Three Guesses About Rolex’s New Products: Replica Watch

Regarding the Rolex GMT-Master (GMT-Master), the first product that players think of is the “red and blue circle.” Indeed, with the high recognition brought by contrasting colors, the popularity of the “red and blue circle” has not diminished since its inception in the 1950s, and it has long been a hot favorite in the world of luxury watches. The works close to the “Red and Blue Circle” and can easily be confused are the “Red and Black Circle.”

“Pepsi” and “Coke”

The red and blue circles are called “Pepsi” because they are close to the Pepsi brand logo, while the red and black circles are also called “Coke” because they are close to the packaging color of Coca-Cola. Entering the 21st century, because Rolex no longer produces red and black rings, there is a vacancy in the products originally corresponding to the “Coca-Cola ring.” Some players also use “Coke ring” to refer to the red and blue rings, which is not a strict term. With the recent exposure of the patent document, Rolex seems interested in reviving this classic color scheme. The most anticipated new product at “Watches and Miracles” in Geneva this year is the return of the natural (Coca) Coca-Cola circle – the red and black circle.

Ref.6542 (1954)

To clarify the origins of “red and blue circles” and “red and black circles,” we have to start from the past and present lives of the series. The Rolex GMT-Master was born in the mid-1950s. At that time, with the rapid development of the civil aviation industry, long-distance travel across time zones became increasingly common, giving rise to the use of multi-time zone imitation watches. The Rolex GMT-Master was born in this era. The first generation product was designed by Rolex in cooperation with Pan American Airways and distributed to the crew of long-distance flights. Ref.6542, the pioneer of the series, uses a red and blue two-color outer ring. Its innovative significance lies in dividing the 24-hour outer ring into two parts. Red represents 6 to 18 o’clock; blue represents 18 to 6 the next day, day and night changes. The situation is clear.

Ref.1675(1959)

From the inheritance perspective, the red and blue circles have a more extended history than the red and black circles and are the earliest colors used in the series. The outer ring of the first-generation GMT-Master watch was made of bakelite (resin). Since it was easy to wear, the brand upgraded it to anodized aluminum in 1959 and added a crown shoulder guard. Accordingly, the model was changed to Ref. 1675. For a long time since then, the anodized aluminum bezel has been the standard feature of the GMT-Master.

Ref.16760 (1983)

In 1983, Rolex launched the sequel to the GMT-Master II series. The main upgrade point of the second-generation product is that the hour hand and GMT hand maintain independent operation. The GMT hand of the Cal.3085 movement can be quickly adjusted in one-hour increments. Ref. 16760. This model adds a red and black two-color word ring and a Coca-Cola ring to expand the difference further.

Ref.16700 Early and later versions (1988 – 1999)

The emergence of GMT-type II did not immediately replace GMT-type I . Rolex even updated the GMT-Master I product line in 1988 (five years after the launch of GMT-Master II). As the final form of the first-generation product, the Ref. 16700’s watch mirror material was upgraded to sapphire. Later versions also replaced the luminous material from tritium with Luminova and removed the “T” tritium element mark on the dial. Replica watch.

GMT-Master I (Ref.16700) and GMT-Master II (Ref.16710) of the same period

In addition to continuing the “Pepsi circle,” Ref.16700 introduced the “Coca-Cola circle” unique to the previous GMT-Master II Ref.16760. Given the high overlap in appearance and market positioning of the two generations of products, the second generation, with more mature and complete functions, has the potential to replace the first generation. Therefore, entering the new century, the brand will only retain the GMT-Master II product line.

Ref.116710LN（2007）

By 2007, ceramics were favored by more and more famous watches due to their high gloss, durability, and wear resistance. Rolex introduced ceramic bezels to the GMT-Master II this year. The 2007 Ref. 116710LN uses a black Cerachrom ceramic bezel and is nicknamed the “little green needle” for its green GMT pointer.

Ref.116710BLNR (2013)

Due to process technology, early Cerachrom ceramic word rings were only black. Although the texture has been significantly improved, the monochrome word circle cannot help but be questioned as a “lack of soul.” As the technology matured, Rolex tried incorporating blue into it in 2013. The outer ring of the 2013 Ref. 116710BLNR is presented in blue and black, the series’s first time has been presented. Due to the close color matching to the Inter Milan team logo, the “blue and black circle” is also called the “Inter Milan circle” by players.

Ref.116719BLRO（2014）

FiringFiring two-color ceramics is much more complex than firing anodized aluminum than anodized aluminum, which also means that their manufacturing cost is high and the yield rate is low. The early Cerachrom ceramic red and blue rings were only assembled on the Ref. 116719BLRO with an 18K white gold case. The high price made the “red and blue rings” once the king.

Ref.126719BLRO（2018）

With the foundation of this high-end work, in 2018, Rolex will move the Cerachrom ceramic “red and blue ring” to the steel model Ref. 126710blro. For less than half the price of the platinum model (on the secondary market), you can get a similar appearance, quickly making the work a hit. In order to consolidate the status of the platinum model, the brand also launched the “meteorite surface” GMT-Master II (Ref. 126719BLRO) in the same year, once again widening the gap with the steel model through special materials.

Ref.126710blro commemorative watch strap (five-bead chain)

So far, the “red and blue circle” camp has grown daily, while the “red and black circle” has stayed at Ref. 16710, published in the late 1980s. Today, when the movement, materials, and even strap styles of the GMT-Master II series have encountered upgrade bottlenecks, reproducing the color matching that appeared in historical works can harvest a wave of “feelings” and ensure the series’ authenticity. Inheritance its voice is undoubtedly the highest.

Guess 1: Are the platinum model’s red and black circles exclusive? The 2018 Ref. 126710blro uses the red and blue circles previously exclusive to platinum cases, narrowing the appearance difference between the steel and platinum models. Although the brand has consolidated the status of the platinum model to a certain extent through the “meteorite surface,” the difference between the dark blue plate (Ref. 126719BLRO-0003) and the steel model is still not significant enough. We might as well speculate boldly that the “red and black circle” may become exclusive to the new platinum model.

Conjecture 2: The red and black circles exclude “left-handers.” In 2022, Rolex broke the rules and launched the GMT-Master II with the crown and calendar window at 9 o’clock. It had a green and black two-color circle, the “Sprite circle.” There is reason to believe that if Rolex reproduces the “red and black circle,” it will be the first to be applied to left-handed models.

Guess 3: Red and black circles replace red and black circles? Different from the “blue and black circle” and “green and black circle” that was born to enrich the color series, the “red and black circle” has been a derivative of the “red and blue circle” since its birth. If the brand reproduces the “red and black circle,” it is possible to discontinue the current model Ref. 126710blro and replace its status. After all, players will inevitably suffer from aesthetic fatigue when color matching is used for many years. Of course, this conjecture is less likely. A more feasible approach is to retain both “red and blue circles” and “red and black circles” for selection. There is precedent for this in Ref. 16710.