135 articles · 72 videos found · page 1 of 7
Two Broke Watch Snobs
We reviewed the Imperial Oceanguard GMT and Steinhart Ocean 39 GMT hands-on to see which affordable Rolex GMT-Master II alternative is easier to live with.Gemini is AI and can make mistakes.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
Compare the Vaer G2 Meridian GMT and Imperial Oceanguard GMT as affordable Rolex GMT-Master II alternatives, with hands-on notes on wearability, movements, value, and daily use.
SJX Watches
Having debuted its first proprietary movement inside the Caballero last year, Singer Reimagined is building on the calibre by adding a second time zone. The DualTrack is powered by the same cleverly constructed movement, a manual wind with an impressive six day power reserve, but gains a 24-hour ring for a GMT function. The watch adopts the cushion-shaped case that’s the brand signature, while the dial similarly preserve the aesthetic found on the brand’s trademark central chronographs, but with a 24-hour ring around the dial. Because the second time zone is an add-on over the calibre, the 24-scale ring is independently adjustable, rather than the local hour hand, making this “caller” GMT rather than a true “traveller” GMT. Initial thoughts I like the Singer aesthetic so this design is appealing, and it implements the dual time zone function logically and legibly. The in-house movement with a long power reserve is also a plus, especially since it has a novel four-barrel construction. The only downside here is the “caller” type second time zone function. A “true” GMT with an independent local hour hand, as found on the Rolex GMT-Master II, is the most convenient format, since it requires fewest steps when setting the time while travelling, but this requires a built-from-the-ground-up calibre. All things considered, that can be forgiven since the DualTrack is an attractive proposition overall. Like last year’s Caballero, the DualTrack is a useful watch ...
Fratello
Another Friday, another list! This week, we continue our series looking for alternatives to some of the world’s most popular watches with five alternatives to the iconic Rolex GMT-Master II. The Crown’s iconic GMT watch set the standard for travel watches. While its legacy is undeniably grand, the modern GMT-Master II is not always the […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Rolex GMT-Master II Alternatives In 2026 to read the full article.
Two Broke Watch Snobs
We reviewed these Rolex GMT-Master II alternatives for wearability, reliability, design, and value to help you avoid the waitlist and the markup.
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Professional Restoration of a 1966s Rolex GMT Master Pepsi - Rolex Reference 1675 with Rolex Caliber 1570.
Teddy Baldassarre
Teddy Baldassarre is an authorized luxury watch retailer of brands like TUDOR, OMEGA, IWC, Grand Seiko, Breitling, Blancpain, Glashütte Original, Zenith, Longines, ORIS, MIDO, Tissot, Hamilton, NOMOS Glashütte, Baume & Mercier, and more.
Worn & Wound
The GMT watch is a bonafide product of the jet age. Though examples of dual-time watches go back to the 19th century, it was the advent of jet-powered commercial aircraft in the 1950s that drove the introduction of this icon of modern watchmaking. Perhaps the best-known example is the Rolex GMT Master, the watch that gave the genre its name. Introduced in 1955 in collaboration with the “World’s Most Experienced Airline,” Rolex designed the watch for Pan-American World Airways pilots that would allow them to have a reference for Greenwich Mean Time (also referred to as UTC or Zulu Time) while maintaining the ability to track local time. This collaboration also resulted in the most recognizable colorway for dual-time watches, Pan-Am’s blue and red colorway. The GMT watch is a bonafide product of the jet age. Though examples of dual-time watches go back to the 19th century, it was the advent of jet-powered commercial aircraft in the 1950s that drove the introduction of this icon of modern watchmaking. Perhaps the best-known example is the Rolex GMT Master, the watch that gave the genre its name. Introduced in 1955 in collaboration with the “World’s Most Experienced Airline,” Rolex designed the watch for Pan-American World Airways pilots that would allow them to have a reference for Greenwich Mean Time (also referred to as UTC or Zulu Time) while maintaining the ability to track local time. This collaboration also resulted in the most recognizable colorway f...
Fratello
When pilot Cliff Tait took off in 1969 to fly solo around the world in a tiny aircraft, he carried with him a Rolex GMT-Master 1675 - a watch that became as vital as any flight instrument. This is the story of the man, the machine, and the timepiece that circled the globe together. On […] Visit The Rolex GMT-Master That Flew Around the World - Cliff Tait’s Extraordinary Journey to read the full article.
Time+Tide
Jason Lee is a gold Rolex man, but there's just something about the Crown's iconic travel watch that has him smitten.The post Why the Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi” is the only steel Rolex I’d pay over retail for appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Teddy Baldassarre
Before getting into the so-called "Bruce Wayne Rolex," let's establish some context. The Rolex GMT-Master is one of the Crown’s most popular models when it comes to the Professional line. It’s been an icon going back to its release in 1954, born out of a partnership with PanAm (in reality, it was a masterfully executed piece of marketing) that gave way to a new jet-setting, time-zone-malleable timekeeper. Since then, the GMT-Master (now the GMT-Master II, incorporating an even more user-friendly dual-time indication) has stood alongside the Datejust and Submariner as a core icon for the brand. It has also represented a platform for innovation for Rolex, being the first model line to see the brand transition to its “Super Case” format and its use of Cerachrom bezel tech. This paved the way for the introduction of a new, steel GMT-Master II in the late aughts with a black Cerachrom bezel insert, a green GMT hand, and green dial text. This stood for years as the most under-the-radar option for potential GMT-Master II buyers that didn’t feel comfortable slapping on a "Batman" or a "Pepsi." However, like many other popular models, it was discontinued. We saw echoes of its design materialize in form of the “Lefty” GMT, with its bi-color green-and-black bezel and matching green GMT hand. But the “Sprite” didn’t strike the same chord as that discontinued OG. Then the 70th anniversary of the GMT-Master rolled around in 2024, and Rolex surprised us all when it re...
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Fratello
It must have been 1999 or 2000 when the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 16710 was incredibly high on my wishlist. I even had the official Rolex advertisement for this model as the wallpaper on my Windows desktop. But I was a student, and the Rolex GMT-Master II was out of reach. The Rolex GMT-Master II […] Visit Why I Bought A Five-Digit Rolex GMT-Master II (Again) to read the full article.
Revolution
Teddy Baldassarre
My first Rolex was an Explorer II 216570 with black dial and I absolutely loved that watch. It was rarer than the GMT-Master II or Submariner, and didn’t have the ceramic bezel, which I found to be a little too glossy and “luxe” for what I was looking for in a watch at the time. I kept and wore the heck out of that watch for almost six years until I just felt like it didn’t speak to me anymore. The 42mm wide “Maxi” case seemed too big and the big, thick hour and minutes hands just began to bug me. I can’t explain why I was so dead set on the 216570 rather than the older 16570 at the time but I can certainly say that now, in 2025, the Rolex Explorer II 16570 is not just my preferred iteration of the modern spelunking watch, but an all-timer from Rolex. I’ve started to refer to the 16570 as a “Forever Rolex” because it ticks all the boxes - size, reliability, dual-time functionality, and discrete aesthetics - all while remaining one of the few Rolexes that isn’t immediately recognizable to every casual observer. Let’s take a look at why I’m such a big fan of this old-school Rolex. Case and Specs: The Other Rolex GMT Measuring 40mm wide and 12.2mm thick with a 47mm lug-to-lug height, the 16570 is an eminently wearable Rolex. And while this is very obviously a sport/tool watch, these proportions make for a very versatile and subdued piece. No, there isn’t a rotating bezel with a nickname-ready color combo here. Rather, there is a demure, fixed ...
Revolution
Fratello
It was the Land-Dweller that stole the limelight, and understandably so. After all, it’s not often that The Crown presents an entirely new collection with a groundbreaking movement innovation to boot. I did feel sorry for the other novelties, though. The pastel-tinted Oyster Perpetual watches were quite lovely, for instance, but they got trampled on […] Visit Debuted But Not Debated: The Green Cerachrom Dial In The Left-Handed White Gold Rolex GMT-Master II “Sprite” to read the full article.
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SJX Watches
In the run up to Watches & Wonders 2025, many commentators expected a breakout year for the GMT-Master II, since it’s the 80th year of the collection. But Rolex took things in a different direction and dominated headlines by launching the Land-Dweller instead. But Rolex didn’t forget about its signature travel watch, and debuted two new precious metal models. The first is the GMT-Master II ref. 126729VTNR, which is in 18k white gold with a left-handed crown and a green ceramic dial; a first for Rolex. The second is the GMT-Master II ref. 126715CHNR in Everose that brings a new dial material to Rolex, tiger iron, one of the oldest minerals on Earth. Both models are available exclusively with an Oyster bracelet in matching 18k gold. The “lefty” with its glossy green ceramic dial Initial thoughts I admit to being laser-focused on the Land-Dweller during Watches & Wonders; the new movement technology captured (and held) my attention throughout the event. But I still made time to check out the GMT-Master II collection, which was one of my favourite Rolex collections at one point in time. Naturally, both of these new references exude quality, which can be experienced directly in the smooth operation of the bezel and the decisive action of the clasp. The watches are decadent, heavy, and show that Rolex has not run out of ideas for interesting dials. In the case of the green ceramic dial in the “destro” variant, I think we can expect to see this material used more wide...
Monochrome
Traditionally, Rolex sports (a.k.a. professional) watches are very often paired with black dials. As for the GMT-Master II, of all references available in the collection – and there are quite a lot of them, in all possible materials except platinum – only the white gold editions have had the privilege of colours: Pepsi with a […]
Fratello
It’s finally officially here! The new Rolex GMT-Master II “Sprite” model is in white gold with a ceramic dial, and the new rose gold version has a tiger iron dial. In the past few years, Rolex spoiled us with new GMT-Master II editions, like the new all-steel version with black and gray bezel (“Bruce Wayne”), […] Visit The 2025 Rolex GMT-Master II Models – The White Gold Sprite Cerachrom And Everose Tiger Iron to read the full article.
Hodinkee
A bit late for St. Patrick's day, but the GMT Master-II goes green, and you'll need the luck of the Irish to get one.
Monochrome
Just a couple of years ago, Rolex surprised a lot of people with a quite controversial watch, the “Lefty” or “Destro” GMT-Master II 126720VTNR. It put the date on the left, the cyclops on the left, and the crown and crown guards on the left. Now though, the story continues as Rolex drops in a […]
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ARD/NDR TV Documentary and Article about me and my workshop:
Fratello
Another Friday, another list! In the lead-up to Watches and Wonders 2025, we have been highlighting brands that have an anniversary to celebrate. Last week, we focused on Vacheron Constantin, and in the weeks before, we put the spotlight on Zenith. Brands like Breguet, Blancpain, and Audemars Piguet have anniversaries this year too, but they […] Visit Fratello’s Top 5 Less Obvious Rolex GMT-Master Models to read the full article.
Fratello
If only watches could tell stories… This particular watch, a Rolex GMT-Master 1675 from 1968, would have a multitude of stories to share. The Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675 we’re looking at today belonged to the late New Zealand photojournalist and camera operator Derek McKendry, who spent eight years covering the Vietnam War for the Australian […] Visit War Correspondent’s Rolex GMT-Master 1675 Surfaces In New Zealand to read the full article.
Fratello
Here’s a question that might surprise you: who’s your favorite Bruce Wayne? Your answer doesn’t necessarily also mean he’s your favorite Batman. So, who is it? Is it George Clooney because of his undebatable good looks? Perhaps it’s Robert Pattinson, although, in The Batman, there are just a few scenes in which he plays the […] Visit Contemplating The Rolex GMT-Master II “Bruce Wayne” - Nowhere Near As Flamboyant Or Intriguing As Its Namesake Character to read the full article.
Fratello
When Rolex introduced the left-handed GMT-Master II ref. 126720VTNR in 2022, it seemed like the world this watch is intended to navigate had stopped - well, the world of watches, at least. It certainly made my head spin. It also had me write an article in which I voiced my confusion. That was almost three […] Visit Hands-On With The Rolex GMT-Master II “Destro” - Because Every Watch Deserves A Second Chance to read the full article.
Fratello
Welcome to the first Sunday Morning Showdown of 2025! We hope you have enjoyed the holidays and are ready for our first battle of the new year. So make yourself a nice warm cup of coffee, and let’s get rolling! Today, we’ll play a game called Find the Differences. OK, although that is a joke, […] Visit Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex GMT-Master II 126710GRNR Vs. 116710LN to read the full article.
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Is the early 1980s two-tone Rolex GMT-Master the perfect vintage watch? From its gorgeous gilt nipple dial to the perfectly matching tritium hands, this classic proves that two-tone watches are incredible and making a...
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