Glossary: What Is a Watch Escapement?
BQ Glossary Watch Escapement Luxury watches are marvels of engineering and craftsmanship. If you’re interested in learning how these timepieces
The Historic Style of GMT-Master: Pepsi & Root Beer, Batman & Batgirl
In the early 1950s, international travel was becoming more popular thanks to jet airlines. 1955, Rolex and Pan American Airways teamed up to create the first Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master. Originally designed for pilots, it had the unique feature of displaying two time zones at once. A secondary hour hand and bidirectional bezel with a 24-hour scale made it easy for pilots to read the time zone of their destination as well as their original time zone.
As with any Rolex, this watch attracted collectors, so the GMT-Master was quickly popularised amongst world travellers and international business people.
Some of the most coveted models of the GMT-Master are the Pepsi and Root Beer variants. The Pepsi is marked by a blue and red bezel, while the Root Beer variant has a gold bezel and a brown inlay. The Root Beer also features the timeless Jubilee bracelet.
In the 1980s, a new version of the GMT-Master was created. The GMT-Master II boasted the feature of being able to display three time zones and the ability to adjust the secondary hour hand separately. The GMT-Master II also released two of the most sought-after variants of the GMT-Master line: Batman and Batgirl. These GMT-Master II styles are characterised by a blue and black gradient bezel.
