TIME FLIES
It’s been over 60 years since the world received one of the most enduring symbols of aviation-inspired horology, but this year’s GMT-Master II models prove the watch is still going places.
More than 60 years after Rolex launches its aviation-inspired icon, the GMT-Master II continues to soar.
A good aviator watch should allow its wearer to easily track the time in two time zones and be as tough as it looks. Rolex delivered on this when Pan American World Airways (or “Pan Am”) put in a request for such a watch in the early 1950s, and the GMT-Master became one of the first among this new breed of tool watches. It featured a fourth, 24-hour hand and a rotating bezel with 24-hour markings with which to read off the desired time zone. It was simple to use and easy on the eyes and that, coupled with the fortuitous timing of being produced during the Jet Age, propelled the GMT-Master to icon status.
As the world’s airplanes improved, so did the watches built to accompany them. Rolex released three new models of the GMT-Master II this year and they combine fresh colours and materials with one of its latest movements, the Calibre 3285, offering greater precision and durability in a chassis of modernity. Here’s a closer look.