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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolex 16718 GMT-Master II}}
{{#seo:
{{#seo:
|title=Rolex GMT-Master II 16718 — BezelBase
|title=Rolex GMT-Master 16718 (1989–2007) — Production & Dial Guide | BezelBase
|description=The `16718` is the solid yellow-gold GMT-Master II of the `16710` era. It takes the independent GMT-hand system inherited from the `16760` and puts it…
|description=The 16718 is the all-yellow-gold GMT-Master II of 1989 to 2005. Caliber 3185 with rare late cal 3186, four documented dials (black, brown sunburst, white, champagne / silver serti), black or brown ("rootbeer") aluminium bezel, 18K Oyster or Jubilee bracelet.
|keywords=Rolex, 16718, GMT-Master, specifications, reference guide
|keywords=Rolex, 16718, GMT-Master II, yellow gold, caliber 3185, serti dial, rootbeer
|type=article
|image=Ref 16718 hero.webp
|image_alt=18k yellow-gold GMT-Master II
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T03:22:37Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:09:56Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''16718'''</small>


<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] → '''16718'''</small>
The 16718 is the all-gold member of the 16710 generation, the 18K case-and-bracelet sister to the steel [[Reference:16710|16710]] and the two-tone [[Reference:16713|16713]]. Production runs 1989 to approximately 2005, and the 116718LN succeeds it with a ceramic Cerachrom bezel and the 50th-anniversary green dial. Caliber 3185, the 40mm Oyster case, and the flyer-GMT mechanic all carry over from the steel sister. What changes is the metal, and a dial palette weighted toward the evening-dress configurations a Cellini buyer would recognise, alongside the standard sport variants.


[[File:Ref 16718 hero.webp|thumb|right|340px]]
<span id="core-facts"></span>
 
 
The [[Reference:16718|16718]] is the solid yellow-gold GMT-Master II of the [[Reference:16710|16710]] era. It takes the independent GMT-hand system inherited from the [[Reference:16760|16760]] and puts it into a full-gold case, well before the ceramic era rewrote the look of the family. In the current source set it is one of the clearest reminders that precious-metal GMTs are not side notes. They are their own collector lane.


The challenge with the [[Reference:16718|16718]] is not whether it counts as a serious reference. It does. The problem is that the direct market layer is much stronger for black-dial examples than for brown ones, even though the collector literature supports both configurations.
[[File:Ref 16718 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=18k yellow-gold GMT-Master II|18k yellow-gold GMT-Master II]]


<span id="core-facts"></span>
== Core facts ==
== Core facts ==


Line 28: Line 32:
|-
|-
| family
| family
| GMT-Master II
| GMT-Master II (all-yellow-gold variant)
|-
|-
| production
| production
| roughly 1989-2007
| 1989 to approximately 2005. Replaced by the 116718LN at Baselworld 2005 alongside the GMT-Master 50th-anniversary green-dial release. The "2003" reading sometimes cited for end of production is wrong — that date traces to the steel 116710LN launch, not the gold version
|-
|-
| movement
| total examples
| caliber 3185, with late 3186 noted in the Field Manual
| no published Rolex production figure
|-
|-
| case
| case
| 40mm solid yellow-gold Oyster case
| 40mm 18K yellow-gold Oyster with crown guards, 100m water resistance
|-
|-
| crystal
| crystal
| sapphire with Cyclops
| sapphire with Cyclops; laser-etched coronet at 6 o'clock from approximately 2003
|-
|-
| water resistance
| movement
| 100m
| caliber 3185 across most of the run (Nivarox flat hairspring with Breguet overcoil); rare late-production caliber 3186 with Parachrom blue hairspring on end-of-run examples. The 3186 is documented inconsistently for the 16718 specifically — the bulk of the documented record reads cal 3185 throughout
|-
| GMT mechanic
| flyer GMT — independently adjustable local hour hand, 24-hour hand tracks home time independently
|-
| dial generations
| four documented configurations: glossy black, brown sunburst ("rootbeer"), white, champagne / silver serti gem-set with diamond hour markers and ruby accents at 6 / 9. (GMT serti dials use rubies, not the Submariner's sapphires.)
|-
|-
| bezel
| bezel
| black in the surviving market examples, with brown branch support in collector literature
| 24-hour aluminium insert in two factory configurations: black or brown ("rootbeer"). No factory pavé-diamond bezel surfaces in major-house lots — diamond-set bezels on 16718 cases circulate as aftermarket conversions
|-
|-
| key identity
| bracelet
| solid-gold GMT-Master II with stronger black-branch documentation than the current direct brown layer
| 18K Oyster (sport-leaning, more often paired with black-dial) or 18K Jubilee (more often paired with serti and rootbeer). Bracelet codes: 78368 Oyster, 8386 Jubilee — both stamped on the largest centre link
|}
|}


Line 55: Line 65:
== Where it sits in the line ==
== Where it sits in the line ==


The [[Reference:16718|16718]] is the solid-gold partner to the steel [[Reference:16710|16710]] GMT-Master II and the two-tone [[Reference:16713|16713]]. Reading from the gold branch alone, the predecessor is the [[Reference:16758|16758]], which still sat on the old side of the family split with its linked-hand logic. The [[Reference:16718|16718]] replaces that behavior with a separately adjustable 24-hour hand. The later ceramic gold GMTs move the look further toward overt luxury; the [[Reference:16718|16718]] is the gold watch that fully crosses into GMT-Master II behavior while still keeping the classical five-digit case shape.
Within the five-digit GMT-Master II line the 16718 runs in parallel with the all-steel [[Reference:16710|16710]] and the two-tone [[Reference:16713|16713]] Rootbeer, and from 2005 with the ceramic 116718LN that replaced it. What it replaced in turn was the [[Reference:16758|16758]], built from 1979/80 to 1988 on caliber 3075, whose local hour moved only with the 24-hour hand in the synchronized manner of the original GMT-Master line.
 
The gold case-and-bracelet positioning carries over from the 16758. The flyer mechanic and the 1989-onward sapphire-crystal Oyster case with crown guards are new. The next-generation gold GMT is the 116718LN, from 2005, running caliber 3186 under a Cerachrom ceramic bezel with a Maxi dial, Super Case, and solid-centre-link Oyster bracelet.


<span id="production-outline"></span>
<span id="production-outline"></span>
== Production outline ==
== Production outline ==


The broad production frame is stable at 1989–2007, though the branch picture in the direct source set is still incomplete.
Launch year is unanimous at 1989. The 16718 entered the catalog as the gold partner to the new flyer-GMT 16710, retiring the 16758 it succeeded. The end year reads 2005 across editorial coverage and major-house lots, lining up with the Baselworld launch of the 116718LN as the 50th-anniversary green-dial replacement. A "2003" end date sometimes circulates; it traces to the steel 116710LN launch year, since the all-gold 116718LN is a 2005 release.
 
<span id="black-branch"></span>
=== Black branch ===
 
The black dial is the best-supported direct branch among documented examples. Both an early and a later black example sit among surviving examples, which makes the black watch the safest baseline for the article.


<span id="brown-branch"></span>
A case-stamp transition runs c.2002–2003 alongside the steel and two-tone sisters, when the lug holes drop and the laser-etched coronet appears on the sapphire crystal at 6 o'clock. The 16718 follows the same case-revision sequence as the 16710 and 16713, although the gold case stamp is sometimes catalogued without the "T" suffix the steel sister carried.
=== Brown branch ===


The brown branch is supported by Revolution, the Field Manual, and the broader Root Beer family material. The direct corpus does not yet hold a dedicated brown [[Reference:16718|16718]] sale page, so the configuration is documented in collector literature but under-represented in direct-sale evidence.
No total-production figure surfaces in the documented sources. The gold variant is much rarer than the steel 16710, and the run is certainly smaller given the case material, but nobody has put a number on it.
 
What the collector literature actually says is worth pulling forward. Revolution’s two-part GMT-Master II survey treats the brown-dial solid-gold configuration as a period-correct retail option alongside the black version, with bronze-tinted bezel inserts that read warmer than a plain brown. The Field Manual’s gold GMT-Master section places the brown solid-gold watch inside the Root Beer continuity that runs from the 1675/8, through the [[Reference:16758|16758]], into the [[Reference:16718|16718]]. The Sotheby’s Root Beer guide does the same. None of these sources include a [[Reference:16718|16718]]-specific hammer-price chart. They treat the brown branch as genuinely produced and genuinely scarce. The honest line for buyers is that a brown [[Reference:16718|16718]] with period-correct dial, bezel, and hands is documented in the collector record, even when direct-sale examples are sparse, and any watch offered today deserves archive papers and dial-foot photography rather than trust by catalogue claim.


<span id="movement-notes"></span>
<span id="movement-notes"></span>
== Movement notes ==
== Movement notes ==


The movement story is straightforward by late-five-digit Rolex standards. Caliber 3185 ran for most of the production window, with late examples documented on the updated 3186 in the Field Manual, and GMT-Master II independent-hour functionality is present throughout. This is not a watch that needs to be read as a transitional mechanical reference. Its complexity is on the collector-market side, in branch survival, dealer inventory density, and how little of the brown side appears in direct sale material.
Caliber 3185 powers most of the run, carrying over unchanged from the 16710 and 16713. It is a 31-jewel COSC chronometer beating at 28,800 vph with a 50-hour reserve, hacking seconds and a quickset date, a Glucydur balance regulated by four Microstella screws, and Kif Elastor shock protection. Its hairspring is flat Nivarox with a Breguet overcoil; the blue Parachrom arrives later, on caliber 3186. The flyer mechanic with its independently adjustable local hour is the architectural break from the linked-hand 3075 that ran in the 16758.
 
Late-production examples may carry the upgraded caliber 3186 with its Parachrom blue hairspring and the spring-loaded date mechanism that cured the 3185's GMT-hand creep. Where that changeover falls on the 16718 specifically is documented inconsistently, and the bulk of documented examples read cal 3185 throughout the run. A 3186 in a 16718 case is worth checking against the serial before money changes hands.


<span id="dial-map"></span>
<span id="dial-map"></span>
== Dial map ==
== Dial map ==


[[File:Ref 16718 early-black.webp|thumb|right|280px|Early black 16718]]
[[File:Ref 16718 early-black.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Early black 16718|Early black 16718]]
The source set supports two branches, but not equally.


<span id="black-branch-1"></span>
Four documented dial branches across the run.
=== Black branch ===


This is the direct branch. The package holds an early black example and a cleaner later black example, which is enough to write the branch confidently.
<span id="black-glossy-nipple"></span>
=== Glossy black ===


<span id="brown-branch-1"></span>
Black is the standard sport configuration: glossy black lacquer carrying nipple markers in earlier production and applied indices with yellow-gold surrounds later. A nipple marker is a precious-metal cone with a tritium plot at its centre. It pairs most often with the all-black aluminium insert. The black lacquer is the more stable of the two 16718 formulations, and black dials age more cleanly than the brown sunburst.
=== Brown branch ===


The brown branch is supported in the collector literature, particularly in Revolution and the Root Beer family material, but it remains under-imaged and under-observed in direct sale terms. The article names it, explains the context, and states that the current package is stronger on black than on brown.
<span id="brown-sunburst-rootbeer"></span>
=== Brown sunburst ("rootbeer") ===


<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
The signature gold-rootbeer configuration is brown sunburst lacquer with applied yellow-gold nipple markers, paired with the brown-and-cream "rootbeer" insert. The lacquer uses the period formulation that flakes on 16713 and 16753 brown sunburst dials, with the damage concentrated around the circumference of the indexes, so the condition check is the same one. Italian and Middle-Eastern collector demand drove much of the regular 16718 brown market through the 1990s.
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes ==


[[File:Ref 16718 bezel-closeup.webp|thumb|right|280px|Black 24-hour bezel close-up]]
The term "Sundust" belongs to a different surface treatment, the one on modern Everose Daytona, Datejust, and Day-Date production. Applied to a 1989–2005 yellow-gold GMT it reads wrong to collectors, who call this dial brown sunburst or rootbeer.
The case is the expected full-gold five-digit Oyster case with sapphire and a 24-hour aluminum insert. The biggest unresolved issue here is not the case or crystal. It is the branch map. The Field Manual table leans toward a black-bezel LN reading, while Revolution states the watch came in black-dial/black-bezel and brown-dial/bronze-bezel forms. That conflict should stay visible; the article should not pretend the source set has resolved it.


One dial detail deserves more space. Gold GMT-Master II dials use applied hour markers set inside fine gold surrounds, and the surrounds themselves evolved across the run. Early [[Reference:16718|16718]] dials carry the narrower surround style inherited from the [[Reference:16758|16758]], with a more pronounced bevel around each lume plot and a warmer gilt coronet that matches the case colour. Later dials widen the surround slightly and move toward a flatter, more uniform baton geometry. The change is gradual and no clean service-parts catalogue line has been published, but side-by-side images in the Revolution and Sotheby’s Root Beer materials show the two styles clearly enough. A buyer examining a specific [[Reference:16718|16718]] should match the surround style, the coronet tone, and the dial foot printing against the serial range before accepting a late-period attribution, because later service dials occasionally turn up on earlier cases.
<span id="white-dial"></span>
=== White ===


<span id="bracelets-end-links-clasps-and-packaging-notes"></span>
The white dial is a factory configuration on a white ground, with applied indices in yellow-gold surrounds under a yellow-gold coronet, paired with the all-black insert. It surfaces less often than the black or brown branches and has its own following.
== Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes ==


[[File:Ref 16718 gold-oyster.webp|thumb|right|280px|Gold Oyster bracelet]]
<span id="champagne-silver-serti"></span>
The direct black examples among documented examples both show gold Oyster presentation, and the later one adds stronger box-and-papers support. That surviving-market baseline leans Oyster, which is not the same as a universal original-delivery rule for the whole reference; Jubilee fitment existed as a retail option as well.
=== Champagne / silver serti ===


Late-production [[Reference:16718|16718]] examples from roughly 2000 onward are the ones most likely to surface today with a full set. Typical content for a well-kept late gold watch includes the outer card sleeve, the green-and-gold inner presentation box, the punched warranty card with a matching five-digit serial, the product booklets in the appropriate language, the hang tag with its red Rolex seal, and the anchor-crown chronometer swing tag. Earlier [[Reference:16718|16718]] examples more often arrive with card and booklets but without the outer sleeve or the hang tag, simply because owners discarded the outer layer sooner. Full-set late examples command a market premium that auction catalogues consistently name, though the Sotheby’s guide does not publish reference-specific numbers. Buyers chasing strict originality tend to prioritise the punched warranty card over the outer packaging, because the card ties directly to the watch and can be cross-checked against dealer stamps and country of delivery.
The serti is a factory gem-set variant on the standard 16718 architecture, a champagne or silvered ground carrying diamond hour markers and triangular rubies at 6 and 9 in place of the nipple markers and luminous plots. The 16713 and 16718 are the only two GMT references to receive serti dials, and the stones separate a GMT serti from a Submariner serti at a glance: rubies on the GMT, sapphires on the Submariner. Serti 16718s most often turn up on the 18K Jubilee.


<span id="special-branches"></span>
<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown"></span>
== Special branches ==
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==


<span id="black-dial-branch"></span>
[[File:Ref 16718 bezel-closeup.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Black 24-hour bezel close-up|Black 24-hour bezel close-up]]
=== Black-dial branch ===


The strongest direct branch among documented examples and the best current path for a first article illustration.
The case is the standard 40mm Oyster of the 16710 era in 18K yellow gold throughout, mid-case, lugs, bezel ring, crown, and outer bracelet links all gold. A sapphire crystal with Cyclops covers the date on the usual sapphire-era crown-guard architecture, and from approximately 2003 the laser-etched coronet appears at 6 o'clock. Water resistance is 100m.


<span id="brown-branch-2"></span>
The bezel itself is solid 18K yellow gold and the colour comes from the insert, a bidirectional 24-hour aluminium ring in one of two factory finishes, black or brown-and-cream "rootbeer." Pepsi (red and blue) is a steel 16710 option and never reached the gold case.
=== Brown branch ===


Revolution, the Field Manual, and the Sotheby’s Root Beer guide all treat the brown solid-gold [[Reference:16718|16718]] as a period-correct retail configuration with a bronze-tinted bezel insert. Direct sale examples are sparse in auction catalogues but documented in dealer inventory. A certified pre-owned 1993 watch, sold with Rolex CPO papers, lists the brown Root Beer dial alongside the yellow gold case and caliber 3185 movement, and it is the cleanest recent direct-sale anchor for the brown branch.
No factory pavé-diamond bezel for the 16718 surfaces in major-house lots, and no primary catalog or Rolex archive citation supports one. Diamond-set bezels do turn up on 16718 cases, common enough in the gold-watch market to expect, but they circulate as aftermarket conversions rather than factory configurations.


<span id="scarcity-angle"></span>
<span id="bracelets-end-links-and-clasps"></span>
=== Scarcity angle ===
== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==


Collector editorial sources add a useful collector-market point. Slow in-period sales may explain why the reference feels scarcer than many buyers expect today. That is not a production figure, but it is useful collector context.
[[File:Ref 16718 gold-oyster.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Gold Oyster bracelet|Gold Oyster bracelet]]


The broader pattern is consistent with what auction cataloguers report for late-run precious-metal sports Rolexes. Gold GMT-Master II watches sold slowly at retail through the 1990s and early 2000s, and many examples spent their first decade worn only lightly by their original owners before entering the secondary market. The result is twofold. Unpolished gold [[Reference:16718|16718]] examples with sharp lugs and crisp bezel-fitment gaps are easier to find than an equivalent [[Reference:16710|16710]], because there was less wrist time to wear them down. And the total installed base is smaller than the production span suggests, which is why clean examples can disappear from dealer inventories quickly despite a nominally 18-year run. Production numbers have never been published by Rolex, so the scarcity claim remains a market observation rather than an archival fact.
Two factory 18K bracelets fit the 16718. The Oyster 78368 is the three-link, sport-leaning option and turns up most often under black dials. The Jubilee 8386, sometimes with the hidden "Super Jubilee" clasp, is the five-link dress option and pairs most often with serti and rootbeer dials.
 
Clasps are 18K Fliplock Oyster or hidden-crown Jubilee. The bracelet codes date the bracelet and not the watch head, so a clasp dating later than the case points to a swap or a service replacement. Both bracelets run across the whole 1989–2005 window with no clean delivery split by year.


<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
<span id="historical-market-and-auction-record"></span>
== Historical market and auction record ==
== Historical market and auction record ==


The market layer is still direct-sale heavy, but the branch coverage has widened. The early black example gives the package one anchor near the start of the run. The later black example gives a cleaner late-run baseline with packaging support. A certified pre-owned 1994 black-dial [[Reference:16718|16718]] on yellow gold Oyster, caliber 3185, priced at $40,000, anchors the mid-1990s black branch with current retail context. A documented 1988 solid-gold example on Horween leather carries a blue insert, which is unusual enough that the claimed configuration should be read as a data point rather than a normal production branch. A documented 1993 brown Root Beer example with Rolex CPO papers closes the longstanding gap for a direct brown-branch sale anchor. Collector editorial sources frame the watch in the context of gold sports Rolex sales softening through the 1980s and 1990s, which is the broader market reason clean examples are harder to find than the 18-year production span would suggest.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Sale !! Lot !! Year of watch !! Configuration !! Result
|-
| Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XIV || 148 || 2021 || rootbeer dial with brown insert, full Rolex service April 2021, engraved-Rolex caseback intact || not publicly listed
|-
| Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction SEVEN || 956 || 2018 || c.1990 18K yellow gold, early production || not publicly listed
|-
| Sotheby's Watches || — || 2020 || yellow-gold automatic dual time || not publicly listed
|-
| EveryWatch aggregate || Rare Watches lot 207 || — || 1989 champagne dial || not publicly listed
|-
| EveryWatch / Watches Online: The Geneva Edit || — || — || c.1989 (catalog "1985" likely typo) || not publicly listed
|}
 
The 16718 trades on the gold-watch dealer market more than at major auction, and Phillips Geneva XIV lot 148 from 2021 is the strongest single auction-house anchor on the documented record. Standard black or rootbeer examples on the Jubilee sit well above the steel 16710, which the gold content alone accounts for. Serti gem-set examples occupy their own tier above that. Of the two GMT references to carry the factory serti option, the gold one draws the most documented demand.
 
== Related references ==


The main gap has shifted. The article now has direct black and brown-branch anchors and a named retail price point from a large CPO dealer. A Phillips, Sotheby’s, or Christie’s hammered auction result would still strengthen the record, because every current anchor is a retail or CPO listing rather than an auction sale.
* [[Reference:16710|GMT-Master 16710]] — Pepsi, Coke & Black (1989–2007)
* [[Reference:16713|GMT-Master 16713]] — 1989–2007
* [[Reference:16700|GMT-Master 16700]] — 1988–1998
* [[Reference:16760|GMT-Master 16760]] — "Fat Lady", Coke Bezel (1983–1988)
* [[Reference:116718LN|GMT-Master 116718LN]] — 2005–2019
* [[Reference:16750|GMT-Master 16750]] — 1979–1988
 
See also the [[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master family index]], [[Reference:Movements|movement reference]], [[Reference:Bracelets|bracelet & clasp guide]], and [[Reference:Serial-numbers|serial numbers by year]].


== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* The Vintage Rolex Field Manual, Chevalier Edition — unknown, Morning Tundra
 
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/masterstroke-the-gmt-master-part-ii/ Master Stroke — The Rolex GMT-Master: Part II] — Ross Povey, Revolution
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/history-rolex-gmt-master-and-gmt-master-ii-1955-2024-iconic-traveller-watch-in-depth-review/ In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II] (Monochrome)
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/a-concise-guide-to-the-rolex-gmt-root-beer A Closer Look at the Rolex Root Beer] — Christina Bohn, Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-rolex-gmt-master-the-complete-collectors-guide The Rolex GMT-Master: A Complete Collector's Guide] — Stephen Pulvirent (Sotheby's)
* [https://www.vrfm.io/gold-gmt-masters.html The Vintage Solid Gold Rolex GMT Master] — MORNINGTUNDRA, VRFM.io
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/tbt-rolex-gmt-master-16718/ #TBT Rolex GMT Master 16718] (Fratello)
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/16718-rolex-gmt-master-ii 16718 Rolex GMT-Master II] — Erik Gustafson, Hairspring
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/gmt-master/16718 Rolex GMT-Master 16718 reference page] (Watchbase)
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/used-rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-16718-18k-yellow-gold.html Used Rolex GMT-Master II Ref 16718 18k Yellow Gold] — unknown, Bob's Watches
* [https://www.chrono24.com/magazine/golden-boy-with-retro-flair-the-new-rolex-yellow-gold-gmt-master-ii-p_114312/ Golden Boy with Retro Flair: The New Rolex Yellow Gold GMT-Master II] (Chrono24 Magazine)
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-16718-black-dial.html Rolex GMT-Master II ref 16718 Black Dial] — unknown, Bob's Watches
* [https://watchesoff5th.com/blogs/news/closer-look-at-the-discontinued-rolex-gmt-master-ii-in-yellow-gold Closer Look at the Discontinued Rolex GMT-Master II in Yellow Gold] (Watches Off 5th)
* RolexForums 16718 thread bundle — RolexForums community, RolexForums
* [https://www.swisswatchexpo.com/thewatchclub/2024/01/02/rolex-gmt-master-ii-yellow-gold-and-rolesor-yellow-gold-editions/ Rolex GMT-Master II Yellow Gold and Rolesor Yellow Gold Editions]
* [https://www.grayandsons.com/blog/the-history-and-evolution-of-the-rolex-gmt-master-ii/ The History and Evolution of the Rolex GMT-Master II]
* [https://www.grayandsons.com/blog/watch-talk-what-are-rolex-serti-dials/ What Are Rolex Serti Dials?]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/watch-review/5-unforgettable-examples-serti-dial.html 5 Unforgettable Examples of Serti Dials]
* [https://monochrome-watches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-steel-yellow-gold-two-tone-rolesor-126713grnr-hands-on-review-price/ Rolex GMT-Master II 126713GRNR hands-on review] (Monochrome)
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/CH080221/148 Rolex 16718 rootbeer — Phillips Geneva XIV lot 148] (Phillips, 2021)
* [https://www.phillips.com/detail/rolex/HK080218/956 Rolex 16718 c.1990 — Phillips Hong Kong SEVEN lot 956] (Phillips, 2018)
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/watches/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-16718-a-yellow-gold Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 16718 — Sotheby's Watches] (Sotheby's, 2020)
* [https://everywatch.com/rolex/16718/watch-9016154 1989 16718 champagne dial Rare Watches lot 207] (EveryWatch)
* [https://watch.the1916company.com/videos/rolex-gmt-master-ii-jubilee-16718-review Rolex GMT-Master II Jubilee 16718 review]
* [https://www.bernardwatch.com/Rolex/GMT-Master-II/RLX5804 Rolex 16718 champagne Serti dial] (Bernard Watch)
* [https://thekeystone.com/products/rolex-yellow-gold-gmt-master-diamond-ruby-watch-ref-16718 Rolex Yellow Gold GMT-Master Diamond Ruby Ref. 16718] (The Keystone)
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-16718-jubilee-18k-yellow-gold.html Rolex GMT-Master II 16718 Jubilee 18K Yellow Gold]
* [https://www.bobswatches.com/pre-owned-rolex-gmt-master-ii-16718-serti-dial.html Rolex GMT-Master II 16718 Serti Dial]
* [https://www.swisswatchexpo.com/watches/rolex-gmt-master-rootbeer-18k-yellow-gold-vintage-mens-watch-16718-32175/ Rolex GMT-Master Rootbeer 18K Yellow Gold 16718]
* [https://www.jaztime.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-yellow-gold-black-dial-oyster-bracelet-116718ln 116718LN Yellow Gold Black Dial] (Jaztime)
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra


[[Category:GMT-Master]]
[[Category:GMT-Master]]
[[Category:Working Draft]]

Latest revision as of 23:53, 9 August 2026


GMT-Master -> 16718

The 16718 is the all-gold member of the 16710 generation, the 18K case-and-bracelet sister to the steel 16710 and the two-tone 16713. Production runs 1989 to approximately 2005, and the 116718LN succeeds it with a ceramic Cerachrom bezel and the 50th-anniversary green dial. Caliber 3185, the 40mm Oyster case, and the flyer-GMT mechanic all carry over from the steel sister. What changes is the metal, and a dial palette weighted toward the evening-dress configurations a Cellini buyer would recognise, alongside the standard sport variants.

18k yellow-gold GMT-Master II
18k yellow-gold GMT-Master II

Core facts

detail value
reference 16718
family GMT-Master II (all-yellow-gold variant)
production 1989 to approximately 2005. Replaced by the 116718LN at Baselworld 2005 alongside the GMT-Master 50th-anniversary green-dial release. The "2003" reading sometimes cited for end of production is wrong — that date traces to the steel 116710LN launch, not the gold version
total examples no published Rolex production figure
case 40mm 18K yellow-gold Oyster with crown guards, 100m water resistance
crystal sapphire with Cyclops; laser-etched coronet at 6 o'clock from approximately 2003
movement caliber 3185 across most of the run (Nivarox flat hairspring with Breguet overcoil); rare late-production caliber 3186 with Parachrom blue hairspring on end-of-run examples. The 3186 is documented inconsistently for the 16718 specifically — the bulk of the documented record reads cal 3185 throughout
GMT mechanic flyer GMT — independently adjustable local hour hand, 24-hour hand tracks home time independently
dial generations four documented configurations: glossy black, brown sunburst ("rootbeer"), white, champagne / silver serti gem-set with diamond hour markers and ruby accents at 6 / 9. (GMT serti dials use rubies, not the Submariner's sapphires.)
bezel 24-hour aluminium insert in two factory configurations: black or brown ("rootbeer"). No factory pavé-diamond bezel surfaces in major-house lots — diamond-set bezels on 16718 cases circulate as aftermarket conversions
bracelet 18K Oyster (sport-leaning, more often paired with black-dial) or 18K Jubilee (more often paired with serti and rootbeer). Bracelet codes: 78368 Oyster, 8386 Jubilee — both stamped on the largest centre link

Where it sits in the line

Within the five-digit GMT-Master II line the 16718 runs in parallel with the all-steel 16710 and the two-tone 16713 Rootbeer, and from 2005 with the ceramic 116718LN that replaced it. What it replaced in turn was the 16758, built from 1979/80 to 1988 on caliber 3075, whose local hour moved only with the 24-hour hand in the synchronized manner of the original GMT-Master line.

The gold case-and-bracelet positioning carries over from the 16758. The flyer mechanic and the 1989-onward sapphire-crystal Oyster case with crown guards are new. The next-generation gold GMT is the 116718LN, from 2005, running caliber 3186 under a Cerachrom ceramic bezel with a Maxi dial, Super Case, and solid-centre-link Oyster bracelet.

Production outline

Launch year is unanimous at 1989. The 16718 entered the catalog as the gold partner to the new flyer-GMT 16710, retiring the 16758 it succeeded. The end year reads 2005 across editorial coverage and major-house lots, lining up with the Baselworld launch of the 116718LN as the 50th-anniversary green-dial replacement. A "2003" end date sometimes circulates; it traces to the steel 116710LN launch year, since the all-gold 116718LN is a 2005 release.

A case-stamp transition runs c.2002–2003 alongside the steel and two-tone sisters, when the lug holes drop and the laser-etched coronet appears on the sapphire crystal at 6 o'clock. The 16718 follows the same case-revision sequence as the 16710 and 16713, although the gold case stamp is sometimes catalogued without the "T" suffix the steel sister carried.

No total-production figure surfaces in the documented sources. The gold variant is much rarer than the steel 16710, and the run is certainly smaller given the case material, but nobody has put a number on it.

Movement notes

Caliber 3185 powers most of the run, carrying over unchanged from the 16710 and 16713. It is a 31-jewel COSC chronometer beating at 28,800 vph with a 50-hour reserve, hacking seconds and a quickset date, a Glucydur balance regulated by four Microstella screws, and Kif Elastor shock protection. Its hairspring is flat Nivarox with a Breguet overcoil; the blue Parachrom arrives later, on caliber 3186. The flyer mechanic with its independently adjustable local hour is the architectural break from the linked-hand 3075 that ran in the 16758.

Late-production examples may carry the upgraded caliber 3186 with its Parachrom blue hairspring and the spring-loaded date mechanism that cured the 3185's GMT-hand creep. Where that changeover falls on the 16718 specifically is documented inconsistently, and the bulk of documented examples read cal 3185 throughout the run. A 3186 in a 16718 case is worth checking against the serial before money changes hands.

Dial map

Early black 16718
Early black 16718

Four documented dial branches across the run.

Glossy black

Black is the standard sport configuration: glossy black lacquer carrying nipple markers in earlier production and applied indices with yellow-gold surrounds later. A nipple marker is a precious-metal cone with a tritium plot at its centre. It pairs most often with the all-black aluminium insert. The black lacquer is the more stable of the two 16718 formulations, and black dials age more cleanly than the brown sunburst.

Brown sunburst ("rootbeer")

The signature gold-rootbeer configuration is brown sunburst lacquer with applied yellow-gold nipple markers, paired with the brown-and-cream "rootbeer" insert. The lacquer uses the period formulation that flakes on 16713 and 16753 brown sunburst dials, with the damage concentrated around the circumference of the indexes, so the condition check is the same one. Italian and Middle-Eastern collector demand drove much of the regular 16718 brown market through the 1990s.

The term "Sundust" belongs to a different surface treatment, the one on modern Everose Daytona, Datejust, and Day-Date production. Applied to a 1989–2005 yellow-gold GMT it reads wrong to collectors, who call this dial brown sunburst or rootbeer.

White

The white dial is a factory configuration on a white ground, with applied indices in yellow-gold surrounds under a yellow-gold coronet, paired with the all-black insert. It surfaces less often than the black or brown branches and has its own following.

Champagne / silver serti

The serti is a factory gem-set variant on the standard 16718 architecture, a champagne or silvered ground carrying diamond hour markers and triangular rubies at 6 and 9 in place of the nipple markers and luminous plots. The 16713 and 16718 are the only two GMT references to receive serti dials, and the stones separate a GMT serti from a Submariner serti at a glance: rubies on the GMT, sapphires on the Submariner. Serti 16718s most often turn up on the 18K Jubilee.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

Black 24-hour bezel close-up
Black 24-hour bezel close-up

The case is the standard 40mm Oyster of the 16710 era in 18K yellow gold throughout, mid-case, lugs, bezel ring, crown, and outer bracelet links all gold. A sapphire crystal with Cyclops covers the date on the usual sapphire-era crown-guard architecture, and from approximately 2003 the laser-etched coronet appears at 6 o'clock. Water resistance is 100m.

The bezel itself is solid 18K yellow gold and the colour comes from the insert, a bidirectional 24-hour aluminium ring in one of two factory finishes, black or brown-and-cream "rootbeer." Pepsi (red and blue) is a steel 16710 option and never reached the gold case.

No factory pavé-diamond bezel for the 16718 surfaces in major-house lots, and no primary catalog or Rolex archive citation supports one. Diamond-set bezels do turn up on 16718 cases, common enough in the gold-watch market to expect, but they circulate as aftermarket conversions rather than factory configurations.

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

Gold Oyster bracelet
Gold Oyster bracelet

Two factory 18K bracelets fit the 16718. The Oyster 78368 is the three-link, sport-leaning option and turns up most often under black dials. The Jubilee 8386, sometimes with the hidden "Super Jubilee" clasp, is the five-link dress option and pairs most often with serti and rootbeer dials.

Clasps are 18K Fliplock Oyster or hidden-crown Jubilee. The bracelet codes date the bracelet and not the watch head, so a clasp dating later than the case points to a swap or a service replacement. Both bracelets run across the whole 1989–2005 window with no clean delivery split by year.

Historical market and auction record

Sale Lot Year of watch Configuration Result
Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XIV 148 2021 rootbeer dial with brown insert, full Rolex service April 2021, engraved-Rolex caseback intact not publicly listed
Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction SEVEN 956 2018 c.1990 18K yellow gold, early production not publicly listed
Sotheby's Watches — 2020 yellow-gold automatic dual time not publicly listed
EveryWatch aggregate Rare Watches lot 207 — 1989 champagne dial not publicly listed
EveryWatch / Watches Online: The Geneva Edit — — c.1989 (catalog "1985" likely typo) not publicly listed

The 16718 trades on the gold-watch dealer market more than at major auction, and Phillips Geneva XIV lot 148 from 2021 is the strongest single auction-house anchor on the documented record. Standard black or rootbeer examples on the Jubilee sit well above the steel 16710, which the gold content alone accounts for. Serti gem-set examples occupy their own tier above that. Of the two GMT references to carry the factory serti option, the gold one draws the most documented demand.

Related references

See also the GMT-Master family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.

Sources

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