Rolex has solidified its place in the watch industry as the default luxury watch. Proving to be the most prominent brand in terms of market share, the brand’s nickname, “The Crown”, is not baseless. They have produced some of the most iconic perfect Rolex replica watches of the 20th and 21st centuries, such as the Submariner, Explorer, and the GMT-Master.
Different iterations of these high quality fake Rolex watches have received nicknames from collectors over the years, including the red and black bezeled GMT-Master II referred to as the “Coke” GMT, after the iconic soft drink.
The Rolex GMT-Master
Even though Rolex is one of the top luxury brands today, its origins were centered around creating cheap replica Rolex watches as practical tools. During World War I, they produced trench watches, some of the first purpose-built wristwatches, and distributed them to armed forces.
In 1926, they produced their first “Oyster” watch, a watch case that allowed for greater dust and water resistance, ensuring durability in more harsh environments. Famously, they marketed this by putting the watch in tanks of water in shop display windows, and swimmer Mercedes Gleitze swam the English Channel in 1927 with a Rolex Oyster on her wrist.
Fast forward to the 1950’s and purpose built sports watches became incredibly popular. While dive Rolex copy watches for sale and chronographs usually get most of the attention, global air travel became more accessible and facile, and international commerce became more common. In 1954, Rolex produced the Swiss made replica Rolex GMT Master reference 6542 watches.
The original reference 6542 GMT Master had a 24-hour hand that mirrored the main time and an adjustable 24-hour bezel. The bezel was the only aspect of the best UK Rolex fake watches that allowed for the tracking of an additional time zone. Developed in partnership with PanAm Airlines, the ability to track Greenwich Mean Time of Coordinated Universal Time was necessary for related paperwork, flight tracking, and record keeping.
The First Rolex “Coke” GMT
In 1983, Rolex released the wholesale replica Rolex GMT-Master II reference 16760 watches. Produced alongside the GMT-Master until its discontinuation in the late 1990s, the GMT-Master II introduced the independently adjustable hour hand with the calibre 3085. Now, the main time, 24-hour hand, and bezel could be set separately, allowing the tracking of three timezones.
The 3085 did give up the quick adjust date function to gain the adjustable hour hand. The date on GMT-Master II models is adjusted by adjusting the local hour hand. The original 16760 was nicknamed the “Fat Lady,” due to the extra thickness required by the movement.
It also had a wider case, bezel, and crown. While the case was larger, it was only 100 meters water-resistant, which has been the standard for the 1:1 Rolex GMT-Master II super clone watches to this day. The 16760 was only available in steel with an Oyster or Jubilee bracelet.
The 16760 was the first GMT-Master model to receive a sapphire crystal, white gold hands, and indices, eventually becoming standard across the entire Rolex lineup. The 16760 had tritium for the lume and was the model that made the Coke bezel iconic, as it was the only colorway available for the reference.
The End of the “Fat Lady,” Introducing the 16710
The 16760 was replaced by the 16710 when the former ceased production in 1988. The new calibre 3185 inside allowed for the same functions as the 3085 but was much slimmer, allowing the 16710 to have the same form factor as the AAA Rolex GMT-Master replica watches and the contemporary Submariner at the time.
Case Comparison
Comparing the two models, the 16760 “Fat Lady” measures 39.14mm wide, excluding the crown, 47.6mm lug-to-lug, and 12.6mm thick. The 16710T (tritium dial) measured 39mm wide, excluding the crown, 47.11mm lug-to-lug, and 12mm thick. Oddly enough, the 16710T is slightly wider, including the crown, measuring 42.19mm wide compared to the 16760’s 42.06mm width, including the crown.
16710 Models and Evolution
The Swiss movements fake Rolex GMT-Master II reference 16710 watches with the “Coke” red and black bezel was produced from 1989 to 2005. Available in stainless steel, this time, the 16710 was available with red and black (16710A), red and blue (16710B), and all-black bezels (16710N), along with both Oyster and Jubilee bracelets.
Dial Variations
The hands and markers were still made of white gold, with the lume being made of tritium from 1989 to 1997, and were demarcated with the T<25 indications at the bottom of the dial. In 1998, Rolex switched the 16710 to Luminova, with the “Swiss Dial” marking at six o’clock.
Some Luminova models made in 1998 still had the T<25 on the dial. Finally, in 2000, the GMT-Master II received Super-LumiNova for the hands and markers, with a “Swiss-made dial” indicated underneath the six o’clock index. Towards the end of the 16710’s production, there was also the introduction of the “Stick Dial.”
Traditionally, the Rolex GMT-Master II replica watches for men had a Roman number two. During the transition period between the 3185 and 3186 movements, Rolex introduced a rare variation where the II was written as two straight lines, hence the nickname.
Bracelet, Crystal, and Case Evolutions
Another evolution that happened over time was the addition of solid end-links in 2000. In 2003, the laser-etched crown logo into the crystal was added, along with the removal of the lug holes with the late Y-series serial numbers.
In 2007, modern plastic certificates and warranty cards were introduced, along with the upgraded caliber 3186 with the Z and M-series serial numbers, which included the upgrade to a Parachrom hairspring.
