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<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''116710BLNR'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''116710BLNR'''</small>


The [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]] is the original Batman. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2013 with a blue-and-black two-tone Cerachrom bezel, the first two-colour ceramic insert the brand had ever shipped. The reference shares its case, movement, and bracelet with the all-black [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] that had preceded it since 2007, and the only real change at launch was the bezel. That one change was enough to make the 116710BLNR the most talked-about steel GMT-Master II of its generation and to drive a secondary-market arc that still defines collector memory of the reference.
The 116710BLNR is the original Batman. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2013 with a blue-and-black two-tone Cerachrom bezel, the first two-colour ceramic insert the brand had ever shipped. Case, movement, and bracelet came straight from the all-black [[Reference:116710LN|116710LN]] that had been in the catalogue since 2007; the bezel was the whole of the change. It was enough to make the Batman the most-discussed steel GMT-Master II of its generation, and the secondary-market run that followed still shapes how collectors read the reference.


The nickname was not Rolex's. The community named it Batman for the DC colour scheme, and the name stuck. Rolex's own "BLNR" code parses as Bleu Noir.
Batman is a collector name, taken from the DC colour scheme, and it stuck. Rolex's own code, BLNR, parses as bleu noir.


<span id="core-facts"></span>
<span id="core-facts"></span>
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== Where it sits in the line ==
== Where it sits in the line ==


The 116710BLNR is a bezel variant of the 116710LN. Same 40mm Super Case, same caliber 3186, same Oyster bracelet, same dial platform. The Batman swaps in a blue-and-black Cerachrom insert and a blue 24-hour hand, and it drops the green "GMT-Master II" signature line that the 116710LN carried.
The 116710BLNR is a bezel variant of the 116710LN, sharing the 40mm Super Case, caliber 3186, Oyster bracelet, and dial platform. What changes is the blue-and-black Cerachrom insert, the blue 24-hour hand, and the deletion of the green "GMT-Master II" signature line the 116710LN carried.


Downstream, the 116710BLNR is replaced by the [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] in 2019. The successor moves to the slimmer 126710-generation case, caliber 3285, and a Jubilee bracelet at launch. Rolex retired the 116710BLNR and the 116710LN at the same Baselworld event.
Rolex replaced it with the [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] in 2019, moving to the slimmer 126710-generation case, caliber 3285, and a Jubilee bracelet at launch. The 116710BLNR and the 116710LN left the catalogue together at that same Baselworld.


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


Production runs from 2013 through 2019. The Fratello and SJX Baselworld 2013 launch-day pieces are the period-press anchors for the debut. Fratello gives the CHF 8,500 launch retail price; period-market figures put the price at roughly EUR 7,250 at launch and around EUR 8,200 at retirement.
Production runs from 2013 through 2019. Fratello's Baselworld 2013 launch-day coverage records CHF 8,500 as the introduction price; period market figures put the reference at roughly EUR 7,250 at launch and around EUR 8,200 by the time Rolex retired it.
 
The secondary market tells a louder story. EUR prices ran from around EUR 8,500 at the start of the discontinuation signal into the EUR 16,000 range as collectors reacted to the Batman's retirement. The premium persisted after production stopped, which is why Phillips was still able to offer a new-old-stock stickered example at the Geneva Watch Auction XIX in May 2024 from the Guido Mondani Collection.


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


The 116710BLNR runs caliber 3186 for its entire life. The movement carries a blue Parachrom hairspring, Paraflex shock protection, and the revised GMT wheel that Rolex used across its Super Case sports references. Power reserve is 48 hours.
Caliber 3186 runs the whole production. It carries a blue Parachrom hairspring, Paraflex shock protection, and the revised GMT wheel Rolex used across its Super Case sports references. Power reserve is 48 hours.


The 3186 is the same calibre that powers the 116710LN, which is what lets collectors treat the Batman and the all-black ceramic GMT as mechanical siblings. It is also the movement that the 126710BLNR moves past in 2019, when caliber 3285 arrives with a 70-hour reserve and the Chronergy escapement.
The same 3186 powers the 116710LN, so the two ceramic-bezel references are mechanically identical and separate only above the dial. Caliber 3285 replaced it on the 126710BLNR in 2019, bringing a 70-hour reserve and the Chronergy escapement.


<span id="dial-map"></span>
<span id="dial-map"></span>
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[[File:Ref 116710BLNR dial-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Blue/black Batman dial|Blue/black Batman dial]]
[[File:Ref 116710BLNR dial-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Blue/black Batman dial|Blue/black Batman dial]]


The 116710BLNR has one dial configuration: glossy black Maxi dial with 18K white-gold markers, Chromalight luminescent plots, and a blue 24-hour hand. The printed text omits the green "GMT-Master II" signature that appears on the 116710LN. Time+Tide's December 2014 long-form review confirms the same dial layout in hand.
A single dial ran the whole production, glossy black in the Maxi layout with 18K white-gold markers, Chromalight plots, and a blue 24-hour hand. The printed text omits the green "GMT-Master II" signature that appears on the 116710LN, which is the fastest way to separate the two in a photograph.


The dial is shared with the 116710LN in every respect other than the 24-hour hand colour and the signature line. That deliberate reuse is part of the Batman's design logic: the bezel is the change, the dial is the pair.
Beyond the hand colour and that signature line, the dial is the 116710LN's, unmodified. Rolex changed the bezel and left everything under the crystal alone.


<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
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[[File:Ref 116710BLNR caseback.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Caseback detail|Caseback detail]]
[[File:Ref 116710BLNR caseback.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Caseback detail|Caseback detail]]


The case is the Super Case generation that Rolex introduced across its sports catalogue from 2005 onward. Compared with the 16710, the crown guards are heavier, the lugs are wider, and the overall wrist presence is thicker. Rolex used 904L steel through this period.
The case is the Super Case generation that Rolex introduced across its sports catalogue from 2005 onward. Compared with the 16710, the crown guards are heavier, the lugs wider, and the watch wears thicker. Rolex used 904L steel through this period.


The bezel is the story. The 116710BLNR introduced Rolex's blue-and-black Cerachrom insert as a single ceramic ring, not two joined pieces. That is the important technical point, because it made the clean colour split possible and set up every later two-colour ceramic GMT. On the wrist the blue shifts with the light; in low light the insert can read almost black.
The bezel is where the reference earns its place. Rolex produced the blue-and-black insert as one ceramic ring rather than joining two halves, and that is the technical point worth holding onto: it gave the colour split its clean edge and set up every later two-colour ceramic GMT. In daylight the blue moves with the angle. In low light the insert reads almost black.


The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops. The crown is the Triplock system shared across Rolex's modern sports references, and the reference carries 100m water resistance.
The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops. The crown is the Triplock system shared across Rolex's modern sports references, and the reference carries 100m water resistance.
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[[File:Ref 116710BLNR bracelet-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Oyster bracelet detail|Oyster bracelet detail]]
[[File:Ref 116710BLNR bracelet-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Oyster bracelet detail|Oyster bracelet detail]]


The 116710BLNR ships exclusively on an Oyster bracelet with solid end links. The Oysterclasp carries the Easylink 5mm comfort extension. Glidelock, the longer micro-adjustment system Rolex uses on the Submariner and Deepsea, does not appear on the GMT-Master II. The Jubilee bracelet does not enter the Batman family until the 126710BLNR in 2019.
The 116710BLNR ships exclusively on an Oyster bracelet with solid end links. The Oysterclasp carries the Easylink 5mm comfort extension. Glidelock, the longer micro-adjustment system Rolex uses on the Submariner and Deepsea, does not appear on the GMT-Master II. The Jubilee reaches the Batman family only with the 126710BLNR in 2019.


Full-set packaging is the Rolex presentation box, the International Guarantee card, and the swing tags. Sotheby's 2019 full-set lot description and Phillips's 2024 stickered new-old-stock lot both confirm the same full-set expectation.
Full-set packaging is the Rolex presentation box, the International Guarantee card, and the swing tags, which is the configuration auction catalogues expect on a complete example.


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


 
The 116710 family carries two published configurations, the all-black 116710LN and the blue-and-black Batman, so the 116710BLNR has no sub-branches inside it. The one grouping collectors do pull out is late production. Full sets with 2019 guarantee-card dates mark the final year of the original Batman and sit right against the 126710BLNR handover; Sotheby's catalogued one of them.
The 116710BLNR is itself the named variant. Where the 116710 family has two published configurations — the all-black 116710LN and the blue-and-black 116710BLNR — the Batman is one of them, not a sub-branch inside it. Late-production full-set examples carrying 2019 guarantee-card dates are a minor collector sub-branch because they mark the final year of original Batman production and sit adjacent to the 126710BLNR transition. Sotheby's 2019 lot is the auction-grade anchor for that sub-branch.


<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 auction record runs deeper than the 116710LN's. Phillips offered a new-old-stock 116710BLNR from the Guido Mondani Collection at the Geneva Watch Auction XIX in May 2024, still stickered five years after discontinuation, with bracelet, guarantee, hang tag, and presentation box intact. Sotheby's had already catalogued a late-production full set dated to 2019 as the reference left the catalogue.


The auction record is stronger than the 116710LN's. Phillips offered a new-old-stock 116710BLNR from the Guido Mondani Collection at the Geneva Watch Auction XIX in May 2024 — a Phillips-condition stickered example five years after discontinuation, with bracelet, guarantee, hang tag, and presentation box intact. Sotheby's had already catalogued a late-production full-set example dated to 2019 as the reference exited production.
Secondary-market pricing has tracked the 116710BLNR against its successor ever since. EUR prices climbed from around EUR 8,500 as discontinuation became likely into the EUR 16,000 range shortly after, and the premium has held.
 
Secondary-market pricing positions the 116710BLNR against its successor 126710BLNR. EUR prices climbed from around EUR 8,500 at the start of the discontinuation signal into the EUR 16,000 range shortly after. The post-discontinuation premium has persisted.
 


== Related references ==
== Related references ==


* [[Reference:116719BLRO|GMT-Master 116719BLRO]] — 2014–2019
* [[Reference:116719BLRO|GMT-Master 116719BLRO]] — 2014–2019
* [[Reference:116710LN|GMT-Master 116710LN]] — First Ceramic (2007–2019)
* [[Reference:116710LN|GMT-Master 116710LN]] — First Steel Ceramic (2007–2019)
* [[Reference:116713LN|GMT-Master 116713LN]] — Two-Tone Ceramic (2006–2019)
* [[Reference:116713LN|GMT-Master 116713LN]] — Two-Tone Ceramic (2006–2019)
* [[Reference:116718LN|GMT-Master 116718LN]] — 2005–2019
* [[Reference:116718LN|GMT-Master 116718LN]] — 2005–2019
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* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/important-watches/reference-116710blnr-gmt-master-ii-batman-a Reference 116710BLNR GMT-Master II 'Batman', circa 2019] — Sotheby's
* [https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/important-watches/reference-116710blnr-gmt-master-ii-batman-a Reference 116710BLNR GMT-Master II 'Batman', circa 2019] — Sotheby's


* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2024/11/in-depth-rolex-gmt-master-ii.html In-Depth: Rolex GMT-Master II Materials and Mechanisms] — JX Su and David Ichim, SJX Watches
* [https://watchesbysjx.com/2024/11/in-depth-rolex-gmt-master-ii.html In-Depth: Rolex GMT-Master II Materials and Mechanisms] — Richard Lee and David Ichim, SJX Watches
* [https://www.everestbands.com/blogs/bezel-barrel/how-did-they-do-that-rolex-s-bi-color-ceramic-bezel-inserts How Did They DO That: Rolex Bi-Color Ceramic Bezel Inserts] — Ed Estlow, Everest Bands
* [https://www.everestbands.com/blogs/bezel-barrel/how-did-they-do-that-rolex-s-bi-color-ceramic-bezel-inserts How Did They DO That: Rolex Bi-Color Ceramic Bezel Inserts] — Ed Estlow, Everest Bands


[[Category:GMT-Master]]
[[Category:GMT-Master]]

Latest revision as of 22:29, 8 August 2026


GMT-Master -> 116710BLNR

The 116710BLNR is the original Batman. Rolex launched it at Baselworld 2013 with a blue-and-black two-tone Cerachrom bezel, the first two-colour ceramic insert the brand had ever shipped. Case, movement, and bracelet came straight from the all-black 116710LN that had been in the catalogue since 2007; the bezel was the whole of the change. It was enough to make the Batman the most-discussed steel GMT-Master II of its generation, and the secondary-market run that followed still shapes how collectors read the reference.

Batman is a collector name, taken from the DC colour scheme, and it stuck. Rolex's own code, BLNR, parses as bleu noir.

First two-tone ceramic bezel
First two-tone ceramic bezel

Core facts

detail value
reference 116710BLNR
family GMT-Master II
production 2013-2019
movement caliber 3186
case 40mm Oystersteel Oyster case, Super Case generation
crystal sapphire with Cyclops
water resistance 100m
bezel two-colour blue-and-black Cerachrom
key identity first Rolex with a two-tone ceramic bezel

Where it sits in the line

The 116710BLNR is a bezel variant of the 116710LN, sharing the 40mm Super Case, caliber 3186, Oyster bracelet, and dial platform. What changes is the blue-and-black Cerachrom insert, the blue 24-hour hand, and the deletion of the green "GMT-Master II" signature line the 116710LN carried.

Rolex replaced it with the 126710BLNR in 2019, moving to the slimmer 126710-generation case, caliber 3285, and a Jubilee bracelet at launch. The 116710BLNR and the 116710LN left the catalogue together at that same Baselworld.

Production outline

Production runs from 2013 through 2019. Fratello's Baselworld 2013 launch-day coverage records CHF 8,500 as the introduction price; period market figures put the reference at roughly EUR 7,250 at launch and around EUR 8,200 by the time Rolex retired it.

Movement notes

Caliber 3186 runs the whole production. It carries a blue Parachrom hairspring, Paraflex shock protection, and the revised GMT wheel Rolex used across its Super Case sports references. Power reserve is 48 hours.

The same 3186 powers the 116710LN, so the two ceramic-bezel references are mechanically identical and separate only above the dial. Caliber 3285 replaced it on the 126710BLNR in 2019, bringing a 70-hour reserve and the Chronergy escapement.

Dial map

Blue/black Batman dial
Blue/black Batman dial

A single dial ran the whole production, glossy black in the Maxi layout with 18K white-gold markers, Chromalight plots, and a blue 24-hour hand. The printed text omits the green "GMT-Master II" signature that appears on the 116710LN, which is the fastest way to separate the two in a photograph.

Beyond the hand colour and that signature line, the dial is the 116710LN's, unmodified. Rolex changed the bezel and left everything under the crystal alone.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Caseback detail
Caseback detail

The case is the Super Case generation that Rolex introduced across its sports catalogue from 2005 onward. Compared with the 16710, the crown guards are heavier, the lugs wider, and the watch wears thicker. Rolex used 904L steel through this period.

The bezel is where the reference earns its place. Rolex produced the blue-and-black insert as one ceramic ring rather than joining two halves, and that is the technical point worth holding onto: it gave the colour split its clean edge and set up every later two-colour ceramic GMT. In daylight the blue moves with the angle. In low light the insert reads almost black.

The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops. The crown is the Triplock system shared across Rolex's modern sports references, and the reference carries 100m water resistance.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Oyster bracelet detail
Oyster bracelet detail

The 116710BLNR ships exclusively on an Oyster bracelet with solid end links. The Oysterclasp carries the Easylink 5mm comfort extension. Glidelock, the longer micro-adjustment system Rolex uses on the Submariner and Deepsea, does not appear on the GMT-Master II. The Jubilee reaches the Batman family only with the 126710BLNR in 2019.

Full-set packaging is the Rolex presentation box, the International Guarantee card, and the swing tags, which is the configuration auction catalogues expect on a complete example.

Special branches

The 116710 family carries two published configurations, the all-black 116710LN and the blue-and-black Batman, so the 116710BLNR has no sub-branches inside it. The one grouping collectors do pull out is late production. Full sets with 2019 guarantee-card dates mark the final year of the original Batman and sit right against the 126710BLNR handover; Sotheby's catalogued one of them.

Historical market and auction record

The auction record runs deeper than the 116710LN's. Phillips offered a new-old-stock 116710BLNR from the Guido Mondani Collection at the Geneva Watch Auction XIX in May 2024, still stickered five years after discontinuation, with bracelet, guarantee, hang tag, and presentation box intact. Sotheby's had already catalogued a late-production full set dated to 2019 as the reference left the catalogue.

Secondary-market pricing has tracked the 116710BLNR against its successor ever since. EUR prices climbed from around EUR 8,500 as discontinuation became likely into the EUR 16,000 range shortly after, and the premium has held.

Related references

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

Sources

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