Rolex
GMT-Master II
16710
The steel GMT-Master II that defined an era of professional travel
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Overview
The Rolex GMT-Master II reference 16710 is a 40 mm stainless steel sports watch designed to track two time zones simultaneously by means of an independently adjustable 24-hour hand and a bidirectional rotatable bezel. Produced across roughly two decades, it served as the definitive steel GMT-Master II for a generation of collectors and frequent travellers alike. Its long production run allowed for several notable dial and bezel variations, making the 16710 one of the most thoroughly documented references in the GMT-Master lineage.
History
The 16710 entered production in 1989 as the successor to the reference 16760, inheriting the GMT-Master II's core complication while adopting the slimmer, more refined case profile that would characterise Rolex sports references through the 1990s and 2000s. Over its lifespan the reference was fitted with both the calibre 3185 and the later calibre 3186, the latter introducing Rolex's Parachrom hairspring for improved resistance to shocks and magnetic fields. The 16710 was discontinued around 2007 when it was superseded by the reference 116710, which introduced the Oyster bracelet with the Glidelock extension system and a ceramic Cerachrom bezel insert. During its production years the 16710 appeared with several bezel colour combinations — including the iconic red-and-blue "Pepsi" and the all-black variant — cementing its status as a highly collectible reference.
Notable points
- Powered by calibre 3185 in earlier examples and calibre 3186 in later production, the 3186 being notable for its Parachrom hairspring.
- The 40 mm stainless steel Oyster case pairs with an aluminium insert bezel available in multiple colour configurations across the production run, including the sought-after red-and-blue 'Pepsi' combination.
- The independently settable 24-hour GMT hand allows the wearer to track a second time zone without disturbing the local-time display — a hallmark of the GMT-Master II complication.
- An approximately 18-year production span from 1989 to 2007 means the 16710 encompasses meaningful movement and dial variations, giving collectors a rich field for study.
- The black-dial configuration with a black bezel insert is among the more understated expressions of the reference, often referred to informally as the 'Batman' predecessor in collector circles before that nickname was applied to later two-tone blue-and-black examples.
