Rolex

In the 1950s, at the dawn of the jet age, Pan American Airlines was the industry leader. With airplanes flying at sub-sonic speeds for the first time, their pilots needed watches that could display two different time-zones; one for local time, and one for home base. The watch had to be functional and legible. Naturally, the airline turned to Rolex to help solve their predicament.

In 1954, Rolex launched the first GMT Master ref.6542. Its design was reminiscent of the Submariner, but it notably featured a fourth hand and a Bakelite bi-directional rotating bezel in red and blue, graduated to 24 hours. Born was one of the most recognizable wristwatches of all time.

The GMT Master ref.6542 was an immediate success. It is the only reference that featured the Bakelite bezel (as is seen on this example). Because it was susceptible to cracking, Rolex soon updated the model to feature a metal insert. This makes watches with the Bakelite bezels enormously rare and quite collectable. The eye-catching depth of the red and blue design on these watches has captivated Rolex connoisseurs for generations.

The present example retains its original Bakelite bezel and is offered in very good overall condition, accompanied by a Rolex presentation box. The strong Geiger counter reading indicates that the lume on the dial remains original.