Pre-Owned Rolex GMT-Master 'OCC' AS03364

Why We Love It

The GMT-Master Reference 1675 is a genre-defining timepiece.

The second generation of the dual timezone wristwatch from Rolex, the 1675 was introduced in 1960 and saw nearly two decades of continuous production, resulting in a myriad of dial and case variations that have become one of the most exciting sub-genres of vintage Rolex collecting.

This beautiful example dates to circa early 1960's, and has a hit list of features that are nothing short of grail-worthy:

- Gloss gilt chapter ring

- OCC (Officially Certified Chronometer) dial text

- Small GMT hand

- Pointed crown guards

...not to mention a strong case with awesome beveling and intact luminous throughout.

This is a truly exciting early GMT-Master, the likes of which don't come up for sale often. But be warned - trying one of these early 1675s on will undoubtedly ruin you for the modern iterations forever.

The Story

The years following the end of The Second World War saw the world become a much, much smaller place.

Advances in aviation technology led to the world’s first nonstop Transatlantic passenger flights between Europe and North America, and the era of the jetsetter began. Along with this new age of travel arose a need for travelers, and more importantly pilots, to have a wristwatch that could display two time zones at once.

As a pioneer of transatlantic and transcontinental flight, Pan American Airlines approached Rolex in 1953 looking for a watch specially designed for their pilots, and Rolex agreed to take on the project. The newly designed Submariner became the base for this new watch, and several important complications were added. A date function with a cyclops lens magnifier, GMT complication, and two-colored bezel to provide long-haul pilots with the info they needed as they circumnavigated the globe.

The GMT-Master’s 24-hour hand works in conjunction with a rotating bezel to make tracking a second time zone incredibly simple. When the wearer rotates the bezel so that the numbers around the bezel correspond to a second time zone (such as Greenwich Mean Time, the inspiration for the model’s nomenclature), it allows the watch to track any two time zones in the world at once.

Not long after the debut of the GMT-Master at the Basel World Fair in 1954, Pan-Am adopted the GMT Master as its official wristwatch. Decades later, the GMT-Master and its “Pepsi” bezel has become a true icon of the watch world. It is instantly recognizable and eternally stylish – the very best of what Rolex has to offer.