Introducing the Rolex GMT Master II Ref. 126720VTNR
By: Aurelio Icasiano III | Posted: April 04, 2022
Let’s get this out of the way: this is the watch that everybody’s talking about. It’s on the social channels, all over the comment sections, and every watch enthusiast who’s seen it has one opinion or another. The reason is simple: Rolex rarely deviates from their standard collections. Maybe they’ll introduce new materials, a new case size, or a small change here and there, but nothing too drastic.
It’s an approach that has worked for them, and it’s one that has also allowed every Rolex to feel like a Rolex. Vintage or modern, you’ll know a Rolex when you wear it on your wrist (or see it on someone else’s). But the left-handed GMT Master II feels like a new watch altogether. Something out of left field, as it were.
What is the Deal?
It’s a left-handed watch, for starters. And for that alone, it already stands out from the entire current Rolex range. Rolex doesn’t typically make left-handed watches. At least, not in the modern age.
The crown is placed on the left, while the date display window and its Cyclops lens sit at the 9 o’clock mark. The first time you look at it—even in person—will be a confusing experience. This is partly because Rolex has played with the familiar for so long that you expect certain details to follow a pattern. Seeing this piece is like looking at a GMT Master II in the mirror but finding that the text still reads the right way. This is a watch that will definitely take some getting used to.
Another thing you’ll notice is the green-and-black ceramic bezel. It’s unique to this GMT Master II, and is the only colorway available for the model.
Otherwise, it does possess the current GMT Master II design cues: 40mm case in Oystersteel, the arrow-tipped hand for the GMT complication, and the dual-colored bezel with a 24-hour scale. It even runs on the same movement—Calibre 3285. Only, it’s been modified to handle the left-side crown and the date display.
And, of course, it still works the same way. The GMT Master II can be used to display two time zones simultaneously. The regular hour hand is used to display the local time, while the independent, arrow-tipped GMT hand is used to keep track of your “home” time.
The GMT hand circles the dial once every 24 hours, following the hour track on the dual-colored bezel. The colors on the bezel are also used to easily indicate night or day in your home time: black for night, and green for day. Additionally, the bezel can be rotated in both directions, and this will let you keep track of a third time zone.
Say, for example, you’ve set the regular time to your current location (let’s use Geneva, for this purpose) and the GMT hand to your home time (New York). But then you also want to find out the time in Casablanca, which is four hours ahead of New York. All you have to do is move the bezel four hours ahead, and you can now keep track of the time in Casablanca.
No matter how different it seems, it’s a travel watch through and through.
What Do We Think?
Again, it’s a left-handed Rolex. It’s going to stand out. Not only does it look different, it will feel different when you pick it up, especially when you’ve handled a regular GMT Master II before
Still, it doesn’t actually matter which wrist you put it on. You don’t have to be left-handed to wear it: you can always put it on your left wrist. Of course, it will take a while to get used to manipulating the crown when you want to adjust the time on the fly. But then you’ll realize the problem our left-handed friends go through. And while only 10-12 percent of all people are left-handed—and not all of them will be wearing Rolexes—this does fill a niche that hasn’t seen a lot of attention from the watchmaking world. (Though Tudor did release the left-handed Pelagos LHD a few years back, so it’s not exactly alone.)
Between the new orientation and the color of the bezel, this is a Rolex that offers an entirely new experience: something that doesn’t happen very often. And just because of how different it is, it will either end up becoming a model that collectors will chase after, or something that will only have a select following. But having just been revealed, we’ll likely have to wait a few more months to find out.
Specifications
| Brand: | Rolex |
| Model Name(s): | GMT Master II |
| Reference: | 126720VTNR |
| Dial: | Black |
| Diameter: | 40mm |
| Case Material: | Oystersteel |
| Movement: | 3285, Manufacture Rolex. Perpetual, self-winding. |
| Water Resistance: | 100m |
| Bracelet Material: | Oyster, in Oystersteel. |
| Limited Edition: | N/A |
Our coverage of the various Watches and Wonders continues into the week of 30 March-5 April 2022. To keep yourself informed of the latest releases at the event on our website.
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