We admit that for us, the GMT Master in all its variations is one of our favorite Rolexes ever, even more so - in this case, the older versions are dearer to our hearts – but "there's no accounting for taste." It is not for nothing that this is the model with the most nicknames (as you know, many of the special Rolex models have nicknames by which they are known among connoisseurs and which have become so common that they are more popular than their official names). I will list perhaps the most famous of them: Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Root Beer and of course from the newer ones, Batman and the undisputed hits in the new collection – the new Pepsi and Batman. All of them are currently selling above their launch price, and even the contemporary models (Batman and Pepsi) sell for well over their official price – a "marketing trick" some skeptic might say, but in my opinion, it is yet another proof of the correct market strategy and price positioning.
But why is this model so liked and sought-after - it is neither the most expensive, the most robust, the most complicated, or the most beautiful watch? Surely one of the reasons lies in its so-called "true GMT" new in-house movement Caliber 3285, which has an increased power reserve of 70 h, a seriously improved automatic winding system in which the rotor is now on a ball bearing, and its efficiency has been increased by 15%. As for lubrication, the reversing wheels, as one of the problematic areas in terms of friction, have a Teflon coating! The new 3285 has 14 integrated patents and more than 90% new components, and it is also twice as precise as an official COSC chronometer. All this allows the movement to be one of the few that fall into the brand's "Superlative Chronometre" category!
I am sure that most of the colleagues reading this forum are aware that Rolex calls its water-resistant cases Oyster. I.e. if this name is present in the name of the watch, it means that it is water-resistant. And of course, the GMT Master II meets this qualification 100% - although unlike the Submariner, here this indicator is only 100, but as you can guess, the meters here are real.
The dial of the watch is very clean and easily legible, and the luminescence of the hands and indices makes it easy to use at night as well. The luminescence is blue (which is proven to be much more pleasant and harmless to the human eye) – and the so-called Chromalight used by Rolex allows the indices to appear milky white during the day.
Regardless of the fact that the GMT Master II is a professional instrument, as was the manufacturer's intention from its very launch, it is clear to everyone that for a long time it has become a luxury attribute – and for quite some time now, this function of it has prevailed over the original reason for its creation. Perhaps for this very reason, Rolex does many things in this model so that the appearance and overall impression the watch creates prevail over its functionality. The first thing that makes an impression is the sapphire crystal – Rolex applies the anti-reflective coating only on the inner side of the cyclops, and this allows the outer part of the crystal to be more brilliant and shiny to behold.
For the case back of the watch, Rolex uses a simple solid case back (as, by the way, in all its models) – and in this case, it is devoid of any markings, inscriptions, or other "decorations." As we all know, for its watches Rolex uses noble 904L steel – the difference with the 316L usual for other brands is in the greater resistance (especially against salt water). It is a widely known fact that Rolex can be called fanatics when it comes to the steel they use – a large part of the metallurgical processes are done in-house to guarantee a consistent quality of the raw material – many watches have passed through our hands, but we can say with absolute certainty that no other brand devotes so much attention and effort to the quality of the final product in terms of the finish of the cases – and as a result, a unique quality and presence cannot fail to be achieved.
The overall impression is complemented by the watch's 24-hour bezel – its purpose is clear, to track a second time zone – trivial, isn't it. In the old models, the bezel insert was made of aluminum with the hour markers printed on it, but with this model, the ceramic bezel was introduced for the first time in 2008. Here again, the material is a special formulation and is different from the commonly used materials, which is why Rolex calls it - "Cerachrom." The bezel itself is divided into two segments – the black for the dark part of the day and the blue for the light part – it is the colors that give the abbreviation for the reference BLNR (BL from the French Bleu and NR from NoiR), and because of this color scheme, fans nicknamed the model "New Batman" or, because of the bracelet, "Batgirl." With the new models of the GMT Master II, the brand returns to tradition and they are offered with a Jubilee bracelet.
Indeed, in the 60s Rolex created a great product and invested the next 60 years to improve and perfect it. If at the beginning it was appreciated by customers as a not very expensive everyday watch, today it is to a greater extent a fashion accessory, which, however, has all the qualities to become a long-term partner for its owner, who, besides not abandoning you, will not lose much of its value either, because it is no secret to anyone here that this brand, besides not being found with large discounts when new, also has the reputation of a brand with the best value-retaining timepieces, and this particular model can boldly be ranked at the forefront of Rolex in terms of popularity and is consequently one of the most sought-after and desired. Surely one of the reasons for this is the fact that this watch looks equally good on your wrist whether you are in a formal suit or dressed in worn-out jeans and a white t-shirt – in both cases, the GMT Master II will help attract approving glances to your appearance.
As is known, the modern version of the Batman was launched in 2018 and, besides the new movement, the difference from the previous one was its equipment with a Jubilee bracelet. In 2021, Rolex listened to customer inquiries and finally released the Oyster version, and today's model is precisely that, and the fact that it was produced in 2021 makes it very suitable for collecting, as it is the first versions of any Rolex model that are sought after and trade at higher levels – and this is historically proven.
