Reference:16700: Difference between revisions

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The 16700 was the last original GMT-Master ~~reference, with the~~ linked hour and 24-hour hands ~~that~~ collectors call a caller GMT. It was produced from about 1988 to 1999 alongside the GMT-Master II 16710. Caliber 3175 is associated with the 16700 and is documented with 31 jewels, a 28,800 vph rate, about 48 hours of reserve, hacking seconds, a quickset date, five-position and temperature adjustment, and COSC certification. A 1997 Real McCoy's edition made 50 watches with Chuck Yeager and Bell X-1 caseback markings.

The 16700 was the last reference in the original GMT-Master line. Its linked hour and 24-hour hands are what collectors call a caller GMT. It was produced from about 1988 to 1999 alongside the GMT-Master II 16710. Caliber 3175 is associated with the 16700 and is documented with 31 jewels, a 28,800 vph rate, about 48 hours of reserve, hacking seconds, a quickset date, five-position and temperature adjustment, and COSC certification. A 1997 Real McCoy's edition made 50 watches with Chuck Yeager and Bell X-1 caseback markings.

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== Where it sits in the line ==

==Where it sits in the line==

The 16700 closes the original GMT-Master line. It follows the [[Reference:16750|16750]] and ran alongside the GMT-Master II [[Reference:16710|16710]] from 1989 to 1999. After the 16700 ended, the catalogue continued with GMT-Master II references. The 16700 combines the linked-hand mechanism with the sapphire crystal used in this generation.

The 16700 closes the original GMT-Master line. It follows the [[Reference:16750|16750]] and ran alongside the GMT-Master II [[Reference:16710|16710]] from 1989 to 1999. After the 16700 ended, the catalogue continued with GMT-Master II references. The 16700 combines the linked-hand mechanism with the sapphire crystal ~~introduced for~~ this generation.

=== Caller vs flyer GMT ===

===Caller vs flyer GMT===

The 16700 is a caller GMT. The 16760 (cal. 3085) and the 16710 (cal. 3185 / 3186) are flyer GMTs. That is the practical distinction between the two movement layouts.

The 16700 is a caller GMT. The 16760 (cal. 3085) and the 16710 (cal. 3185 / 3186) are flyer GMTs~~, and~~ the distinction ~~splits~~ the ~~family cleanly~~.

On a caller GMT the ~~main~~ hour ~~hand sets in one-hour clicks~~ and ~~the~~ 24-hour ~~hand remains~~ linked ~~to it~~. The second zone is read with the bidirectional 24-hour bezel. On a flyer GMT the 24-hour hand turns independently once per day, while the local hour hand jumps in one-hour increments without disturbing minutes or seconds. The bezel can then be used for a third zone.

On a caller GMT the hour and 24-hour hands remain linked. The 3175’s direct quick-set date is separate from GMT hand adjustment, and the second zone is read with the bidirectional 24-hour bezel. On a flyer GMT the 24-hour hand turns independently once per day, while the local hour hand jumps in one-hour increments without disturbing minutes or seconds. The bezel can then be used for a third zone.

The linked hands ~~mean that advancing~~ the ~~local hour also moves the 24-hour hand~~. That is the operating distinction between the 16700 and the independently adjustable ~~GMT~~ hand in the 16710.

The linked hands move together when the time is set. That is the operating distinction between the 16700 and the independently adjustable local-hour hand in the 16710.

== Production outline ==

==Production outline==

Every published account starts the run in 1988. Most editorial and auction-house coverage ends it in 1999; Colin A. White's ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' ends it in 1998. Late examples are catalogued as 1998 or 1999 according to their papers and serial evidence, so the boundary should remain approximate.

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== Movement notes ==

==Movement notes==

Caliber 3175 is the last movement used in the original GMT-Master line and is associated with the 16700 alone. Published specifications and auction catalogues give it 31 jewels, 28,800 vph (4 Hz), about 48 hours of power reserve, hacking seconds, a quickset date, a Breguet hairspring, a Glucydur balance with Microstella screws, Kif shock protection, COSC certification, and adjustment to five positions and temperature.

The 3175 does not have an independently adjustable GMT hand. That feature belongs to the 3085 in the 16760 (1983–1989) and to the 3185 / 3186 in the 16710 (1989–2007). Some auction descriptions use loose GMT terminology, so identify the movement and hand-setting behavior on the watch itself.

The 3175 does not have an independently adjustable GMT hand. That feature belongs to the 3085 in the 16760 (1983–1989) and to the 3185 / 3186 in the 16710 (1989–2007). Some auction descriptions use loose GMT terminology, so identify the movement and hand-setting behavior on the watch itself. A 2025 Sotheby’s collector guide describes the 16700 as having an independent flying GMT hand, which conflicts with its own distinction between the 16700 and 16710 and with the cited movement references. The linked-hand description used here follows the 3175 specifications and the 16750/16710 comparison evidence.

The 3175 supersedes the 3075 of the 16750 and ~~ends~~ the linked-hand GMT line. Its ~~production span~~ is the 16700's ~~alone: 1988 to 1999~~.

The 3175 supersedes the 3075 used in the 16750 and is the final movement in the linked-hand GMT line. Its documented fitment is tied to the 16700's 1988–1999 run.

Service history is worth checking on watches from the end of the run. Antiquorum Lot 88 recommends an overhaul at the buyer's expense, and Sotheby's Lot 10 records minor corrosion spots on the movement. Those are lot-specific observations, not evidence of a universal service pattern. A watch with a replacement movement should be identified from the movement engraving and service records rather than inferred from the case reference.

== Dial map ==

==Dial map==

Glossy black with applied white-gold-surround indices is standard across the run. Documented changes concern the date wheel, the lume compound, and a late dial subset collectors call the stick dial.

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=== Open vs closed 6/9 date wheel ===

===Open vs closed 6/9 date wheel===

Date discs with open-loop 6 and 9 numerals run to about 1992, closed-style wheels after that; the Field Manual records the cutoff. An open-6/9 wheel on a late-serial 16700 is a reason to look harder at the dial and hands. Service departments swapped date discs during movement work often enough that a disc out of step with the expected production year is one of the easier tells on an otherwise clean watch. Overlap at the boundary is likely, and no public Rolex service record pins the switchover to a month, so an off-year wheel prompts scrutiny without condemning the watch.

=== Tritium to Luminova / Super-LumiNova transition ===

===Tritium to Luminova / Super-LumiNova transition===

Tritium dials, marked "SWISS T<25", run to about 1997. Sources differ on whether Luminova and Super-LumiNova appeared as separate stages: Sotheby's places Luminova in 1997 and Super-LumiNova later, while Monochrome treats the change as a direct move to Super-LumiNova. Some transitional examples are reported with older T<25-marked dial stock, so the dial text and lume need to be assessed together.

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=== "Stick" dial (late examples) ===

==="Stick" dial (late examples)===

Sotheby's listings from the late 1990s use "stick" for a dial subset carrying numerals only, with no Roman 6 or 9. Documented examples go back to 1991 Pepsi listings. No cited source maps the variant to a serial range.

Sotheby's listings from the late 1990s use "stick" for a dial subset carrying numerals only, with no Roman 6 or 9. Documented examples go back to 1991 Pepsi listings. ~~Nobody has mapped~~ the variant to a serial range.

== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==

==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==

The case is a 40mm steel Oyster rated to 100m, as on the 16750. The visible break with the 16750 is the crystal: sapphire with a Cyclops over the date where the older reference had acrylic.

The case is ~~the familiar~~ 40mm steel Oyster ~~of the late five-digit period,~~ rated to 100m as the 16750 ~~was~~. The visible break with the 16750 is the crystal: sapphire with a Cyclops over the date where the older reference had acrylic.

The bezel is a bidirectional 24-hour aluminium insert, catalogued in two colourways: Pepsi (red and blue) and all-black. Pepsi ~~dominates~~ the ~~surviving population~~. Coke inserts in red and black do turn up on 16700s, but the configuration was never catalogued for the reference, so those are aftermarket fittings or service swaps. Factory Coke belongs to the 16710 and the 16760.

The bezel is a bidirectional 24-hour aluminium insert, catalogued in two colourways: Pepsi (red and blue) and all-black. Pepsi examples are common in the auction record. Coke inserts in red and black do turn up on 16700s, but the configuration was never catalogued for the reference, so those are aftermarket fittings or service swaps. Factory Coke belongs to the 16710 and the 16760.

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== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==

==Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes==

Period-correct delivery through most of the production window is the Oyster 78360 on a folding clasp, with 501 end-links early and 580 from mid-run. Bonhams Lot 4, a 1988 watch, carries that bracelet with a signed folding clasp stamped RS11, an unusual code.

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== Chuck Yeager / Real McCoy's special edition ==

==Chuck Yeager / Real McCoy's special edition==

A 50-piece special edition of the 16700 was produced in 1997 by The Real McCoy's, the Japanese vintage-clothing reissue brand. The customized watches carry Chuck Yeager and Bell X-1 dial or caseback markings with an edition number. Three auction-house lots document the run: Bonhams sold No. 14/50, case U443556, as a full set on 24 November 2018; Phillips Hong Kong XI offered No. 21/50, case U453541, on 28 November 2020; and Sotheby's Hong Kong catalogued a circa 1999 example, case A245609, in 2019. The exact engraving layout varies in published lot photographs, so use the watch and papers to verify the number.

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== Historical market and auction record ==

==Historical market and auction record==

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

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|}

Auction results vary by bezel, dial and lume, condition, paperwork, and originality ~~of the bracelet~~. The documented Chuck Yeager / Real McCoy's lots are a separate limited-edition group; their estimates and results should not be used as a guide to standard 16700 examples.

Auction results vary with the bezel, dial and lume, condition, paperwork and bracelet originality. The documented Chuck Yeager / Real McCoy's lots are a separate limited-edition group; their estimates and results should not be used as a guide to standard 16700 examples.

~~== Related references ==~~

==Related references==

* [[Reference:16710|GMT-Master 16710]], Pepsi, Coke, and black (1989–2007)

* [[Reference:16713|GMT-Master 16713]], 1989–2007

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== Sources ==

* [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-pepsi-the-key-references The Rolex GMT Pepsi: The Key References] (Sotheby's)

@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 </div>
-The 16700 was the last original GMT-Master reference, with the linked hour and 24-hour hands that collectors call a caller GMT. It was produced from about 1988 to 1999 alongside the GMT-Master II 16710. Caliber 3175 is associated with the 16700 and is documented with 31 jewels, a 28,800 vph rate, about 48 hours of reserve, hacking seconds, a quickset date, five-position and temperature adjustment, and COSC certification. A 1997 Real McCoy's edition made 50 watches with Chuck Yeager and Bell X-1 caseback markings.
+The 16700 was the last reference in the original GMT-Master line. Its linked hour and 24-hour hands are what collectors call a caller GMT. It was produced from about 1988 to 1999 alongside the GMT-Master II 16710. Caliber 3175 is associated with the 16700 and is documented with 31 jewels, a 28,800 vph rate, about 48 hours of reserve, hacking seconds, a quickset date, five-position and temperature adjustment, and COSC certification. A 1997 Real McCoy's edition made 50 watches with Chuck Yeager and Bell X-1 caseback markings.
 <span id="core-facts"></span>
@@ Line 69: / Line 69: @@
 <span id="where-it-sits-in-the-line"></span>
-== Where it sits in the line ==
+==Where it sits in the line==
+The 16700 closes the original GMT-Master line. It follows the [[Reference:16750|16750]] and ran alongside the GMT-Master II [[Reference:16710|16710]] from 1989 to 1999. After the 16700 ended, the catalogue continued with GMT-Master II references. The 16700 combines the linked-hand mechanism with the sapphire crystal used in this generation.
-The 16700 closes the original GMT-Master line. It follows the [[Reference:16750|16750]] and ran alongside the GMT-Master II [[Reference:16710|16710]] from 1989 to 1999. After the 16700 ended, the catalogue continued with GMT-Master II references. The 16700 combines the linked-hand mechanism with the sapphire crystal introduced for this generation.
 <span id="caller-vs-flyer-gmt"></span>
-=== Caller vs flyer GMT ===
+===Caller vs flyer GMT===
+The 16700 is a caller GMT. The 16760 (cal. 3085) and the 16710 (cal. 3185 / 3186) are flyer GMTs. That is the practical distinction between the two movement layouts.
-The 16700 is a caller GMT. The 16760 (cal. 3085) and the 16710 (cal. 3185 / 3186) are flyer GMTs, and the distinction splits the family cleanly.
-On a caller GMT the main hour hand sets in one-hour clicks and the 24-hour hand remains linked to it. The second zone is read with the bidirectional 24-hour bezel. On a flyer GMT the 24-hour hand turns independently once per day, while the local hour hand jumps in one-hour increments without disturbing minutes or seconds. The bezel can then be used for a third zone.
+On a caller GMT the hour and 24-hour hands remain linked. The 3175’s direct quick-set date is separate from GMT hand adjustment, and the second zone is read with the bidirectional 24-hour bezel. On a flyer GMT the 24-hour hand turns independently once per day, while the local hour hand jumps in one-hour increments without disturbing minutes or seconds. The bezel can then be used for a third zone.
-The linked hands mean that advancing the local hour also moves the 24-hour hand. That is the operating distinction between the 16700 and the independently adjustable GMT hand in the 16710.
+The linked hands move together when the time is set. That is the operating distinction between the 16700 and the independently adjustable local-hour hand in the 16710.
 <span id="production-outline"></span>
-== Production outline ==
+==Production outline==
 Every published account starts the run in 1988. Most editorial and auction-house coverage ends it in 1999; Colin A. White's ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' ends it in 1998. Late examples are catalogued as 1998 or 1999 according to their papers and serial evidence, so the boundary should remain approximate.
@@ Line 90: / Line 87: @@
 <span id="movement-notes"></span>
-== Movement notes ==
+==Movement notes==
 Caliber 3175 is the last movement used in the original GMT-Master line and is associated with the 16700 alone. Published specifications and auction catalogues give it 31 jewels, 28,800 vph (4 Hz), about 48 hours of power reserve, hacking seconds, a quickset date, a Breguet hairspring, a Glucydur balance with Microstella screws, Kif shock protection, COSC certification, and adjustment to five positions and temperature.
-The 3175 does not have an independently adjustable GMT hand. That feature belongs to the 3085 in the 16760 (1983–1989) and to the 3185 / 3186 in the 16710 (1989–2007). Some auction descriptions use loose GMT terminology, so identify the movement and hand-setting behavior on the watch itself.
+The 3175 does not have an independently adjustable GMT hand. That feature belongs to the 3085 in the 16760 (1983–1989) and to the 3185 / 3186 in the 16710 (1989–2007). Some auction descriptions use loose GMT terminology, so identify the movement and hand-setting behavior on the watch itself. A 2025 Sotheby’s collector guide describes the 16700 as having an independent flying GMT hand, which conflicts with its own distinction between the 16700 and 16710 and with the cited movement references. The linked-hand description used here follows the 3175 specifications and the 16750/16710 comparison evidence.
-The 3175 supersedes the 3075 of the 16750 and ends the linked-hand GMT line. Its production span is the 16700's alone: 1988 to 1999.
+The 3175 supersedes the 3075 used in the 16750 and is the final movement in the linked-hand GMT line. Its documented fitment is tied to the 16700's 1988–1999 run.
 Service history is worth checking on watches from the end of the run. Antiquorum Lot 88 recommends an overhaul at the buyer's expense, and Sotheby's Lot 10 records minor corrosion spots on the movement. Those are lot-specific observations, not evidence of a universal service pattern. A watch with a replacement movement should be identified from the movement engraving and service records rather than inferred from the case reference.
 <span id="dial-map"></span>
-== Dial map ==
+==Dial map==
 Glossy black with applied white-gold-surround indices is standard across the run. Documented changes concern the date wheel, the lume compound, and a late dial subset collectors call the stick dial.
@@ Line 108: / Line 103: @@
 <span id="open-vs-closed-69-date-wheel"></span>
-=== Open vs closed 6/9 date wheel ===
+===Open vs closed 6/9 date wheel===
 Date discs with open-loop 6 and 9 numerals run to about 1992, closed-style wheels after that; the Field Manual records the cutoff. An open-6/9 wheel on a late-serial 16700 is a reason to look harder at the dial and hands. Service departments swapped date discs during movement work often enough that a disc out of step with the expected production year is one of the easier tells on an otherwise clean watch. Overlap at the boundary is likely, and no public Rolex service record pins the switchover to a month, so an off-year wheel prompts scrutiny without condemning the watch.
 <span id="lume-transition"></span>
-=== Tritium to Luminova / Super-LumiNova transition ===
+===Tritium to Luminova / Super-LumiNova transition===
 Tritium dials, marked "SWISS T<25", run to about 1997. Sources differ on whether Luminova and Super-LumiNova appeared as separate stages: Sotheby's places Luminova in 1997 and Super-LumiNova later, while Monochrome treats the change as a direct move to Super-LumiNova. Some transitional examples are reported with older T<25-marked dial stock, so the dial text and lume need to be assessed together.
@@ Line 120: / Line 113: @@
 <span id="stick-dial-late-examples"></span>
-=== "Stick" dial (late examples) ===
+==="Stick" dial (late examples)===
+Sotheby's listings from the late 1990s use "stick" for a dial subset carrying numerals only, with no Roman 6 or 9. Documented examples go back to 1991 Pepsi listings. No cited source maps the variant to a serial range.
-Sotheby's listings from the late 1990s use "stick" for a dial subset carrying numerals only, with no Roman 6 or 9. Documented examples go back to 1991 Pepsi listings. Nobody has mapped the variant to a serial range.
 <span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown"></span>
-== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==
+==Case, bezel, crystal, and crown==
+The case is a 40mm steel Oyster rated to 100m, as on the 16750. The visible break with the 16750 is the crystal: sapphire with a Cyclops over the date where the older reference had acrylic.
-The case is the familiar 40mm steel Oyster of the late five-digit period, rated to 100m as the 16750 was. The visible break with the 16750 is the crystal: sapphire with a Cyclops over the date where the older reference had acrylic.
-The bezel is a bidirectional 24-hour aluminium insert, catalogued in two colourways: Pepsi (red and blue) and all-black. Pepsi dominates the surviving population. Coke inserts in red and black do turn up on 16700s, but the configuration was never catalogued for the reference, so those are aftermarket fittings or service swaps. Factory Coke belongs to the 16710 and the 16760.
+The bezel is a bidirectional 24-hour aluminium insert, catalogued in two colourways: Pepsi (red and blue) and all-black. Pepsi examples are common in the auction record. Coke inserts in red and black do turn up on 16700s, but the configuration was never catalogued for the reference, so those are aftermarket fittings or service swaps. Factory Coke belongs to the 16710 and the 16760.
 <gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
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 <span id="bracelets-end-links-clasps-and-packaging"></span>
-== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==
+==Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes==
 Period-correct delivery through most of the production window is the Oyster 78360 on a folding clasp, with 501 end-links early and 580 from mid-run. Bonhams Lot 4, a 1988 watch, carries that bracelet with a signed folding clasp stamped RS11, an unusual code.
@@ Line 150: / Line 140: @@
 <span id="chuck-yeager-real-mccoys-special-edition"></span>
-== Chuck Yeager / Real McCoy's special edition ==
+==Chuck Yeager / Real McCoy's special edition==
 A 50-piece special edition of the 16700 was produced in 1997 by The Real McCoy's, the Japanese vintage-clothing reissue brand. The customized watches carry Chuck Yeager and Bell X-1 dial or caseback markings with an edition number. Three auction-house lots document the run: Bonhams sold No. 14/50, case U443556, as a full set on 24 November 2018; Phillips Hong Kong XI offered No. 21/50, case U453541, on 28 November 2020; and Sotheby's Hong Kong catalogued a circa 1999 example, case A245609, in 2019. The exact engraving layout varies in published lot photographs, so use the watch and papers to verify the number.
@@ Line 157: / Line 146: @@
 <span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
-== Historical market and auction record ==
+==Historical market and auction record==
 {| class="wikitable sortable"
 |-
@@ Line 178: / Line 166: @@
 |}
-Auction results vary by bezel, dial and lume, condition, paperwork, and originality of the bracelet. The documented Chuck Yeager / Real McCoy's lots are a separate limited-edition group; their estimates and results should not be used as a guide to standard 16700 examples.
+Auction results vary with the bezel, dial and lume, condition, paperwork and bracelet originality. The documented Chuck Yeager / Real McCoy's lots are a separate limited-edition group; their estimates and results should not be used as a guide to standard 16700 examples.
-== Related references ==
+==Related references==
 * [[Reference:16710|GMT-Master 16710]], Pepsi, Coke, and black (1989–2007)
 * [[Reference:16713|GMT-Master 16713]], 1989–2007
@@ Line 202: / Line 189: @@
 == Sources ==
 * [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-pepsi-the-key-references The Rolex GMT Pepsi: The Key References] (Sotheby's)