Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1996 Reference No: 16700 Movement No: 7'741'242 Case No: T860648 Model Name: GMT-Master Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, 3175, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, 185 mm. maximum length Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex twinlock folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 40 mm. diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: With Rolex Attestation de Chronomètre Officiel dated 23 August 1997 and additional bezel insert. Literature: For another example of a stainless steel reference 16700, please see Rolex 3,621 Wristwatches by Kesaharu Imai, page 191.
Catalogue Essay
The GMT-Master has been in production since the 1950's and is today one of the most sought after sports models manufactured by the firm. The present watch is a reference 16700, which was introduced in the late 1980's. Its upgrades include a sapphire crystal and indexes supported by white gold chatons. It is important to note that this reference is not fitted with the quick hour change that came slightly later with the reference 16710 GMT-Master II.
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.