Once upon a time, there was a black bezel Rolex GMT Master II 116710LN. At the same time, there was (and still is) in production a black & blue (the batman) Bezel GMT master 116710BLNR. Although similar type of watches, there was one stark difference between them. The Batman always offered the pop of color with blue and black bezel, making it a touch flashy, bold and a louder watch for those who preferred these attributes. The black bezel LN GMT was a subtle and understated offering in the GMT range. From 2014 until 2018, you could buy either of them based on your lifestyle, preference and choice as to whether you prefer a muted version of the GMT or the one with a bit of flash on the bezel having that in-your-face persona.
The Grey, The Blue & The Black
The black Rolex GMT Master II was also the only one with green text on dial and green GMT hand. Since the Black Bezel GMT was discontinued, if you look at the Rolex GMT Masters on offer for the last 6 plus years, there’s a Batman and a Batgirl, which are essentially the same watches with just the difference in the bracelet type, and then there’s a Pepsi with blue and red bezel. While they’re both entirely different watches in any collection and neither replaces the other; you would note that they’re both a bit loud, flashy and bold watches due to the blue bezel and then blue and red bezel, making both of them recognisable with that pop-out character as soon as you see them on any wrist; there was no option in the Rolex GMT range for a somewhat muted GMT Master, like there is in the Rolex Submariner, Sea-Dweller and the Explorer 2.
Yes, there is a Sprite but being a left-handed watch, it’s such a different watch that it may or may not even be an option for the standard right-handed crown watches.
Rolex GMT MASTER II – The Bruce Wayne
With the release of grey bezel GMT in all steel, reference 126710GRNR, we might have had the return of similar offering from Rolex as the all black bezel 116710LN, but this time, with a subtle and mono color combination of black and grey. Yet the green GMT hand and the text on the dial remains as was in the black bezel GMT LN.
Where you had the option from Rolex in the GMT range to buy a variation with a pop of colour with the Pepsi and Batman around, you now also have the option to buy a monochromatic and a bit subtle offering from the brand in the GMT range, this time in Grey and Black.
Bi-Colors Only in the Rolex GMT Master II Lineup
The bi-colored bezel captures the spirit of a GMT watch as it represents the day and night hours. Rolex only came out with the technology and ability to produce bi-color ceramic bezel in 2014, when the Batman was released. With blue-black, red-blue, grey-black, brown-black and green-black bezels, all models in the Rolex GMT Master II line have a bi-color ceramic bezel
For Rolex to go back to all black GMT bezel, it would arguably be a step backwards, not purely from aesthetical perspective, but also from functional perspective. Because now the grey lower half of the bezel, while still understated and subtle, still differentiates between the daytime of the 24 hours versus the black upper half of the GMT bezel to represent the darker time or the night-time of the day.
So, what exactly is the difference in terms of wearability of this grey bezel Rolex GMT Master II vs the Pepsi and the batman?
Wearability and Wrist Experience; Differences?
These are basically identical watches in terms of technical specs and movements inside with the difference only being the bezel color. Is this a small difference? It’s day and night. While there’s no wrong choices with either of them, but if you really wanted a subtle, understated, elegant and yet classy timepiece where when other look at your wrist, they don’t necessarily recognize what it is due to the subtle monochromatic form, yet when you look at your wrist, you know in your heart, you have one of the best watches in the world on, and you enjoy and experience all that the finest watchmaking has to offer, and a masterpiece that took over seven decades for world’s largest watchmaking brand to continuously progress, refine and improve before they could reach this particular form of the GMT-Master. How will you not take pride in owning and wearing a piece like this?
And if you think about it, the subtle grey and black BRUCE WAYNE, while keeping itself understated and monochromatic, is ‘the’ superhero like never before.
The Rolex GMT Master-II Bruce Wayne is available at calibre24.com.au.
Watch our YouTube video review here.
