First released in 1954, the GMT-Master reference 6542 was designed for pilots to use in their line of work. With the rise of international travel in the 1940s and 1950s, Rolex initially created the model for Pan Am airlines to track dual time zones. This ingenious design featured an immediately recognizable bakelite bezel with the twenty-four hour numerals painted on the underside, made to glow in any weather condition. Bakelite was Rolex's material of choice, due to its low reflectivity and high readability. The additional luminous 24 hour tipped hand allowed the viewer to immediately track a second time zone.

Given that the GMT-Master was created for specific, work-related purposes, most examples were cased in stainless steel. These watches were worn in the most practical sense and made to withstand the elements. Thus, it is incredibly rare to find watches in original condition, like the present example with their original bakelite insert.

This example is of course distinguished by its incredible "tropical" dial. Preserved in remarkable condition, the zapon finish of the dial is absolutely free of scratches, having aged only with the typical micro-bubbling and micro-fissuring seen on Rolex dial of this age - in this instance however these effects are so subtle that they can only be noticed with a strong loupe and indirect light.

The star of the watch is however the black dial plate which has aged to an enormously charming degradé tropical brown, ranging from a lighter tobacco tone in the top left area of the dial, to an intense dark chocolate in the bottom right area of the dial. It is possible, given its geometry, that such an unusual topicalization is the result of the watch being worn on a right wrist.