First released in in 1954, the GMT-Master reference 6542 was designed for pilots to use in their line of work. With the rise of international travel in the 1940s and 1950s, Rolex initially created the model for Pan Am airlines to track dual time zones. This ingenious design featured an immediately recognizable bakelite bezel with the twenty-four hour radium numerals painted on the underside, made to glow in any weather condition. Bakelite was Rolex's material of choice, due to its low reflectivity and high readability. The additional luminous 24 hour tipped hand allowed the viewer to immediately track a second time zone.

Given that the GMT-Master was created for specific, work-related purposes, most examples were cased in stainless steel. These watches were worn in the most practical sense and made to withstand the elements. Yet, Rolex also manufactured a very limited number of watches cased in yellow gold, and fitted with a brown bakelite bezel. Due to the immense fragility of these watches, it is incredibly rare to find examples fitted with their original bakelite insert. The fact is even more pertinent as most of the bakelite bezels were recalled by Rolex due to their radium content. The original GMT-Master eventually ceased production in 1959.

John Goldberger's Opinion

The watch illustrated in these pages, among the last batch of reference 6542s to be released, is presented in excellent and astounding condition. The bakelite bezel is intact, with hardly any blemishes and the radium is without losses. The brown lacquer dial displays rich tones, and the case is incredibly crisp, with a sharp milled finish to the top of the lugs and a sharp hallmark to the back of the lug.