probably a black dive watch, second a two-tone sports watch, and third a bi-colored bezel GMT-Master. Well, this year, Rolex combined these three hallmark designs into what has the potential to be a modern classic, the Rolex GMT-Master II 126713GRNR in steel and gold — or as Rolex likes to call it, Rolesor. I know what some of you may be thinking — it’s just another two-tone Rolex. But those of you who have seen it “in the metal” will know what I mean
Before I get too deep, let’s clear the air. There isn’t anything really novel here aside from the gray ceramic used on the bezel. Every other feature of the new GMT-Master II exists in some form in the Rolex catalog, but these releases mark the return of yellow gold — the world’s most popular precious metal — to the GMT-Master collection for the first time since 2018. Also, the specs are exactly the same as the rest of the GMT-Master II lineup. So, if you know Rolex specs, feel free to skip the next paragraph.
The bezel of the new GMT-Master II is solid 18k Yellow gold with a 24-hour Cerachrom insert — we’ll get to this in a minute. The bezel mechanism operates through a ball-bearing mechanism, rotating in both directions with 24 “clicks,” one for each time zone. Every year, I hope Rolex will update this bezel mechanism. While tactility and the sound of the bezel are certainly subjective, I cannot help but be disappointed with the mushy feeling of the bezel action that sounds more like a muffled thump than a click. Out of all the refined details that make Rolex watches feel good, this bezel always disappoints. If we ignore this action, the bezel is genuinely phenomenal. The bi-color insert features a highly polished black ceramic on the top half and a polished gray lower half. Even number graduations are engraved and filled with gold that receives a spectacular frosted finish.
