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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 16750 GMT-Master}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex 16750 GMT-Master — Production, Dial Variants, Serial Ranges | BezelBase
|title=Rolex GMT-Master 16750, caliber 3075 and matte-to-gloss dial transition
|description=The `16750` is the bridge reference in the GMT-Master line. It keeps the acrylic crystal, the older linked-hand GMT logic (in which the 24-hour hand…
|description=The Rolex 16750 is the five-digit caller GMT-Master with caliber 3075, quick-set date, acrylic crystal, and matte or glossy dial configurations.
|keywords=Rolex, 16750, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|keywords=Rolex, 16750, GMT-Master, caliber 3075, caller GMT, spider dial
|image=Ref 16750 hero.webp
|image=Ref 16750 hero.webp
|image_alt=Acrylic, linked-hand GMT
|image_alt=Acrylic, linked-hand GMT
|type=article
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T03:21:26Z
|published_time=2026-04-18T03:21:26Z
|modified_time=2026-04-29T02:48:02Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:10:02Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] › '''16750'''</small>


<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''16750'''</small>
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 16750 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Acrylic, linked-hand GMT|Acrylic, linked-hand GMT]]
</div>


The [[Reference:16750|16750]] is the bridge reference in the GMT-Master line. It keeps the acrylic crystal and the older linked-hand GMT logic, in which the 24-hour hand tracks the local hour hand rather than moving on its own, but adds the faster caliber 3075 and a quick-set date. The result is one of the most usable references in the family: still plainly vintage, much less of a chore to live with.
The 16750 is the first five-digit GMT-Master and the predecessor to the 16700. Caliber 3075 raised the beat rate to 28,800 vph and added a quick-set date while retaining the linked-hand caller-GMT: the 24-hour hand follows the local hour hand and the bezel sets the second zone. The steel reference kept an acrylic crystal; the gold 16758 used sapphire.
 
The reference is not a single watch. Early matte-dial examples still feel very close to late [[Reference:1675|1675]]s. Later watches move into glossy dials with white-gold surrounds, and some of those later dials age into the hairline-cracking spider pattern that defines part of the reference’s collector identity.


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


[[File:Ref 16750 hero.webp|thumb|right|340px|alt=Acrylic, linked-hand GMT|Acrylic, linked-hand GMT]]
==Core facts==


== Core facts ==
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! detail
! detail
Line 37: Line 37:
|-
|-
| production
| production
| roughly 1979-1988
| approximately 1980 to 1988; sources differ on whether the first examples date to 1979, 1980, or 1981
|-
|-
| movement
| total examples
| caliber 3075
| no published Rolex production figure
|-
|-
| case
| case
Line 50: Line 50:
| water resistance
| water resistance
| 100m
| 100m
|-
| movement
| caliber 3075, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, 48-hour reserve. Free-sprung Microstella balance with Breguet overcoil, hacking seconds, quickset date. 28.5 × 6.2mm. Hand-stack order changed from the 1575GMT to hour / GMT / minute / second
|-
| GMT mechanic
| caller GMT, 24-hour hand stays linked to the local hour hand, second zone reads off the bezel
|-
| dial generations
| matte early dials without white-gold surrounds → glossy lacquer with applied white-gold-circled tritium indices, generally associated with the mid-1980s; dated examples show overlap
|-
|-
| bezel
| bezel
| bidirectional 24-hour aluminum insert, most often Pepsi or black
| bidirectional 24-hour aluminium insert; factory examples are documented with Pepsi or all-black inserts. The black-and-red Coke insert is associated with the 16760
|-
|-
| main dial split
| bracelet
| early matte, later glossy white-gold-surround
| 78360 Oyster with 580 endlinks period-correct; Jubilee 62510H with 501 endlinks optional
|-
|-
| successor
| related next references
| [[Reference:16700|16700]]
| [[Reference:16700|16700]] caller GMT (1988–1999) and the concurrently produced [[Reference:16760|16760]] flyer GMT-Master II (1983–1988)
|}
|}


Line 64: Line 73:
== Where it sits in the line ==
== Where it sits in the line ==


The 16750 follows the long 1675 run and sits just before the last GMT-Master, the [[Reference:16700|16700]]. It is the first five-digit GMT-Master but still not a GMT-Master II. Caliber 3075 brought a higher beat rate and quick-set date, but Rolex kept the older linked-hand GMT logic rather than adopting the independently adjustable hour hand that would arrive on the [[Reference:16760|16760]].
The 16750 follows the long 1675 run and is the first GMT-Master with a five-digit reference number. It ends in 1988, when the [[Reference:16700|16700]] takes the caller GMT forward with a sapphire crystal and caliber 3175. The [[Reference:16760|16760]] was a parallel GMT-Master II from 1983 to 1988; it introduced the independent local-hour hand and the flyer-GMT mechanic while the 16750 kept the linked-hand layout.


Mechanically the 16750 is more modern than a 1675. It still behaves like a GMT-Master rather than a GMT-Master II.
The quick-set date, higher beat rate, and hacking seconds update the 1675 design without changing its caller-GMT operation. The acrylic crystal and 40mm crown-guard case separate the steel 16750 from the sapphire case used on the gold 16758 and later references.


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


<span id="early-matte-watches"></span>
Production is usually dated approximately 1980 to 1988, although sources differ on whether the first examples belong to 1979, 1980, or 1981. Sotheby's dates the introduction of caliber 3075 to 1980; Bonhams documents a 27 April 1981 retailer receipt, and Sotheby's has catalogued an example dated circa 1980. Those records establish the period without proving a single first-serial boundary.
=== Early matte watches ===


The early matte-dial watches stay closest to the late 1675 in feel. Matte finish, acrylic crystal, and the same general visual balance make them the reference’s most obviously transitional expression.
No published Rolex production figure surfaces in the documented sources. Matte dials are generally associated with the earlier part of the run, while glossy white-gold-surround dials appear by the mid-1980s; service replacements and overlapping dated examples make a strict year cut unsafe.
 
<span id="later-glossy-watches"></span>
=== Later glossy watches ===
 
Later watches move into glossy dials with white-gold surrounds. The reference starts to look more like a modern Rolex here, while still running on an acrylic platform.
 
The changeover from matte to glossy is not a clean break. The practical reading is that 1984 sits in the overlap zone, so matte and glossy examples can coexist without anything being wrong.
 
Two glossy-side features are worth pulling out. Early glossy dials sometimes omit the word Date above GMT-Master, and later glossy dials sometimes develop the hairline cracking collectors call a spider dial.


<span id="movement-notes"></span>
<span id="movement-notes"></span>
Line 89: Line 88:


[[File:Ref 16750 movement.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Caliber 3075 in 16750|Caliber 3075 in 16750]]
[[File:Ref 16750 movement.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Caliber 3075 in 16750|Caliber 3075 in 16750]]
Caliber 3075 is the real upgrade in the 16750. It brings quick-set date, a higher beat rate of 28,800 vph, and 100m water resistance on the steel watch.


The 16750 keeps the older GMT-Master operating logic: the 24-hour hand tracks the local hour hand and cannot be set independently. The caliber does not turn the watch into a GMT-Master II, and this linked-hand behaviour is the cleanest way to separate the 16750 from the [[Reference:16760|16760]] that follows it.
Caliber 3075 is the main mechanical change over the 1575GMT. Reference guides and auction descriptions give 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, hacking seconds, and a quick-set date. Published movement tables commonly quote a reserve around 48 hours, while some registries round it nearer 50; the page does not treat either figure as a watch-specific test. The listed 28.5mm diameter and 6.2mm thickness are movement specifications, not case measurements.
 
Specialist movement diagrams describe a revised hand stack compared with the 1575GMT; the reference still uses the linked-hand caller-GMT arrangement. The 3075 retains the linked-hand caller-GMT mechanic, so the 24-hour hand cannot be set independently on a 16750. The independent local-hour hand arrived with caliber 3085 in the 16760 and continued with caliber 3185 in the 16710.
 
The 3075 gives way to caliber 3175 in the 16700 from 1988 to 1999. A 3175 in a 16750 case is a service or replacement movement unless the watch has documentation explaining the change; movement and case numbers need to be checked together.


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


[[File:Ref 16750 matte-pepsi.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Matte-dial Pepsi 16750|Matte-dial Pepsi 16750]]
The two dial generations overlap in dated examples. Examples dated 1984 surface in both matte and glossy finishes, which makes that year the crossover zone.
[[File:Ref 16750 spider-dial.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Glossy spider dial 16750|Glossy spider dial 16750]]


<span id="matte-branch"></span>
<span id="matte-branch"></span>
=== Matte branch ===
=== Matte (early, ~1981–1985) ===
 
[[File:Ref 16750 matte-pepsi.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Matte-dial Pepsi 16750|Matte-dial Pepsi 16750]]


The matte-dial side is the watch most likely to be confused with a late 1675 at a glance, and the branch collectors usually have in mind when they call the 16750 a true bridge reference.
The matte dial is a black ground with painted indices and no white-gold surrounds. It carries the late-1675 look, but a dial alone does not authenticate the reference. The caliber 3075's hand stack, the case reference and serial, and the crystal should be checked together.


<span id="glossy-branch"></span>
<span id="glossy-white-gold-surround"></span>
=== Glossy branch ===
=== Glossy white-gold-surround (~1986 onward) ===


Later dials move to a glossy finish with white-gold surrounds on the applied indices. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual adds one useful nuance: some early glossy dials omit the word Date above GMT-Master at six o’clock, a simple but important subtype cue.
Glossy black lacquer carries applied indices in white-gold surrounds, a layout also used on the 16760 and 16710. The cited period examples use tritium, but service dials and later replacements can change the lume material.


<span id="spider-branch"></span>
<span id="spider-dial"></span>
=== Spider branch ===
=== Spider crazing ===


Not every glossy dial becomes a spider dial, but the reference is closely associated with the pattern.
[[File:Ref 16750 spider-dial.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Glossy spider dial 16750|Glossy spider dial 16750]]


Spider on a 16750 means age cracks in the glossy lacquer, not a factory dial type. In practice the effect is a positive signal: an unspoiled original late dial, not a clean service replacement.
Spider is collector shorthand for the hairline cracking seen in some glossy lacquer dials. It is a condition of the dial surface, not a separate Rolex reference or documented factory option. A cracked dial may be original, refinished, or later replaced; the pattern needs to be assessed with the printing, lume, hands, case, and service history.


<span id="no-date-dial"></span>
<span id="no-date-dial"></span>
=== No-Date dial ===
=== No-Date wording variant ===
 
The no-Date wording variant belongs to the early glossy branch. It is a real sub-variant, but not a separate dial era.
 
<span id="service-drift"></span>
=== Service drift ===
 
One documented black-bezel 16750 carries a Swiss-only service dial, a later Rolex-supplied replacement marked only "Swiss" at the bottom without the "T SWISS T" tritium wording the original would have carried, together with a later service date wheel and a later bracelet. The watch is a cautionary example, not a clean baseline, and shows how quickly a 16750 can drift away from its delivered configuration.


<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
A small group of early glossy dials are documented without the word "Date" above "GMT-Master" at six o'clock. The omission is a useful dial variant to record, but its exact production boundary is not established.
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes ==


The case is the familiar 40mm Oyster with crown guards, but the crystal is still acrylic. The acrylic is the quickest visual cue separating the 16750 from the sapphire-era GMTs that follow.
<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown"></span>
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==


The bezel palette is simpler than the later GMT-Master II run. Pepsi and plain black are the two standard branches.
The case is the standard 40mm Oyster with crown guards. The acrylic crystal, with its magnifying Cyclops over the date, separates the steel 16750 from the sapphire-era GMTs that follow. Water resistance was revised to 100m, twice the 50m rating generally given for the four-digit GMT-Master references.


The insert-back story is not clean. Early matte watches can carry red-back inserts, while later examples more often show blue-back or service-era alternatives. Insert colour alone does not settle originality.
The bezel is a bidirectional 24-hour aluminium insert. Published factory examples use Pepsi or all-black inserts. The black-and-red Coke insert is associated with the 16760; a Coke insert on a 16750 needs fitment and service evidence. Insert-back colour is not a dating rule on its own because replacements circulate.


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


Surviving 16750s wear both standard options: matte Pepsi watches turn up on Jubilee, black and glossy spider examples on Oyster. Fitment and original delivery should be kept separate on this reference. What a watch wears today is not the same question as what it left Geneva on.
Published period examples appear on the 78360 Oyster with 580 endlinks and on Jubilee 62510-family bracelets with 501 endlinks. A bracelet code dates the bracelet, not the watch head; originality needs case, clasp, endlink, and service-history checks.


Packaging is stronger than it first looks. Both the matte Pepsi and glossy spider examples come with box-and-paper material, and the glossy spider example also carries a retailer sticker.
Both bracelet families occur in surviving examples. Auction fitment is a poor proxy for original delivery because service and bracelet swaps were common during the reference's life.


<span id="special-branches"></span>
<span id="special-branches"></span>
== Special branches ==
== Special branches ==


[[File:Ref 16750 black-service.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Black-bezel service 16750|Black-bezel service 16750]]
<span id="omani-police-khanjar"></span>
<span id="matte-pepsi"></span>
=== Omani Police (Khanjar) ===
=== Matte Pepsi ===
 
[[File:Ref 16750 government-oman-police.webp|thumb|right|220px|alt=16750 with Royal Oman Police emblem dial|16750 with Royal Oman Police emblem at 6 o'clock, one of four documented examples in the same 7.6M serial batch]]


The matte Pepsi side keeps the strongest visual link to the 1675. This is usually what collectors mean when they call the 16750 a true transitional watch.
A small group of 16750 dials carries the white Royal Oman Police emblem at six o'clock. Phillips describes four known examples, all in the 7.6 million serial range and reportedly from one batch without the repeated serial inside the caseback. Those are auction-house and specialist observations, not a Rolex production statement. The Bonhams and Phillips lots document the branch; they do not establish a complete population or a universal premium.


<span id="black-bezel-service-example"></span>
<span id="black-bezel-service-example"></span>
=== Black-bezel service example ===
=== Service-replacement examples ===
 
[[File:Ref 16750 black-service.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Black-bezel service 16750|Black-bezel service 16750]]
Service-replacement dials occur, including later dials marked only "Swiss" in place of the original "T SWISS T" wording. Service-era movement swaps from caliber 3075 to caliber 3175 also occur; the case, movement, dial, and service records should be read together.


The documented black 16750 in this group is a realism check more than a trophy piece. Black bezel, service dial, service date wheel, and a later bracelet all sit on one watch.
Caseback and mid-case markings help establish what is present, but neither proves that every component is original. A wide gap between the case serial and movement number is a lead to investigate, not proof of a replacement by itself. The Bonhams Hong Kong 2019 lot with case R672618 and movement number 1,828,172 is an example of an auction-catalogued service-replacement movement, not a universal dating rule.


<span id="glossy-spider-no-date-dial"></span>
<span id="glossy-spider-no-date"></span>
=== Glossy spider no-Date dial ===
=== Glossy spider with no-Date wording ===


This branch is what gives the later 16750 its own collector identity instead of leaving it parked as a 1675 successor. The combination of white-gold surrounds, omitted Date wording, and web-like lacquer cracking is the strongest surviving-watch signal of an original late-run dial. A redial or service dial rarely carries any of those traits in isolation, and almost never all three at once.
The combination of glossy white-gold-surround indices, omitted "Date" wording, and lacquer cracking can be a useful lead when assessing a late-run 16750 dial. It is not proof of originality; refinishing, replacement parts, and later service work still need to be ruled out.


<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 ==


The market record for the 16750 is still thin next to the 1675, but it is already enough to show the reference’s internal hierarchy. A matte Pepsi example carries the transitional side, the black-bezel service watch demonstrates how far an example can drift, and the glossy spider sits at the top of the later collector tier. Auction representation remains shallow; most of the surviving evidence comes from the trade.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Sale !! Lot !! Year !! Serial / config !! Hammer
|-
| Bonhams Knightsbridge || 29153/95 || 2024 || full set with dated 27 April 1981 receipt, spare Pepsi insert, brochures || GBP 10,240 incl. premium
|-
| Sotheby's Watches Online || 95 || 2020 || c.1982 matte Pepsi, movement 0,381,752 || est. CHF 9,000–12,000
|-
| Sotheby's Watches Online || 96 || 2020 || c.1984 glossy Pepsi with spider crazing || est. CHF 12,000–18,000
|-
| Sotheby's Watches || 109 || 2020 || c.1980 matte Pepsi, full set || est. USD 10,000–15,000
|-
| Sotheby's Fine Watches || 160 || 2022 || c.1984 glossy Pepsi spider, COSC hang tag || est. EUR 8,000–12,000
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches || 125 || 2022 || c.1984 Pepsi || est. USD 10,000–20,000
|-
| Antiquorum Hong Kong || 373-296 || 2024 || c.1982 signature dial || HKD 68,750 (vs est. HKD 35,000–60,000)
|-
| Bonhams Hong Kong Watches 3.0 || 25282/845 || 2019 || case R672618, mvt 1,828,172, service-replacement movement || HKD 100,625 incl. premium
|-
| Bonhams Fine Watches London || 26687/68 || 2021 || c.1983 Omani Police Khanjar, 27-jewel cal. 3075, Jubilee || est. GBP 70,000–100,000
|}
 
The auction record varies with condition, dial, provenance, and original accessories. The table records individual lots rather than a price guide for every 16750. Khanjar examples should be compared with other documented government-logo dials; a single estimate or result does not establish a general market tier.
 
== Related references ==
 
* [[Reference:16753|GMT-Master 16753]], 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16758|GMT-Master 16758]], 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16760|GMT-Master 16760]], "Fat Lady", Coke Bezel (1983–1988)
* [[Reference:16700|GMT-Master 16700]], 1988–1998
* [[Reference:1675|GMT-Master 1675]], Pepsi & Root Beer (1959–1979)
* [[Reference:16710|GMT-Master 16710]], Pepsi, Coke & Black (1989–2007)
 
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 16750 hero.webp|16750 overview|Acrylic-crystal GMT-Master 16750
File:Ref 16750 matte-pepsi.webp|Matte dial|Early matte Pepsi dial
File:Ref 16750 spider-dial.webp|Spider dial|Glossy spider dial example
File:Ref 16750 movement.webp|Caliber 3075|Movement view
File:Ref 16750 government-oman-police.webp|Omani Police branch|Royal Oman Police emblem dial
File:Ref 16750 black-service.webp|Service example|Black-bezel service example
</gallery>


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
 
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II] — unknown, Monochrome
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II] (Monochrome)
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-master-the-complete-collectors-guide The Rolex GMT-Master: A Complete Collector's Guide] — Stephen Pulvirent, Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-master-the-complete-collectors-guide The Rolex GMT-Master: A Complete Collector's Guide] (Sotheby's)
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-rolex-gmt-master-16750-pepsi.html Vintage Rolex GMT-Master 16750 Pepsi] — unknown, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/148174 Rolex GMT-Master ref. 16750 with Royal Oman Police emblem, circa 1983], Phillips
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-16750-black.html Rolex GMT-Master 16750 Black] — unknown, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-gmt-master-reference-points Reference Points: Understanding the Rolex GMT-Master], Hodinkee
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-rolex-gmt-master-ref-16750-black-spider-dial.html Vintage Rolex GMT-Master Ref 16750 Black Spider Dial] — unknown, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.41watch.com/en/journal/historical-reviews-of-iconic-watches/history-of-the-legendary-rolex-gmt-master History of the Legendary Rolex GMT-Master] (41Watch)
* WatchProSite 16750 thread bundle — WatchProSite community, WatchProSite
* [https://millenarywatches.com/rolex-gmt-16750/ Rolex GMT-Master 16750 Complete Guide] (Millenary Watches)
* [https://hairspring.com/finds/spider-dial-16750-rolex-gmt-master/ Spider Dial 16750 Rolex GMT-Master] (Hairspring)
* [https://beckertime.com/blog/rolex-caliber-3075/ The Rolex Caliber 3075] (Beckertime)
* [https://reference.grail-watch.com/movement/rolex-3075/ Rolex 3075 movement reference] (Grail Watch)
* [https://www.windvintage.com/rolex-gmtmaster-reference-16750-2 Rolex GMT-Master Reference 16750 Transitional Matte Dial] (Wind Vintage)
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/29153/lot/95/ Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 16750 with original 27 April 1981 receipt, Bonhams Knightsbridge lot 95] (Bonhams, 2024)
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-online-2/rolex-pepsi-gmt-master-ref-16750-stainless-steel-2 Pepsi GMT-Master Ref 16750 c.1982 matte, Sotheby's Watches Online lot 95] (Sotheby's, 2020)
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-online-2/rolex-pepsi-gmt-master-ref-16750-stainless-steel Pepsi GMT-Master Ref 16750 c.1984 glossy spider, Sotheby's Watches Online lot 96] (Sotheby's, 2020)
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches-5/rolex-reference-16750-gmt-master-pepsi-a-stainless Reference 16750 GMT-Master Pepsi c.1980, Sotheby's Watches lot 109] (Sotheby's, 2020)
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/fine-watches-3/pepsi-spider-dial-gmt-master-reference-16750 Pepsi Spider Dial GMT-Master Reference 16750 c.1984, Sotheby's Fine Watches lot 160] (Sotheby's, 2022)
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/important-watches-3/reference-16750-gmt-master-pepsi-a-stainless-steel Reference 16750 GMT-Master Pepsi c.1984, Sotheby's Important Watches lot 125] (Sotheby's, 2022)
* [https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/rolex-ref-16750-gmt-master-lot-373-296 Rolex Ref. 16750 GMT-Master c.1982, Antiquorum HK lot 373-296] (Antiquorum, 2024)
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/25282/lot/845/ Rolex GMT-Master 16750, Bonhams HK Watches 3.0 lot 845] (Bonhams, 2019)
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26687/lot/68/ Rolex GMT-Master Ref 16750 'Omani Police' c.1983, Bonhams Fine Watches London lot 68] (Bonhams, 2021)
* [https://watch-collector.co.uk/rolex-bracelet-end-link-codes/ Rolex Bracelet End Link Codes reference]
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'', Colin A. White, Morning Tundra


[[Category:GMT-Master]]
[[Category:GMT-Master]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

Latest revision as of 06:17, 29 September 2026


GMT-Master › 16750

Acrylic, linked-hand GMT
Acrylic, linked-hand GMT

The 16750 is the first five-digit GMT-Master and the predecessor to the 16700. Caliber 3075 raised the beat rate to 28,800 vph and added a quick-set date while retaining the linked-hand caller-GMT: the 24-hour hand follows the local hour hand and the bezel sets the second zone. The steel reference kept an acrylic crystal; the gold 16758 used sapphire.

Core facts

detail value
reference 16750
family GMT-Master
production approximately 1980 to 1988; sources differ on whether the first examples date to 1979, 1980, or 1981
total examples no published Rolex production figure
case 40mm Oyster with crown guards
crystal acrylic with Cyclops
water resistance 100m
movement caliber 3075, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, 48-hour reserve. Free-sprung Microstella balance with Breguet overcoil, hacking seconds, quickset date. 28.5 × 6.2mm. Hand-stack order changed from the 1575GMT to hour / GMT / minute / second
GMT mechanic caller GMT, 24-hour hand stays linked to the local hour hand, second zone reads off the bezel
dial generations matte early dials without white-gold surrounds → glossy lacquer with applied white-gold-circled tritium indices, generally associated with the mid-1980s; dated examples show overlap
bezel bidirectional 24-hour aluminium insert; factory examples are documented with Pepsi or all-black inserts. The black-and-red Coke insert is associated with the 16760
bracelet 78360 Oyster with 580 endlinks period-correct; Jubilee 62510H with 501 endlinks optional
related next references 16700 caller GMT (1988–1999) and the concurrently produced 16760 flyer GMT-Master II (1983–1988)

Where it sits in the line

The 16750 follows the long 1675 run and is the first GMT-Master with a five-digit reference number. It ends in 1988, when the 16700 takes the caller GMT forward with a sapphire crystal and caliber 3175. The 16760 was a parallel GMT-Master II from 1983 to 1988; it introduced the independent local-hour hand and the flyer-GMT mechanic while the 16750 kept the linked-hand layout.

The quick-set date, higher beat rate, and hacking seconds update the 1675 design without changing its caller-GMT operation. The acrylic crystal and 40mm crown-guard case separate the steel 16750 from the sapphire case used on the gold 16758 and later references.

Production outline

Production is usually dated approximately 1980 to 1988, although sources differ on whether the first examples belong to 1979, 1980, or 1981. Sotheby's dates the introduction of caliber 3075 to 1980; Bonhams documents a 27 April 1981 retailer receipt, and Sotheby's has catalogued an example dated circa 1980. Those records establish the period without proving a single first-serial boundary.

No published Rolex production figure surfaces in the documented sources. Matte dials are generally associated with the earlier part of the run, while glossy white-gold-surround dials appear by the mid-1980s; service replacements and overlapping dated examples make a strict year cut unsafe.

Movement notes

Caliber 3075 in 16750
Caliber 3075 in 16750

Caliber 3075 is the main mechanical change over the 1575GMT. Reference guides and auction descriptions give 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, hacking seconds, and a quick-set date. Published movement tables commonly quote a reserve around 48 hours, while some registries round it nearer 50; the page does not treat either figure as a watch-specific test. The listed 28.5mm diameter and 6.2mm thickness are movement specifications, not case measurements.

Specialist movement diagrams describe a revised hand stack compared with the 1575GMT; the reference still uses the linked-hand caller-GMT arrangement. The 3075 retains the linked-hand caller-GMT mechanic, so the 24-hour hand cannot be set independently on a 16750. The independent local-hour hand arrived with caliber 3085 in the 16760 and continued with caliber 3185 in the 16710.

The 3075 gives way to caliber 3175 in the 16700 from 1988 to 1999. A 3175 in a 16750 case is a service or replacement movement unless the watch has documentation explaining the change; movement and case numbers need to be checked together.

Dial map

The two dial generations overlap in dated examples. Examples dated 1984 surface in both matte and glossy finishes, which makes that year the crossover zone.

Matte (early, ~1981–1985)

Matte-dial Pepsi 16750
Matte-dial Pepsi 16750

The matte dial is a black ground with painted indices and no white-gold surrounds. It carries the late-1675 look, but a dial alone does not authenticate the reference. The caliber 3075's hand stack, the case reference and serial, and the crystal should be checked together.

Glossy white-gold-surround (~1986 onward)

Glossy black lacquer carries applied indices in white-gold surrounds, a layout also used on the 16760 and 16710. The cited period examples use tritium, but service dials and later replacements can change the lume material.

Spider crazing

Glossy spider dial 16750
Glossy spider dial 16750

Spider is collector shorthand for the hairline cracking seen in some glossy lacquer dials. It is a condition of the dial surface, not a separate Rolex reference or documented factory option. A cracked dial may be original, refinished, or later replaced; the pattern needs to be assessed with the printing, lume, hands, case, and service history.

No-Date wording variant

A small group of early glossy dials are documented without the word "Date" above "GMT-Master" at six o'clock. The omission is a useful dial variant to record, but its exact production boundary is not established.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The case is the standard 40mm Oyster with crown guards. The acrylic crystal, with its magnifying Cyclops over the date, separates the steel 16750 from the sapphire-era GMTs that follow. Water resistance was revised to 100m, twice the 50m rating generally given for the four-digit GMT-Master references.

The bezel is a bidirectional 24-hour aluminium insert. Published factory examples use Pepsi or all-black inserts. The black-and-red Coke insert is associated with the 16760; a Coke insert on a 16750 needs fitment and service evidence. Insert-back colour is not a dating rule on its own because replacements circulate.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Published period examples appear on the 78360 Oyster with 580 endlinks and on Jubilee 62510-family bracelets with 501 endlinks. A bracelet code dates the bracelet, not the watch head; originality needs case, clasp, endlink, and service-history checks.

Both bracelet families occur in surviving examples. Auction fitment is a poor proxy for original delivery because service and bracelet swaps were common during the reference's life.

Special branches

Omani Police (Khanjar)

16750 with Royal Oman Police emblem dial
16750 with Royal Oman Police emblem at 6 o'clock, one of four documented examples in the same 7.6M serial batch

A small group of 16750 dials carries the white Royal Oman Police emblem at six o'clock. Phillips describes four known examples, all in the 7.6 million serial range and reportedly from one batch without the repeated serial inside the caseback. Those are auction-house and specialist observations, not a Rolex production statement. The Bonhams and Phillips lots document the branch; they do not establish a complete population or a universal premium.

Service-replacement examples

Black-bezel service 16750
Black-bezel service 16750

Service-replacement dials occur, including later dials marked only "Swiss" in place of the original "T SWISS T" wording. Service-era movement swaps from caliber 3075 to caliber 3175 also occur; the case, movement, dial, and service records should be read together.

Caseback and mid-case markings help establish what is present, but neither proves that every component is original. A wide gap between the case serial and movement number is a lead to investigate, not proof of a replacement by itself. The Bonhams Hong Kong 2019 lot with case R672618 and movement number 1,828,172 is an example of an auction-catalogued service-replacement movement, not a universal dating rule.

Glossy spider with no-Date wording

The combination of glossy white-gold-surround indices, omitted "Date" wording, and lacquer cracking can be a useful lead when assessing a late-run 16750 dial. It is not proof of originality; refinishing, replacement parts, and later service work still need to be ruled out.

Historical market and auction record

Sale Lot Year Serial / config Hammer
Bonhams Knightsbridge 29153/95 2024 full set with dated 27 April 1981 receipt, spare Pepsi insert, brochures GBP 10,240 incl. premium
Sotheby's Watches Online 95 2020 c.1982 matte Pepsi, movement 0,381,752 est. CHF 9,000–12,000
Sotheby's Watches Online 96 2020 c.1984 glossy Pepsi with spider crazing est. CHF 12,000–18,000
Sotheby's Watches 109 2020 c.1980 matte Pepsi, full set est. USD 10,000–15,000
Sotheby's Fine Watches 160 2022 c.1984 glossy Pepsi spider, COSC hang tag est. EUR 8,000–12,000
Sotheby's Important Watches 125 2022 c.1984 Pepsi est. USD 10,000–20,000
Antiquorum Hong Kong 373-296 2024 c.1982 signature dial HKD 68,750 (vs est. HKD 35,000–60,000)
Bonhams Hong Kong Watches 3.0 25282/845 2019 case R672618, mvt 1,828,172, service-replacement movement HKD 100,625 incl. premium
Bonhams Fine Watches London 26687/68 2021 c.1983 Omani Police Khanjar, 27-jewel cal. 3075, Jubilee est. GBP 70,000–100,000

The auction record varies with condition, dial, provenance, and original accessories. The table records individual lots rather than a price guide for every 16750. Khanjar examples should be compared with other documented government-logo dials; a single estimate or result does not establish a general market tier.

Related references

See also the GMT-Master family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

  • Acrylic-crystal GMT-Master 16750
    Acrylic-crystal GMT-Master 16750
  • Early matte Pepsi dial
    Early matte Pepsi dial
  • Glossy spider dial example
    Glossy spider dial example
  • Movement view
    Movement view
  • Royal Oman Police emblem dial
    Royal Oman Police emblem dial
  • Black-bezel service example
    Black-bezel service example

Sources

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