Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date GMT-Master II Mens Watch 116710-BKSO

And to me it’s not hard to see why.  This model introduced a lot of innovations that were long overdue.  First being a clasp that actually felt as though it were not made of tin foil, polished center links, and most importantly, a ceramic bezel.  Ceramic being much harder than stainless steel, its ability to resist scratches was much better than steel and thus the watch looked new even over time.

Now I love Omega, but the truth is that Omega is usually considered as a cheaper alternative to a Rolex, a Hamburger in a land of steaks.

I, however, think that is a reputation that is undeserved, I tend to consider Omega somewhat similarly to a Japanese car company, they take ideas and improve them in a more practical and more affordable package.  Their co-axial movement increased the service intervals of a mechanical watch, their dept ratings are higher, and they have helium escape valves on almost all of their diving watches (even though they may never be needed.)

I, to this day, consider my old Omega Seamaster the most comfortable watch I’ve ever owned.

And now, they’ve come up with something even better than the Rolex offered, and here it is:

Being a limited edition of the fairly new Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean, the bezel takes the idea of the ceramic bezel in the Rolex to a new level.  Using a combination of what they call “Liquidmetal” and ceramic they made this new diving bezel that is supposed to be three times as hard and corrosion resistant as steel.

Yes it is another limited edition to commerate something silly, such as a staff member’s birthday, but I think this idea is ingenious, although its influence may be a little bit too obvious.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer II Mens Watch 16570-WSO

Watch Two: Rolex GMT-II (The New Version)

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date GMT-Master II 116710BKSO

If you look past the shiny or brushed exteriors, differing colors, different fonts, and overall differences in perceived demeanor, you will notice that these two watches are essentially the same. They both have a 24 hour bezel, they both have an independent 4th-hour hand, the dials are essentially the same, the date bubble is in the same place, and if you just look at the core of the watch you would be hard-pressed to find any difference.

So then, you might be asking, why make two different watch models in the first place?

You see while the fundamental core of both watches appear to be the same there is actually only ONE difference between the two watches that makes ALL the difference, and that is in the bezel. In the GMT-II the bezel (the ring around the watch that has the 2-22 numerals on it) can be turned either counterclockwise or clockwise, whereas on the Explorer II the bezel cannot.

Why have they done that?

Well the answer to that is separated by the very extremes of vertical airspace.

If the two watches share anything, it is the fact that they are both purpose-built watches, and while they are very similar, the purposes and intentions as to the use of these watches are very different. It doesn’t make too much of a difference these days since most Rolex models spend their days on some golf course rather than the extremities for which they were originally built, but back in the day Rolex sport watches were built with purposes for purpose-minded individuals. And just like the diving watch pioneer the Sea-Dweller, the GMT-II and the Explorer II were both built with a purpose in mind.

You see the original Rolex GMT was originally designed with pilots in mind. The idea was that the time would be set to Greenwich Mean Time (hence the name GMT) while the bi-directional bezel is turned either clockwise or counterclockwise depending on whether you are traveling westward or eastward through the time zones. The original GMT did not have an independent 4th hour hand. In other words if the time was 10:10 p.m. your 4th hour hand would be pointing toward 22 and that could not be changed. The GMT-II, however, allowed that hand to be independent, so that, in tandem with the bi-directional bezel meant that you could track a total of 3 time zones.

The Explorer II, however, was very different.  Whereas the GMT-II is for pilots, the Explorer II is for adventurers.  The reason why the 24 hour bezel doesn’t turn was because traversing time zones was not the priority in mind for the Rolex Explorer.  The fourth hour hand, furthermore, was never really designed to track another time zone but rather to act as an a.m./p.m. indicator for those in the most polar extremes or darkest of caves where day and night cannot be distinguished simply by looking at the sky.

Whether or not you choose to get the watch for pilots or the watch for adventurers is your call, but either way you can’t go wrong.  They are both solid watches with iconic status.