Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1991 Reference No: 16710 Movement No: 6'592'094 Case No: X889567 Model Name: GMT-Master II Material: Stainless steel Calibre: Automatic, 3135, 31 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet, 190 mm. maximum length Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel Rolex folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 39.5 mm. diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: With Rolex Attestation de Chronomètre Officiel, additional bezel insert and sale tag.
Catalogue Essay
The Rolex GMT-Master II revolutionized the GMT. The model was fitted with a new calibre that allowed the user to quickly adjust the hour hand forward or backwards in one hour jumps. When the hour is adjusted, the minute hand continues to run, which increases the efficiency of the watch and its accuracy.
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.