Well-known as 'Root Beer' and also nicknamed by Italian Collectors 'Occhio di Tigre' - Tiger's Eye, the Two-Tone GMT-Master Ref. 16753 with brown dial is without a doubt one of the most recognized vintage watches by Rolex.

Introduced in 1954 in partnership with Pan Am – Pan American World Airways, the Rolex GMT-Master was designed to tell different times at once, an essential feature for pilots because the air flights would have become much longer. For the first time in history, a 24h GMT bezel was fitted into a timepiece so the GMT watch was born.

This early Ref. 16753 example features a ‘Root Beer’ brown dial, with tritium filled gold small nipple indexes, now highly sought by collectors. Unlike the Ref. 1675, the Rolex crown logo is now printed. The ‘Root Beer’ dial is known to be prone to change color over time, and this example is no exception. This GMT features a gorgeus patina with grades of copper, wood on the perimeter and, as a unique coincidence, tiger orange under direct light.

The major design introduction of the model is the 24h GMT-bezel, first manifactured in bakelite and replaced by the more durable metal insert in 1956. The beautifully aged two-tone bezel insert has lightly-faded with shades of brown and platinum.

The Rolex 3075 caliber introduced the quickset feature. It beats at 28800 A/h and preserves the hacking mechanism, introduced in 1971. Another detail of interest, the GMT-hand is now positioned above the hour-hand on the dial.

The Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 16753 features a Two-Tone yellow gold and steel case and bracelet, becoming more dressy and still maintaining the tool watch spirit. This example comes with a jubilee Ref. 62523 two-tone gold and steel bracelet. Surprisingly comfortable to wear thanks to its small links, the Rolex jubilee bracelet perfectly combines with the more elegant dress watch design.

If you’re looking for a not-often-seen GMT, this is your watch. Are you a Rolex watch passionate collector? Discover the hand-selected Rolex Timepieces for sale.

Condition
This GMT-Master remains in great overall condition. The case and the lugs are well-preserved with scratches. It might have been polished. Serial number and reference are visible between lugs. The yellow gold crown is signed Rolex. Caseback presents scratches. The dial shows a patina throughout involving the written, still visible. The tritium on hands and indexes has aged a cream color and matches in tone. Tritium on GMT-hand has partially aged to golden tones. The bezel remains in very good condition with minor scratches and featuring nice-looking light patina. The plexiglass shows scratches. The jubilee Ref. 62523 is preserved in very good condition with scratches and minor stretch, paired with 450 endlinks. This watch will come with a professional expertise, complete with pics.

Manifacturer - Rolex
Year - 1979

Movement - Rolex 3075, Automatic winding
Model Name - GMT-Master
Reference - 16753
Material - Two-tone stainless steel and gold case
Bracelet/Strap - Two-tone Rolex stainless steel and gold bracelet with 450 endlinks
Clasp/Buckle - Stainless steel Rolex deployant clasp
Dimensions - 39,5mm x 42,4mm
Signed - Dial, Movement, Caseback, Crown and Bracelet