Testing the Rolex GMT-Master II Replica

Some call it the “Batman” in honor of its black-and-blue bezel. For more than half a century, Cheap Rolex Replica fans associated Rolex GMT-Master II Replica with two bezel-color combinations.In this feature from the WatchTime archives, we test the first version of the Rolex GMT-Master II ever to sport this color combo.

The Rolex GMT bezels are so well-known that they have nicknames: “Pepsi” and “Coke,” respectively, because they call to mind those brands’ trade dress. So when a new, unprecedented, black-and-blue version of the Rolex GMT-Master II showed up in Cheap Rolex window at Baselworld last year, buzz abounded. Interest in the watch was so keen that every few minutes the booth’s cleaning team had to wipe from the window the fingerprints left by fairgoers’ pointing at it. It wasn’t long before the watch had earned a nickname of its own. Or, rather, a pair of nicknames: “Bruiser” and “Batman.” The bezel was notable not just because it was black and blue, but because it was black and blue and made of ceramic. No one had ever succeeded in combining two colors of ceramic in a single-piece insert. As long as the GMT bezels were made of metal, as they were for decades, it was no trick to make them two colors. But in 2005, when Rolex Replica Watches began to shift to ceramic bezels with the launch of a special 50th-anniversary model of the GMT-Master II, those new bezels were of necessity just one color. The advantages of ceramic over metal are that it is more scratch-resistant and less likely to fade after years of exposure to light. In 2006 and 2007, Rolex brought out, respectively, steel- and-gold and all-steel versions of the Cheap Rolex Replica GMT-Master II, both with all-black ceramic bezels.

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What brought bi-color back was a new manufacturing method that Rolex itself invented and patented. It involves applying a metallic salt to half of the bezel before the component is fired in a kiln, where the color is created. In a Cheap Rolex GMT watch, a bi-color bezel serves a practical purpose: it makes it easy to distinguish the second time zone’s a.m. hours from its p.m. ones. Rolex’s new color combination is more than practical, it’s attractive. Furthermore, it makes sense: blue is a more logical choice to indicate the daytime hours than is red.The downside is that the difference between black and blue can be nearly impossible to detect in poor light, but the upside is that blue is much less flashy than red, so this watch can be worn with a business suit. To match the bezel, the 24-hour hand is now blue, rather than green as on the black-bezel model. The lettering on the dial is all white; on the black-bezel version, the words “GMT-Master II” are green. All in all, this new version makes a very harmonious impression.

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Updating the Rolex Datejust Replica

The new Datejust that Rolex unveiled at Baselworld 2016 scarcely differs from the Rolex Datejust II. The similar design characteristics set Rolex watches apart from other brands.A fluted bezel, a Cyclops magnifying lens above the date window and an Oyster bracelet: the new Datejust 41 shares these elements with many other Cheap Rolex Replica models. These design characteristics are the secrets of the brand’s success. The approximately 800,000 watches that Rolex sells each year produce estimated annual revenue of $4.39 billion and make it the most successful manufacturer of luxury watches.

The cornerstone of this singular distinction was Rolex’s founder, Hans Wilsdorf, a native of Kulmbach, Germany, who registered the brand name in 1908. He put his faith in Cheap Rolex at an early date and set out to rectify their shortcomings: for example, wristwatches were notoriously less accurate than pocketwatches. But Wilsdorf’s Rolex wristwatches soon ticked so precisely that they earned official certification as chronometers. He patented his first watertight watches in 1926, followed by patent protection for automatic winding in 1931. With these two functional abilities, the optimal wristwatch was born — and Rolex Replica Watches positioned itself as the technical leader for precise, watertight, self-winding watches. The label successfully advanced along this path with its divers’ watches, while simultaneously creating structures that guarantee high quality and an outstandingly accurate rate.

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But without a convincing design, none of these efforts would have led to long-lasting success for the brand. Take this test: When you think about Cheap Rolex Replica, which characteristic stylistic element appears in your mind’s eye? Is it the magnifying lens above the date, the so-called “Mercedes” hands, the dial with its typical duo of bar-shaped and circular indexes, or the Oyster bracelet? Or is it the fluted bezel and the Jubilee bracelet? More than a few unique attributes distinguish a Cheap Rolex. Now take another test. What images come to mind when you think about other watch brands, e.g., Jaeger-LeCoultre or Omega? Even big brands with design icons in their collections usually have only one or two unmistakable stylistic elements. Often, it’s only the shape of the case. And some classics have no unique design characteristics whatsoever and are recognizable only because they combine familiar stylistic features.

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Rolex Replica Watches makes ample use of its large selection of unmistakable stylistic elements. Viewing the watches in Rolex’s contemporary collection, one cannot fail to notice that the designs aren’t very diverse: the hands, for example, come in only two different forms; the shapes of the cases likewise vary only minimally; and the difference between the two most successful models, the Submariner and GMT-Master II, lies solely in the numerals on the rotatable bezel and in the additional hands. The Sea-Dweller is essentially a Submariner without a date magnifier. The Deepsea differs from the Sea-Dweller only because of its size and the broad ring that surrounds its dial and increases its water resistance. The Cheap Rolex Datejust Replica Yacht-Master has exactly the same dial layout, the same hands and the same case; only the numerals and the rotatable bezel are raised and the color scheme of the dial and bezel is different. Even the Explorer II shares the same design characteristics as other models, although it sets itself apart with a different bezel and a different time-zone hand. Adding the Submariner without a date display, one reaches a total of seven models that differ only in details. All of the abovementioned models have the same Oyster bracelet, the same Mercedes hands, and dials with bar-shaped and circular indexes. These seven models are responsible for a large percentage of Rolex’s sales.

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Understanding The Rolex Paul Newman Daytona Replica Watches

In the second installment of our Reference Points series we will tackle perhaps the most discussed family of watches in modern timepiece collecting. This watch is as infamous as it is famous, it’s as dangerous as it is beautiful, and valuable as it is rare. I’m talking about nothing short of the Cheap Rolex Replica “Paul Newman” Daytona, and here we will explore the six references of this absolutely legendary timepiece, as well as go into its history, ups, downs, ins and outs. But first, if you haven’t read our first “Reference Points” feature on Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronographs, we encourage you to do so here.First things first, this report will not be an exposé on the life of Paul Newman, nor the several watches that he wore. For that, I encourage you to read this story over at Jake’s Rolex World.

Both of the watches you see above are Cheap Rolex Cosmograph Daytonas Reference 6239 in stainless steel with black dials. Both were made in 1967.To be specific, the watch on the left sold for $28,750 in December of 2013, while the one on the right sold for $93,750 in the very same auction. These two watches are all but identical mechanically, and in fact the case of the 6239 on the left appears to be even stronger than the case of the 6239 on the right – so why was there a price difference of $65,000 between the two? Because the watch on the right is a Paul Newman Daytona, and the one on the left is not. The only difference, really? The dial, and that’s it. The only thing that makes a vintage Daytona a “Paul Newman” Rolex Replica Watches Daytona is the dial. And that is why the Paul Newman is one of the most dangerous vintage watches to buy. More on that shortly.In the two photos above, you can see the differences quite clearly. The Paul Newman features an art deco style font for the numerals, and the hash marks have a small square at the end. Additionally, there is a small “step” in the dial between the outer minute track and the center of the dial. In this particular example of the 6241 PN, the dial features a third color (red) which adds a bit of character. But, are a few little design traits worth paying that much more for a Cheap Rolex Replica Daytona? When the exotic dials were first shown by Rolex, not many believed so.

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In fact, these dials sat on shelves for years and years. The traditional Cheap Rolex Daytona dials were much preferred by Rolex clients to the funky multi-colored dials that now fetch so much money to collectors. As such, it is not uncommon to see Paul Newmans with original sales receipts in some cases several years, if not decades, later than the production date. This is just one reason why the world of Paul Newmans is so murky.And, because these exotic dials didn’t sell well, Rolex simply didn’t make that many of them. Andrew Shear of ShearTime estimates that for every 20 normal Rolex Replica Watches Daytona dials, there would be one exotic dial made. And we mustn’t forget that Rolex was not the vertically integrated manufacturer that it is today – it was another company, Singer, who was making the dials for them. And Singer was making “Paul Newman” style dials for not just Rolex, either. For example, here is a two register Vulcain with exotic style dial that we sold in our Chicago Pop-Up last year for practically nothing.
It is Singer’s involvement with the production of these massively valuable dials that makes the whole situation even murkier still. In the period of the 1980s through the early 2000s, when exotic dial Cheap Rolex Replica Daytonas gained in popularity and Italian collectors soon proclaimed them The “Paul Newman” Daytonas, we began to see an enormous up-tick in the numbers of these dials. And this is when the slow-seller of the 1960s and 70s became the hottest vintage watch in the world.