GMT-Master
9 references catalogued, spanning production starts from 1954–1988.
Commissioned by Pan American World Airways in the mid-1950s so flight crews crossing time zones could read home time at a glance. It invented the dual-time watch. On the original line the hour hand and the 24-hour hand are locked together, so a traveller changes zones by turning the bezel rather than by moving the hands — the limitation the GMT-Master II was built to remove.
Collection history
Generations.
1955–1959
Bakelite bezel
6542. The earliest bezels were bakelite with radium numerals, and were recalled.1959–1980
1675
Crown guards arrive; aluminium bezel inserts replace bakelite.1981–1999
Late
16750 gains a quickset date, 16700 a sapphire crystal. Neither sets the hour hand independently.References
Browse the GMT-Master collection.
Oldest to newest
016542Oystersteel1954–1959021675Oystersteel1959–1980031675/818k Yellow Gold1959–1980041675/3Oystersteel/18k Yellow Gold1970–19800516750Oystersteel1980–1988061675818k Yellow Gold1980–19880716753Root Beer1981–19880816700Oystersteel1988–1999091675/1—Record pending
References without production years are catalogued but do not yet carry a verified production record. Those fields are added as they are confirmed rather than estimated.