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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
|image=Ref 16718 hero.webp
|image=Ref 16718 hero.webp
|image_alt=18k yellow-gold GMT-Master II
|image_alt=18k yellow-gold GMT-Master II
|type=article
|type=Article
|og_type=article
|og_type=article
|published_time=2026-04-18T03:22:37Z
|published_time=2026-04-18T03:22:37Z
|modified_time=2026-04-24T16:41:11Z
|modified_time=2026-08-04T00:09:56Z
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
|robots=index,follow,max-image-preview:large
}}
}}


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


The [[Reference:16718|16718]] is the solid yellow-gold GMT-Master II of the [[Reference:16710|16710]] era, produced from 1989 to 2007. It carries the independent 24-hour hand inherited from the [[Reference:16760|16760]] in a full-gold case, predating the ceramic generation that reset the family aesthetic. The five-digit gold GMT-Master II is a collector reference in its own right, not a dress version of the steel watch.
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.
 
Documentation is uneven across the two retail configurations. The black-dial watch is well attested in dealer listings and auction cataloguing. The brown-dial Root Beer configuration is named as period-correct in the major collector references but surfaces less often in direct sale material.


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


[[File:Ref 16718 hero.webp|thumb|right|340px|alt=18k yellow-gold GMT-Master II|18k yellow-gold GMT-Master II]]
[[File:Ref 16718 hero.webp|thumb|right|250px|alt=18k yellow-gold GMT-Master II|18k yellow-gold GMT-Master II]]


== Core facts ==
== Core facts ==
Line 34: 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
|-
| 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
|-
|-
| water resistance
| dial generations
| 100m
| 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 61: 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]] and the two-tone [[Reference:16713|16713]]. Within the gold branch, the direct predecessor is the [[Reference:16758|16758]], which still carried the old linked-hand logic. The 16718 replaces that behavior with a separately adjustable 24-hour hand while keeping the classical five-digit case shape. The later ceramic gold GMTs push the look toward overt luxury. The 16718 carries full GMT-Master II behavior in the classical idiom.
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 ==


Rolex ran the 16718 from 1989 to 2007, an 18-year span carrying the gold GMT from late-1980s retail into the early ceramic era. The black-dial and brown-dial Root Beer configurations ran alongside each other through that window.
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 watch with black 24-hour insert dominates surviving examples and contemporary dealer inventory. Early and late examples are both readily found. The black branch is the default 16718 in the surviving market.
 
<span id="brown-branch"></span>
=== Brown branch ===


The brown Root Beer configuration with bronze-tinted bezel insert is documented across the published collector literature. Ross Povey's two-part GMT-Master II survey for Revolution treats the brown solid-gold watch as a period-correct retail option alongside the black version, and Colin A. White's ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' places the brown 16718 inside the Root Beer continuity that runs from the 1675/8 through the [[Reference:16758|16758]]. Sotheby's Root Beer guide reads the same way. None publish reference-specific hammer prices, and all treat the brown branch as genuinely produced and genuinely scarce.
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.


Direct sale evidence is thinner than for the black watch. A brown 16718 offered today deserves archive papers and dial-foot photography before any catalogue description is taken at face value.
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.


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


Caliber 3185 powered the reference through most of the run, with late examples on the updated 3186 per the Field Manual. The independent 24-hour hand is present throughout. Mechanically there is no transition story to chase. What separates one 16718 from another is branch (black or brown) and how lightly the watch was worn.
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>
Line 90: Line 90:
[[File:Ref 16718 early-black.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Early black 16718|Early black 16718]]
[[File:Ref 16718 early-black.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Early black 16718|Early black 16718]]


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


Black dial with black 24-hour bezel. An early-run and a later-run example cover most of the visual range. Applied hour markers sit inside fine gold surrounds, with a gilt coronet that matches the case colour.
<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 ===


Brown Root Beer dial with bronze-tinted bezel insert, period-correct alongside the black watch across the published literature. It surfaces less often than the black configuration in direct sale material, and a period-correct brown example needs its dial printing and bezel colour cross-checked against catalogued examples.
<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 ==


[[File:Ref 16718 bezel-closeup.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Black 24-hour bezel close-up|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 full-gold five-digit Oyster case with sapphire crystal, Cyclops, and a 24-hour aluminum insert. The bezel branch map is where the sources diverge. The Field Manual table reads the black-bezel LN as the standard fitment, while Povey in Revolution records both a black-dial / black-bezel form and a brown-dial / bronze-bezel form as period-correct. The conflict is unresolved in the published record.
<span id="white-dial"></span>
=== White ===


Gold GMT-Master II dials changed subtly across the run. Early 16718s carry narrower surrounds and a warmer coronet; later dials move toward flatter, broader markers. The shift is gradual, which means dial style has to be matched to the serial range rather than assumed correct on appearance alone.
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.


<span id="bracelets-end-links-clasps-and-packaging-notes"></span>
<span id="champagne-silver-serti"></span>
== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==
=== Champagne / silver serti ===


[[File:Ref 16718 gold-oyster.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Gold Oyster bracelet|Gold Oyster bracelet]]
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.


Surviving black-dial examples skew Oyster on the secondary market, a survival pattern rather than an original-delivery rule. Jubilee fitment existed as a retail option through the run.
<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown"></span>
== Case, bezel, crystal, and crown ==


Full sets surface most often on late-production examples. The punched warranty card carries the most weight for originality because it ties directly to the watch head. Box, hangtag, and outer paper add value but do not authenticate the same way.
[[File:Ref 16718 bezel-closeup.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Black 24-hour bezel close-up|Black 24-hour bezel close-up]]


<span id="special-branches"></span>
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.
== Special branches ==


<span id="black-dial-branch"></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.
=== Black-dial branch ===


Black dial, black 24-hour bezel, gold Oyster bracelet. The dominant surviving configuration and the default visual associated with the reference.
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="brown-branch-2"></span>
<span id="bracelets-end-links-and-clasps"></span>
=== Brown branch ===
== Bracelets, end links, and clasps ==


Povey in Revolution, the Field Manual, and the Sotheby's Root Beer guide treat the brown solid-gold 16718 as a period-correct retail configuration with a bronze-tinted bezel insert. Direct sale examples are sparse in auction catalogues, and the brown branch remains under-documented at hammer.
[[File:Ref 16718 gold-oyster.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Gold Oyster bracelet|Gold Oyster bracelet]]


<span id="scarcity-angle"></span>
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.
=== Scarcity angle ===


Gold GMT-Master II watches sold slowly at retail. Clean 16718s surface more often than the 18-year production window would suggest, and the reference is scarcer on the wrist than the catalog years imply.
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 ==


Both branches of the 16718 are catalogued in the published collector literature, with the black-dial watch carrying the heavier editorial trail. Current direct-market anchors are retail or CPO listings rather than auction results. A hammered Phillips, Sotheby's, or Christie's result would strengthen the record on the brown branch, where collector literature has run ahead of sale documentation for years.
{| 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 ==
 
* [[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 ==
* [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/the-rolex-gmt-master-the-complete-collectors-guide The Rolex GMT-Master: A Complete Collector's Guide] — Stephen Pulvirent (Sotheby's)
* [https://www.fratellowatches.com/tbt-rolex-gmt-master-16718/ #TBT Rolex GMT Master 16718] (Fratello)
* [https://watchbase.com/rolex/gmt-master/16718 Rolex GMT-Master 16718 reference page] (Watchbase)
* [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://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)
* [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
* ''The Vintage Rolex Field Manual'' — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra
* [https://revolutionwatch.com/masterstroke-the-gmt-master-part-ii/ Master Stroke — The Rolex GMT-Master: Part II] — Ross Povey, Revolution
* [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.vrfm.io/gold-gmt-masters.html The Vintage Solid Gold Rolex GMT Master] — MORNINGTUNDRA, VRFM.io
* [https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/16718-rolex-gmt-master-ii 16718 Rolex GMT-Master II] — Erik Gustafson, Hairspring
* [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.bobswatches.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-16718-black-dial.html Rolex GMT-Master II ref 16718 Black Dial] — unknown, Bob's Watches
* RolexForums 16718 thread bundle — RolexForums community, RolexForums


[[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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