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Rolex 16750 GMT-Master

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GMT-Master › 16750

Acrylic, linked-hand GMT
Acrylic, linked-hand GMT

The 16750 is the first five-digit GMT-Master and the direct predecessor to the 16700. Caliber 3075 raised the beat rate to 28,800 vph and added a quick-set date, while the linked-hand caller-GMT remained: the 24-hour hand follows the local hour hand and the bezel sets the second zone. The steel reference kept an acrylic crystal; the gold 16758 used sapphire.

Core facts

detail value
reference 16750
family GMT-Master
production approximately 1980 to 1988; sources differ on whether the first examples date to 1979, 1980, or 1981
total examples no published Rolex production figure
case 40mm Oyster with crown guards
crystal acrylic with Cyclops
water resistance 100m
movement caliber 3075, 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, 48-hour reserve. Free-sprung Microstella balance with Breguet overcoil, hacking seconds, quickset date. 28.5 × 6.2mm. Hand-stack order changed from the 1575GMT to hour / GMT / minute / second
GMT mechanic caller GMT, 24-hour hand stays linked to the local hour hand, second zone reads off the bezel
dial generations matte early dials without white-gold surrounds → glossy lacquer with applied white-gold-circled tritium indices, generally associated with the mid-1980s; dated examples show overlap
bezel bidirectional 24-hour aluminium insert; factory examples are documented with Pepsi or all-black inserts. The black-and-red Coke insert is associated with the 16760
bracelet 78360 Oyster with 580 endlinks period-correct; Jubilee 62510H with 501 endlinks optional
related next references 16700 caller GMT (1988–1999) and the concurrently produced 16760 flyer GMT-Master II (1983–1988)

Where it sits in the line

The 16750 follows the long 1675 run and is the first GMT-Master with a five-digit reference number. It is generally dated to the early 1980s through 1988, when the 16700 continued the caller GMT with a sapphire crystal and caliber 3175. The 16760 was a parallel GMT-Master II from 1983 to 1988; it introduced the independent local-hour hand and the flyer-GMT mechanic while the 16750 kept the linked-hand layout.

The quick-set date, higher beat rate, and hacking seconds update the 1675 design without changing its caller-GMT operation. The acrylic crystal and 40mm crown-guard case separate the steel 16750 from the sapphire case used on the gold 16758 and later references.

Production outline

Production is usually dated approximately 1980 to 1988, although sources differ on whether the first examples belong to 1979, 1980, or 1981. Sotheby's dates the introduction of caliber 3075 to 1980; Bonhams documents a 27 April 1981 retailer receipt, and Sotheby's has catalogued an example dated circa 1980. Those records establish the period without proving a single first-serial boundary.

No published Rolex production figure surfaces in the documented sources. Matte dials are generally associated with the earlier part of the run, while glossy white-gold-surround dials appear by the mid-1980s; service replacements and overlapping dated examples make a strict year cut unsafe.

Movement notes

 
Caliber 3075 in 16750

Caliber 3075 is the main mechanical change over the 1575GMT. Reference guides and auction descriptions give 27 jewels, 28,800 vph, hacking seconds, and a quick-set date. Published movement tables commonly quote a reserve around 48 hours, while some registries round it nearer 50; the page does not treat either figure as a watch-specific test. The listed 28.5mm diameter and 6.2mm thickness are movement specifications, not case measurements.

The hand-setting stack differs from the 1575GMT; movement references describe the 24-hour hand above the hour hand, followed by the minute and seconds hands. The 3075 retains the linked-hand caller-GMT mechanic, so the 24-hour hand cannot be set independently on a 16750. The independent local-hour hand arrived with caliber 3085 in the 16760 and continued with caliber 3185 in the 16710.

The 3075 gives way to caliber 3175 in the 16700 from 1988 to 1999. A 3175 in a 16750 case is a service or replacement movement unless the watch has documentation explaining the change; movement and case numbers need to be checked together.

Dial map

The two dial generations overlap in dated examples. Examples dated 1984 surface in both matte and glossy finishes, which makes that year the crossover zone.

Matte (early, ~1981–1985)

 
Matte-dial Pepsi 16750

The matte dial is a black ground with painted indices and no white-gold surrounds. It carries the late-1675 look, but a dial alone does not authenticate the reference. The caliber 3075's hand stack, the case reference and serial, and the crystal should be checked together.

Glossy white-gold-surround (~1986 onward)

Glossy black lacquer carries applied indices in white-gold surrounds, a layout also used on the 16760 and 16710. The period examples in the cited sources use tritium, but service dials and later replacements can change the lume material.

Spider crazing

 
Glossy spider dial 16750

Spider is collector shorthand for the hairline cracking seen in some glossy lacquer dials. It is a condition of the dial surface, not a separate Rolex reference or documented factory option. A cracked dial may be original, refinished, or later replaced; the pattern needs to be assessed with the printing, lume, hands, case, and service history.

No-Date wording variant

A small group of early glossy dials are documented without the word "Date" above "GMT-Master" at six o'clock. The omission is a useful dial variant to record, but its exact production boundary is not established.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

The case is the standard 40mm Oyster with crown guards. The acrylic crystal, with its magnifying Cyclops over the date, separates the steel 16750 from the sapphire-era GMTs that follow. Water resistance was revised to 100m, twice the 50m rating generally given for the four-digit GMT-Master references.

The bezel is a bidirectional 24-hour aluminium insert. Published factory examples use Pepsi or all-black inserts. The black-and-red Coke insert is associated with the 16760; a Coke insert on a 16750 needs fitment and service evidence. Insert-back colour is not a dating rule on its own because replacements circulate.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Published period examples appear on the 78360 Oyster with 580 endlinks and on Jubilee 62510-family bracelets with 501 endlinks. A bracelet code dates the bracelet, not the watch head; originality needs case, clasp, endlink, and service-history checks.

Both bracelet families occur in surviving examples. Auction fitment is a poor proxy for original delivery because service and bracelet swaps were common during the reference's life.

Special branches

Omani Police (Khanjar)

 
16750 with Royal Oman Police emblem at 6 o'clock, one of four documented examples in the same 7.6M serial batch

Auction catalogues document a small group of 16750 dials with a white Royal Oman Police emblem at six o'clock. Phillips describes four known examples in the 7.6 million serial range, reportedly from one batch. Those records document individual watches, not a complete population or Rolex production statement.

Service-replacement examples

 
Black-bezel service 16750

Service-replacement dials occur, including later dials marked only "Swiss" in place of the original "T SWISS T" wording. Service-era movement swaps from caliber 3075 to caliber 3175 also occur; the case, movement, dial, and service records should be read together.

Caseback and mid-case markings help establish what is present, but neither proves that every component is original. A wide gap between the case serial and movement number is a lead to investigate. The Bonhams Hong Kong 2019 lot with case R672618 and movement number 1,828,172 is an example of an auction-catalogued service-replacement movement, not a universal dating rule.

Glossy spider with no-Date wording

The combination of glossy white-gold-surround indices, omitted "Date" wording, and lacquer cracking can be a useful lead when assessing a late-run 16750 dial. It is not proof of originality; refinishing, replacement parts, and later service work still need to be ruled out.

Historical market and auction record

Sale Lot Year Serial / config Hammer
Bonhams Knightsbridge 29153/95 2024 full set with dated 27 April 1981 receipt, spare Pepsi insert, brochures GBP 10,240 incl. premium
Sotheby's Watches Online 95 2020 c.1982 matte Pepsi, movement 0,381,752 est. CHF 9,000–12,000
Sotheby's Watches Online 96 2020 c.1984 glossy Pepsi with spider crazing est. CHF 12,000–18,000
Sotheby's Watches 109 2020 c.1980 matte Pepsi, full set est. USD 10,000–15,000
Sotheby's Fine Watches 160 2022 c.1984 glossy Pepsi spider, COSC hang tag est. EUR 8,000–12,000
Sotheby's Important Watches 125 2022 c.1984 Pepsi est. USD 10,000–20,000
Antiquorum Hong Kong 373-296 2024 c.1982 signature dial HKD 68,750 (vs est. HKD 35,000–60,000)
Bonhams Hong Kong Watches 3.0 25282/845 2019 case R672618, mvt 1,828,172, service-replacement movement HKD 100,625 incl. premium
Bonhams Fine Watches London 26687/68 2021 c.1983 Omani Police Khanjar, 27-jewel cal. 3075, Jubilee est. GBP 70,000–100,000

The table records individual lots. Results and estimates vary with condition, dial originality, provenance, accessories, and venue; they are not a current price guide. Government-logo examples require comparison with other documented watches rather than a general market tier.

  •  
    16750 hero
  •  
    Caliber 3075
  •  
    Matte Pepsi dial
  •  
    Spider dial
  •  
    Royal Oman Police dial
  •  
    Service-replacement example

Related references

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

Sources

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