Vintage Rolex GMT Ads

Arguably one of the most-classic references of the GMT-Master is the 1675. It has one of the longest production runs in Rolex’s history and has a number of different variations from the stainless steel versions to the bolder two-tone and all gold. When the updated Ref. 1675 was introduced around 1960, Rolex designed an all-new bezel and added crown guards to the case - two significant changes to the model. A few years later in 1967, Rolex ads got a big update of their own, when the famous “If you were…” campaign rolled out and became the dominant advertising style through the early 1970s.

Prior to this well-known layout with black background and white headline in bold Helvetica font, the look of Rolex ads varied tremendously. One of the best Rolex ads of all time, and perhaps the greatest GMT-Master ad, is a prime example. From 1965, it not only shows a large, sprawling image of Pan Am pilot Bernard Lorenz, who appears in other Rolex ads, but it also includes an extra large Pan Am logo. This unique “double-signed” ad also interestingly shows two different GMT-Masters: a Ref. 1675 featured front-and-center and an early Ref. 6542 on navigator Lorenz’s wrist. Although I feel this is the best GMT-Master ad, for its visual elements and copy about the relationship between Rolex and Pan Am, perhaps the most well-known and popular GMT-Master ad is the 1969 “If you were flying the Concorde…” ad. There are actually two versions of this ad with the main difference being the plane in flight versus on the tarmac. It’s important to note these are not the earliest ads to show the Concorde and GMT-Master together. The first ad to pair the two icons was published in 1968 and showcased the 18kt solid gold version - and was in color.

Only two traditional print advertisements have been found showing the Ref. 1675 “Pepsi” GMT in steel - in color. Those ads are from 1970-71 even though by then the matte dial was well into production, yet another example of watch imagery not coinciding with the year of publishing. During this era of vintage Rolex GMT ads, whether it featured the varied styles pre-1967 or black-and-white creative, “If you were…” motif, the themes almost always relate to flight and travel.

Looking at vintage GMT-Master ads aligned perfectly within the border of a frame, is like looking through a window into the past - seeing the history of Rolex, aviation and commercial travel before you.

After the glossy dial GMTs were discontinued around 1967, Rolex released several iterations that featured a matte dial across two references, beginning with the highly-collectible Mark 1, “Long E” dial Ref. 1675 through the early Ref. 16750 models with a quickset date. While the Refs. 1675 and 16750 could be purchased with a black insert, I’ve never found an ad showing a GMT-Master with a black insert, perhaps due to its similarity to the Submariner and a decision by Rolex to make the blue/red “Pepsi” GMT the primary representation of the model.

In these ads showing the matte dial era GMTs, you also start seeing a shift from the ads exclusively highlighting air travel to also including accounts of other ways to see the world, where a watch with another timezone would certainly come in handy. From crossing the Sahara desert, the frozen tundras of Greenland, as well as epic sea voyages, these ads, typically from the 1970s through early 1980s, detail brave accounts from Rolex’s brand ambassadors, a key component to Rolex’s effective marketing.

This era marks a turning point for the GMT Master’s evolution from its travel-specific roots to a tool watch built for anyone needing a reliable way to track multiple times. The outlier ads from this era are the three controversial ads showing a hunter posing with a cape buffalo and rhino. They not only fall outside the typical Rolex advertising fare, but also fall outside the typical 1967-1970 timeframe of these “If you were…” style ads.

Gold versions of the GMT Master have been around as long as its stainless steel counterpart. The most famous of the gold GMT lineage is the solid 18kt gold  “Concorde” GMT Master, distinguished by its straight hour and thin minute hand, somewhat similar to the handset on a Datejust or Day-Date. Its glorious nickname is clearly tied to the advertisements that feature the supersonic airliner that was a symbol of luxury travel. Not only is this particular watch extra-special, but also one specific ad is extra-special. The beautifully colored “If you were flying the Concorde…” ad from 1968, showing the airliner surrounded by a crowd, is the earliest Rolex ad to pair the GMT-Master and Concorde together. The other “gold” GMT-Master is of course the two-tone version, including the popular “Root Beer” GMT. To date, only three ads have been found showing this particular offering, possibly because Rolex deliberately chose to single out and feature the more expensive, all gold rendition.