https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/t...eft-handed-model-with-a-green-and-black-bezel
DANNY MILTON
MARCH 30, 2022
31
What We Know
Get a load of this! Out of all the models Rolex could've released, with watch enthusiasm and commercial potential soaring at an all-time high, what we have here is…a GMT-Master II for lefties? Nobody but nobody could've predicted this one.
Sure, many of us expected some kind of GMT following last year's reintroduction of steel models with Oyster bracelets. But this one is a double surprise. Shocker number one: The green and black bezel. Shocker number two: The crown protruding from the left side of the case. In watch parlance, this is a "destro," which means it's designed for those who wear their watch on their right wrist.
Other than these two changes, the watch maintains the key tenets of the GMT-Master II. It has a bi-color Cerachrom bezel bezel, cyclops magnified date window, and the option to have either a Jubilee or Oyster bracelet with the EasyLink adjustment system in the clasp.
In order to create this new reference, Rolex was able to maintain the the ref. 3285 – the 4Hz, 70 hour power reserve in-house caliber – in positioning the crown on the left side of the case.
Rolex has not brought this destro GMT into every colorway in the collection. As of now, it only exists in the green and black configuration.
What We Think
This is crazy! Rolex simply doesn't do things like this anymore. In fact, it hardly ever has.
Auction fans will remember that in 2018, during both its Geneva and Hong Kong auctions, Phillips did sell two possibly unique Rolex GMT-Master ref. 6542 models – one in the classic Pepsi configuration, and another in gold with a brown bezel (both without crown guards). But it is highly likely that these were commissioned pieces. In fact, the gold model seems to have been an issued watch.
These two vintage lefties did technically establish a destro precedent (one further bolstered by the existence of left-handed Cellini and Submariner models). So why's it so hard to believe this new GMT exists? Because it feels very unlike modern Rolex to produce such a peculiar watch with such niche appeal. As Jack has written before, only about 10 percent of the human population is left-handed, which is why most watches have the crown on the right – for ease of use by the masses. And yet here we are.
We now have the destro GMT-Master II in our lives. Rolex, which is known for having issues producing (and supplying) enough watches for everyone who wants them, is now appealing to an entirely different subset of buyers who purchase watches that fit on their right wrists. So will the limited audience make these any easier to get a hold of? Time will tell.
The green and black color variation picks up where the now-discontinued solid black bezel model left off. You see, when that watch launched way back in 2007, Rolex was unable to create bicolor bezels out of ceramic. Then they made the BLNR, aka the Batman – a blue and black bezel variant which itself was created because Rolex was unable to make a Pepsi configuration out of ceramic. Now that the Crown has this whole ceramic thing on lock, I think this represents the black and green motif Rolex always wanted.
People are no doubt already calling this the "Sprite" GMT after a range of soda-inspired nicknames in the collection, but Sprite colors are yellow and green. This is black and green, making it more like the "Starbucks" Submariner. Frankly, to my eyes, this looks less like any type of drink and more like the quintessence of Rolex branding.
At the same time, this feels less like something Rolex would do and more of a Tudor move. I guess the ideas and designs between the two companies are coming closer and closer to the center. We need only look to the Tudor Pelagos LHD to see a similar release in recent memory.
So what is this really? It is a wearable 40mm Rolex sport watch in solid stainless steel, but with a very specific design change that happens to be quite democratic – allowing the right-wristed into the fold. What we don't know (yet) with this release being so fresh, is whether a watch like this will push Rolex sport models further into unobtainable territory or if this is so hyper-specific that it starts to calm the un-obtainable mayhem we've seen over the past 5 years.
I happen to have an infatuation with destro watches and think this one will look killer on either the left or right wrist. If enough other fans are like me, it's gonna be tough to come by.
But enough of what I think. What say you? Keep your eyes on HODINKEE as we hope to deliver hands-on coverage of this and the other new Rolex releases soon.
The Basics
Brand: Rolex
Model: Oyster Perpetual GMT Master II
Reference Number: 126720VTNR
Diameter: 40mm
Case Material: Oystersteel
Dial Color: Black
Lume: Chromalight display
Water Resistance: 100m
Strap/Bracelet: Oystersteel bracelet
The Movement
Caliber: 3285
Functions: 24 hour display, second time zone, instantaneous date, stop seconds
Power Reserve: 70 hours
Winding: Mechanical self-winding
Chronometer Certified: Yes
Pricing & Availability
Price: CHF 10,500
Availability: Immediately
Introducing The Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 126720VTNR: A Left-Handed Model With A Green And Black Bezel
Southpaws rejoice as the Crown delivers a destro surprise.
DANNY MILTON
MARCH 30, 2022
31What We Know
Get a load of this! Out of all the models Rolex could've released, with watch enthusiasm and commercial potential soaring at an all-time high, what we have here is…a GMT-Master II for lefties? Nobody but nobody could've predicted this one.
Sure, many of us expected some kind of GMT following last year's reintroduction of steel models with Oyster bracelets. But this one is a double surprise. Shocker number one: The green and black bezel. Shocker number two: The crown protruding from the left side of the case. In watch parlance, this is a "destro," which means it's designed for those who wear their watch on their right wrist.
Other than these two changes, the watch maintains the key tenets of the GMT-Master II. It has a bi-color Cerachrom bezel bezel, cyclops magnified date window, and the option to have either a Jubilee or Oyster bracelet with the EasyLink adjustment system in the clasp.
In order to create this new reference, Rolex was able to maintain the the ref. 3285 – the 4Hz, 70 hour power reserve in-house caliber – in positioning the crown on the left side of the case.
Rolex has not brought this destro GMT into every colorway in the collection. As of now, it only exists in the green and black configuration.
What We Think
This is crazy! Rolex simply doesn't do things like this anymore. In fact, it hardly ever has.
Auction fans will remember that in 2018, during both its Geneva and Hong Kong auctions, Phillips did sell two possibly unique Rolex GMT-Master ref. 6542 models – one in the classic Pepsi configuration, and another in gold with a brown bezel (both without crown guards). But it is highly likely that these were commissioned pieces. In fact, the gold model seems to have been an issued watch.
These two vintage lefties did technically establish a destro precedent (one further bolstered by the existence of left-handed Cellini and Submariner models). So why's it so hard to believe this new GMT exists? Because it feels very unlike modern Rolex to produce such a peculiar watch with such niche appeal. As Jack has written before, only about 10 percent of the human population is left-handed, which is why most watches have the crown on the right – for ease of use by the masses. And yet here we are.
We now have the destro GMT-Master II in our lives. Rolex, which is known for having issues producing (and supplying) enough watches for everyone who wants them, is now appealing to an entirely different subset of buyers who purchase watches that fit on their right wrists. So will the limited audience make these any easier to get a hold of? Time will tell.
The green and black color variation picks up where the now-discontinued solid black bezel model left off. You see, when that watch launched way back in 2007, Rolex was unable to create bicolor bezels out of ceramic. Then they made the BLNR, aka the Batman – a blue and black bezel variant which itself was created because Rolex was unable to make a Pepsi configuration out of ceramic. Now that the Crown has this whole ceramic thing on lock, I think this represents the black and green motif Rolex always wanted.
People are no doubt already calling this the "Sprite" GMT after a range of soda-inspired nicknames in the collection, but Sprite colors are yellow and green. This is black and green, making it more like the "Starbucks" Submariner. Frankly, to my eyes, this looks less like any type of drink and more like the quintessence of Rolex branding.
At the same time, this feels less like something Rolex would do and more of a Tudor move. I guess the ideas and designs between the two companies are coming closer and closer to the center. We need only look to the Tudor Pelagos LHD to see a similar release in recent memory.
So what is this really? It is a wearable 40mm Rolex sport watch in solid stainless steel, but with a very specific design change that happens to be quite democratic – allowing the right-wristed into the fold. What we don't know (yet) with this release being so fresh, is whether a watch like this will push Rolex sport models further into unobtainable territory or if this is so hyper-specific that it starts to calm the un-obtainable mayhem we've seen over the past 5 years.
I happen to have an infatuation with destro watches and think this one will look killer on either the left or right wrist. If enough other fans are like me, it's gonna be tough to come by.
But enough of what I think. What say you? Keep your eyes on HODINKEE as we hope to deliver hands-on coverage of this and the other new Rolex releases soon.
The Basics
Brand: Rolex
Model: Oyster Perpetual GMT Master II
Reference Number: 126720VTNR
Diameter: 40mm
Case Material: Oystersteel
Dial Color: Black
Lume: Chromalight display
Water Resistance: 100m
Strap/Bracelet: Oystersteel bracelet
The Movement
Caliber: 3285
Functions: 24 hour display, second time zone, instantaneous date, stop seconds
Power Reserve: 70 hours
Winding: Mechanical self-winding
Chronometer Certified: Yes
Pricing & Availability
Price: CHF 10,500
Availability: Immediately
