If you're looking for a classic and iconic watch, then you will instantly fall in love with the Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT - one of the most beautiful and desirable timepieces on the market today.
The 'Tropical' Rolex
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT boasts an instantly recognisable classic design, and its features are highly prized for their style credentials. This particular watch in the Oyster family has been affectionately nicknamed the 'tropical' model, thanks to the colour of its dial. The rich tone is created through a process that used a particular black colourant on batches of the 1950s masterpiece. Since then, exposure over time to the sun allowed them to evolve into a beautiful caramel shade, with distinct tones of orange reminiscent of a tropical sunset.
When set against the GMT bezel, the colours instantly earn their tropical moniker. This quirky touch adds greatly to the overall collectability of this timepiece, which is greatly valued by fans of Swiss watches as a whole - not simply those who adore Rolex watches.
From the Glamour Era
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT was commissioned, designed and crafted in the 1950s, and its appearance references the aesthetic credentials of this high-style era. It is naturally understated and subtle in finish, thus in line with all of the classically styled GMT watches. This release of the 'Pepsi' styled two-tone design is rare and greatly valued.
The Bakelite bezel is presented in red and blue and calibrated for 24-hour time-telling. This feature was created as a result of a collaboration with the legendary Pan-American Airlines - the height of glamour in its day. The watch was the first to allow Pan-Am's pilots to monitor time across a range of time zones, thanks to the additional arrow-point hand.
This bonus hand works its way around the dial every 24 hours. The pilot would simply need to rotate the bezel to read the time in any destination worldwide. This was obviously a great benefit for pilots flying to multiple destinations around the world.
A secondary and highly sought-after feature of this model is the red and black date window. The watch boasts 25 dazzling jewels and runs with an automated 1035 calibre movement. The watch is 38mm in diameter and a highly wearable piece with classic Rolex credentials: simple in design, classic in taste and executed brilliantly without dominating the wearer.
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT is a rare and greatly sought-after timepiece which has truly passed the test of time and which still looks beautiful and relevant to the modern eye. It is prized by collectors, either to wear as a luxury timepiece or to preserve as part of a collection.