Rolex GMT Master II 116710 LN

The history of the GMT-Master II is the stuff of horological legend. In the early 1980s, Rolex introduced an all-new movement that decoupled the hour hand from the 24-hour hand. In addition to the ability to instantly set local time, this actually meant that the GMT-Master II displayed not two but three instantly-readable time zones: the third created by rotating the bezel. And so a new Rolex grail watch was born.
The Rolex GMT Master II 116710 LN is the proud inheritor of this history. As robust 'in the metal' as it looks in a picture, this is a traveller's watch that doesn't compromise.
With a 40 mm oyster case constructed from the 'superalloy' 904L stainless steel, the GMT Master II 116710 LN is tough enough to keep accurate time in any latitude. The bidirectional Cerachrom bezel is impervious to almost all scratches, and the sapphire crystal is also extremely scratch-resistant. The cyclops magnifying eye over the date window (3 o'clock) is treated with anti-reflective coating, making date viewing easy even in the direct sunlight of the African savannah. The watch is also waterproof to 100 m—a perfectly decent depth for leisure and semi-serious diving (or for swimming in a rock pool in the rainforests of South America). Reliable water-tightness is ensured thanks to the screw-down Triplock crown. Rolex's proprietary crown has five seals, and on its own is rated to be waterproof down to a massive 1,200 m.
The movement at the heart of the GMT Master II 116710 LN is Rolex's Cal. 3186, which beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour, has 31 jewels, and benefits from a power reserve of 50 hours. The bidirectional self-winding Perpetual rotor should ensure that the power reserve never runs out, of course. Cal. 3186 is protected from shocks (and is almost immune to magnetic fields) thanks to Rolex's blue Parachrom hairspring, making it the perfect powerhouse for the GMT Master II.
Cal. 3186 has central hours, minutes, seconds, and a second time zone that can be set independently and instantly. The date is instantaneous. The movement also has stop-seconds, for the kind of accurate time-setting with which Rolex has been associated for decades.
The dial is the recognisable 'soul' of any Rolex: and the GMT Master II's face oozes the kind of quality you'd expect from a legendary Rolex tool watch. It's done in black, with 18ct white gold hour markers: baguettes at 6 and 9 o'clock, a large inverted triangle at 12 o'clock, and pips for the rest. Good quantities of lume on the hour markers and four central hands make quick time-reading a cinch even if you're deep in the bush with no available light.
Finishing touches include the satinised finish on the inner edge of the bezel, which is engraved with the ROLEX name, and (on some models) an extra Rolex coronet. If you haven't spotted it yourself, it can be found on the crystal, laser-etched into the sapphire at 6 'o' clock. These are the elements that set the GMT Master II aside as a flagship model, and a grail watch for serious Rolex fans.
The bracelet is also in 904L stainless steel, with a polished, solid centre link adding to the watch's overall air of toughness and grace. The clasp is a folding Oysterlock, which has 5 mm of play in an extension link. If your wrist swells on flights or in hot climates, those extra millimetres will keep your GMT Master II 116710 LN sitting comfortably.
In addition to the 904L steel model described here, the Rolex GMT Master II 11670 LN can be configured in a number of case, bracelet, and bezel options: steel and yellow gold, yellow gold, or white gold for bracelet and case, and numerous bezel colours. The 904L steel version is available with a black bezel, or a two-tone blue/black (day/night) 'Batman' bezel. Whatever bezel version you go for, you're getting a Rolex that manages to 'chameleon' according to the rest of your outfit. Head to a big match in jeans and a tee, and the bezel looks solidly sporty. Pair the GMT Master II with a suit and, in the muted lights of the boardroom, the same black Cerachrom takes on an infinitely subtle, businesslike hue.
The wizards in the Rolex manufactory doubtless spent hundreds of hours puzzling out how to get the colours of their Cerachrom bezels to do this. And that's why these luxury watches attract legions of avid fans, aspirational wearers and collectors both, more than a century after the brand was founded.
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