1978 Rolex GMT Master (Ref. 1675) Mk. IV

The Rolex GMT is the jet-setting icon of the Rolex sports watch family. Like the Rolex Submariner, the Rolex GMT is sophisticated, rugged, and versatile.

In 1954 Pan Am started using the newly designed Boeing 707 which allowed for Pan Am to fly transcontinentally and is said to have started the commercially available jet age. In the same year, Rolex received a request from Pan Am to create a technical pilots watch which indicated two time zones simultaneously that could be issued by the airline to their crews on long-haul transcontinental international flights.

GMT or UTC stands for Greenwich Mean Time or Coordinated Universal Time which is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. GMT or UTC is the time zone that is required for all aviation planning, weather forecasts, schedules and other paperwork.

The original Rolex GMT Master has a fourth 24-hour hand directly displaying the same time zone as the standard 12-hour hand but on a 24-hour scale. This GMT hand enabled the crews to set the watch to GMT or another time zone, and, using the rotatable 24-hour scale bezel, set to the correct offset thus displaying a second-time-zone on the 24-hour scale.

This specific piece would make a great daily driver for the man always on the go and would make a great addition to an existing collection as Ref. 1675 GMT's are becoming harder to find due to the fact they are becoming highly collectible and sought after among collectors.