Manufacturer: Rolex Year: Circa 1989 Reference No: 16718 Case No: L253228 Model Name: GMT Master II Material: 18k yellow gold Calibre: Automatic Bracelet/Strap: 18k yellow gold Rolex Jubilee bracelet, 170 mm. maximum length Clasp/Buckle: 18k yellow gold Rolex concealed folding deployant clasp Dimensions: 40 mm. diameter Signed:Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: With Rolex undated Garantie with punched London country code, sales tag, fitted presentation box and outer packaging. Literature: For another example of a yellow gold GMT Master II, please see Collecting Rolex Wristwatches by Oswaldo Patrizzi, page 255.
Catalogue Essay
The all gold GMT Master II reference 16718 was introduced in the late 1980s. The present watch is from the first years of production and has been retained in extraordinary state of preservation. Accompanied with its original guarantee, sales tag and presentation box, the watch is further enhanced with an intriguing monogram to the case back. It is believed the watch is part of an exceedingly small number of watches given as gifts by Hussein bin Talal, the King of Jordan.
Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.
One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.