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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 16760 GMT-Master II}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master II 16760 — BezelBase
|title=Rolex GMT-Master II 16760, first-generation independent-hour GMT | Rolexopedia
|description=The `16760` is where the GMT-Master II begins. It was the first watch in the family to add an independently adjustable 24-hour hand, which turned the…
|description=The Rolex 16760 is the first GMT-Master II, with caliber 3085, an independently adjustable local-hour hand, sapphire crystal, and documented red-and-black aluminium bezel.
|keywords=Rolex, 16760, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|keywords=Rolex, 16760, GMT-Master II, Fat Lady, Sophia Loren, caliber 3085, Coke bezel, independent hour hand
|type=article
|image=Ref 16760 hero.webp
|image_alt=Fat Lady GMT-Master II
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T03:21:55Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:10:11Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
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}}


<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] › '''16760'''</small>


<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] → '''16760'''</small>
<div class="rp-lead">
[[File:Ref 16760 hero.webp|thumb|center|640px|alt=Fat Lady GMT-Master II|Fat Lady GMT-Master II]]
</div>


The [[Reference:16760|16760]] is where the GMT-Master II begins. It was the first watch in the family to add an independently adjustable 24-hour hand, which turned the bezel into a third-time-zone tool rather than a second-time-zone aid. The same mechanical change demanded a thicker case, and that case gave the reference its two collector nicknames: Fat Lady and Sophia Loren.
The 16760 is the first GMT-Master II. Its caliber 3085 lets the local hour hand jump independently while the 24-hour hand keeps reference time, so the rotating bezel can show a third zone. The 6.3mm movement required a thicker case than the later 16710. Rolex historical material and specialist references date the run to approximately 1982/83–1988. Surviving factory examples are documented with the red-and-black aluminium “Coke” insert.
 
The mechanics are a clean turning point. The bezel history and the earliest dial variations are not.


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


[[File:Ref 16760 hero.webp|thumb|right|340px|alt=Fat Lady GMT-Master II|Fat Lady GMT-Master II]]
==Core facts==
 
== Core facts ==


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable rp-facts"
|-
|-
! detail
! detail
Line 28: Line 34:
|-
|-
| family
| family
| GMT-Master II
| GMT-Master II (first generation)
|-
|-
| production
| production
| 1983-1987 in the Field Manual, with broader family histories stretching the watch into 1982-1988
| approximately 1982/83 to 1988; Rolex's historical material uses 1982 while several reference guides use 1983
|-
|-
| movement
| total examples
| caliber 3085
| no published Rolex production figure
|-
|-
| case
| case
| 40mm Oyster with thicker profile than the [[Reference:16710|16710]]
| 40mm Oyster case, thicker than the later 16710, with 100m water resistance
|-
| crown
| 7mm screw-down with crown guards
|-
|-
| crystal
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops
| sapphire with Cyclops; the first steel GMT-Master reference documented with sapphire
|-
| movement
| caliber 3085, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, approximately 48-hour reserve, hacking, and independent local-hour adjustment
|-
|-
| water resistance
| trade-off
| 100m
| no quick-set date, date advances via the local hour hand
|-
|-
| bezel
| bezel
| black or Coke in the strongest conservative reading; Pepsi remains disputed in the wider family literature
| red-and-black insert only, no other factory configuration
|-
| dial
| glossy lacquer with applied white-gold-surround indices in the documented factory examples; matte 16760 dials are not established as a factory branch
|-
|-
| defining feature
| bracelet
| first independently adjustable 24-hour hand in the GMT line
| 78360 Oyster with 501B hollow stamped end-links, period-correct throughout the run; Jubilee 62510H with 502B optional
|}
|}


Line 55: Line 70:
== Where it sits in the line ==
== Where it sits in the line ==


The 16760 creates the functional split inside the family. It is the watch that turns the GMT-Master II into a true independently adjustable travel watch, and that is why the reference matters beyond the nickname.
The 16760 is the first GMT-Master II and introduces the flyer-GMT layout. Earlier GMT-Master references linked the 24-hour hand to the local hour hand; on the 16760, the local hour hand jumps independently while the 24-hour hand remains the reference-time hand. The 16750 was the immediate caller-GMT predecessor. The 16700 continued that caller line after 1988, while the 16710 followed the 16760 as GMT-Master II.


Collectors talk more about the 16710, but the 16760 is where the family changes what the watch actually does.
It ran for roughly five to six years, depending on whether the launch is dated to 1982 or 1983. The 16710 took over in 1989 with caliber 3185, a slimmer movement that restored a quick-set date and reduced the case thickness.


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


The 16760 is the first GMT-Master II. It carries the thick transitional case, runs steel-only, and has a short production run compared with the [[Reference:16710|16710]] that replaces it. Exact boundaries are contested. The Field Manual keeps the reference to 1983-1987. Monochrome and Sotheby's push it out to 1982-1988. Placing the watch in the early-to-late 1980s GMT-Master II transition is the safer reading given that spread.
Rolex's historical material dates the first GMT-Master II to 1982. Hodinkee and several specialist guides use 1982–1988 or 1983–1988 for the reference, so the page keeps both parts of the dating convention visible rather than asserting a precise first retail date.
 
No production total or complete serial bracket has been published by Rolex in the sources reviewed.


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


Caliber 3085 is the reason the reference exists. It introduced the independently adjustable 24-hour hand, which let the wearer track a third time zone by rotating the bidirectional bezel while the main hour and GMT hands already carried two. The module that carries the independent hour-hand function sits on top of the base going-train rather than beside it, and the case had to grow around it. The watch ended up visibly taller and broader across the crown guards than the 16750 it replaced and the 16710 that followed, and that physical bulk is what gave the reference its two collector nicknames.
Caliber 3085 is the mechanical change that defines the reference. Published guides give 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, hacking seconds, an approximately 48-hour reserve, and independent local-hour adjustment. Auction and movement references also describe Microstella regulation and COSC certification; individual service condition still needs to be checked.


Fat Lady is the older and more widely used name and simply describes the profile. Sophia Loren is the more polite collector-market rebrand, invoking the Italian actress's figure as a softer way of pointing at the same thickness. Both names attach to the same watch for the same reason: the 3085 needed room, and the case gave it room. Sotheby's places the reference from 1982 and explicitly ties the Fat Lady language directly to the 3085, which lines up with how the wider corpus uses the nickname.
It is the first GMT-Master caliber in the line to separate the local hour hand from the 24-hour hand. The local hand jumps in one-hour increments from the crown while the 24-hour hand runs against the bezel for a third zone. The date advances through the local-hour hand rather than a separate quick-set position. The movement's thickness explains the larger case.
 
Rolex also used caliber 3085 in the Explorer II 16550. The 16710 moved to the slimmer 3185 generation in 1989.
 
The auction examples cited by Phillips, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Christie's identify caliber 3085, including lots dated 1988. A 3185 in a 16760 case should therefore be checked as a service or replacement movement unless original-delivery evidence says otherwise.


<span id="dial-map"></span>
<span id="dial-map"></span>
Line 75: Line 96:


[[File:Ref 16760 coke-bobs.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Coke 16760|Coke 16760]]
[[File:Ref 16760 coke-bobs.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Coke 16760|Coke 16760]]
Surviving sale records for the 16760 are thinner than for the neighboring references, but two things are clear.


<span id="core-dial-look"></span>
The documented factory dial is glossy lacquer with applied white-gold surrounds. Some examples show lacquer cracking, while others remain intact; a matte-looking surface can also result from age or service work and is not, by itself, a factory variant.
=== Core dial look ===
 
<span id="standard-glossy-dial"></span>
=== Standard glossy with WG surrounds ===


Surviving market examples all show black dials with white-gold surrounds on the hour markers, which fits the reference's role as the first fully modernized-looking GMT-Master II.
Black lacquer ground, applied indices with white-gold surrounds, white printing for the dial text including the GMT-Master II line. Mercedes hour and minute hands paired with a red GMT hand. The basic glossy layout is documented across the production window, although details and service history vary by example. Retailer-signed examples exist on top of that standard dial: Antiquorum catalogued a steel 16760 retailed by Tiffany & Co. in Geneva in November 2021, the Tiffany signature printed below the coronet in the standard position, with no other deviation from the factory dial layout.


<span id="early-dial-variation"></span>
<span id="spider-dial-mark-1"></span>
=== Early dial variation ===
=== Spider dial (Mark 1) ===


The enthusiast layer suggests the dial story runs deeper than the direct sale set shows. Collector-forum discussion points toward at least two early dial groups treated as distinct. The clearest split turns on printing weight and the exact shade of the white-gold index surrounds. Earlier dials run slightly crisper in their printing; later examples trend softer. A second, more contested split involves how the minute track meets the outer edge of the dial on the earliest watches.
Some glossy dials develop fine lacquer cracks, called “spider” dials by collectors. “Mark 1” is collector taxonomy rather than a Rolex designation. A few early-dial descriptions omit the small “T<25” line, but “no-date” in that context refers to dial wording; the watch still has a date.


Gloss-loss is one of the main condition issues on the 16760. A matte-looking dial is often still original, which is why buyers should not confuse gloss-loss with refinishing automatically.
<span id="aging-and-gloss-loss"></span>
=== Aging and gloss-loss ===


<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
Gloss can dull with age. A matte-looking surface is not proof of a factory matte dial or a refinish; the printing, surrounds, lume, case, and service history need to be assessed together.
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes ==
 
<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown"></span>
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==


[[File:Ref 16760 fat-lady-case.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Fat Lady case profile|Fat Lady case profile]]
[[File:Ref 16760 fat-lady-case.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Fat Lady case profile|Fat Lady case profile]]
The case is the reference's signature. It has the same nominal 40mm footprint as the watches around it but is thicker, heavier, and visually fuller at the crown guards. Sapphire with a Cyclops lens over the date sits under an already more modern silhouette than the acrylic GMT-Masters alongside it on the production timeline.


The bezel story is where the clean narrative breaks. The Field Manual's reference table lists the 16760 as coming only with a black insert or a black-and-red Coke insert, and explicitly says Pepsi (red and blue) was not a factory option for this reference. Sotheby's complete collector's guide describes the same watch as available with the red-and-blue Pepsi bezel or the black-and-red Coke bezel, listing Pepsi in and black out. Monochrome's family history aligns with Sotheby's on the Pepsi question. Three reputable sources describe three different combinations of the same set.
The case uses the 40mm GMT-Master Oyster footprint and is thicker than the later 16710, with a larger crown-guard profile. Published measurements vary slightly by method; the difference is the 6.3mm caliber 3085 and the case built around it.


Coke is directly supported in the market layer and confirmed in all three text sources. Black is supported by the strongest conservative source. Pepsi sits inside the wider editorial and auction literature but has not yet been anchored by a direct 16760 sale, and no sold lot yet resolves the disagreement.
The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops over a 100m Oyster case. A 7mm screw-down crown sits between the guards. The thicker midcase and larger crown guards help distinguish it from a 16710, but they are not authentication on their own.


<span id="bracelets-end-links-clasps-and-packaging-notes"></span>
The cited auction examples and specialist guides document the red-and-black aluminium “Coke” insert. Other colours appear in secondary listings, but the available evidence does not establish a separate factory branch. Replacement inserts circulate, so colour alone cannot authenticate a case.
 
<span id="bracelets-end-links-clasps-and-packaging"></span>
== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==
== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==


The Field Manual gives the strongest fitment map currently available. An Oyster 78360 with 501 end links and a Jubilee 62510H with 502B end links both appear as period options. A later 78790A with solid end links also appears and should be treated as fitment compatibility rather than automatic period-original delivery. Surviving market examples run mainly on Oyster. One later example carries box, papers, and a service card, which is enough for a basic packaging note without turning bracelet delivery into a full timeline.
Published period examples use the 78360 Oyster with 501B end-links and the 62510H Jubilee with 502B end-links. A bracelet and endlink code dates the bracelet, not the watch head; fitment should be checked against the case and service history.
 
Service and replacement bracelets occur. Christie's lot 67556 and Bonhams lot 167 show later bracelet fitments on 16760 cases; those lots are useful evidence of what is present, not proof of original delivery. The 78360/501B and 62510H/502B combinations are the period references to check first.
 
<span id="nicknames"></span>
== Nicknames, Fat Lady and Sophia Loren ==


<span id="special-branches"></span>
Collectors use “Fat Lady” and “Sophia Loren” for the 16760's thicker case. Phillips and Sotheby's use both names in later auction material; the first use of either nickname is not established.
== Special branches ==


[[File:Ref 16760 coke-davidsw.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=1985 Coke 16760|1985 Coke 16760]]
<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
<span id="coke"></span>
== Historical market and auction record ==
=== Coke ===


The Coke branch is the configuration most clearly supported by the direct market and one of the strongest visual identities in the entire GMT-Master II line.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Sale !! Lot !! Year !! Serial / config !! Notes
|-
| Antiquorum Geneva || 344-411 || 2021 || Tiffany & Co.-retailed, steel || CHF 40,000 (est. CHF 10,000–15,000); highest result in the reviewed sample
|-
| Phillips Geneva Watch Auction X || 149 || 2019 || c.1988, case R434190, mvt 2102621, full set with Merksamer Jewelers guarantee || CHF 20,000 (est. CHF 6,000–12,000)
|-
| Sotheby's Important Watches HK || 2004 || 2021 || c.1984, case 8463283, cal. 3085 27j, Coke bezel || est. HKD 80,000–120,000
|-
| Christie's Watches Online (NY) || 67556 || 2019 || c.1984, bracelet 93150 SEL 501 (service-era replacement), hands later replacements ||
|-
| Christie's Watches Online: Geneva Edit || 133994 || 2019 || c.1988, "Fat Lady because Rolex made the cases and crown guards thicker" ||
|-
| Christie's New York || 41 || 2019 || c.1988, full set with two extra links, hang tags, presentation box ||
|-
| Bonhams Knightsbridge || 28031/167 || 2023 || c.1988, case R275863, mvt 1994435, bracelet 78790 (service replacement), 2015 service guarantee || GBP 10,837.50 incl. premium
|}


<span id="black-insert"></span>
The Antiquorum Tiffany & Co.-retailed example sold for CHF 40,000 against a CHF 10,000–15,000 estimate in November 2021, the highest result in the reviewed sample. The lot's retailer signature and condition are part of that individual result; it is not a general value rule. The table is a limited auction sample, not a census of the reference's market.
=== Black insert ===


The Field Manual's 16760 reference table names a plain black insert as one of only two factory options alongside Coke. The book does not treat the black-insert 16760 as a separate collector tier the way later all-black GMT-Master II watches sometimes are; it is simply the other insert the reference left the factory with. Surviving black 16760 watches are genuinely less common in the dealer market than Coke examples, and no direct sale has entered the corpus yet, so the branch stands on the book for now.
The reference's defining facts are the first GMT-Master II designation, the independent local-hour hand, the thicker caliber 3085 case, the sapphire crystal on the steel GMT, and the documented Coke insert. Originality and service history still have to be established on each watch.


<span id="pepsi"></span>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
=== Pepsi ===
File:Ref 16760 coke-davidsw.webp|alt=1985 Coke 16760|1985 Coke 16760
File:Ref 16760 tiffany.webp|alt=Tiffany & Co.-retailed 16760|Tiffany & Co.-retailed 16760, Antiquorum Geneva, November 2021
</gallery>


Sotheby's and Monochrome both list a Pepsi 16760 as a standard option alongside Coke. The Field Manual calls it specifically not-for-this-reference. No Pepsi 16760 has surfaced yet in the sale record to resolve the disagreement. The branch is named and sourced; the bezel configuration itself remains unresolved.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Ref 16760 hero.webp|16760 overview|GMT-Master II 16760
File:Ref 16760 coke-bobs.webp|Coke bezel|Red-and-black insert
File:Ref 16760 fat-lady-case.webp|Case profile|Thicker 3085 case
File:Ref 16760 coke-davidsw.webp|Auction example|1985 Coke 16760
File:Ref 16760 tiffany.webp|Tiffany example|Tiffany & Co.-retailed 16760
</gallery>


<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
== Related references ==
== Historical market and auction record ==
 
* [[Reference:16750|GMT-Master 16750]], 1981–1988
* [[Reference:16753|GMT-Master 16753]], 1981–1988
* [[Reference:16758|GMT-Master 16758]], 1979–1988
* [[Reference:16700|GMT-Master 16700]], 1988–1999
* [[Reference:16710|GMT-Master 16710]], Pepsi, Coke & Black (1989–2007)
* [[Reference:16713|GMT-Master 16713]], 1989–2006


The market layer is still dealer-led but already carries weight. An early Coke example anchors the nickname and the thick-case story. A documented 1985 example adds 3085 provenance, packaging, and a service card. A 1988 example shows the Coke-and-thick-case identity persisting through the end of the run. A true auction-house 16760 lot, and a direct black or Pepsi sale, would close the remaining gaps.
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 ==
* The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Chevalier Edition — unknown, 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.hodinkee.com/articles/rolex-gmt-master-reference-points Reference Points: Understanding the Rolex GMT-Master] (Hodinkee)
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-16760-fat-lady-coke.html Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 16760 'Fat Lady Coke'] — unknown, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.gmtmasterhistory.com/gmt-master_ref_16760.html Rolex GMT-Master II reference 16760 guide] (GMT Master History)
* [https://davidsw.com/shop/watch/rolex/rolex-16760-gmt-master-ii-with-red-black-bezel-4/ Rolex 16760 GMT Master II with Red/Black Bezel] — unknown, DavidSW
* [https://newsroom-content.rolex.com/-/media/project/rolex/newsroom/rolex/rolex-newsroom-int/2024-04/gmt-master-ii/documents/brochures/03_gmt-master-ii_brochure_english.pdf Evolution of the GMT-Master II] (Rolex Newsroom)
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-1988-rolex-gmt-master-ii-16760.html Vintage 1988 Rolex GMT-Master II 16760] — unknown, Bob's Watches
* [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)
* WatchProSite 16760 thread bundle — WatchProSite community, WatchProSite
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-16760-fat-lady-coke.html Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 16760 'Fat Lady Coke']
* RolexForums 16760 thread bundle — RolexForums community, RolexForums
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/5-firsts-gmt-master-ii-16760.html 5 Innovations of the GMT-Master II 16760]
* [https://exquisitetimepieces.com/blog/rolex-coke-ultimate-guide/ Ultimate Guide to the Rolex Coke GMT-Master II] (Exquisite Timepieces)
* [https://millenarywatches.com/rolex-caliber-3085/ Rolex Caliber 3085 reference guide] (Millenary Watches)
* [https://grail-watch.com/2024/01/07/rolex-caliber-3085/ Rolex Caliber 3085] (Grail-Watch)
* [https://www.drsd.com/watch-info/gmt/gmt-in-transition.html GMT in Transition] (drsd.com)
* [https://thedocwatches.com/watches/gmt-master/rolex-gmt-master-ref-16760-spider-dial/ Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 16760 Spider Dial] (The Doc Watches)
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080219/149 Rolex GMT-Master II 16760 Fat Lady, Phillips Geneva Watch Auction X lot 149] (Phillips, 2019)
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/important-watches/rolex-gmt-master-ii-fat-lady-reference-16760-a Rolex GMT-Master II Fat Lady Reference 16760, Sotheby's Important Watches Hong Kong lot 2004] (Sotheby's, 2021)
* [https://onlineonly.christies.com.cn/s/christies-watches-online/rolex-gmt-master-ii-fat-lady-ref-16760-231/67556 Rolex GMT-Master II Fat Lady Ref. 16760, Christie's Watches Online lot 67556] (Christie's, 2019)
* [https://onlineonly.christies.com.cn/s/watches-online-geneva-edit/rolex-stainless-steel-gmt-master-ii-fat-lady-ref-16760-209/133994 Rolex Stainless Steel GMT-Master II Fat Lady Ref. 16760, Christie's Watches Online: The Geneva Edit lot 133994] (Christie's, 2019)
* [https://www.bonhams.com/auction/28031/lot/167/ Rolex GMT-Master II Fat Lady Reference 16760, Bonhams Knightsbridge lot 167] (Bonhams, 2023)
* [https://www.davidsw.com/shop/watch/rolex/rolex-16760-gmt-master-ii-with-red-black-bezel-4/ Rolex 16760 GMT-Master II with Red/Black Bezel] (DavidSW)
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/vintage-1988-rolex-gmt-master-ii-16760.html Vintage 1988 Rolex GMT-Master II 16760]
* [https://oystersjubilee.com/ Oysters & Jubilee bracelet fitting guide] (period bracelet reference)
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'', Colin A. White, Morning Tundra


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

Latest revision as of 06:20, 29 September 2026


GMT-Master › 16760

Fat Lady GMT-Master II
Fat Lady GMT-Master II

The 16760 is the first GMT-Master II. Its caliber 3085 lets the local hour hand jump independently while the 24-hour hand keeps reference time, so the rotating bezel can show a third zone. The 6.3mm movement required a thicker case than the later 16710. Rolex historical material and specialist references date the run to approximately 1982/83–1988. Surviving factory examples are documented with the red-and-black aluminium “Coke” insert.

Core facts

detail value
reference 16760
family GMT-Master II (first generation)
production approximately 1982/83 to 1988; Rolex's historical material uses 1982 while several reference guides use 1983
total examples no published Rolex production figure
case 40mm Oyster case, thicker than the later 16710, with 100m water resistance
crown 7mm screw-down with crown guards
crystal sapphire with Cyclops; the first steel GMT-Master reference documented with sapphire
movement caliber 3085, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, approximately 48-hour reserve, hacking, and independent local-hour adjustment
trade-off no quick-set date, date advances via the local hour hand
bezel red-and-black insert only, no other factory configuration
dial glossy lacquer with applied white-gold-surround indices in the documented factory examples; matte 16760 dials are not established as a factory branch
bracelet 78360 Oyster with 501B hollow stamped end-links, period-correct throughout the run; Jubilee 62510H with 502B optional

Where it sits in the line

The 16760 is the first GMT-Master II and introduces the flyer-GMT layout. Earlier GMT-Master references linked the 24-hour hand to the local hour hand; on the 16760, the local hour hand jumps independently while the 24-hour hand remains the reference-time hand. The 16750 was the immediate caller-GMT predecessor. The 16700 continued that caller line after 1988, while the 16710 followed the 16760 as GMT-Master II.

It ran for roughly five to six years, depending on whether the launch is dated to 1982 or 1983. The 16710 took over in 1989 with caliber 3185, a slimmer movement that restored a quick-set date and reduced the case thickness.

Production outline

Rolex's historical material dates the first GMT-Master II to 1982. Hodinkee and several specialist guides use 1982–1988 or 1983–1988 for the reference, so the page keeps both parts of the dating convention visible rather than asserting a precise first retail date.

No production total or complete serial bracket has been published by Rolex in the sources reviewed.

Movement notes

Caliber 3085 is the mechanical change that defines the reference. Published guides give 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, hacking seconds, an approximately 48-hour reserve, and independent local-hour adjustment. Auction and movement references also describe Microstella regulation and COSC certification; individual service condition still needs to be checked.

It is the first GMT-Master caliber in the line to separate the local hour hand from the 24-hour hand. The local hand jumps in one-hour increments from the crown while the 24-hour hand runs against the bezel for a third zone. The date advances through the local-hour hand rather than a separate quick-set position. The movement's thickness explains the larger case.

Rolex also used caliber 3085 in the Explorer II 16550. The 16710 moved to the slimmer 3185 generation in 1989.

The auction examples cited by Phillips, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Christie's identify caliber 3085, including lots dated 1988. A 3185 in a 16760 case should therefore be checked as a service or replacement movement unless original-delivery evidence says otherwise.

Dial map

Coke 16760
Coke 16760

The documented factory dial is glossy lacquer with applied white-gold surrounds. Some examples show lacquer cracking, while others remain intact; a matte-looking surface can also result from age or service work and is not, by itself, a factory variant.

Standard glossy with WG surrounds

Black lacquer ground, applied indices with white-gold surrounds, white printing for the dial text including the GMT-Master II line. Mercedes hour and minute hands paired with a red GMT hand. The basic glossy layout is documented across the production window, although details and service history vary by example. Retailer-signed examples exist on top of that standard dial: Antiquorum catalogued a steel 16760 retailed by Tiffany & Co. in Geneva in November 2021, the Tiffany signature printed below the coronet in the standard position, with no other deviation from the factory dial layout.

Spider dial (Mark 1)

Some glossy dials develop fine lacquer cracks, called “spider” dials by collectors. “Mark 1” is collector taxonomy rather than a Rolex designation. A few early-dial descriptions omit the small “T<25” line, but “no-date” in that context refers to dial wording; the watch still has a date.

Aging and gloss-loss

Gloss can dull with age. A matte-looking surface is not proof of a factory matte dial or a refinish; the printing, surrounds, lume, case, and service history need to be assessed together.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Fat Lady case profile
Fat Lady case profile

The case uses the 40mm GMT-Master Oyster footprint and is thicker than the later 16710, with a larger crown-guard profile. Published measurements vary slightly by method; the difference is the 6.3mm caliber 3085 and the case built around it.

The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops over a 100m Oyster case. A 7mm screw-down crown sits between the guards. The thicker midcase and larger crown guards help distinguish it from a 16710, but they are not authentication on their own.

The cited auction examples and specialist guides document the red-and-black aluminium “Coke” insert. Other colours appear in secondary listings, but the available evidence does not establish a separate factory branch. Replacement inserts circulate, so colour alone cannot authenticate a case.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Published period examples use the 78360 Oyster with 501B end-links and the 62510H Jubilee with 502B end-links. A bracelet and endlink code dates the bracelet, not the watch head; fitment should be checked against the case and service history.

Service and replacement bracelets occur. Christie's lot 67556 and Bonhams lot 167 show later bracelet fitments on 16760 cases; those lots are useful evidence of what is present, not proof of original delivery. The 78360/501B and 62510H/502B combinations are the period references to check first.

Nicknames, Fat Lady and Sophia Loren

Collectors use “Fat Lady” and “Sophia Loren” for the 16760's thicker case. Phillips and Sotheby's use both names in later auction material; the first use of either nickname is not established.

Historical market and auction record

Sale Lot Year Serial / config Notes
Antiquorum Geneva 344-411 2021 Tiffany & Co.-retailed, steel CHF 40,000 (est. CHF 10,000–15,000); highest result in the reviewed sample
Phillips Geneva Watch Auction X 149 2019 c.1988, case R434190, mvt 2102621, full set with Merksamer Jewelers guarantee CHF 20,000 (est. CHF 6,000–12,000)
Sotheby's Important Watches HK 2004 2021 c.1984, case 8463283, cal. 3085 27j, Coke bezel est. HKD 80,000–120,000
Christie's Watches Online (NY) 67556 2019 c.1984, bracelet 93150 SEL 501 (service-era replacement), hands later replacements
Christie's Watches Online: Geneva Edit 133994 2019 c.1988, "Fat Lady because Rolex made the cases and crown guards thicker"
Christie's New York 41 2019 c.1988, full set with two extra links, hang tags, presentation box
Bonhams Knightsbridge 28031/167 2023 c.1988, case R275863, mvt 1994435, bracelet 78790 (service replacement), 2015 service guarantee GBP 10,837.50 incl. premium

The Antiquorum Tiffany & Co.-retailed example sold for CHF 40,000 against a CHF 10,000–15,000 estimate in November 2021, the highest result in the reviewed sample. The lot's retailer signature and condition are part of that individual result; it is not a general value rule. The table is a limited auction sample, not a census of the reference's market.

The reference's defining facts are the first GMT-Master II designation, the independent local-hour hand, the thicker caliber 3085 case, the sapphire crystal on the steel GMT, and the documented Coke insert. Originality and service history still have to be established on each watch.

  • 1985 Coke 16760
    1985 Coke 16760
  • Tiffany & Co.-retailed 16760
    Tiffany & Co.-retailed 16760, Antiquorum Geneva, November 2021
  • GMT-Master II 16760
    GMT-Master II 16760
  • Red-and-black insert
    Red-and-black insert
  • Thicker 3085 case
    Thicker 3085 case
  • 1985 Coke 16760
    1985 Coke 16760
  • Tiffany & Co.-retailed 16760
    Tiffany & Co.-retailed 16760

Related references

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

Sources

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