TWO FOR TWO
Rolex brings off fine watchmaking and striking design in sophisticated two-tone style
OYSTER PERPETUAL GMT-MASTER II
Launched in 1955, the Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master with its iconic 24-hour bezel with two-tone insert in Plexiglas (red to correspond with daylight hours and blue, night-time hours) witnessed the rapid expansion of intercontinental travel and was appointed official watch of the most glamorous airline of the time, Pan Am. The partnership was marked with a major event in 1959 where the captain wore a GMT-Master as a navigation aid during the Pan Am Jet Clipper’s maiden flight from New York to Moscow.
Since then, the watch has continued to evolve, beginning with the 1959 switch in the material used for the bezel from Plexiglas to a more scratch-resistant anodised aluminium. In 1982, with a new movement that allowed the hour hand to be set independently of the other hands, the GMT-Master II was born. Setting the watch became easier and more intuitive. The most dramatic breakthrough came in 2005, when Rolex developed its own expertise to produce monobloc bezels and ceramic inserts, and replaced the aluminium with what is now officially registered as Cerachrom, appearing first in black, followed by blue and black in 2013, and red and blue in 2014. The exclusive components are virtually scratchproof and unaffected by the sun’s ultraviolet rays.
Today, for the first time, the emblematic bidirectional rotatable bezel with a 24-hour graduated two-colour Cerachrom insert in red and blue ceramic is available on the GMT-Master II in Oystersteel, with a Jubilee bracelet. Accompanying the new design are two elegant variants with brown and black Cerachrom and Oyster bracelet ‒ one entirely in 18k Everose gold and the other, Everose Rolesor, which combines Oystersteel and Everose.
The new GMT-Master II is powered by the brand new Calibre 3285, characterized by its exceptional performance, notably against the influence of shock and magnetic fields, with a power reserve of 70 hours. While the supple and comfortable Jubilee bracelet makes wearing the watch a pleasure, the Oyster bracelet boasts the Easylink rapid extension system that allows the wearer to easily increase the bracelet length by just 5mm at a time.
OYSTER PERPETUAL ROLEX DEEPSEA
Produced in a 44mm Oystersteel case with redesigned lugs and sides, and a broader Oyster bracelet, the new Rolex Deepsea sports a striking D-blue dial with a deep-blue to pitch-black gradient. This dial was launched in 2014 on a commemorative version of the watch in tribute to the Deepsea Challenge expedition. On this journey, partnered by Rolex and the National Geographic Society, film-maker and explorer James Cameron descended 10,908m (35,787ft) to the ocean’s deepest point, located in the Mariana Trench.
The 2018 Rolex Deepsea comes tested and waterproof for depths of up to 3,900m, thanks to the patented Ringlock System in the Oyster case, composed of 5.5mm-thick sapphire crystal, high-performance steel ring and a caseback in Oystersteel and titanium. This, together with the Triplock winding crown comprising three seals, ensures phenomenal resistance to pressure akin to a submarine’s hatch, without compromising the size and thickness of the watch. In the deep sea, the unidirectional rotatable bezel
fitted with a 60-minute graduated Cerachrom insert in black ceramic allows divers to monitor their underwater and decompression time for their safety. This Rolex-patented insert, made of an extremely hard and corrosion-resistant ceramic, is virtually scratchproof, and its colour is unaffected by ultraviolet rays.
The highlight, however, is that the professional diving watch is, for the first time, equipped with the state-of-the-art in-house Calibre 3235. Incorporated with the Rolex-patented Chronergy escapement featuring the manufacture’s famous blue Parachrom hairspring and overcoil, paramagnetic materials and a new barrel architecture, the movement is 10 times more precise than a traditional calibre in case of shock, with better regularity and an extended power reserve of 70 hours. For extra comfort, the watch is fitted with the Oyster bracelet, whose double extension system allows the watch to be worn over a diving suit up to 7mm thick, while its Glidelock system enables ultra-fine adjustment to the length in 2mm increments up to 20mm.
ROLEX CERAMIC
In the watchmaking sector, ceramic, virtually scratchproof and impervious to UV rays, began to be used in the mid1980s, but knowledge at the time meant that only singlecolour components were available, in either black or white ceramic. Thanks to its constant quest for excellence, Rolex has since carried out its own research and mastered the use of ceramic, producing it in new colours, despite the long and painstaking process.
It begins with the basic preparation of ceramic in powder form, to which binding agents are then added. The mixture, a combination of zirconia and colour pigments or alumina, is then heated and injected into a mould to create a blank. Once created, the blank undergoes debinding, followed by sintering, where it is fired at up to 1,600 degrees, a process that lasts over 24 hours to harden the ceramic and reduce its volume by 25 to 30%, during which the component takes on its final colour, or colours. Final precision machining with diamond tools, the only tools strong enough to use on ceramic, gives the piece the precise shape and size required. Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) is used to colour the bezel’s moulded numerals, graduations and inscriptions. During the process, the ceramic is completely coated in a one-micron-thick layer of metal. A final polish removes the metal from the surface and gives the bezel its shine.
Over the years, Rolex discovered the solution to producing two-tone inserts ‒ by making use of the ceramic’s state just after the binding agents have been removed. Here, the ceramic is extremely absorbent, allowing chemical compounds dissolved in an aqueous solution to be introduced into selected areas. During sintering, these compounds interact with the oxides present in the ceramic, causing the colour of the area to change. Today, the palette ranges from brown, introduced in 2018, to black, green, blue, chestnut brown and red, adding a touch of vibrancy to the watches.