Reference:16760: Difference between revisions
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The 16760 creates the functional split inside the GMT-Master family. With the independent 24-hour hand it turns the GMT-Master II into a true three-time-zone travel watch, which is why the reference matters past the nickname. Before the 16760, the GMT-Master line ran on the older "caller" mechanic — the 24-hour hand tracking the local hour hand rather than moving on its own. The 16750 is the immediate predecessor on the caller side; the 16700 is the late-life caller refresh that ran concurrently with the 16710 GMT-Master II from 1989 onward. The 16710 (1989-2007) replaced the 16760 with the slimmer caliber 3185, returning to "more slender, graceful bodywork" (Monochrome). | The 16760 creates the functional split inside the GMT-Master family. With the independent 24-hour hand it turns the GMT-Master II into a true three-time-zone travel watch, which is why the reference matters past the nickname. Before the 16760, the GMT-Master line ran on the older "caller" mechanic — the 24-hour hand tracking the local hour hand rather than moving on its own. The 16750 is the immediate predecessor on the caller side; the 16700 is the late-life caller refresh that ran concurrently with the 16710 GMT-Master II from 1989 onward. The 16710 (1989-2007) replaced the 16760 with the slimmer caliber 3185, returning to "more slender, graceful bodywork" (Monochrome). | ||
The 16760 ran for five years | The 16760 ran for five years, the shortest production span of any GMT-Master reference. The 16710 succeeded it in 1989 with the new caliber 3185, which slimmed the case by approximately a millimeter and reintroduced the quick-set date that the 3085's hand-set logic had removed. | ||
<span id="production-outline"></span> | <span id="production-outline"></span> | ||
== Production outline == | == Production outline == | ||
The 16760 ran 1983 to 1988 across the dominant editorial reading. | The 16760 ran 1983 to 1988 across the dominant editorial reading. Some dealer copy pushes launch back to 1982, likely conflating Baselworld preview with full retail. The Vintage Rolex Field Manual gives 1983-1987. The cleanest single sentence: introduced 1983, in production through 1988, replaced by the 16710 in 1989. | ||
Total production output is not published in | Total production output is not published anywhere in the editorial or auction literature. The reference is consistently described as rare, uncommon, and short-run without a serial-bracket estimate. Treat as an open question rather than printing a guess. | ||
<span id="movement-notes"></span> | <span id="movement-notes"></span> | ||
== Movement notes == | == Movement notes == | ||
Caliber 3085 is the reason the reference exists. Specifications converge across | Caliber 3085 is the reason the reference exists. Specifications converge across the published literature: 27 jewels, 28,800 vph (4 Hz), 48-hour power reserve, 28.5mm diameter, 6.3mm thick. Adjusted to five positions and temperature, COSC chronometer-rated. Breguet hairspring, Microstella regulation, Kif shock protection, hacking seconds. | ||
The 3085 is the first Rolex caliber to dissociate the local hour hand from the 24-hour hand. The local hour hand sets in one-hour increments via the crown; the 24-hour hand follows the bezel for the third time zone. The trade-off was loss of quick-set date — on the 3085 the date advances via the local hour hand. The caliber's 6.3mm height drove the case proportions and the "Fat Lady" nickname (Millenary explicitly attributes the nickname to the movement thickness). | The 3085 is the first Rolex caliber to dissociate the local hour hand from the 24-hour hand. The local hour hand sets in one-hour increments via the crown; the 24-hour hand follows the bezel for the third time zone. The trade-off was loss of quick-set date — on the 3085 the date advances via the local hour hand. The caliber's 6.3mm height drove the case proportions and the "Fat Lady" nickname (Millenary explicitly attributes the nickname to the movement thickness). | ||
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[[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]] | ||
Two consistent threads across the | Two consistent threads run across the published documentation. The 16760 was always fitted with a glossy lacquer dial with applied white-gold-surround indices from launch — specialist registries are explicit, and no matte 16760 dial is recognised as factory. The rolexforums "Matte Dial on a 16760?" thread shows collector skepticism toward any matte example. Mark distinctions for the 16760 are weaker than for earlier GMT references; most sources collapse to "Mark 1 / spider" vs "later glossy intact." | ||
<span id="standard-glossy-dial"></span> | <span id="standard-glossy-dial"></span> | ||
=== Standard glossy with WG surrounds === | === 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 configuration runs unchanged across the production window | 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 configuration runs unchanged across the production window. | ||
<span id="spider-dial-mark-1"></span> | <span id="spider-dial-mark-1"></span> | ||
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{| class="wikitable sortable" | {| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
|- | |- | ||
! Sale !! Lot !! Year !! Serial / config !! | ! Sale !! Lot !! Year !! Serial / config !! Notes | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 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) | | 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) | ||
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| Sotheby's Important Watches HK || 2004 || 2021 || c.1984, case 8463283, cal. 3085 27j, Coke bezel || est. HKD 80,000–120,000 | | 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 (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 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 || | | 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 | | 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 Phillips Geneva X 2019 result of CHF 20,000 against a CHF 6,000–12,000 estimate is the highest documented public hammer | The Phillips Geneva X 2019 result of CHF 20,000 against a CHF 6,000–12,000 estimate is the highest documented public hammer. Antiquorum's GMT-Master II catalogue tilts heavily to 16710 / 16713 / 16718; 16760 lots have not surfaced through the house in significant numbers. Surviving market records run through dealer listings rather than major auction lots in many cases. An early example anchors the nickname and the thick-case story. A documented 1985 example adds 3085 provenance with original packaging and service card. A 1988 example carries the same case identity through the end of the run. | ||
The market reads the 16760 as a five-firsts watch — first GMT-Master II, first independently adjustable 24-hour hand, first red-and-black configuration on the line, first sapphire crystal, first white-gold-surround indices on a GMT — and prices it at the top end of the early ceramic-era market for clean original-condition examples. | The market reads the 16760 as a five-firsts watch — first GMT-Master II, first independently adjustable 24-hour hand, first red-and-black configuration on the line, first sapphire crystal, first white-gold-surround indices on a GMT — and prices it at the top end of the early ceramic-era market for clean original-condition examples. | ||