Rolex GMT-Master II, the travel watch with personality

The GMT-Master II is the Rolex for people who are on the move, in their heads or by aeroplane. It shows two time zones at once and carries one of the most striking bezels of the brand. In the atelier it is often the watch for those flirting with the Submariner but wanting a little more colour and function. This guide explains how its function works, what the famous nicknames mean and what matters when you buy.

From pilot's tool to travel icon

The GMT-Master came to market in 1955, developed in a time when the jet age made travel across several time zones an everyday affair. Pilots needed a tool to keep both home time and local time in view at once. That is exactly what the GMT-Master delivered, via an additional hand and a rotating 24-hour bezel. From the cockpit the watch moved across the decades onto the wrists of travellers and collectors and so became a travel icon from a pure instrument, without ever losing its function.

How the GMT function works

The principle is elegant and quickly explained. Alongside the usual three hands there is a fourth, the GMT hand, which shows the hours in a 24-hour rhythm. Together with the rotating 24-hour bezel a second time zone can be read from it. The decisive advance of the GMT-Master II of 1982 is that the local hour hand can be adjusted independently in jumps. So whoever lands simply sets the local time, while the GMT hand continues to show home time. The watch thus delivers true dual time, and with the help of the bezel even a third time zone can be read off roughly. For frequent travellers this is genuinely useful in daily life, not just decoration.

The lexicon of bezel colours

Hardly anything makes the GMT-Master II as unmistakable as its two-tone bezels, and every colour combination carries a nickname. The Pepsi is the red and blue bezel, the most iconic of the family and the image most people have in mind. The Batman is the black and blue variant, the more rational and somewhat more restrained choice, whose bezel looks black in sunlight and bluish indoors. The Root Beer is the brown and black bezel in the Everose and steel combination, a warmer, somewhat more formal presence. The Sprite, finally, is the left-handed variant with a green and black bezel and the crown on the left side of the case, a deliberately wilful watch. These two-tone ceramic bezels are technically demanding to produce, because two colours have to come together in a single piece of ceramic.

Jubilee or Oyster

The GMT-Master II exists on the Oyster bracelet and on the Jubilee bracelet, and the choice changes the character noticeably. The Oyster bracelet with its three broader links looks sportier and more matter-of-fact. The Jubilee bracelet with its five narrow links looks more elegant and more festive and is preferred by many precisely with the Pepsi. The same watch can look like a tool on the Oyster bracelet and like an elegant travel watch on the Jubilee bracelet. In the atelier we lay out both, because the decision falls more quickly on the wrist than in the description.

The movement and the size

Inside the current GMT-Master II works the in-house calibre 3285 with around 70 hours of power reserve and the independently adjustable hour hand. The case measures 40 millimetres and shares its robust foundation with the Submariner. From the workshop's point of view the 3285 is a modern, reliable movement that implements the additional GMT function cleanly. The watch is water-resistant to 100 metres and thus suited to everyday use, even if its true element is travel.

How the GMT-Master II wears

At 40 millimetres the GMT-Master II wears in a balanced way, similar to the Submariner, but clearly more striking thanks to the coloured bezel and the fourth hand. It is a watch that opens conversations, because its nicknames and its function are well known. On the Oyster bracelet it is a sporty companion, on the Jubilee bracelet an elegant travel watch. Anyone seeking a Rolex with character and genuine use finds in the GMT-Master II one of the most versatile of the brand.

A short history of the GMT-Master

The GMT-Master arose in the mid-fifties in close connection with aviation. The jet age made long-haul flights across several time zones an everyday matter, and flight crews needed a tool to grasp home and local time at once. The GMT-Master was the answer and quickly became a fixed companion in the cockpit. Across the decades it moved from there onto the wrists of travellers, collectors and people who simply appreciated the striking bezel. The function was always preserved in the process and even developed further with the GMT-Master II. From the pure instrument arose one of the most characterful watches of the brand, without it ever losing its practical use.

GMT-Master against GMT-Master II

Both terms are encountered in the market, and the difference is important. The original GMT-Master shows a second time zone via the fourth hand and the bezel, but its hour hand cannot be adjusted independently. The GMT-Master II, introduced in 1982, brought exactly this innovation. The local hour hand jumps independently, so that when changing time zones you only adjust the local time while the home time is preserved. For practical use on travels the GMT-Master II is thus the clearly more comfortable choice. The older GMT-Master is today above all a collector's subject, while the current models all use the logic of the GMT-Master II.

The vintage GMT, a field of its own

Alongside the modern ceramic models there is a rich world of older GMT-Master watches. Earlier references carried aluminium bezels, which fade over time and often take on appealing tones in the process. A faded red Pepsi bezel that has tipped towards pink, or a black bezel gone matte, is regarded by many collectors as especially characterful. These vintage GMT watches do however demand knowledge, because originality and condition decide large differences in value and parts have often been swapped over the decades. Anyone stepping into this field should take their time or have a companion. In the atelier we are glad to place such pieces before a decision is made.

What to look for when buying a used GMT-Master II

With a used GMT-Master II, check the bezel closely, for colour fidelity and a clean ratchet mechanism, because the rotating bezel is a central functional element. Check whether the local hour hand can be adjusted cleanly in jumps and whether the GMT hand runs along correctly. Pay attention to the condition of the bracelet and the originality of dial and hands. Completeness with box and papers raises value and liquidity, more on that in box and papers, how important are they really. The whole process of a safe purchase is described in the Rolex buying guide.

Submariner or GMT-Master II

Many waver between these two, because they build on the same case. The Submariner is the purist diving watch, the GMT the more travel-capable variant with a second time zone and a striking colour bezel. Anyone who travels a lot or wants a more eye-catching watch tends towards the GMT. Anyone seeking purity and understatement towards the Submariner. We go deeper into the direct comparison in Submariner against GMT-Master II.

Service and care

The GMT-Master II is robust and suited to everyday use but, like every mechanical watch, needs a service at longer intervals. In the process the movement is cleaned, the gaskets are renewed and the functions are checked, including the independently adjustable hour hand. Anyone who uses their GMT a lot on travels should have the water resistance checked occasionally. A well-kept GMT with a documented service history is the more reliable and more value-stable watch. What a service costs and when it is due is set out in our article Rolex service costs.

Which GMT-Master II for whom

The choice of the right GMT is above all a question of character. Anyone seeking the iconic image of the brand reaches for the Pepsi with its red and blue bezel. Anyone who likes it somewhat more restrained is well served by the Batman in black and blue. Anyone wanting a warmer, more formal presence finds it in the Root Beer. And anyone seeking the wilful chooses the left-handed Sprite. With the bracelet, taste decides between the sporty Oyster and the more elegant Jubilee. In the atelier we lay the variants side by side, because the right choice shows itself most quickly on the wrist and can hardly be made from the description alone.

Frequent questions about the GMT-Master II

What does GMT mean? The term originally stands for Greenwich Mean Time and here means the watch's ability to show a second time zone alongside the local time.

Which bezel colour should I choose? The Pepsi is the most iconic, the Batman the more rational, the Root Beer the warmest and the Sprite the most wilful. That is purely a matter of taste.

Is the GMT a good travel watch? Yes, thanks to the independently adjustable hour hand it is genuinely practical in daily life on travels, not merely decorative.

Pepsi on the Jubilee or the Oyster bracelet? Both variants are offered. The Jubilee bracelet is regarded by many as the more elegant and historically fitting choice for the Pepsi, while the Oyster bracelet looks sportier and more matter-of-fact. Which combination pleases more is best decided on the wrist.

Is the GMT-Master II hard to get? The sought-after steel variants such as the Pepsi and the Batman are frequently allocated through waiting lists at authorised dealers, which is why many buyers switch to the secondary market and accept a premium there. The Everose and precious-metal variants are as a rule easier to obtain.

The GMT-Master II at Time Boutique

In our atelier in Munich we advise on the GMT-Master II with an eye to function and character. We show the various bezel colours and bracelets and say honestly what suits you. You will find an overview of our current stock in our Rolex selection, and a placing of the whole family in our overview of Rolex models. Anyone wishing to part with a GMT will find in selling a Rolex how a fair purchase works with us. Appointments in Munich are by arrangement, in person and without haste.