This GMT is in overall great vintage condition consistent with age. The case is in great condition with normal signs of wear. The inside caseback is stamped “16750”. The numbers are clearly visible between the lugs. The blue-back bezel is in great condition with some scratches and normal signs of wear; the colors have remained vibrant. The matte dial is in overall great condition with light patina and some wear around the edge. The lume on the dial has developed patina and aged to a lovely pale yellow color. The hands have developed patina and the lume has been color matched/ relumed to match the color of the lume on the dial. This has a 78360 stainless steel Oyster bracelet with 13 links and 580 end links. Back of Oyster clasp is stamped “H” indicating it is from 1983. The bracelet is in great condition with normal wear and a bit of stretch between the links. The bracelet is in great condition with normal wear.

Rolex produced the GMT Master 16750 for about 7 years from 1981 to 1988. During that time, the watch became available with either a glossy or matte dial. The glossy variant had white gold-trimmed indices, while the matte edition did not. The latter matte variant, like this example is more desirable and gives the watch a distinctly vintage look. This reference is considered transitional because Rolex upgraded the movement, it now has a quick-set date, but kept the matte dial and acrylic crystal like the previous reference 1675. Rolex also used open 6s and 9s in the date, adding to the vintage charm.

This example is in overall lovely condition and has a great look from well preserved bezel to the nicely aged lume that really pops against the matte black dial. We see interest for these matte 16750s increase lately because of the vintage look, but with more modern functionality, the collecting community is waking up to these transitional models. 

This GMT is coming directly from the original owner who managed to keep the box and punched papers. When examining the full kit closely, we can see the hang-tag and green plastic Rolex wallet both have the corresponding serial number on it which is always a nice touch! We also notice on the outside of the box is a little “16750” sticker and black dot next to it indicating the black dial – we love these little details!