Typically housed in stainless steel, the Rolex GMT-Master is undoubtedly one of the longest-running cult favourites since its story began in 1954. With the birth of ref. 6542, featuring the now-iconic date magnifying bubble and dual time zone complication, this model quickly became a ‘must-have’ for the frequent flying modern-day gentlemen in the 1960s. Once a humble utilitarian timepiece for airline pilots, Rolex had to keep up with its soaring popularity and ever-growing demand by introducing more opulent iterations in precious metals, then later unveiling the highly coveted iced-out GMT-Masters in 1979.

With day and night indication, the present example is a GMT-Master II with a lavishly set bezel in baguette-shaped blue sapphires and white diamonds. Pairing the carefully handpicked stones with a warm 18k yellow gold case, the ref. 116748 SA at hand is most certainly a winner according to John Goldberger, famed author of “Time to Race” and long-time connoisseur of Rolexes with a penchant for golden-era vintage Swiss watches. With only a handful of examples that have surfaced on the market so far, this is an extremely rare specimen, the last of its kind to feature its highly distinguishable non-diamond-set lugs. Offered in excellent overall condition with its original presentation box, this collectable, historically important and distinctive sports watch will be a beautiful addition to any collection.