Watch reference library

Rolex GMT-Master II 16710

Produced 1989 to 2007. Discontinued.

The Rolex GMT-Master II 16710 is a 40mm stainless steel watch with the calibre 3185, water resistant to 100 meters, made 1989 to 2007.

Specifications

Case size
40mm, 12mm thick, 48mm lug to lug
Case material
Stainless steel
Bezel
Bidirectional, anodized aluminum 24-hour insert with 120 clicks, in red and blue (Pepsi), black and red (Coke) or all black
Dial
Black, with tritium lume on early dials, then Luminova and Super-LumiNova
Movement
Rolex calibre 3185, automatic, with the calibre 3186 in the last batches
Power reserve
About 50 hours
Water resistance
100 meters
Crystal
Sapphire
Bracelet
Oyster or Jubilee bracelet, with solid end links from about 2000 Part number, lug width and links
Bracelet part
78790, per Rolex's 2008 price list
Lug width
20mm

The story

The GMT-Master began in 1954 as the reference 6542, built after Pan Am asked Rolex for a pilot's watch, and the GMT-Master II line opened with the 16760, the thick-cased watch collectors call the Fat Lady. Fratello describes the Fat Lady as the first GMT-Master II, able to show a third time zone, sold only with the red and black Coke bezel and powered by the calibre 3085.

The 16710 succeeded it in 1989 and stayed in the catalog until 2007. Its 40mm case is slimmer than the Fat Lady's, 12mm thick and 48mm from lug to lug by Fratello's measurements, and it was sold on either an Oyster or a Jubilee bracelet with a choice of three aluminum bezel inserts: red and blue Pepsi, black and red Coke, or all black. Inside is the calibre 3185, the same movement Rolex used in the Explorer II 16570, with the hour hand that jumps in one-hour steps independently of the 24-hour hand. Fratello's specification for the 3185 lists 28,800 vibrations per hour, a 50-hour power reserve, 31 jewels and hacking seconds, and notes that the blue Parachrom hairspring entered the calibre in 2005.

The watch changed quietly over its eighteen years. The dials moved from tritium to Luminova in the late 1990s and to Super-LumiNova around 2000, the end links went from stamped to solid around 2000, and around 2003 the lug holes disappeared and a tiny crown was laser-etched into the crystal. The final batches, with M and Z serials, carry the calibre 3186 with its Parachrom hairspring. Production ended in 2007, and the 116710LN with a ceramic Cerachrom bezel and a Triplock crown took over from 2008.

What to check before you buy

Bezel inserts on this generation swap in minutes, so the colors on the watch today do not prove how it left the factory: Fratello's Robert-Jan Broer bought his Coke new in 2006 and kept Pepsi and black inserts to change at will. Judge an insert on its own merits, since the anodized aluminum fades and scratches with wear, and a softened red is common on older Pepsi inserts.

The details place a 16710 in its run. Drilled lug holes, stamped end links and tritium lume belong to the early watches, while solid end links arrived around 2000 and the lug holes went around 2003. The last watches, with M and Z serials and the calibre 3186, are the ones collectors chase. Fratello's five-digit guide warns that these watches were bought to be worn, so unpolished cases are hard to find; look at the lug bevels and the case flanks for softened edges before paying for a sharp one.

Buying or selling a 16710?

Selling one? Text photos to (605) 521-2821 for an offer within hours, or ask for one below. Moda pays by wire or Zelle within 24 hours of receiving the watch, on its own insured label. Rather sell it yourself? Post it in the Moda watch groups and run the listing through the Post Checker first. Buying one from someone you don't know? Moda's middleman service inspects the watch at Moda HQ and the buyer pays the seller only after approving the condition report. When it ships, it goes fully insured through ShipIFS, the shipping vendor Moda uses for its own watches.

A Serial Check tells you whether this 16710 has been reported stolen and whether its dial and bracelet are the factory originals.

Moda-lytics tracks the live market price of this reference from real wholesale listings.

Moda Watch Club is the Moda group for luxury watches, and Moda Watch Club: 10K & Under covers watches below that line. Both are free to join with a join code.

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Common questions

What years was the GMT-Master II 16710 made?

From 1989 to 2007. It replaced the 16760 Fat Lady and was followed by the ceramic-bezel 116710LN, which Fratello places in the collection from 2008.

Is the 16710 a Pepsi or a Coke?

Either, or neither. Rolex sold the 16710 with three interchangeable aluminum inserts: red and blue (Pepsi), black and red (Coke) and all black. The insert can be changed, so a watch may not wear the insert it was sold with.

What movement is inside the 16710?

The calibre 3185 for most of the run, which Fratello lists at 28,800 vibrations per hour with a 50-hour power reserve and 31 jewels. The last batches, with M and Z serials, carry the calibre 3186 with a Parachrom hairspring.

Can the 16710 track a third time zone?

Yes. The hour hand sets independently in one-hour steps, so the 24-hour hand reads home time, the hour hand reads local time, and the rotating 24-hour bezel gives a third zone.

How is the 16710 different from the 116710LN that replaced it?

The 116710LN kept the 40mm size but added a ceramic Cerachrom bezel, a Triplock crown, thicker lugs and crown guards, a Maxi dial with wider hands, polished center links and an Easylink clasp extension, with the calibre 3186 throughout.

Related references

Sources

The facts on this page come from the brand and from established watch publications.

Specifications summarized from the manufacturer's published information and the watch press. Spot an error? Tell us through the contact form and we will fix it.