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{{#seo:
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|title=Rolex GMT-Master 1675 — Pepsi & Root Beer, 1959–1979 | Rolexopedia
|title=Rolex GMT-Master 1675 — Pepsi & Root Beer, 1959–1979 | Rolexopedia
|description=The 1675 is the main vintage GMT-Master. It takes the fragile, early 6542 idea and turns it into the watch most people picture when they say vintage…
|description=Reference 1675 guide covering its 1959–1979 case, dial, movement, bezel, bracelet, gold, two-tone, and disputed special branches.
|keywords=Rolex, 1675, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|keywords=Rolex, 1675, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|image=Ref 1675 hero.webp
|image=Ref 1675 hero.webp
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<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 1675 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Crown-guard GMT, aluminum bezel|Crown-guard GMT, aluminum bezel]]
[[File:Ref 1675 pepsi-steel.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Rolex GMT-Master 1675|Rolex GMT-Master 1675]]
</div>
</div>


The 1675 is the main vintage GMT-Master. It takes the fragile early [[Reference:6542|6542]] idea and turns it into the watch most people picture when they say vintage GMT: crown guards, acrylic crystal, an aluminum 24-hour insert, and a production run long enough to hold several different watches under a single reference number. Early gilt PCG (pointed crown guard) examples, later glossy gilt watches, matte-dial steel watches, black- or brown-dial gold watches, and the two-tone Root Beer branch all live under 1675.
The 1675 is the long-running vintage GMT-Master that followed the 6542. It adds crown guards to the acrylic-crystal case, uses an aluminum 24-hour insert, and spans several dial, case, movement, and bracelet configurations under one reference number. Early gilt PCG (pointed crown guard) examples, later glossy gilt watches, matte-dial steel watches, black- or brown-dial gold watches, and the two-tone Root Beer branch all live under 1675.


It is the longest vintage GMT-Master and the point where the family settles into its lasting shape.
Its long production run makes it a useful reference for tracing the family's case, dial, movement, bezel, and bracelet changes.


<span id="core-facts"></span>
<span id="core-facts"></span>


== Core facts ==
== Core facts ==
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== Production outline ==
== Production outline ==


The 1675 reads as one long run with four steel eras and two precious-metal branches.
The 1675 can be read through broad steel dial and case phases, alongside the 1675/8 gold and 1675/3 two-tone branches. The boundaries overlap.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
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The case changes first. Early pointed-guard watches split into El Cornino and Broad PCG, then rounded guards take over. The guard transition is a zone, not a clean cutoff.
The case changes first. Early pointed-guard watches split into El Cornino and Broad PCG, then rounded guards take over. The guard transition is a zone, not a clean cutoff.


The dial then shifts from gloss gilt to matte. The [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/collectors-guide-the-rolex-gmt-master-reference-1675-in-steel 1675 collector's guide] by Charlie Dunne at Wind Vintage and the wider family histories place the matte turn around 1966, with the same zone caveat that applies to the case: the transition is gradual, not a hard date. Late glossy-gilt and early matte examples overlap in the way many long-run Rolex sports references do. On the late-matte end, a 1979 example at serial 5842xxx on a 20-link Jubilee, with a tropical lume tone and mild insert fade, is the kind of late-run configuration most surviving 1675 watches carry.
The dial then shifts from gloss gilt to matte. The [https://www.windvintage.com/blog/collectors-guide-the-rolex-gmt-master-reference-1675-in-steel 1675 collector's guide] by Charlie Dunne at Wind Vintage and the wider family histories place the matte turn around 1966, with the same zone caveat that applies to the case: the transition is gradual, not a hard date. Late glossy-gilt and early matte examples overlap in the way many long-run Rolex sports references do. A 1979 example at serial 5842xxx documents one late-run configuration on a 20-link Jubilee with aged lume and insert fade; it is an individual example, not a population rule.


The gold branch complicates the outline. Some early gold 1675/8 examples still keep the no-crown-guard look, then the line moves into crown-guard gold watches. The two-tone 1675/3 Root Beer branch follows later and carries the brown-and-gold identity into the next generation of GMT references.
The gold branch complicates the outline. Some early gold 1675/8 examples still keep the no-crown-guard look, then the line moves into crown-guard gold watches. The two-tone 1675/3 Root Beer branch follows later and carries the brown-and-gold identity into the next generation of GMT references.
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File:Ref 1675 exclamation-dial-696xxx.webp|alt=Exclamation dial at serial 696xxx|Exclamation dial at serial 696xxx (1961)
File:Ref 1675 exclamation-dial-696xxx.webp|alt=Exclamation dial at serial 696xxx|Exclamation dial at serial 696xxx (1961)
File:Ref 1675 tropical-pcg.webp|alt=Early tropical PCG example|Early tropical PCG example
File:Ref 1675 tropical-pcg.webp|alt=Early tropical PCG example|Early tropical PCG example
File:Ref 1675 pepsi-steel.webp|alt=Steel Pepsi 1675|Steel Pepsi 1675
File:Ref 1675 mark-1-matte.webp|alt=Mark 1 matte dial with Long E|Mark 1 matte dial with Long E (GMT-Master 1675)
File:Ref 1675 mark-1-matte.webp|alt=Mark 1 matte dial with Long E|Mark 1 matte dial with Long E (GMT-Master 1675)
File:Ref 1675 mark-5-tiffany.webp|alt=Mark 5 late-matte dial, Tiffany co-signed variant|Mark 5 late-matte dial, Tiffany co-signed variant (GMT-Master 1675)
File:Ref 1675 mark-5-tiffany.webp|alt=Mark 5 late-matte dial, Tiffany co-signed variant|Mark 5 late-matte dial, Tiffany co-signed variant (GMT-Master 1675)
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The taxonomy has also extended on the late end. Mark 6 is now treated as a genuine late-production dial in the 5.5 million to 5.9 million serial band, after years of being filed under service-only replacement. That adds a final period-correct matte dial to the reference and removes the automatic "service dial" label from many late-1970s watches. The mid-1960s Type C gilt dials in the 1.4 to 1.6 million serial range — the gilt-to-matte transition window of 1965–1966 — also show a bitonal lume construction, with the hour plots printed in two tones rather than one. That is a printing-process detail rather than a dial-age signal and should not be mistaken for service relume work.
The taxonomy has also extended on the late end. Mark 6 is now treated as a genuine late-production dial in the 5.5 million to 5.9 million serial band, after years of being filed under service-only replacement. That adds a final period-correct matte dial to the reference and removes the automatic "service dial" label from many late-1970s watches. The mid-1960s Type C gilt dials in the 1.4 to 1.6 million serial range — the gilt-to-matte transition window of 1965–1966 — also show a bitonal lume construction, with the hour plots printed in two tones rather than one. That is a printing-process detail rather than a dial-age signal and should not be mistaken for service relume work.


Dial-making was split across three suppliers through the reference's life. Singer printed the gilt dials and the early matte Mark 0, Mark 1, and Mark 2 dials. Beyeler took over for the mid-run Mark 3, Mark 4, and Mark 5 dials. Lemrich handled the short-run Mark 2.5 and the service-era Mark 5A. Dial-maker signatures sometimes survive on the dial feet. That maker-by-Mark split is why the printing and typography step so sharply between Mark generations.
Collector research assigns some dial families to Singer, Beyeler, and Lemrich, but the supplier-to-Mark mapping is not a Rolex-published production record. Dial-maker evidence should therefore support, rather than replace, direct inspection and lot-level documentation. That maker-by-Mark split is why the printing and typography step so sharply between Mark generations.


<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
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The physical change that matters most is crown-guard shape. Early pointed guards define the first 1675 look. Later rounded guards define the mature one.
The physical change that matters most is crown-guard shape. Early pointed guards define the first 1675 look. Later rounded guards define the mature one.


Caseback engravings follow their own typeface chronology, catalogued by Vintage Rolex Forum researchers Jose P. and Xeramic: typeface A from 1953 to 1976, typeface B from 1943 to 1978, typeface C from 1970 to 1992, and typeface D from 1992 onward. Reading a caseback engraving against the expected typeface for a given serial year is one of the faster authentication checks on a surviving watch.
Caseback engraving typeface classifications circulate in collector research, but the published ranges overlap and are not a Rolex dating system. They can be used as a comparison point alongside the case, serial, movement, and service history, not as a stand-alone authentication check.


The dial itself measures 27.30mm in diameter with feet at 6 o'clock and 11:30. That is useful for dial-swap diagnostics: a period-correct printed dial pulled from its case should land on those exact coordinates.
The dial itself measures 27.30mm in diameter with feet at 6 o'clock and 11:30. That is useful for dial-swap diagnostics: a period-correct printed dial pulled from its case should land on those exact coordinates.
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== Special branches ==
== Special branches ==


[[File:Ref 1675 gold-branch.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=1675/8 gold branch|1675/8 gold branch]]
[[File:Ref 1675 root-beer-two-tone.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=1675/3 Root Beer two-tone|1675/3 Root Beer two-tone]]
<span id="gold"></span>
<span id="gold"></span>
=== 1675/8 gold ===
=== 1675/8 gold ===


The gold branch ran in parallel with the steel watch for close to two decades and does not stay visually static. The early years carried straight over from the gold 6542: no crown guards, brown insert, brown dial, and the nipple markers the family had already established. [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ Monochrome's GMT-Master history] notes that 18k gold cases remained unguarded in at least the first years of production. The early gold 1675/8 reads almost exactly like a late 6542 with a date.
[[File:Ref 1675 gold-branch.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=1675/8 gold branch|1675/8 gold branch]]
The gold branch ran alongside the steel reference for much of the 1675 period and changes during the run. The early years carried straight over from the gold 6542: no crown guards, brown insert, brown dial, and the nipple markers the family had already established. Monochrome's GMT-Master history notes that 18k gold cases remained unguarded in at least the first years of production. The early gold 1675/8 reads almost exactly like a late 6542 with a date.


Crown-guard gold cases appear around serial 1.34 million, overlap with the last no-crown-guard cases, and become standard later in the run. By the late 1970s the branch can be a black-dial, black-insert watch on President bracelet. That spread is why the 1675/8 cannot be reduced to one silhouette.
Crown-guard gold cases appear around serial 1.34 million, overlap with the last no-crown-guard cases, and become standard later in the run. By the late 1970s the branch can be a black-dial, black-insert watch on President bracelet. That spread is why the 1675/8 cannot be reduced to one silhouette.
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=== 1675/3 Root Beer ===
=== 1675/3 Root Beer ===


[[File:Ref 1675 root-beer-two-tone.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=1675/3 Root Beer two-tone|1675/3 Root Beer two-tone]]
The two-tone 1675/3 is where the brown-and-gold GMT branch becomes unmistakable. It starts around 1970, which matches Stephen Pulvirent's [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-master-the-complete-collectors-guide Sotheby's collector's guide] on the first two-tone GMT-Master and the brown-and-gold insert that gave the Root Beer name. The case is steel-and-gold, the bezel insert is half-brown, half-gold and fades unpredictably in sunlight, and the dial sits in the brown family with a clear debt to the gold 1675/8.
The two-tone 1675/3 is where the brown-and-gold GMT branch becomes unmistakable. It starts around 1970, which matches Stephen Pulvirent's [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-master-the-complete-collectors-guide Sotheby's collector's guide] on the first two-tone GMT-Master and the brown-and-gold insert that gave the Root Beer name. The case is steel-and-gold, the bezel insert is half-brown, half-gold and fades unpredictably in sunlight, and the dial sits in the brown family with a clear debt to the gold 1675/8.


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=== Government and military logo dials ===
=== Government and military logo dials ===


[[File:Ref 1675 government-uae-maktoum-signature.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=1675 with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum signature dial|1675 with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum signature in red Arabic script]]
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
[[File:Ref 1675 government-us-naval-academy.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=Captain James Lovell's 1675 with US Naval Academy crest dial|Captain James Lovell's 1675 with US Naval Academy crest dial]]
File:Ref 1675 government-uae-maktoum-signature.webp|alt=1675 with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum signature dial|1675 with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum signature in red Arabic script
File:Ref 1675 government-us-naval-academy.webp|alt=Captain James Lovell's 1675 with US Naval Academy crest dial|Captain James Lovell's 1675 with US Naval Academy crest dial
</gallery>


A small number of 1675 examples left the factory with a state signature or institutional crest at the bottom of the dial. Two are anchored in named editorial and the auction record.
A small number of 1675 examples are documented with state signatures or institutional crests. The records below establish individual watches and provenance; they do not define a universal factory branch.


The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum signature dial carries his name in red Arabic script above the depth wording on c.1972 examples. The watches were ordered during his tenure as the first UAE Minister of Defence after the country's December 1971 founding. Christie's offered one at the Dubai Important Watches sale in March 2018 (estimate AED 440,000–580,000) with a Rolex box embossed with the UAE crest; the catalogue described it as "exceedingly rare" and noted no prior public market appearance.
The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum signature dial carries his name in red Arabic script above the depth wording on c.1972 examples. The watches were ordered during his tenure as the first UAE Minister of Defence after the country's December 1971 founding. Christie's offered one at the Dubai Important Watches sale in March 2018 with a Rolex box embossed with the UAE crest; the catalogue described it as "exceedingly rare" and noted no prior public market appearance.


The US Naval Academy crest dial belongs to a single named example: Captain James A. Lovell's personal 1675, presented to him by the Academy after his Gemini 7 flight and worn through Apollo 8 and Apollo 13. The crest sits at nine o'clock rather than at the standard six. Lovell's watch is documented in the Apollo astronaut wristwatch literature, including Daan Krans's Apollo wristwatch coverage at Fratello.
The US Naval Academy crest dial belongs to a single named example: Captain James A. Lovell's personal 1675, presented to him by the Academy after his Gemini 7 flight and worn through Apollo 8 and Apollo 13. The crest sits at nine o'clock rather than at the standard six. Lovell's watch is documented in the Apollo astronaut wristwatch literature, including Daan Krans's Apollo wristwatch coverage at Fratello.
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The lot layer is strong enough to show the internal hierarchy of the 1675. A 1962-1963 [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/100503 Phillips underline / double-Swiss lot] anchors the early pointed-crown-guard gilt side. A 1965 [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/231665 Phillips late glossy-gilt Mark III lot] holds the late-gilt transition. The matte steel side has the 1967 [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/176246 Phillips fuchsia example] alongside a 1967 [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-3/rolex-reference-1675-gmt-master-pepsi-a-stainless-2 Sotheby's Pepsi lot] as a cleaner commercial steel control. A 1978 [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-3/rolex-reference-1675-gmt-master-a-yellow-gold Sotheby's gold lot] carries the late black-dial gold branch on a President bracelet.
The lot layer is strong enough to show the internal hierarchy of the 1675. A 1962-1963 [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/100503 Phillips underline / double-Swiss lot] anchors the early pointed-crown-guard gilt side. A 1965 [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/231665 Phillips late glossy-gilt Mark III lot] holds the late-gilt transition. The matte steel side has the 1967 [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/176246 Phillips fuchsia example] alongside a 1967 [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-3/rolex-reference-1675-gmt-master-pepsi-a-stainless-2 Sotheby's Pepsi lot] as a cleaner commercial steel control. A 1978 [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-3/rolex-reference-1675-gmt-master-a-yellow-gold Sotheby's gold lot] carries the late black-dial gold branch on a President bracelet.


That spread matters. The 1675 is not one market. Early pointed-guard and clean glossy-gilt watches live in a different collector tier from later commercial steel watches, and the gold and Root Beer branches then create their own sub-markets inside the reference.
The lot records cover different configurations. Early pointed-guard, glossy-gilt, matte steel, gold, and Root Beer examples should be compared by condition, originality, provenance, and documented components rather than treated as one market category.


Across all of them, originality lives in the combination of dial, insert, case, bracelet, and wear pattern, not in one dramatic detail taken in isolation.
Across all of them, originality lives in the combination of dial, insert, case, bracelet, and wear pattern, not in one dramatic detail taken in isolation.
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== Related references ==
== Related references ==


* [[Reference:6542|GMT-Master 6542]] — First GMT, Bakelite Pepsi (1955–1959)
* [[Reference:6542|GMT-Master 6542]]: first GMT, Bakelite Pepsi (1955–1959)
* [[Reference:16750|GMT-Master 16750]] — 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16750|GMT-Master 16750]]: 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16753|GMT-Master 16753]] — 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16753|GMT-Master 16753]]: 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16758|GMT-Master 16758]] — 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16758|GMT-Master 16758]]: 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16760|GMT-Master 16760]] — "Fat Lady", Coke Bezel (1983–1988)
* [[Reference:16760|GMT-Master 16760]]: Fat Lady, Coke bezel (1983–1988)
* [[Reference:16700|GMT-Master 16700]] — 1988–1998
* [[Reference:16700|GMT-Master 16700]]: 1988–1998


See also the [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
See also the [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 1675 pepsi-steel.webp|Whole-watch steel 1675
File:Ref 1675 occ-dial-503xxx.webp|Early OCC dial
File:Ref 1675 gilt-closeup.webp|Gilt dial detail
File:Ref 1675 mark-1-matte.webp|Early matte dial
File:Ref 1675 mark-5-tiffany.webp|Late matte dial
File:Ref 1675 el-cornino-case.webp|Pointed crown-guard case
File:Ref 1675 bezel-grooves-to-base.webp|Early bezel geometry
File:Ref 1675 bezel-shallow-cutout.webp|Later bezel geometry
File:Ref 1675 gold-branch.webp|Gold 1675/8 branch
File:Ref 1675 root-beer-two-tone.webp|Two-tone Root Beer branch
File:Ref 1675 government-uae-maktoum-signature.webp|UAE-signed example
File:Ref 1675 government-us-naval-academy.webp|Naval Academy example
</gallery>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
Retrieved from "https://rolexopedia.net/wiki/Reference:1675"