Rolex GMT Master II 2022 – a luxury object of desire

Some time ago Rolex showed a new collection of watches for this year. Among the many interesting models, the GMT-Master II drew my attention and I will dedicate today’s entry to it. As a matter of interest I will tell you that nowadays it is practically impossible to buy a new watch or even to get on a waiting list, which has basically turned into wishing list. Despite that I managed to order this watch and I do hope I will have sooner than later.

Why Rolex?

For many (including the one writing these words) Rolex is synonymous with luxury watches, advertised by such celebrities as Roger Federer, George Clooney and Tiger Woods. The Swiss brand is best known for its models such as the Submariner, GMT-Master or Yacht-Master. Classic elegance combined with reliability are the hallmarks of this Swiss brand.

The company was founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Neither of them was a watchmaker, and Wilsdorf was not even Swiss. The men were in the business of exporting Hermann Aegler mechanisms to Great Britain. There they put them into domestically produced envelopes and as watches they delivered them to English jewelers. At first, the only marking of the watches was the engraving of the letters W&D inside the mechanism. After three years, the men registered the Rolex trademark and four years later moved the company to Switzerland.

Rolex is known for its many pioneering features, such as its water-resistant case, the date on the dial, and the ability to show the time in two time zones simultaneously. Sir Edmund Hillary wore a watch with the crown on his wrist when he climbed Everest. Rolex has proven itself not only at the highest point on earth, but also at the deepest – in 1960, the timepiece was placed outside the Trieste bathyscaphe at a depth of nearly 11 km and withstood 110 MPa of pressure.

Rolex GMT-Master II

Produced since the early 1980s, the GMT-Master II is one of the favourite models of the brand’s fans, and this time it was shown in a rather unusual version with a crown on the left side. In addition to the traditional hour, minute and second hands, the GMT-Master II is equipped with an arrowhead-shaped pointer that circles the dial in 24 hours, as well as a rotating ring with 24-hour graduations in both directions.

Thanks to the time indication using the traditional hour, minute and second hands, the triangular-tipped 24-hour hand, the bidirectional rotating bezel with 24-hour scale and the Cerachrom ceramic insert, the time can be read simultaneously in two zones on the GMT-Master II watch: either local and reference time, or local and in an alternative time zone. The date, indicated at 9 o’clock, is synchronized with the local time.

“Cyclops eye” is one of the most distinctive and recognizable elements of Rolex watches. “Cyclops eye” magnifies as much as 2.5 times the date stamp on the watch face, making it easier to read the date. Precise timekeeping is the responsibility of the calibre 3285 equipped with a Parachrom hairspring for greater resistance to shock and temperature fluctuations. Its power reserve is up to 70 hours.

The price-tag for this watch is EUR 10,650.