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Rolex 126710BLRO GMT-Master

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GMT-Master › 126710BLRO

GMT-Master II 126710BLRO Pepsi
GMT-Master II 126710BLRO Pepsi

The 126710BLRO is the Oystersteel GMT-Master II with a red-and-blue Cerachrom bezel. Rolex introduced it at Baselworld 2018 on a Jubilee bracelet, after the white-gold 116719BLRO had carried the ceramic Pepsi bezel from 2014. The reference used caliber 3285 and later became available on an Oyster bracelet.

Rolex removed the 126710BLRO from its catalogue at Watches & Wonders 2026, according to contemporary reporting. The end of production is separate from the watch's original 2018 launch specification.

Core facts

detail value
reference 126710BLRO
family GMT-Master II
production 2018-2026
movement caliber 3285
case 40mm Oystersteel
crystal sapphire with Cyclops
water resistance 100m
bezel two-colour red-and-blue Cerachrom
bracelet Jubilee at launch (-0001); Oyster added later (-0002)
dial black lacquer
key identity steel red-and-blue Cerachrom Pepsi; launched on Jubilee

Where it sits in the line

The 126710BLRO follows the 116710BLNR and the white-gold 116719BLRO in the ceramic GMT-Master II line. It brought the red-and-blue bezel to an Oystersteel case and launched with a Jubilee bracelet; the Oyster option arrived later. Its successor relationship is a catalogue question, not a measure of demand or waitlist length.

Sotheby's places the reference in the Pepsi sequence that runs from the 6542 through the ceramic models. Contemporary launch reports also list the 126711CHNR and 126715CHNR among Rolex's 2018 GMT-Master II releases.

Production outline

Rolex introduced the 126710BLRO at Baselworld 2018, initially on Jubilee only (m126710blro-0001). In 2021 the reference gained an Oyster-bracelet configuration (m126710blro-0002), without a published change to the case or dial. Contemporary reporting says Rolex removed the steel and white-gold Pepsi references from its catalogue at Watches & Wonders 2026; Rolex did not publish a technical explanation for the discontinuation.

The absence of a replacement red-and-black ceramic GMT is a product-line observation, not a documented Rolex statement about future models.

Movement notes

Caliber 3285 launched in 2018 and replaced the 3186 in the steel GMT-Master II generation. It uses Rolex's Chronergy escapement, blue Parachrom hairspring, and Paraflex shock protection, with a stated 70-hour power reserve. Rolex's Superlative Chronometer specification is -2/+2 seconds per day after casing. The independently adjustable local hour hand and quickset date continue the GMT-Master II operating layout.

The launch sources identify the Chronergy escapement and longer power reserve as the main changes from caliber 3186.

Dial map

The standard dial is black lacquer with applied white-gold Maxi markers and Chromalight lume. GMT-Master II is printed in green, and the 24-hour hand is red. The dial is shared by the Jubilee and Oyster configurations listed for this reference.

The published launch and product material reviewed here does not document a mid-run dial or printing variant. The -0001 and -0002 designations identify bracelet configurations; an individual watch should still be checked against its dial, case, and papers.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

The 40mm Oystersteel case follows the ceramic GMT-Master II architecture used by the 116710BLNR and later 126710 references. It has a screw-down caseback, Triplock crown, sapphire crystal with Cyclops, and 100m water resistance. Published dimensions are approximately 40mm diameter, 48mm lug-to-lug, and 12mm thick.

The bidirectional bezel uses a red-and-blue Cerachrom insert with moulded numerals and graduations. Rolex first used a two-colour ceramic bezel on the 116710BLNR in 2013 and brought the red-and-blue combination to the white-gold 116719BLRO in 2014 before introducing it on steel in 2018. The launch sources describe the two-colour insert process; they do not establish a complete year-by-year production change log.

The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops over the date window at 3 o'clock, carrying the standard anti-reflective treatment.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

The launch configuration used a five-link Jubilee bracelet with an Oysterlock safety clasp. Jubilee bracelets were also fitted to earlier GMT-Master references, so the 2018 release is a return to the modern GMT-Master II line rather than a first-ever GMT fitment. The 2021 -0002 configuration added an Oyster bracelet.

The Jubilee bracelet uses an Oysterlock safety clasp and Easylink comfort extension. Launch prices belong in the market record and varied by currency and market; they are not a reference specification.

The 2021 Oyster-bracelet -0002 gave the same reference a second factory bracelet configuration. The published sources reviewed here do not establish other factory bracelet or clasp variants.

Special branches

Jubilee-bracelet -0001 (2018-2026)

The -0001 configuration launched in 2018 on the Jubilee bracelet with Oysterlock clasp and Easylink extension.

Oyster-bracelet -0002 (2021-2026)

The -0002 configuration added an Oyster bracelet in 2021. The case, bezel, and dial specification remained the same in the published product material reviewed here.

Pepsi nickname

"Pepsi" refers to the red-and-blue colour combination and descends through the reference lineage from the 6542. It does not apply to any other bezel colour.

Historical market and auction record

Sotheby's catalogued an early-production 126710BLRO circa 2019 in its 2020 Important Watches Part II sale. That lot is one documented auction example; it does not measure the total production run or establish a market trend.

Robb Report reported post-discontinuation asking and transaction levels above $30,000 for used examples and above $40,000 for unworn examples in April 2026, along with a reported 500% increase in purchase requests on one platform. Those figures are contemporary market reporting, not a fixed value for every watch. Condition, bracelet, papers, service history, sale date, and venue all affect the result.

Related references

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

Sources

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