Rolexopedia

Rolex 16758 GMT-Master

Revision as of 01:19, 29 September 2026 by Klaudiusz (talk | contribs) (Deep source and footer-gallery follow-up)
A checked version of this page, approved on 29 September 2026, was based on this revision.


GMT-Master › 16758

18k gold GMT, quick-set date
18k gold GMT, quick-set date

The 16758 is the all-yellow-gold GMT-Master and the gold counterpart to the steel 16750. Both use caliber 3075 and the linked-hand caller-GMT layout, but the 16758 is documented with a sapphire crystal while the steel 16750 retains acrylic. Sources place the run approximately between 1980 and 1988, with disagreement over the first year. Regular examples use black or brown aluminium bezel inserts; gem-set SARU watches are treated separately.

Core facts

detail value
reference 16758
family GMT-Master (all-yellow-gold variant of the 16750)
production approximately 1980 to 1988; sources differ on whether the first examples date to 1979, 1980, or 1981. SARU examples are a separately documented gem-set branch
total examples no published Rolex production figure for the regular 16758. A specialist source reports fewer than 36 SARU examples, a count that is not a Rolex factory record
case 40mm 18K yellow gold Oyster with crown guards
crystal sapphire crystal with Cyclops, documented on the gold reference while the contemporary steel 16750 and 16753 use acrylic
water resistance 100m
movement caliber 3075, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, quick-set date and hacking seconds. Published reserve figures vary around 48–50 hours; no 16758-specific tuning is documented
GMT mechanic caller GMT, 24-hour hand stays linked to the local hour hand, second zone reads off the bezel
dial generations surviving examples include early matte dials, glossy sunburst dials, gold-surround "nipple" markers, and champagne serti dials. The boundaries overlap in the surviving record
bezel black or brown ("rootbeer") bidirectional aluminium 24-hour insert on regular examples. SARU watches use a gem-set red-and-blue visual scheme
bracelet published examples use 18K Jubilee 8386 or 18K Oyster 8385; Phillips documents a SARU example on a diamond-set President bracelet

Where it sits in the line

Within the five-digit GMT-Master line the 16758 is the gold counterpart to the 16750, the same watch executed in 18K yellow gold throughout. It ran alongside the all-steel 16750, the two-tone 16753 Rootbeer, and from 1983 the 16760 GMT-Master II. The 16758 carries the caller mechanic into 1988 with the 16750 and 16753; the next-generation gold GMT is the 16718 of 1989 onward, on the caliber 3185 flyer mechanic.

The 1675/8 predecessor wore acrylic, as did the contemporary steel 16750 and 16753. The gold 16758 is documented with sapphire, a material distinction that helps separate the references when the case and movement are also checked.

Production outline

The launch year is disputed. Sotheby's and Hodinkee use 1980, while other specialist references use 1979 or 1981. The documented run closes in 1988. Phillips' Geneva X 2019 lot 106 is a circa-1985 SARU example with case 8,510,585 and movement 1,100,222.

No total-production figure exists for the regular 16758. A specialist source reports fewer than 36 SARU examples; that estimate should not be read as a complete census.

Early matte phase

Some early 16758 examples are documented with matte dials resembling late 1675/8 production. The surviving record is too small to set a clean serial boundary, and a dial should be checked against the case, movement, and service history.

Middle glossy sunburst phase

Glossy sunburst dials appear in the mid-run auction record. Sotheby's 2018 GE1804 lot 15 is a circa-1984 brown “nipple” example, and the 2019 Driver's Collection lot 8 is a circa-1981 black-dial example. These lots document individual configurations rather than a complete transition schedule.

Late gold-surround phase

Some later dials carry applied gold surrounds around the lume plots, commonly called “nipple” markers. The same broad marker treatment appears on later two-tone GMT-Master references, but the surviving 16758 examples do not establish a precise changeover year.

Movement notes

Caliber 3075 is shared with the 16750 and 16753. Published specifications give 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, hacking seconds, and a quick-set date; reserve figures vary around 48–50 hours. The caliber retains the linked-hand caller-GMT mechanic, so the 24-hour hand cannot be set independently. An independent local hour arrived with caliber 3085 in the 16760 and continued in later GMT-Master II references. A 3175 in a 16758 case is a service or replacement movement unless its history proves otherwise.

Dial map

Regular 16758 examples include black, brown, and champagne serti dials; tropicalized or cracked lacquer is a condition of some dials rather than a separate factory branch. SARU watches stand apart as gem-set variants. Period examples use tritium markings, but service dials can differ, and champagne serti dials do not use the standard nipple-marker layout.

Black nipple

  •  
    Black-dial 16758
  •  
    Black nipple 16758 on gold Jubilee, lifestyle flat-lay

The black branch uses a glossy black ground with applied gold markers and is commonly shown with the all-black 24-hour insert. Auction frequency does not establish that it was the most common factory dial, and condition varies from example to example.

Brown sunburst nipple

 
Brown Root Beer 16758

The brown branch pairs a brown sunburst dial and applied gold markers with a brown 24-hour insert. Sotheby's catalogued a circa-1984 example with this combination. Patina, lacquer damage, and service work need to be assessed on the individual dial.

Champagne serti

 
Black dial close-up

A factory gem-set branch uses a champagne sunburst dial with ruby and diamond hour markers. Bonhams Skinner's October 2021 timed sale lot 1095 documents a circa-1984 example with serial 8,108,474 and a 1990 receipt. The lot supports the configuration; it does not establish production volume or Rolex's intended customer.

Tropical and aged

Some brown and black lacquer dials show colour change or cracking described by cataloguers as tropical or aged. Important Watches lot 228 (circa 1984, serial 8,390,209, caliber 3075) is one documented example; the condition label does not prove the cause of the change.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The case is a 40mm Oyster in 18K yellow gold, with crown guards and a sapphire crystal with Cyclops. The reference is rated to 100m in the cited reference guides, as is the contemporary steel 16750. Case and crystal measurements in auction catalogues are approximate.

Regular examples are documented with black or brown bidirectional aluminium inserts. The SARU uses blue sapphires and red rubies to create a red-and-blue bezel effect. A bezel insert can be replaced, so insert colour alone cannot date or authenticate a 16758 watch head.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Published examples use the 18K Jubilee 8386 with hidden clasp or the 18K Oyster 8385. Phillips Hong Kong XI 2020 lot 1016 documents the Oyster combination on a black-dial example.

Phillips' Geneva X 2019 SARU lot is documented with a diamond-set President bracelet. That lot establishes the fitment on that example; it does not prove that every gem-set 16758 used the same bracelet.

A different bracelet or regional delivery needs its own documentation. Clasp codes date the bracelet, not the watch head.

Special branches

SARU (Sapphire And RUby)

The 16758 SARU is a gem-set branch with a sapphire-and-ruby bezel, diamond hour markers, and a documented diamond-set President bracelet. A specialist source reports fewer than 36 examples, but that is an estimate rather than a Rolex production figure.

Phillips Geneva X (November 2019) lot 106 documents a SARU example with Sultanate-of-Oman Khanjar caseback engraving, case 8,510,585, movement 1,100,222, and a full set. Phillips Winning Icons (2017) and Christie's Keystone Collection (2020) provide additional auction records. These are individual lots, not a complete population or price benchmark.

The SARU shares reference 16758 with the regular gold GMT-Master. Authentication therefore depends on the gem-set components, case and movement numbers, provenance, and service history. Auction catalogues describe the cited examples as factory watches, but Rolex production records for the branch are not published in the sources reviewed.

Sport-watch-in-evening-dress positioning

The regular 16758 and its gem-set branches show how the GMT-Master reference was offered in both plain gold and jewellery-set configurations. The sources do not establish a Rolex marketing category or a Cellini customer target, so those interpretations are left out.

Historical market and auction record

Sale Lot Year Configuration Hammer
Sotheby's Driver's Collection 8 2019 c.1981 black dial, black bezel, Jubilee, serial 7,092,867 est. USD 15,000–25,000
Sotheby's Important Watches GE1804 15 2018 c.1984 brown nipple, Jubilee not publicly listed
Phillips Geneva XIV 91 2021 c.1987 golden serti rootbeer, serial R288227, Rolex-serviced 2020 not publicly listed
Bonhams Skinner timed sale 1095 2021 c.1984 champagne serti, serial 8,108,474, full set with 1990 receipt est. USD 30,000–40,000
Important Watches 228 2024 c.1984 gray-blue tropical, Jubilee, cal. 3075 est. USD 9,000–12,000
Phillips Hong Kong XI 1016 2020 black dial, gold Oyster not publicly listed
Phillips Winning Icons 24 2017 SARU sapphire-and-ruby bezel USD 240,000
Phillips Geneva X 106 2019 SARU Sultanate-of-Oman Khanjar caseback, full set, case 8,510,585 CHF 256,250 (vs est. CHF 180,000–280,000)
Christie's Keystone Collection 224 2020 SARU est. USD 280,000–320,000

The table records individual auction examples across regular, serti, and SARU configurations. Estimates and results vary with condition, service history, provenance, and completeness; they are not a price guide or evidence of a fixed tier structure.

Related references

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

Gallery

  •  
    Whole-watch view
  •  
    Black-dial branch
  •  
    Black nipple dial on gold Jubilee
  •  
    Brown Root Beer branch
  •  
    Champagne serti dial

Sources

Retrieved from "https://rolexopedia.net/index.php?title=Reference:16758&oldid=11080"