Rolex Batman vs. Batgirl: Two Iconic GMT-Masters Compared
The Rolex GMT-Master II is one of the most popular timepieces in the world, and the "Batman" and "Batgirl" versions, with their alluring black-and-blue colorways, are on many a collector's wish list. But what makes a Batman a Batman, and a Batgirl a Batgirl, and what exactly differentiates these two watches, so similar at first glance, from each other? Here we explore what makes "Rolex Batman vs. Batgirl" such a compelling matchup, and why the debate on the nicknames themselves is so intriguing. Lead image by Bonhams and Sotheby's Before Batman: A Brief History of the Rolex GMT-Master When it hit the market in 1955, one year after its unveiling, the Rolex GMT-Master was both trend-setting and genre-defining in its now-iconic conception. The original GMT-Master (Ref. 6542) was the first watch capable of displaying the time in two separate time zones thanks to the clever addition of a fourth, central 24-hour hand and a bidirectional rotating 24-hour bezel. The initials in the watch’s name signify “Greenwich Mean Time,” the system of world timekeeping based on the calculation of mean solar time from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. This dual-time functionality was an innovation devised for, and developed in cooperation with, the original watch’s intended users: pilots for Pan American Airlines, at the time one of the U.S.A.’s leading commercial carriers. In that so-called Golden Age of commercial aviation, the growth of long-haul and international flights...
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