Launched in 1955, the GMT-Master witnessed the rapid expansion of intercontinental travel in the latter half of the 20th century. It even became the official watch of Pan American World Airways, the most prominent American international airline at the time. The GMT-Master, a true “tool watch”, evolved continually to offer increasing technical performance. In 1982, Rolex introduced a new movement that allowed the hour hand to be set independently of the other hands. To clearly mark this evolution, the model fitted with the optimized movement was named the GMT-Master II.
Over the years, Rolex presented other colour combinations such as brown and black (2018), and green and black (2022) – on a version with the crown and crown guard on the left side of the case and the date display at 9 o’clock. Its latest innovation is a grey and black Cerachrom insert, unveiled in 2023 on a yellow Rolesor version of the GMT-Master II as well as on a version entirely crafted from 18 ct yellow gold.