Watch reference library
Rolex GMT-Master II 126710BLRO “Pepsi”
Produced 2018 to 2026. Discontinued.
Specifications
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case material
- Oystersteel
- Bezel
- Bidirectional, blue and red two-color Cerachrom insert with 24-hour graduations
- Dial
- Black
- Movement
- Rolex calibre 3285, automatic
- Power reserve
- About 70 hours
- Water resistance
- 100 meters
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bracelet
- Jubilee bracelet, with an Oyster bracelet option added in 2021
The story
The blue-and-red GMT-Master II bezel is nicknamed Pepsi, a name collectors gave it long before Rolex ever used it, and it goes back to the aluminum-bezel 16710, which was discontinued in 2007. Rolex then spent years working out how to produce a two-color ceramic bezel in one piece, first solving it in 18k white gold with the 116719BLRO in 2014. The steel version collectors had been waiting for finally arrived in 2018 with the 126710BLRO, built around the new-generation calibre 3285 and, unusually for a steel GMT-Master II, offered only on a Jubilee bracelet at launch rather than the Oyster bracelet buyers expected. Rolex restored the Oyster bracelet as an option in 2021, giving buyers a choice between the two for the rest of the reference's run. The calibre 3285 kept the GMT-Master II's true-GMT function, an independently adjustable local hour hand set in one-hour jumps via the crown's second position, so the orange-tipped 24-hour hand can track home time without stopping the running seconds. Rolex discontinued the 126710BLRO, along with the white gold 126719BLRO, at Watches & Wonders in April 2026, closing out the modern ceramic Pepsi's production run without announcing a direct replacement.
What to check before you buy
With the reference now discontinued, every 126710BLRO on the market is a secondary-market watch, there's no ordering a new one through an authorized dealer anymore. Worth checking early whether a given watch is on Jubilee or Oyster, since Jubilee was the only option from 2018 to 2021 and Oyster only followed after; the bracelet doesn't change the reference number, so it comes down to what's actually on the watch in hand. The two-color Cerachrom insert doesn't fade the way the old aluminum Pepsi bezels did, but it can chip at the edge if the watch takes a hard knock, worth a close look under light before buying used. As with other current-generation Rolex sports models, the serial is a random code on the rehaut and isn't useful for dating the watch precisely, so lean on the warranty card or original receipt for that.
Buying or selling a 126710BLRO?
Moda is always buying. Text photos to (605) 521-2821 for a fast offer, or start on the Moda Watches page. Looking for one instead? Post it on the want list and the community and Moda's dealers will hunt for it. For any deal with a stranger, Moda's middleman service inspects the watch before money changes hands. For live market pricing on this reference, Moda-lytics tracks real Rolex sales data.
Common questions
Why is it called "Pepsi"?
The nickname comes from the blue-and-red two-tone bezel, which collectors likened to the soda brand's colors decades before Rolex adopted the name informally itself.
What's the difference between the Jubilee and Oyster bracelet versions?
Same case and reference number, different bracelet only. Jubilee was the sole option when the 126710BLRO launched in 2018; Rolex reintroduced the Oyster bracelet as a second option starting in 2021.
Is the 126710BLRO still being made?
No. Rolex discontinued it, along with the white gold 126719BLRO, at Watches & Wonders in April 2026, and did not announce a replacement red-and-blue bezel model.
Does the ceramic bezel fade like older Pepsi bezels did?
No. The Cerachrom insert resists UV fading, unlike the aluminum bezel on the vintage 16710, which is well known for fading to a pale pink and cream over decades in the sun.
What does "true GMT" mean on this watch?
It means the local hour hand can be set independently, in one-hour jumps via the crown's second position, without stopping the seconds hand, so the 24-hour GMT hand keeps tracking home time while you adjust local time for travel.