Reference:116710LN

GMT-Master -> 116710LN

The 116710LN is the watch that moved the steel GMT-Master II into the ceramic era. It replaced the aluminium-bezel 16710 in 2007 with a black Cerachrom insert, a widened Super Case, and the late-run caliber 3186 architecture that had already entered the reference 16710 at the end of its life. For most of its twelve-year run it carried the "Lunette Noire" shorthand that Monochrome used in period press, and the "LN" suffix on the dial signals exactly that.

The Batman followed in 2013 and the ceramic Pepsi 126710BLRO arrived later in a narrower case generation, and the 116710LN spent most of its run in their shadow. Auction-record depth is thin relative to those flanking references, though the watch carries genuine collector substance on its own terms.

Steel GMT, black Cerachrom bezel

Core facts

detail	value
reference	116710LN
family	GMT-Master II
production	2007-2019
movement	caliber 3186
case	40mm Oystersteel Oyster case, Super Case generation
crystal	sapphire with Cyclops
water resistance	100m
bezel	black Cerachrom with platinum-filled numerals
key identity	first steel GMT-Master II with a ceramic bezel

Where it sits in the line

The 116710LN sits between two eras of the steel GMT-Master II. Upstream, it replaces the aluminium-bezel 16710, the long-running neo-vintage reference. Downstream, it is the final single-colour black-ceramic steel GMT-Master II before the 126710 generation arrives with a narrower case, a Jubilee-bracelet option, and caliber 3285. Fratello reads it as the last all-black-bezel steel GMT-Master II, which is the cleanest placement inside the family arc.

A two-tone sibling sits alongside it. Rolex launched the 116713LN a year earlier in 2006 as the first GMT-Master II with a Cerachrom bezel, and the steel-only 116710LN followed in 2007. Both carry the same bezel language and the same movement architecture.

Production outline

Production runs from 2007 through 2019. The 2007 launch is uncontested across the published coverage. The 2019 discontinuation ties to a single Baselworld event. Rolex introduced the Jubilee-bracelet 126710BLNR and simultaneously retired both the 116710LN and the Oyster-bracelet 116710BLNR, a step Monochrome covered in period as part of the 2019 collection rationalisation.

The defining internal date is 2007 itself. Rolex positioned the reference as the first stainless-steel GMT-Master II with a ceramic bezel, and Monochrome's 2013 retrospective records steady early demand from collectors who wanted the Cerachrom update without waiting for the two-colour bezels that came later in the line.

Movement notes

The 116710LN runs caliber 3186 for its entire production life. The movement was already in service at the tail end of the 16710 run, where it arrived as the late upgrade over caliber 3185. Here it is the baseline from day one. The 3186 carries a blue Parachrom hairspring, Paraflex shock protection, and the revised GMT wheel that improved the independent-hour-hand mechanism. Power reserve is 48 hours.

The same 3186 powers the 116710BLNR Batman, which is why collectors group the two ceramic-bezel siblings together at the movement level even when the bezels and dial signatures separate them visually.

Dial map

Black dial with green signature line

The 116710LN has one cataloged dial configuration: glossy black with a green "GMT-Master II" signature line and a green 24-hour hand. The green signature line is the identifying mark. The Batman deletes that line and runs a blue 24-hour hand instead.

The dial carries Chromalight lume from launch. Rolex rolled the blue-emitting Chromalight compound across its Super Case sports references in the late 2000s, and the 116710LN had it from day one. Collectors read Chromalight as the modern dividing line between the 16710's tritium / Luminova / Super-Luminova history and the ceramic generation that followed. Patina is not part of the 116710LN conversation the way it is on a 1998 T<25 16710. Chromalight plots on a 2008 example look the same as on a 2018 example.

Two documented special dials exist. Sotheby's catalogued a 116710LN carrying the Omani Khanjar emblem, dated circa 2010. Bonhams London Watches offered a "Sea King" commission produced around 2014 for UK Ministry of Defence personnel, a 123-piece batch marking the retirement of the Royal Navy's Sea King helicopter fleet. Both are institutional-commission dials rather than Rolex-catalogue variants, and both sit outside the standard black-printed configuration.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Black Cerachrom bezel close-up

Black Cerachrom bezel close-up

Caseback detail

The case is the Super Case generation that rolled across the Rolex sports catalogue from the mid-2000s onward. Compared to the 16710, the lugs are wider, the crown guards heavier, the overall wrist presence more substantial. Fratello dates the Super Case architecture to a 2005-onward programme that the 116710-series inherits in full.

The bezel is the defining feature. Cerachrom is Rolex's ceramic trademark, and the black insert on the 116710LN is the first time it appeared on a steel GMT-Master II. Numerals and markings are recessed into the ceramic and filled with platinum via a PVD process, which is why they stay white and bright after years of wear. The contrast against the 16710 is straightforward. Aluminium inserts faded in UV light and scratched from day-to-day wear. The Cerachrom insert does neither.

The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops over the date. The crown is the Triplock twin-lock system that Rolex uses across its modern sports references, giving the 100m water resistance rating.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Oyster bracelet and clasp

The 116710LN ships on an Oyster bracelet with solid end links. The Oysterclasp carries the Easylink 5mm comfort extension, a tool-free on-wrist micro-adjustment. Glidelock, the longer micro-adjustment system Rolex uses on the Submariner and Sea-Dweller, never reached the GMT-Master II line.

Full-set packaging is Rolex's standard presentation box, the International Guarantee card, and the swing tags. Auction lot descriptions for late-production 116710LN examples set the same full-set expectation as the 116710BLNR.

Special branches

Khanjar dial

The Khanjar is the Omani state emblem, a ceremonial curved dagger printed on selected Rolex dials commissioned by the Omani royal family. The Sotheby's circa-2010 lot places a Khanjar-dial 116710LN inside the reference's early production run and is the strongest institutional-provenance example documented for the reference.

Sea King

The Sea King is a British military commemorative produced around 2014, one of 123 pieces marking the retirement of the Royal Navy's Sea King helicopter fleet. Bonhams London Watches offered one example with an estimate of GBP 20,000 to 25,000. A 123-piece institutional batch this late in the reference's life shows the 116710LN was still drawing meaningful institutional commissions in the mid-2010s.

Historical market and auction record

The auction record is limited but not empty. Phillips catalogued a 116710LN engraved "TO ERIC SO MANY THANKS PAUL 2009" at the Hong Kong Watch Auction XVII, a piece gifted to Eric Clapton by Paul Stewart. The engraving puts a rare celebrity-provenance anchor on a reference whose major-house lot history is otherwise sparse. Sotheby's and Bonhams carry the Khanjar and Sea King institutional-commission examples described above.

Secondary-market pricing since discontinuation sits below the Batman sibling. Fratello's 2021 comparison against the 126710GRNR uses the 116710LN's last-all-black-bezel position to anchor its market identity. Late-production full-set lots at the major auction houses remain scarce, and 2019 final-year examples have so far surfaced primarily through the secondary market rather than catalog auctions.

Sources

• An Early Retrospective – Rolex GMT-Master II Lunette Noire Ceramic — Evan Yeung, Monochrome Watches
• In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II — Monochrome
• Ceramic Bezel close-up of the Rolex GMT-Master II ref. 116710LN — Fratello Watches
• Sunday Morning Showdown: Rolex GMT-Master II 126710GRNR Vs. 116710LN — Fratello Watches
• Fasten Your Seatbelts: Rolex GMT-Master History and Overview of All Major References — Fratello editorial, Fratello Watches
• Test of the Rolex GMT-Master II 116710LN — The Watch Observer editorial, The Watch Observer
• A Long-Term Review of the Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 116710LN — Chrono24 Magazine
• The Forgotten Reference Series: The Rolex GMT-Master II 116710LN — Xupes editorial, Xupes
• Review: The Rolex GMT Master II 116713 LN & 116710 LN — Luxury Tyme
• Rolex GMT-Master II 116710LN Ultimate Buying Guide — Bob's Watches
• Rolex GMT-Master II 116710 Price Overview — WatchCharts
• Rolex 116710LN GMT-Master II engraved to Eric Clapton — Hong Kong Watch Auction XVII — Phillips
• Rolex 116710LN Sea King — Bonhams London Watches — Bonhams
• Reference 116710LN Khanjar GMT-Master II — Important Watches 2024 — Sotheby's