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Fact fix: Cerachrom GMT-Master II launch order is 116718LN 2005 -> 116713LN 2006 -> 116710LN 2007
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<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''116710LN'''</small>
<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''116710LN'''</small>


The [[Reference:116710LN|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 in the reference denotes that black-bezel configuration.
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 caliber 3186 architecture that had already reached the last of the 16710s. The "LN" suffix denotes that black-bezel configuration, and Monochrome's period coverage used the full lunette noire as shorthand for the watch.


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.
The Batman followed in 2013, the ceramic Pepsi 126710BLRO later still in a narrower case generation, and the 116710LN spent most of its twelve-year run between the two. Major-house lots are scarce in proportion, which is a thin record for the reference that put the first ceramic bezel on a steel GMT-Master II.


<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 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 last single-colour black-ceramic steel GMT-Master II before the 126710 generation arrives with a narrower case, a Jubilee-bracelet option, and caliber 3285.


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.
Cerachrom reached the GMT-Master II in three steps, starting with the solid yellow-gold [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] in 2005, then the Rolesor [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]] in 2006, then the steel-only 116710LN in 2007. All three use the same bezel construction and the same movement, which is why the precious-metal versions read as material variations rather than separate generations.
 
A two-tone sibling sits alongside it. Cerachrom reached the GMT-Master II in three steps: the solid yellow-gold [[Reference:116718LN|116718LN]] in 2005, the Rolesor [[Reference:116713LN|116713LN]] in 2006, and the steel-only 116710LN in 2007. All three carry the same bezel language and the same movement architecture.


<span id="production-outline"></span>
<span id="production-outline"></span>
== Production outline ==
== 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 [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] and simultaneously retired both the 116710LN and the Oyster-bracelet [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]], a step Monochrome covered in period as part of the 2019 collection rationalisation.
Production runs from 2007 through 2019, and the end comes at a single Baselworld. Rolex introduced the Jubilee-bracelet [[Reference:126710BLNR|126710BLNR]] and retired both the 116710LN and the Oyster-bracelet [[Reference:116710BLNR|116710BLNR]] at the same event, which 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.
Rolex positioned the reference as the first stainless-steel GMT-Master II with a ceramic bezel, and Evan Yeung's 2013 retrospective for Monochrome records steady early demand from collectors who wanted the Cerachrom update without waiting for the two-colour bezels that came later in the line.


<span id="movement-notes"></span>
<span id="movement-notes"></span>
== Movement notes ==
== 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.
Caliber 3186 runs the entire production. It had already entered service at the tail end of the 16710 run as the late upgrade over caliber 3185; on the 116710LN 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.
The same 3186 powers the 116710BLNR Batman, so the two ceramic-bezel siblings are mechanically identical and separate only at the bezel and the dial signature.


<span id="dial-map"></span>
<span id="dial-map"></span>
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[[File:Ref 116710LN dial-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Black dial with green signature line|Black dial with green signature line]]
[[File:Ref 116710LN dial-detail.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Black dial with green signature line|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.
One catalogued dial configuration ran the whole production, glossy black with a green "GMT-Master II" signature line and a green 24-hour hand. That green line is the identifying mark. The Batman deletes it and runs a blue 24-hour hand.


Early examples carry Super-LumiNova; Rolex rolled its blue-emitting Chromalight compound across the Super Case sports references around 2008, and most of the 116710LN run uses it. 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 2010 example look the same as on a 2018 example.
Early examples carry Super-LumiNova; Rolex rolled its blue-emitting Chromalight compound across the Super Case sports references around 2008, and most of the 116710LN run uses it. Collectors read Chromalight as the modern dividing line between the 16710's tritium, Luminova, and 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 2010 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.
Two dials fall outside that standard configuration. Both are institutional commissions rather than Rolex-catalogue variants, the Omani Khanjar and the Royal Navy Sea King.


<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown-notes"></span>
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[[File:Ref 116710LN caseback.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Caseback detail|Caseback detail]]
[[File:Ref 116710LN caseback.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Caseback detail|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 case is the Super Case generation that rolled across the Rolex sports catalogue from the mid-2000s onward. Compared with the 16710 the lugs are wider, the crown guards heavier, and the watch wears more substantially. The architecture traces to a 2005-onward programme that the 116710 series inherits whole.


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.
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 through a PVD process, which is why they stay white and bright after years of wear. Aluminium inserts faded in UV light and scratched from ordinary daily wear. The Cerachrom insert does neither.


The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops over the date. The crown is a Triplock screw-down crown, replacing the earlier Twinlock setup while retaining the 100m water-resistance rating.
The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops over the date. The crown is a Triplock screw-down crown, replacing the earlier Twinlock setup while retaining the 100m water-resistance rating.
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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.
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.
Full-set packaging is Rolex's standard presentation box, the International Guarantee card, and the swing tags, the same expectation auction catalogues apply to the 116710BLNR.


<span id="special-branches"></span>
<span id="special-branches"></span>
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=== Khanjar dial ===
=== 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.
The Khanjar is the Omani state emblem, a ceremonial curved dagger printed on Rolex dials commissioned by the Omani royal family. Sotheby's circa-2010 lot puts a Khanjar-dial 116710LN inside the reference's early production run, and it is the strongest institutional provenance documented for the reference.


<span id="sea-king"></span>
<span id="sea-king"></span>
=== Sea King ===
=== 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.
The Sea King is a British military commemorative produced around 2014 for UK Ministry of Defence personnel, one of 123 pieces marking the retirement of the Royal Navy's Sea King helicopter fleet. Bonhams London Watches offered an example with a GBP 20,000 to 25,000 estimate. A batch that size, that late in the run, shows the 116710LN was still drawing institutional commissions in the mid-2010s.


<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 is thin. 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, which puts a rare celebrity-provenance anchor on a reference whose major-house lot history is otherwise sparse. The Sotheby's Khanjar and the Bonhams Sea King account for most of the rest of it.


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's. Fratello's comparison against the 126710GRNR leans on the 116710LN's position as the last all-black-bezel steel GMT to fix its market identity. Late-production full sets remain scarce at the major houses, and 2019 final-year examples have surfaced mainly through the secondary market rather than catalogue auctions.
 
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.
 


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

Latest revision as of 22:03, 8 August 2026


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 caliber 3186 architecture that had already reached the last of the 16710s. The "LN" suffix denotes that black-bezel configuration, and Monochrome's period coverage used the full lunette noire as shorthand for the watch.

The Batman followed in 2013, the ceramic Pepsi 126710BLRO later still in a narrower case generation, and the 116710LN spent most of its twelve-year run between the two. Major-house lots are scarce in proportion, which is a thin record for the reference that put the first ceramic bezel on a steel GMT-Master II.

Steel GMT, black Cerachrom bezel
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 last single-colour black-ceramic steel GMT-Master II before the 126710 generation arrives with a narrower case, a Jubilee-bracelet option, and caliber 3285.

Cerachrom reached the GMT-Master II in three steps, starting with the solid yellow-gold 116718LN in 2005, then the Rolesor 116713LN in 2006, then the steel-only 116710LN in 2007. All three use the same bezel construction and the same movement, which is why the precious-metal versions read as material variations rather than separate generations.

Production outline

Production runs from 2007 through 2019, and the end comes at a single Baselworld. Rolex introduced the Jubilee-bracelet 126710BLNR and retired both the 116710LN and the Oyster-bracelet 116710BLNR at the same event, which Monochrome covered in period as part of the 2019 collection rationalisation.

Rolex positioned the reference as the first stainless-steel GMT-Master II with a ceramic bezel, and Evan Yeung's 2013 retrospective for Monochrome 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

Caliber 3186 runs the entire production. It had already entered service at the tail end of the 16710 run as the late upgrade over caliber 3185; on the 116710LN 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, so the two ceramic-bezel siblings are mechanically identical and separate only at the bezel and the dial signature.

Dial map

Black dial with green signature line
Black dial with green signature line

One catalogued dial configuration ran the whole production, glossy black with a green "GMT-Master II" signature line and a green 24-hour hand. That green line is the identifying mark. The Batman deletes it and runs a blue 24-hour hand.

Early examples carry Super-LumiNova; Rolex rolled its blue-emitting Chromalight compound across the Super Case sports references around 2008, and most of the 116710LN run uses it. Collectors read Chromalight as the modern dividing line between the 16710's tritium, Luminova, and 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 2010 example look the same as on a 2018 example.

Two dials fall outside that standard configuration. Both are institutional commissions rather than Rolex-catalogue variants, the Omani Khanjar and the Royal Navy Sea King.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown notes

Black Cerachrom bezel close-up
Black Cerachrom bezel close-up
Caseback detail
Caseback detail

The case is the Super Case generation that rolled across the Rolex sports catalogue from the mid-2000s onward. Compared with the 16710 the lugs are wider, the crown guards heavier, and the watch wears more substantially. The architecture traces to a 2005-onward programme that the 116710 series inherits whole.

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 through a PVD process, which is why they stay white and bright after years of wear. Aluminium inserts faded in UV light and scratched from ordinary daily wear. The Cerachrom insert does neither.

The crystal is sapphire with a Cyclops over the date. The crown is a Triplock screw-down crown, replacing the earlier Twinlock setup while retaining the 100m water-resistance rating.

Bracelets, end links, clasps, and packaging notes

Oyster bracelet and clasp
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, the same expectation auction catalogues apply to the 116710BLNR.

Special branches

Khanjar dial

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

Sea King

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

Historical market and auction record

The auction record is thin. 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, which puts a rare celebrity-provenance anchor on a reference whose major-house lot history is otherwise sparse. The Sotheby's Khanjar and the Bonhams Sea King account for most of the rest of it.

Secondary-market pricing since discontinuation sits below the Batman's. Fratello's comparison against the 126710GRNR leans on the 116710LN's position as the last all-black-bezel steel GMT to fix its market identity. Late-production full sets remain scarce at the major houses, and 2019 final-year examples have surfaced mainly through the secondary market rather than catalogue auctions.

Related references

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

Sources

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