Launched to the public for the first time in 1954, the replica Rolex GMT-Master has experienced countless changes and upgrades throughout the years as Rolex keeps on working to refine and improve its design. The most significant feature of the original GMT-Master was its bright red and blue rotating bezel with 24-hour markings. Even though the GMT-Master’s bezel has been made in a number of different colors and materials all over the years, it has always been the defining features of Rolex’s multi-time zone pilot’s watch.
The very first bezel fitted to the original fake Rolex GMT-Master had an insert made from Bakelite, which had glowing radium numerals set into its plastic-like material. The Bakelite insert was fitted inside a metal bezel ring, which was then held onto the watch with a set of specialized washers that fit under the bezel. Since the bezel was friction-fitted onto the watch, it smoothly rotated bi-directionally, and did not ratchet or click like contemporary GMT-Master references.
The GMT-Master’s bezel insert was replaced by one manufactured from aluminum after just two years of working with Bakelite, due to issues surrounding long-term durability. The aluminum inserts retained their signature red and blue coloration; however they were not set with radium numerals any longer, and consequently did not glow at all. Rolex continued to produce the GMT’s bezel insert from aluminum for roughly half a century thereafter; however some additional colors made appearances on later references, starting with the all-black insert that first made an appearance during the early 1970s.
While the GMT-Master’s bezel insert was produced from aluminum for roughly fifty years, a new mechanism for the function of the bezel was implemented in 1983 with the introduction of the first GMT-Master II. Although structurally very similar to the friction-fitted bezel of the previous GMT-Master watches, the new design employed the use of a small flexible spring that gives access to the bezel to click into place for greater precision when setting it to reference a secondary time zone.
Decades ago, the bezel on the GMT was absolutely redesigned with the release of the reference 116710. Instead of being made from aluminum, which was prone to scratching and fading, the bezel insert on the new generation of GMT-Master replica watches rolex was made from Cerachrom, Rolex’s proprietary ceramic material that is highly scratch resistant and will not fade after prolonged use and sunlight exposure.
Apart from the ceramic insert, the whole structure of the bezel has been redesigned to raise its overall functionality and remedy some of the shortcomings of its predecessors. Instead of depending on particular washers and small flexible springs, the redesigned bezel mounts on a set of four bearings for a smoother feel and greater stability. The variety of different colors and materials that exist for GMT-Master bezels creates a wonderful diversity among the various GMT-Master watches, and adds to the overall excitement and pursuit for collectors.