Rolex 16753 GMT-Master 18kt Yellow Gold & Stainless Steel Vintage 1985 Rare ‘8-Million’ with Crisp Black & Gold Unidirectional 24-Hour Bezel, Black Dial with Luminescent Hour Markers and Hands. This Beautiful Dial also Features the Word “DATE” Proceeding OYSTER PERPETUAL. Original automatic winding Rolex Caliber 3075 with 27 jewels, adjusted to temperature and in five positions and is a C.O.S.C. Certified Chronometer. Movement is pristine and running. It has a two-tone 18kt yellow gold and stainless steel 78363 Oyster bracelet with 480 marked endpieces. This is a wonderful vintage GMT is an ‘8-Million’ Serial number dating production to Circa 1985 and will be a proud addition to any lucky buyer’s collection. 

The 40mm diameter solid three-body case, straight hooded lugs, bracelet, and flat bi-directional rotating gold bezel with black inset and  Arabic numeral 24-hour GMT second time zone bezel, are polished. The black dial has luminescent gold round, triangle, and baton hour indices, and luminous yellow gold "Mercedes" Rolex hands, a center sweep seconds hand with a "lollipop" indicator, a fourth gold 24-hour indicator hand with a luminous arrow tip, around a perimeter gold minute/ seconds track. The quickset date aperture is at the 3 o’clock position underneath a Cyclops magnifying lens bubble. It’s water resistant to 100 meters/330 feet, It has a 48-hour power reserve at full winding, and the 12mm thick case, dial, and movement are all signed. 

This Rolex GMT Master Oyster Perpetual Date 16753 has a mechanical automatic self-winding Rolex caliber 3075 movement that’s rhodium-plated, with oeil-de-perdrix embellishment, and a straight-line lever escapement. It’s constructed with 27 jewels, a KIF anti-shock system, a monometallic balance that’s adjusted to temperatures and five positions, and a free-sprung self-compensating Breguet balance spring. It includes Microstella regulating screws and a hacking seconds device for precision time setting. The mechanism oscillates at a frequency of 28,800 vph (4 Hz). 

The Rolex GMT Master Oyster Perpetual Date 16753 was produced from 1981 to 1988. This 8-million 16753 is from circa 1985.

The early 1980s were a time of transition for Rolex as a watchmaker and a cultural symbol. This Rolex GMT-Master 16753 embodies both currents of transition: mechanical and philosophical.

By 1982, the approximate production date of this Rolex GMT-Master 16753, Rolex was beginning to embrace its shift from a supplier of professional implements (the GMT-Master was developed in 1954 for Pan-Am pilots) to a purveyor of status symbols and luxury lifestyle accessory. The two-tone stainless steel and 18-karat yellow gold GMT-Master was the embodiment of this shift.

The 16753’s yellow-gold-and-steel hybrid construction literally split the difference between Rolex’s blue-collar diver/military/explorer heritage and its dawning gilded age. A matte black dial with applied gold indexes sets the tone with reserved upscale ambiance.

The all-black bezel presents a striking contrast to the traditional “root beer” and “Pepsi” two-tone pilot setups, but its chromatic coherence and sharp gold highlights are the perfect match for this Rolex GMT Master’s complementary bezel arrangement.

Rolex seals the black dial with a charming relic of the original GMT-Master: a Plexiglas crystal. The unique distortion effects of the acrylic compound never hinder legibility, but their characteristic warping at extreme angles is a romantic throwback to the mid-century heyday of the GMT in the sky and Rolex Oyster-cased dive watches in the seas below.

Transitional engineering comes to the fore in the Rolex GMT-Master 16753. This family of the first five-digit reference GMT-Masters ran from 1981-1988, and it introduced a number of historic refinements to the line. First, the movement – caliber 3075 – was upgraded from the veteran 1575 to include a convenient quick-set date and a modern beat rate of 28,800 VpH (from 19,800). Second, the Rolex GMT-Master’s Oyster case was revised and upgraded to 100 meters of water resistance from the previous rating of 50 meters.

While the Rolex GMT Master 16753 was available on Jubilee or Oyster bracelets, the example seen here features the sportier and more rugged three-link Oyster model. Two-tone luxury color combinations were a pop culture phenomenon during the 1980s and a major driver of Rolex’s success, and this example uses the power of gold to good effect. Rolex’s deft melding of silver steel, yellow gold, and black as a counterbalance ensure that the GMT-Master 16753 maintains its appeal while other 80s icons have fallen by the wayside. Here is your chance to own a gorgeous, coveted & highly collectible birth-year watch. 

This gorgeous pristine collectors condition Rolex 16753 GMT-Master 18kt Yellow Gold & Stainless Steel Vintage 1985 Rare ‘8-Million’ Series comes with its Rolex box and literature books along with a full two-year extended warranty from date of purchase from our store. 

Reference No.  16753