Manufacturer: Rolex Year: 2019 Reference No: 126710BLNR Case No: WU813738 Model Name: GMT-Master II, "Batgirl" Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, cal. 3285, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Jubilee bracelet, max length 200mm Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp stamped "AOW" Dimensions: 40mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex Guarantee card stamped by Portuguese retailer "Torres" and dated June 26, 2019, product literature, green document holder, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
Catalogue Essay
Reference 116710BLNR was first presented in 2013 and received immediate praise by both critics and collectors. It was the first time a black/blue bezel was seen on a GMT, and furthermore it introduced the Cerachrom material to the GMT line. In need for a nickname for such a successful and charismatic watch, the community soon dubbed it - for obvious reason - the "Batman".
The model was originally fitted with an Oyster bracelet, but it was updated in 2019 with the present reference 126710BLNR. It followed the tracks of the Pepsi version, released the previous year with an updated calibre (3285), but the most important modification was in the bracelet: the watch would now be available also with a Jubilee bracelet - actually, a nod to the history of the model, as the first GMT models ref. 6542 were fitted with a Jubilee bracelet. From that moment, it took very little for the imagination of the collecting community to come up with a new nickname for the Jubilee bracelet variation of the BLNR version: the Batgirl, as opposed to the Batman for the Oyster bracelet version, most likely for the more suave feeling of the 5-links bracelet.
Offered in exceptional condition retaining all its original accessories, this example of “Batgirl” reference 116710BLNR is a modern classic for collectors of any kind of timepieces.
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. 126710BLNR An extremely sought-after stainless steel dual-time automatic wristwatch with center seconds, date, cerachrom black and blue revolving bezel, bracelet, guarantee and box
2019 40mm Diameter Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
