Rolexopedia

Reference:116719BLRO: Difference between revisions

[checked revision][checked revision]
← Older edit
VisualWikitext
Hero swap + caption source attribution (automated)
Correct 116719BLRO model title and remove nonexistent pushers
 
(41 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 116719BLRO GMT-Master II}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master II 116719BLRO — BezelBase
|title=Rolex GMT-Master 116719BLRO (2014–2019), Production & Dial Guide | Rolexopedia
|description=The `116719BLRO` is the white gold ceramic Pepsi — the watch that put the red-and-blue bezel back in the GMT-Master II catalogue after a seven-year…
|description=The Rolex 116719BLRO is the 18k white-gold GMT-Master II with a red-and-blue Cerachrom bezel and caliber 3186. It launched in 2014 and was offered with black and later blue dials.
|keywords=Rolex, 116719BLRO, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|keywords=Rolex, 116719BLRO, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|type=article
|image=Ref 116719BLRO hero.webp
|image_alt=116719BLRO resting on its box and papers, black -0001 dial and red-and-blue Cerachrom bezel
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T22:34:29Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:09:53Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] → '''116719BLRO'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] › '''116719BLRO'''</small>


The [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]] is the white gold ceramic Pepsi — the watch that put the red-and-blue bezel back in the GMT-Master II catalogue after a seven-year absence, and the first production Rolex to carry a two-colour Cerachrom insert. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2014. It remained the only ceramic Pepsi on sale for four years, until the steel [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] arrived in 2018.
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 116719BLRO hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=116719BLRO resting on its box and papers, black -0001 dial and red-and-blue Cerachrom bezel, guarantee card confirming model 116719BLRO|116719BLRO resting on its box and papers, guarantee card confirming the reference, black -0001 dial]]
</div>


The decision to restrict the first ceramic Pepsi to 18k white gold was the story. Collectors had been waiting for a ceramic red-and-blue since the 16710’s 2007 retirement. They got one. It cost roughly five times what a steel Pepsi would have.
The 116719BLRO is the 18k white-gold GMT-Master II with a red-and-blue Cerachrom bezel. Rolex introduced it at Baselworld 2014, and it was the first series-produced GMT-Master II with this bezel colour combination. The reference used caliber 3186 and an Oyster bracelet. The launch version had a black dial; Rolex added a matte blue dial in the -0002 configuration in 2018.


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


[[File:Ref 116719BLRO hero.jpg|thumb|right|340px|alt=White-gold, red-and-blue Pepsi|White-gold, red-and-blue Pepsi]]


== Core facts ==
==Core facts==


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
|-
! detail
! detail
Line 30: Line 38:
|-
|-
| production
| production
| 2014-2019
| 2014–c.2019 catalogue period; exact factory endpoints are not published
|-
|-
| movement
| movement
Line 51: Line 59:
|-
|-
| dial
| dial
| black lacquer (-0001, 2014-2018), then blue (-0002, 2018-2019)
| black lacquer (-0001); matte blue (-0002, introduced 2018)
|-
|-
| key identity
| key identity
Line 60: Line 68:
== Where it sits in the line ==
== Where it sits in the line ==


The [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]] is the bridge between the five-digit Pepsi tradition and the modern ceramic era. The 16710 carried the red-and-blue aluminum bezel through to 2007. When the 116710LN replaced it, Rolex went all-black — no Pepsi option in the new case and bracelet platform. That absence defined collector expectation for years. The 2014 launch resolved it, but on Rolex’s terms: precious metal only, at a price point that filtered the buyer pool.
The 116719BLRO followed the 16710 and 116710LN in the GMT-Master II line. It brought the red-and-blue bezel to the six-digit ceramic case in white gold. The steel 126710BLRO arrived in 2018, and the white-gold reference was replaced by the 126719BLRO in 2019. Sotheby's places it in the Pepsi sequence that begins with the 6542 and continues through current ceramic references.
 
Sotheby’s treats the reference as a canonical chapter in the Pepsi lineage that runs from the 1950s 6542 through to the current production ceramic references. Fratello frames it as the watch that “reintroduced” the Pepsi after seven years of absence. Both readings fit.


<span id="production-outline"></span>
<span id="production-outline"></span>
== Production outline ==
== Production outline ==


Rolex introduced the reference at Baselworld 2014 and kept it in the catalogue through 2019. The original 116719BLRO-0001 carried a black lacquered dial with Maxi markers. At Baselworld 2018, Rolex added the 116719BLRO-0002 with a matte blue dial. Same case, same bezel, same bracelet, different dial.
Rolex introduced the reference at Baselworld 2014 and kept it in the catalogue until 2019. The -0001 configuration has a black lacquer dial with applied Maxi markers. In 2018 Rolex added the -0002 with a matte blue dial. The auction record confirms both configurations, but it does not establish that every other component was unchanged on every watch.


In 2019 the reference was retired and replaced by the 126719BLRO, which carried over the white gold Pepsi identity onto the new cal. 3285 platform. The 2018-2019 year of overlap with the steel [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] means both watches were briefly in the catalogue together, which collectors sometimes misread as a gap year for the WG version.
Rolex's 2019 range replaced it with the 126719BLRO and caliber 3285. The steel [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] had arrived in 2018, so both white-gold and steel Pepsi references were available during that overlap. The catalogue change does not establish the last date a 116719BLRO left the factory.


<span id="movement-notes"></span>
<span id="movement-notes"></span>
== Movement notes ==
== Movement notes ==


Caliber 3186 powers the full run. It is the late-generation five-digit-descended GMT movement, introduced elsewhere in the catalogue in 2007 and carried into the 116719BLRO from launch. The Parachrom blue hairspring gives it improved antimagnetic and shock resistance compared to the earlier 3185. Independently adjustable local hour hand; quickset date; 28,800 bph.
The 116719BLRO uses caliber 3186, an automatic GMT movement with an independently adjustable local-hour hand, quickset date, and a 28,800 vph frequency. Sotheby's catalogues list 31 jewels on documented examples. The movement is the same family used in the late five-digit and early six-digit GMT-Master II references.


Rolex upgraded to caliber 3285 when the successor 126719BLRO arrived in 2019. Chronergy escapement, 70-hour reserve, and the tightened -2/+2 sec/day Superlative Chronometer spec all belong to the 3285. On the 116719BLRO, none of them do.
The 126719BLRO replaced it with caliber 3285 in 2019. Chronergy, the longer power reserve, and the later Superlative Chronometer specification belong to the 3285 successor and should not be back-projected onto the 116719BLRO.


<span id="dial-map"></span>
<span id="dial-map"></span>
== Dial map ==
== Dial map ==


[[File:Ref 116719BLRO dial-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Black dial on the white-gold Pepsi|Black dial on the white-gold Pepsi]]
[[File:Ref_116719BLRO_dial-detail.webp|thumb|right|240px|alt=Black lacquer dial with Maxi markers|Black lacquer -0001 dial with Maxi markers]]
[[File:Ref 116719BLRO variant-black-dial.png|thumb|right|300px|alt=Black dial -0001 configuration|Black dial -0001 configuration]]


The dial sequence is binary. The -0001 runs 2014 to 2018 with black lacquer, white gold applied Maxi markers, and Chromalight lume. The -0002 takes over in 2018 with a matte blue dial in the same furniture layout. Both carry the green GMT-Master II text that marks post-2007 GMT-Master II dials.
The launch -0001 configuration uses a black lacquer dial. Sotheby's describes the first-series black dial and places a documented example in circa 2014. Rolex introduced the -0002 configuration in 2018 with a matte blue dial. Both use applied Maxi markers and the GMT-Master II layout.


Outside those two variants, the reference is dial-invariant. No lume transitions run across it (Chromalight from the start), no printing changes of the kind that divide the 16710 stick-dial generations, no documented typographic shifts. It is a modern production dial with a two-colour split.
The cited sources do not establish a complete lume or typography changeover inside either configuration. A dial swap is possible on surviving watches, and Sotheby's notes that Rolex offered some original owners a later blue-dial replacement. Dial reference and service history therefore matter when assessing an individual watch.


<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes ==
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes ==


[[File:Ref 116719BLRO bezel-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Red-and-blue Cerachrom Pepsi bezel|Red-and-blue Cerachrom Pepsi bezel]]
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
[[File:Ref 116719BLRO caseback.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=White-gold caseback|White-gold caseback]]
File:Ref_116719BLRO_bezel-detail.webp|alt=Dial and red-and-blue Cerachrom bezel|Red-and-blue Cerachrom bezel
 
File:Ref_116719BLRO_caseback.webp|alt=Case profile showing the crown and bezel edge|White-gold case profile with Triplock crown and guards
The case is 40mm in 18k white gold, in the wider “Maxi” architecture that the six-digit sports lineup adopted at the 2008-2010 generational break. Heavier than steel by a substantial margin. The case profile is functionally identical to the 116710LN and the later 126710BLRO; what differs is the material.
</gallery>
 
The bezel is the story. Two-colour Cerachrom was a new technical category in 2014. Rolex had been making single-colour ceramic bezels since 2005 (the Yacht-Master II) and brought them to the GMT in 2013 with the blue-and-black [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]] “Batman”. The blue-and-black insert demonstrated Rolex could fire two ceramic colours in one insert at all. Red-and-blue was harder: firing red Cerachrom requires different kiln chemistry from blue, and achieving the two in a single piece without muddy joins at the boundary was the patented part of the process. Monochrome, Fratello, and Revolution all reference the two-tone Cerachrom as a manufacturing first at the 2014 launch. Sotheby’s “Pepsi key references” editorial treats the bezel as the defining technical achievement of the reference.


The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops over the date window at 3 o’clock. The crown is a standard Triplock screw-down with crown guards. Water resistance is 100m — unchanged from the five-digit GMT-Master II, and consistent across the whole modern ceramic GMT family.
The case is 40mm in 18k white gold with a sapphire crystal, Cyclops date lens, screw-down crown and 100m water resistance. The bezel is a fixed red-and-blue Cerachrom insert with a 24-hour scale. Rolex's 2014 launch material and Sotheby's catalogues identify it as the first series-produced red-and-blue ceramic GMT-Master II bezel. Rolex's material describes the single-piece, two-colour manufacturing process; it does not establish a production total or a precise end date for the reference.


<span id="bracelets-end-links-clasps-and-packaging-notes"></span>
<span id="bracelets-end-links-clasps-and-packaging-notes"></span>
== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==
== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==


[[File:Ref 116719BLRO bracelet-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=White-gold Oyster bracelet|White-gold Oyster bracelet]]
The reference was offered on a white-gold Oyster bracelet with an Oysterlock clasp and Easylink extension. It did not have a factory Jubilee option. The steel 126710BLRO introduced the Jubilee option in 2018, while the 116719BLRO remained an Oyster-bracelet model.
[[File:Ref 116719BLRO variant-gold-bracelet.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Polished-centre solid-WG link|Polished-centre solid-WG link]]
 
White gold Oyster bracelet with polished centre links and brushed outer links, fitted with the Oysterlock clasp and Easylink extension system. No Jubilee option was offered on the [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]]; the Jubilee return to the GMT-Master II arrived in 2018 with the steel [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]]. That timing matters. Anyone who wanted a Pepsi on Jubilee during 2014-2018 had no production option.


Full delivery set includes the standard Rolex presentation box, guarantee card, and period hang tags. Sotheby’s cataloguing across the 2023 Fine Watches and 2025 Important Watches lots captures the complete “box and papers” configuration that survives on most auction examples.
Sotheby's auction examples are often complete with box, guarantee, manuals, and hang tags. Those accessories belong to the individual lot and should not be treated as reference-specific delivery in every market.


<span id="special-branches"></span>
<span id="special-branches"></span>
Line 114: Line 114:


<span id="black-dial--0001-2014-2018"></span>
<span id="black-dial--0001-2014-2018"></span>
=== Black-dial -0001 (2014-2018) ===
=== Black dial, -0001 ===


The launch variant. Four years as the only ceramic Pepsi Rolex sold, which gives it a narrower collector identity than the later blue. Sotheby’s has moved multiple -0001 examples through its rooms, including circa-2014, circa-2016, and circa-2017 specimens, which anchors the dial colour to the first production window.
The -0001 is the launch configuration. Sotheby's documents circa-2014, circa-2016, and circa-2017 examples with the black dial. Some original owners later exchanged the black dial for the blue service configuration, so a current blue dial does not by itself prove that the watch left Rolex as a -0002.


<span id="blue-dial--0002-2018-2019"></span>
<span id="blue-dial--0002-2018-2019"></span>
=== Blue-dial -0002 (2018-2019) ===
=== Blue dial, -0002 ===


The shorter-run variant. Launched alongside the steel [[Reference:126710BLRO|126710BLRO]] at Baselworld 2018 and discontinued the following year when 126719BLRO took over. Collector attention splits on which variant is more desirable: the original black represents the launch configuration, the blue is rarer by production window.
Rolex introduced the matte blue -0002 in 2018. It ran into the end of the 116719BLRO period before the 126719BLRO replaced the reference in 2019. The shorter catalogue window is documented; production volume is not.


<span id="pepsi-nickname"></span>
<span id="pepsi-nickname"></span>
=== Pepsi nickname ===
=== Pepsi nickname ===


“Pepsi” refers only to the red-and-blue bezel colour combination. The nickname predates the reference by decades — it has applied to the 6542, 1675, 16750, 16700, and 16710 Pepsi variants — and carries directly into the 116719BLRO and then into the 126710BLRO. It does not refer to any green bezel; the green-and-black [[Reference:126720VTNR|126720VTNR]] carries “Sprite” in enthusiast press.
“Pepsi” is collector shorthand for the red-and-blue bezel. It predates the 116719BLRO and is also used for the 6542, 1675, 16750, 16700, 16710, and later ceramic references. It describes the bezel colour, not a separate reference.


<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
== Historical market and auction record ==
== Historical market and auction record ==


Sotheby’s has catalogued the 116719BLRO repeatedly across its Fine Watches and Important Watches sales. The 2023 Fine Watches lot sold a circa-2014 -0001 for EUR 35,560. The 2025 Important Watches sale included a circa-2017 example with full box and papers. A Sotheby’s Buy Now (immediate sale) listing covers a circa-2016 specimen. The French cataloguing on the 2023 lot reads “Montre bracelet à double fuseau horaire en or blanc avec date,” the standard Sotheby’s descriptor for the reference.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Sale !! Year !! Example !! Result or estimate
|-
| Sotheby's Fine Watches, lot 391 || 2023 || circa 2014, black -0001 dial, box and papers || estimate EUR 20,000–35,000
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches, lot 174 || 2025 || circa 2017, black dial, box and papers || estimate USD 20,000–30,000
|}
 
These are selected auction comparables, not a valuation range. Condition, original versus replacement dial, bracelet completeness, papers, and sale location can change the result. The page does not repeat an original-retail price or a current-market premium without a lot and date attached.
 
 
== Related references ==
 
* [[Reference:116710BLNR|GMT-Master 116710BLNR]], 2013–2019
* [[Reference:116710LN|GMT-Master 116710LN]], First Steel Ceramic (2007–2019)
* [[Reference:116713LN|GMT-Master 116713LN]], Two-Tone Ceramic (2006–2019)
* [[Reference:116718LN|GMT-Master 116718LN]], 2005–2019
* [[Reference:126711CHNR|GMT-Master 126711CHNR]], 2018–present
* [[Reference:126715CHNR|GMT-Master 126715CHNR]], 2018–present


The secondary market has traded the [[Reference:116719BLRO|116719BLRO]] well above original retail through the post-discontinuation period, consistent with the broader precious-metal ceramic GMT-Master II pattern. Direct 2014 retail was approximately GBP 25,600.
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]].


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116719blro-pepsi/ Introducing - The Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 116719BLRO Pepsi] — unknown, Monochrome Watches
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116719blro-pepsi/ Introducing - The Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 116719BLRO Pepsi], Monochrome Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-reference-116719blro/ Rolex GMT-Master II Reference 116719BLRO] — unknown, Fratello Watches
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-reference-116719blro/ Rolex GMT-Master II Reference 116719BLRO], Fratello Watches
* [https://www.keepthetime.com/blog/rolex-116719blro-gmt-master-ii-pepsi-ceramic-baselworld-2014/ Watch Identifier: Rolex 116719BLRO GMT-Master II Pepsi Ceramic] — KeepTheTime
* [https://www.keepthetime.com/blog/rolex-116719blro-gmt-master-ii-pepsi-ceramic-baselworld-2014/ Watch Identifier: Rolex 116719BLRO GMT-Master II Pepsi Ceramic], KeepTheTime
* [https://millenarywatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-white-gold-guide/ Rolex GMT-Master II White Gold 116719BLRO & 126719BLRO Complete Guide] — Adam, Millenary Watches
* [https://millenarywatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-white-gold-guide/ Rolex GMT-Master II White Gold 116719BLRO & 126719BLRO Complete Guide], Adam, Millenary Watches
* [https://www.watchfinder.com/Rolex/GMT%20Master%20II/116719%20BLRO/watches Rolex Pepsi: white gold 116719BLRO, the only ceramic Pepsi pre-2018] — Watchfinder & Co.
* [https://www.watchfinder.com/Rolex/GMT%20Master%20II/116719%20BLRO/watches Rolex Pepsi: white gold 116719BLRO, the only ceramic Pepsi pre-2018], Watchfinder & Co.
* [https://www.the1916company.com/blog/rolex-gmt-master-ii-116719blro-pepsi-bezel-flies-again.html Rolex GMT-Master II 116719BLRO: Rolex Pepsi Flies Again] — unknown, The 1916 Company
* [https://www.the1916company.com/blog/rolex-gmt-master-ii-116719blro-pepsi-bezel-flies-again.html Rolex GMT-Master II 116719BLRO: Rolex Pepsi Flies Again], The 1916 Company
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-pepsi-the-key-references The Rolex Pepsi: The Key References] — unknown, Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-pepsi-the-key-references The Rolex Pepsi: The Key References], Sotheby's
* [https://www.prestigetime.com/blog/pepsi-rolex.html Rolex Pepsi Review: The GMT Master II 116719 BLRO] — Prestige Time
* [https://www.rolex.com/about-rolex/history/2013-2022 Rolex, history 2013–2022 — two-colour Cerachrom inserts]
* [https://rolexpassionreport.com/ Rolex Passion Report collector notes on the 116719BLRO] — Philipp Stahl, Rolex Passion Report
* [https://www.prestigetime.com/blog/pepsi-rolex.html Rolex Pepsi Review: The GMT Master II 116719 BLRO], Prestige Time
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/watches/_rolex-gmt-master-ref-116719blro-comple-8db9 Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi 116719BLRO, 18k white gold, circa 2016 — Buy Now] — Sotheby's
* [https://rolexpassionreport.com/ Rolex Passion Report collector notes on the 116719BLRO], Philipp Stahl, Rolex Passion Report
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/fine-watches-8/gmt-master-ii-pepsi-reference-116719blro-montre GMT-Master II 'Pepsi', 116719BLRO, circa 2014] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/watches/_rolex-gmt-master-ref-116719blro-comple-8db9 Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi 116719BLRO, 18k white gold, circa 2016, Buy Now], Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/important-watches-2/reference-116719blro-gmt-master-ii-pepsi-a-white Reference 116719BLRO GMT-Master II 'Pepsi', circa 2017] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/fine-watches-8/gmt-master-ii-pepsi-reference-116719blro-montre GMT-Master II 'Pepsi', 116719BLRO, circa 2014], Sotheby's
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116719-18k-white-gold-pepsi.html Rolex GMT-Master II Ref 116719 18k White Gold Pepsi] — unknown, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/important-watches-2/reference-116719blro-gmt-master-ii-pepsi-a-white Reference 116719BLRO GMT-Master II 'Pepsi', circa 2017], Sotheby's
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_variation/83-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116719blro-0001/overview Rolex GMT-Master II 116719BLRO-0001 market overview] — unknown, WatchCharts
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-116719-18k-white-gold-pepsi.html Rolex GMT-Master II Ref 116719 18k White Gold Pepsi], Bob's Watches
* [https://watchcharts.com/watch_variation/83-rolex-gmt-master-ii-116719blro-0001/overview Rolex GMT-Master II 116719BLRO-0001 market overview], WatchCharts
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2024/11/in-depth-rolex-gmt-master-ii.html In-Depth: Rolex GMT-Master II Materials and Mechanisms], Richard Lee and David Ichim, SJX Watches
* [https://www.everestbands.com/blogs/bezel-barrel/how-did-they-do-that-rolex-s-bi-color-ceramic-bezel-inserts How Did They DO That: Rolex Bi-Color Ceramic Bezel Inserts], Ed Estlow, Everest Bands


[[Category:GMT-Master]]
[[Category:GMT-Master]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]
Retrieved from "https://rolexopedia.net/wiki/Reference:116719BLRO"