The last GMT I had was the beautiful PCG from 1963 that I let go in a very ill-advised trade. Prior to that I’d had a GMTIIC and a 16710 from the late nineties, and I have to say that it’s a watch that I like to have in my collection.

I’ve actually yearned for a nice matt-dialled example since letting the last one go. I didn’t really fancy another 1675 as the lack of a quickset date is a major pain, and that left only the first couple of years of the 16750 to go for. (The newer references – starting with the 16760, or Fat Lady, in 1983 – benefitted from an independently adjustable hour hand, thus giving them true GMT functionality. Up until then, though, and including the 16750, the second time zone could only be utilised through bezel adjustment; whilst the 24-hour hand simply mirrored the time shown by the hour and minute hands. Mind you, even that was better than the McQueen!)

The 16750 is a model that was produced from 1981 to 1988, and it introduced the new cal. 3075 movement with a different order for the hand stack and – importantly – a properly quicksetting date; by which I mean, not a semi-quickset achieved via an hour hand that moved in one-hour increments, but quickset date changing through the crown operation. The matt dials were only fitted for a couple of years, so they’re genuinely quite rare in comparison to the gloss dial with WGS indices. The earlier production runs of the gloss dials also had what’s known as the no-date dial (i.e. the word “Date” wasn’t printed on the dial) but this applied to all the matt dials as well.

Despite looking regularly for the right watch over a period of months, I was finding it pretty hard to find anything in the right condition and at the right price. Then, a couple of days ago, I saw that a TZ member had listed just the thing (dating from 1983, and with gorgeous dial & hands and nice fat lugs) and I was frantically PMing him within seconds of having had sight of the listing. It turns out that the watch was previously owned by someone I know and who’s even more fussy than I am (and I’m quite fussy), so I was pretty sure it would be a good watch! It arrived yesterday, and after being somewhat frustrated looking at the package on my desk for a couple of hours I sneaked off to the loo, unpacked it and popped it on my wrist. (The activity in the cubicles either side of mine was a bit disconcerting, but needs must.)

I’ve gone from 1960’s vintages of both GMT and 5513 to 1980’s versions of both, not really meaning to but subconsciously gravitating towards watches that are slightly more robust and wearable. I have to admit that I’m over the moon with this one – it’s as nice a GMT from this era as I’ve ever seen and a perfect partner for my 5513 of similar age.

Just a couple of photos, showing that lovely dial and faded fat font insert…

I’ve bought quite a few DB10s in the past, but last week bought my first Heuerville… a distressed black saddle leather in 20mm that was intended for my Autavia GMT. Stewart had warned me that it was tough to get it on an Autavia due to the thickness, and he wasn’t kidding. In fact I gave up after a few minutes as I didn’t want to risk marking the case.

Anyway, I had a bit of a think and came up with an alternative use for it. It looks great, I think (I know, it’s too dark to see exactly what it looks like ;)).

A few years ago, I seemed to be spending half my time on planes as I managed a series of projects across Europe. Anyone who flies regularly on business will know what a pain in the backside it can be, but I took solace from the fact that I could ogle watches in places like Geneva and Munich (airports, I mean) and occasionally play spot-the-watch on the flights themselves. Anyway, on the second leg of a flight to Ljubljana – that’s in Slovenia, by the way – one day a pretty smart businessman sat next to me and proceeded to read the paper. I couldn’t help but notice his watch, which was a steel and rose gold Datejust Turn-O-Graph with white dial and jubilee bracelet and, from that moment, I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for one. I think they’re beautiful.

The Turn-O-Graph/Thunderbird was first introduced in 1953 and gained its moniker for being the watch provided to the Thunderbird aeronautics squadron of the US Air Force. It’s always received a mixed response as, with its rotating fluted bezel, it’s not quite a dress watch and not quite a sports watch (which is actually precisely what I like about it). That said, there was a host of iterations prior to the current datejust version and some of the vintage models are highly sought-after. Personally, I’ve never liked the older references but that’s not to say that I can’t appreciate them for what they were/are.

So, not long ago I received a heads-up from a member on TZ regarding a Rolex (and other) dealership in Malaga that was having a bit of a clear-out. Fast forward to today, and I received the first watch I’ve bought new from an AD for some time, and the watch I’ve been hankering for since that flight I mentioned earlier. It’s a reference 116264, in stainless steel and white gold. the dial is the blue that Rolex does so well, and there’s more than a hint of red (in the second hand, the model name and the date wheel) that gives it an extra touch of vibrancy. I love the blue with red accents, and the dial changes quite dramatically depending on the way that the light hits it. The photos below show that quite well, I think.

I’m very pleased with it!

Not too long ago I was rejoicing the absence of divers in my now relatively small collection, having just moved on my second Great White in favour of a white gold Zenith Daytona. In fact, in the past I’ve had two of those beauties as well as two of the nicest 5513s that I’ve ever seen, not to mention a near perfect 1680. I suppose I’ve enjoyed something of a love affair with vintage Rolex divers and for some reason I’d decided that it needed to come to an end; in part, I suspect it was because I was a bit uncomfortable having so much money invested in a tool watch (at least, so far as the 1665s were concerned) which then made me worried about wearing them in all but the safest environments.

Anyway the upshot was that I tried to buy back my last 5513, unsuccessfully it transpired, and then set my sights on finding another really good example. At the same time, a TZ-UK member with whom I’d dealt before dropped me an email asking if I’d be prepared to let him have the Daytona and suggesting that I might want – you’ve guessed it – his 5513 in part trade. Well, a long exchange of emails transpired, but finally we got to the position where a deal could be done; yesterday, after a long wait, my 5513 arrived.

This watch dates from 1981, and benefits from a NOS Tropic 19 Superdome crystal as well as a period-correct NOS 93150 bracelet. The dial is perfect, with gorgeous lemon-coloured plots and the hands are absolutely free of any corrosion (the flash makes them look a little bit lighter than the plots but in reality they’re a perfect match in terms of colour). It’s actually a Mark IV maxi dial, for anyone interested. Aside from the serial range being a pointer it’s recognisable by the sans serif font, the size and position of the plots and the relative positioning of the bottom text (and specifically the “=” symbol). It also has a beautifully faded fat font insert, which whilst being a little early to be absolutely correct for the watch gives it an appearance that I think is quite sublime. Aside from that, it has a really fat case and lugs, which means I don’t have to worry too much if it picks up some marks and consequently needs a tart-up at some point in the future.

Anyway, I’ve now reverted to my two non-Rolex dressier watches in the JLC and the GO, and certainly won’t be making the error of moving the 5513 on again in the future. If once is careless and twice is foolhardy, three times would be downright stupidity.