It was always something of an odd inclusion in the range because as well as providing a stylistic focal point, the two-color bezels also had practical value. The strong contrast told the wearer at a glance whether the additional GMT hour hand was pointing at the nighttime or daytime half of the bezel. More than that, it separated the watch, visually, from the Submariner, with the two looking extremely similar in most other respects.
Still, it was a popular alternative replica orologi tag heuer, so when the GMT-Master hit its half-century in 2005 it became the piece Rolex elected to demonstrate their new Cerachrom alloy. And as they had yet to perfect the process which allowed them to add two colors to it, the anniversary watches all came fitted with solid black bezels.
The ref. 116718LN was the first, an 18k gold model with either black or green dial. 2006 brought us the Rolesor ref. 116713LN, with the all-steel ref. 116710LN finally arriving in 2007.
The paucity of that limited edition obviously left many people disappointed and so other watches sporting dials in ‘Tiffany Blue’ subsequently exploded in popularity as it became the shade of 2021.
Enter the Oyster Perpetual. Rolex released a number of brightly colored versions of the OP in 2023 in a range of sizes, including the debut of a new 41mm model. Taking their cue from the Stella dialed Day-Date’s of the 1970s, the watch became available in lurid shades of green, red and yellow, as well as a pleasing turquoise which wasn’t a million miles away from that of a certain jewelry store’s logo.
All of a sudden the most overlooked watch in Rolex’s collection went stratospheric orologi replica cinesi, taking it from its official asking price of around $5,900 to its current position on the preowned market where you will be lucky to get your hands on one for under $30,000.
The fact the watch had nothing to do with Tiffany’s at all didn’t seem to matter, even though the two entities have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship in the past, from the 1950s to the end of the ’90s. There was no double signature on the dial and the color wasn’t an exact match either. Regardless, you will still see it sold on the secondary market as the Tiffany Oyster Perpetual 41.
But one place you won’t find it is on the Rolex website. By Watches & Wonders 2022 it was gone, having been in production for just two years. As with the 39mm Explorer, why the brand decided to axe this obvious golden goose is a mystery and will likely remain so, and the same with all the red and yellow models which were similarly done away with.
Other combinations followed, with each one garnering its own unofficial nickname from Rolex devotees. The brown and gold version stemming from the end of the ’60s and still selling hotly today has always been dubbed the ‘Root Beer’. Continuing the soda theme patek philippe replica, the fondly remembered black and red mix will forever be the ‘Coke’. And most recently, the first twin shade GMT bezel cast in Rolex’s own Cerachrom ceramic material is known as the ‘Batman’ for its blue and black livery.
However, in a bid to cater to as many buyers as possible, the brand also offered an all-black surround from as far back as the ref. 1675 of 1967. More understated than the colorized versions, this was a watch for the discreet luxury traveler-someone who needed a way to keep tabs on two (or three) time zones at once but who had no desire to show off about it.
