossing time zones simple. It is a genuinely useful tool for travellers, not just a styling flourish, and it is what sets the model apart from the Submariner.
Bezel nicknames
The two colour Cerachrom bezels have given the GMT-Master II its famous nicknames: the blue and black Batman, the blue and red Pepsi, the brown and black Root Beer and the green and black Sprite. Read our Batman vs Pepsi comparison to choose between the two most popular.
Key references
The current 126710 series uses the calibre 3285 with a 70 hour reserve, following the 116710 generation. Precious metal and Rolesor versions add luxury, while older references like the 16710 offer vintage appeal. Browse the GMT-Master II collection to compare, and confirm the exact reference using our reference number guide.
Jubilee or Oyster bracelet
Modern GMT-Master II watches come on either the five link Jubilee or three link Oyster bracelet, and the choice significantly changes the character. The Jubilee is dressier and more comfortable, the Oyster sportier and more robust. Many buyers have a strong preference, so try both if you can.
GMT-Master II pricing
The GMT-Master II trades above retail on the secondary market, with the Pepsi historically carrying a premium and the Batman offering better availability. Precious metal versions climb considerably. Check current ranges for each reference in our Rolex price guide.
What to check before buying
Confirm the reference, serial and movement, test the 24 hour hand and bezel action, and inspect the ceramic bezel for chips and the case for over polishing. Box and papers add value. Read our authentication process and how to spot a fake Rolex.
Buying a pre owned GMT-Master II
Buy from a specialist that authenticates, warranties and insures the watch. For the manufacturer overview see the official Rolex GMT-Master II page and the GMT-Master history on Wikipedia. Greenwich Watch Co is an independent dealer and is not affiliated with Rolex.
Choosing your bezel: the decision that is really the whole decision
Every GMT-Master II shares the movement, case and bracelet options; the bicolour bezel is the personality, and the market prices personality. The blue and black Batman is the modern default, versatile enough to read almost monochrome in low light. The blue and red Pepsi is the heritage pick, the 1955 original’s colors, and carries the family’s strongest premium. The brown and black Root Beer on two tone is the connoisseur’s counter pick riding the two tone revival, the green and black Sprite wears its left handed crown as conversation, and the grey and black Bruce Wayne is the newest and stealthiest. Plain black bezels from earlier generations remain the quiet value entry. Premiums between colorways run to thousands for identical engineering, so decide with your eyes and verify with the price guide that you know exactly what the colors are costing.
Actually using the complication, in one paragraph
The local hour hand jumps independently: crown position two moves it in one hour steps without stopping the seconds or disturbing the 24 hour hand, so landing in London means clicking the local hand five forward and nothing else. The 24 hour hand keeps home time against the dial’s inner track, and the rotating bezel adds a third zone by offsetting its 24 hour scale. Set home time once, jump local on every flight, and the watch does what phones do with none of the reaching. Frequent flyers stop thinking about the mechanism inside a week, which is the whole point and the reason the reference owns every pilot’s wrist from Atlanta to Dubai.
Generations and where the value hides
| Generation | Years | Trait | Typical pre owned |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16710 | 1989 to 2007 | Aluminium bezels, swappable colors, drilled lugs early | $11,000 to $16,000 and climbing |
| 116710 | 2007 to 2019 | Ceramic arrives; LN black and BLNR Batman | $12,000 to $15,000 |
| 126710 | 2018 on | Calibre 3285, Jubilee option, full colorway family | $14,000 to $18,000 |
The value note collectors act on: clean 16710s have crossed from used watch to modern classic, their faded aluminium bezels now premium patina, making the generation the family’s strongest appreciation story per the index data.
Quick answers
Jubilee or Oyster on a modern GMT? Jubilee currently outsells and slightly outprices; it dresses the tool watch up and suits the travel brief. Oyster wears more rugged and hides wear longer. Reversible later, links permitting.
Batman or Pepsi? Pepsi for heritage and maximum recognition, Batman for versatility; resale is strong for both, and the full comparison takes the question seriously.
Is the GMT worth its premium over a Submariner? Only if you cross time zones with any regularity; otherwise the premium buys colors, which is a legitimate purchase honestly named.
The vintage GMT path: 1675 to 16750, for the patient
Behind the modern family sits the original GMT-Master line, and it rewards a different kind of buyer. The 1675, produced across two full decades from 1959, is the entry to serious vintage Rolex with genuine history: Pan Am cockpit heritage, matte dials, faded bezels that collectors now prize as ghosts and price by their exact shade of surrender. The 16750 that followed added quickset and a higher beat while keeping the vintage face, making it the practical daily pick of the pre ceramic world. Prices run from the low teens for honest examples into the stratosphere for full sets and rare dial variants, and the buying rules invert from modern: originality outranks condition, a worn original bezel beats a crisp service replacement, and every component’s period correctness needs verifying against production knowledge rather than a spec sheet. It is the deepest rabbit hole the travel watch offers, best entered with the reference numbers guide open and a dealer whose vintage documentation survives cross examination.
Ownership notes the manuals skip
Three practical realities of living with a GMT. The bezel is functional, so use it, but know that ceramic inserts are effectively scratchproof while the aluminium on older references scratches and fades, which is either damage or future patina depending on your decade of purchase. The jumping local hand makes this the single best daylight saving watch made, two clicks twice a year while everything else gets pulled and hacked. And travel with the paperwork photographed, not carried: customs officials occasionally ask about five figure watches, and a phone image of the card plus our certificate answers them without risking the originals in a hotel safe. Insurance, sizing and the return window run identically to everything we ship, and when the wrist eventually wants a second colorway rather than a different reference, you will have joined the family’s oldest tradition; the trade desk sees more GMT to GMT trades than any other same model swap.
Frequently asked questions
What does the GMT-Master II do?
It tracks a second time zone with a 24 hour hand and rotating bezel, and can display a third zone by rotating the bezel, ideal for travellers.
What is the difference between the Batman and Pepsi?
They are the same model with different bezel colours: the Batman is blue and black, the Pepsi blue and red. See our Batman vs Pepsi comparison.
Which GMT-Master II reference is current?
The 126710 series with the calibre 3285 is current, following the earlier 116710 generation.
Jubilee or Oyster bracelet on a GMT?
The Jubilee is dressier and more comfortable, the Oyster sportier; both are offered and the choice is personal.
How much is a pre owned GMT-Master II?
It typically trades above retail in the mid five figures, with the Pepsi carrying a premium and precious metal versions costing much more.