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ArmisT, a respected member of the WatchProSite community, shares a compelling modification to his Rolex GMT-Master II 'Pepsi' and 'Batman' watches. His post delves into the aesthetic and practical reasons behind swapping the Jubilee bracelet from his 'Pepsi' to his 'Batman,' and vice versa. This exploration offers valuable insights for collectors considering similar customizations and highlights the evolving options from Rolex.
The Rolex GMT-Master II reference 116710BLNR, known by collectors as the "Batman," introduced a novel blue and black ceramic bezel to the GMT-Master II lineup. This was the first time Rolex combined two distinct colors on a single monobloc Cerachrom bezel, a significant technical achievement. The blue segment represents daylight hours, while the black segment denotes nighttime, aiding in tracking a second or third time zone.
This reference features a 40mm Oystersteel case, housing the automatic Caliber 3186 movement, which provides a power reserve of approximately 48 hours. The watch is fitted with a sapphire crystal with a Cyclops lens over the date display and is water-resistant to 100 meters. The black dial provides a contrasting backdrop for the Chromalight hour markers and hands.
Appealing to collectors interested in modern Rolex innovations and practical travel watches, the 116710BLNR quickly became a highly sought-after model. Its distinctive bezel color combination set it apart from previous GMT-Master II references and established a new aesthetic within the collection, preceding subsequent iterations with similar two-tone ceramic bezels.
Because it’s a commonly-held misconception that Rolex won’t allow ADs to switch the Pepsi bracelet from jubilee to oyster Bc it ends up looking like the white gold GMT master II (even though that one now has a blue dial). That being said, you’ll always get a major 👍🏿 from me for posting a oyster-bracelet GMT masted II.
But you guys all know that Rolex now offers the BLNR (again) and BLRO on both jubilee and oyster now. I had initially asked AD if I’d be able to buy an oyster bracelet alone to switch onto my Pepsi, but he said Rolex hadn’t decided yet if they’d be allowing that. So then he offered me the new BLNR on oyster that came in, and I subsequently asked him to switch bracelets. Since Rolex still got their $ for two watches, I’d be miffed if a bracelet swap wasn’t allowed.
I don’t know what their policy is these days.
Rolex now allows you to buy the extra bracelet so you can switch and have both.
As posted above: Rolex now allows you to buy the extra bracelet so you can switch and have both.
For me there were 2 main points: 1. I never warmed up to the Pepsi on jubilee combo. I always liked the old steel Pepsi’s on the old oysters…which is why i thought it would be tops if there was a modern version of that with ceramic bezel. But when i got it, only jubilee option existed (on steel). So, no-brained when chance to swap came along. 2. I like the Batman on oyster obviously, but I always loved how sophisticated it looked on jubilee. So it was best of both worlds to switch, with added bo
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