THE ESSENTIALS

MAKE: ROLEX
MODEL: 1675
YEAR: 1965
BOX/PAPERS: YES/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 40mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC

Don’t get high on your own supply, a wise man once said... In the case of a gilt 1675, however, it’s rather difficult for us here at Falco. The past week, especially, has been incredibly tough, as we’ve had three fantastic examples in—and had to list them all for sale despite Tommy’s deliberate procrastination.

Rolex introduced the GMT-Master line in 1954 with the reference 6542, initially created for airline pilots who needed to track more than one time zone at a time. The 6542 features a 38 mm case and a “Pepsi” Bakelite bezel—a downright gorgeous watch, though not the most practical due to the lack of crown guards and the fragility of the bezel insert.

A few years later, in 1959/60, the reference 1675 was born and remained in production until 1980, introducing numerous changes to the model. Among these variations, gilt-dial 1675s were produced only between 1959 and 1967 and are found in far smaller numbers than their matte counterparts. 

The present example features a “Type C” non-chapter ring dial, in the “Wide Swiss” variation (the "Swiss T<25" is spread over the bottom five minute hashes). The original tritium lume has aged to a wonderful creamy hue, which shows beautiful contrast against the galvanic gilt dial. The case has been polished before but remains strong. The original rivet bracelet shows minimal stretch and wears wonderfully on the wrist. The insert has “ghosted” heavily to a pink and grey hue.

The movement has been freshly serviced and is running at +2 seconds per day, with an amplitude of 285 and a beat error of 0.1 ms. It’s hard to describe how beautiful gilt 1675s are until you try one on: their warmth and depth are simply mesmerising.