The great irony of the GMT Master II (review)
Don’t get me wrong. I love this watch. It’s the proverbial pin up watch that sat nicely against my posters of the Countach and Pam Anderson in the 90’s.
To actually receive it after having to pull some strings (halfway around the world no less) was a dream come true.
The bezel action is incredible. The jubilee bracelet is unmatched. The way it shines in the light, the history and just everything that comes with owning it, the social cachet both good and bad… everything actually lives up to what it always meant to me.
To receive it at a time that was actually meaningful (business success, family success) I am truly blessed.
But herein lies the cruel irony. This watch is a travel watch. It was built for travel but it remains a weekend watch for now and the foreseeable future because were I to bring it to where it should go (Paris, Rome, London, NYC), I’d instantly lose a limb.
So here it shall remain in my relatively safe home city, tracking GMT, and my old motherland’s timezone (+8 UTC) missing out on spinning that bezel, never going out on the adventures it should.
Again don’t get me wrong. I wear this watch almost daily. It is no safe queen. I wear it while doing laundry, going on hikes, up mountains and on boats
It is everything everyone says it is. It just will never travel with me to the places it should go and that’s sad.
To me this is the ultimate tool watch. But the way Rolex has manipulated the market has changed how we can wear these things.
It’s a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️in everything but wearability, not because it wears poorly. But because you simply cannot wear it when travelling.
Do you guys wear your rolex when travelling?
The great irony of the GMT Master II (review)
Yes
No
- Everything about the watch itself
- The cultural cachet
- The fear of losing a limb while travelling
It’s so beautiful. I just cannot wait to get mine. However long it takes..
Great looking watch (even though i prefer the Batman), but way WAY to identifiable here in London, Id never wear it. And that's the sad paradox about a brand that could bring luxury to a wider audience (in the grand scheme of things, compared to unattainable PPs, ALS, etc.) but just ends up shooting itself. At least for me. Im on the list for an Explorer 1, which is rather understated compared to this, and I dont even know how im gonna feel come the time to get out in tee shirt. I inherited a Datejust I dont even wear carefree out and about here. Im constantly aware of it, it just tarnishes the experience. I dont get rid of it because it was passed down, but that's about it.
The ultimate irony? Im pretty sure I could be wearing a 100k Credor or ALS with little to no issue or rational concern of being a potential target. Brand equity thing.
Just get a good insurance and enjoy your GMT around the world!
Just get a good insurance and enjoy your GMT around the world!
What options are there for a direct replacement though? I doubt my connects could get me a new one again.
Great looking watch (even though i prefer the Batman), but way WAY to identifiable here in London, Id never wear it. And that's the sad paradox about a brand that could bring luxury to a wider audience (in the grand scheme of things, compared to unattainable PPs, ALS, etc.) but just ends up shooting itself. At least for me. Im on the list for an Explorer 1, which is rather understated compared to this, and I dont even know how im gonna feel come the time to get out in tee shirt. I inherited a Datejust I dont even wear carefree out and about here. Im constantly aware of it, it just tarnishes the experience. I dont get rid of it because it was passed down, but that's about it.
The ultimate irony? Im pretty sure I could be wearing a 100k Credor or ALS with little to no issue or rational concern of being a potential target. Brand equity thing.
You’re absolutely right! Rolex to my father-in-law was the Apple Watch of its time. A tool for folks that needed to tell time.
Interestingly enough, it was easier for me to get an ALS than this (used of course). Langes don’t hold their value apparently.
I see what you did there. Watches, manual transmission and a Pamela Sue Anderson poster. Things that require using your wrist.
You have a great watch unfortunately highly recognisable,but also highly copied,which means nobody will know if it's real or fake so I'd wear it , obviously don't flaunt it ,I wear my sub all the time even when I go on holiday,all over the USA and other destinations
Hello, sir! BEAUTIFUL ICONIC watch!!!
Unfortunately, you’ve hit precisely upon why I don’t have any Rolex. They’re fantastic watches, but too recognizable. I owned an OP for all of 3 days and then sold it on, because the thought of a muggle approaching me to ask about my watch filled me with utter disgust.
I just returned from a trip to Las Vegas with mine and had zero issues. My advice is don’t be afraid to enjoy travel with it it. Wear long sleeves or a light jacket if you must.
I am just heading to the airport after wrapping up a vacation in Paris. I wore my GMT the entire time. We went to a lot of touristy spots, and rode the Metro. No dramas. I doubt anyone noticed it.
Wear and enjoy it. As you said, travel is precisely what it's for!
Rolex didn’t ‘manipulate’ the market, that’s a myth.
I’ve worn my Explorer II and Batman out and about in London everyday for the past few years. They’ve also accompanied me on trips to different parts of Italy, Zurich, Australia etc, and I’ve been fine. Conversely I was almost robbed for my Speedmaster Pro Moonphase. Flash anything expensive in the wrong part of town and you’re asking for trouble. Yes, anything can go wrong at anytime, anywhere …but be mindful of your surroundings and when you choose to wear/show your watch and it’s far more likely you’ll be fine. Insure the watch and enjoy it.
This sums up everything I feel about this watch. On the list for the Batman…didn’t go for the Pepsi as I have the Tudor BB Pepsi which reinforces the brilliance of a GMT as a travel watch (and which I can travel with). But I do wonder where I would actually wear it…because travel is a problem and I live in South Africa and that means that home is a problem too 🙈🙈🙈
Nice watch!
Looking at the blurry backdrops of your pics felt super familiar- then I realized - hey neighbour!
Yup, a Rolex GMT sticks out a mile away. Or at least 20 feet away 😉
For better or for worse, my pricey watches are sleepers that almost never generate any interest. I even need to explain them to watch collectors! 🤪😂
You’re absolutely right! Rolex to my father-in-law was the Apple Watch of its time. A tool for folks that needed to tell time.
Interestingly enough, it was easier for me to get an ALS than this (used of course). Langes don’t hold their value apparently.
My dad lived his whole life in a tool watch, a Rolex 1016 explorer - he bought with a Spanish banks lifeguard salary. after someone at a pool he swam at stole his first watch an Omega sea master (he was a national team swimmer)
His ultimate tool watch was worn as BC tugboat hand, ski instructor in Austria, and owner of a small boat sales company. It was never considered a luxury watch or jewelry.
Sold it last year for him (he’s now mid 80s) and it astounded both of us what it sold for. I couldn’t afford it and knew even if I could wouldn’t be comfortable wearing a vintage 20k+ watch 🤪. Different world than the one when he bought it!!
Just get a good insurance and enjoy your GMT around the world!
Yeah but insurance won’t help you if you get hit, stabbed, or shot. It’s just the sad world we live in now.
😍
Nice watch!
Looking at the blurry backdrops of your pics felt super familiar- then I realized - hey neighbour!
Yup, a Rolex GMT sticks out a mile away. Or at least 20 feet away 😉
For better or for worse, my pricey watches are sleepers that almost never generate any interest. I even need to explain them to watch collectors! 🤪😂
Hey neighbor! 👋
My dad lived his whole life in a tool watch, a Rolex 1016 explorer - he bought with a Spanish banks lifeguard salary. after someone at a pool he swam at stole his first watch an Omega sea master (he was a national team swimmer)
His ultimate tool watch was worn as BC tugboat hand, ski instructor in Austria, and owner of a small boat sales company. It was never considered a luxury watch or jewelry.
Sold it last year for him (he’s now mid 80s) and it astounded both of us what it sold for. I couldn’t afford it and knew even if I could wouldn’t be comfortable wearing a vintage 20k+ watch 🤪. Different world than the one when he bought it!!
What a guy and what a watch!! Thanks for sharing that awesome story friend.
All the best to your father! What a life he must have lived.
I gave up on the 'travel in fear' issue. I wear my wartches no matter where I go. I just dont act like a victim ..I was wearing one of my pieces the other day (Rolex Daytona) in Seattle and somebody I was with made the comment..In most cases unless you are in situations and you are 'flexing' nobody really pays any attention to what watch I am wearing that day. I usually travel with a minimum ot three watches and my biggest concern is having them stolen out of my room, not off of my person..LOL,,,Buy it , insure it , wear and enjoy it. It's just a watch...JMO
Beautiful watch. I am fortunate enough to own a Batgirl. I loved it from the first time I saw it and long before I could afford it. And then I went to buy one before I could afford it. And I love everything about it. The only Rolex I'll ever own. Not because of availability or cost. There is just no other Rolex that really gets me excited.