Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 2018 Reference No: 126710BLRO Movement No: 4A5Q9945 Case No: 672I96O8 Model Name: GMT-Master II Material: Stainless steel with ceramic bezel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3285, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Jubilee bracelet, max length 205mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp Dimensions: 40mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex Guarantee card dated August 16, 2018, product literature, green card holder, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
Few watch models - if any - sent more shockwaves throughout the collector’s community when released than the present one. Reference 126710BLRO was launched at the beginning of the present year and was received with a virtual standing ovation by both critics and collectors. The first stainless steel GMT with a "Pepsi" (red and blue) bezel in a long time, it incorporates some of the most beloved traits of the GMT line: the iconic bezel above all, but also the jubilee bracelet in a nod to the original GMT model which was in fact the only sports watch offered by the brand with that bracelet – others would typically come with an Oyster bracelet. A true link between the past and the future of the brand, this model was an outstanding success with the public, the demand immediately soaring to unbelievable levels, so much that today it is virtually impossible to obtain one without a pre-existing relationship with a Rolex retailer.
Offered by its original owner, and in absolutely as-new condition, unworn and retaining all its original accessories, this example is the first representative of this already legendary reference to appear at auction.
Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.
Ref. 126710BLRO A fine stainless steel dual time automatic wriswtatch with center seconds, date, ceramic bezel, bracelet, guarantee and presentation box
2018 40mm Diameter Case, dial, movement and bracelet signed