Reference:16718: Difference between revisions
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<small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''16718'''</small> | <small>[[Reference:gmt-master|GMT-Master]] -> '''16718'''</small> | ||
The [[Reference:16718|16718]] is the all | The [[Reference:16718|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. | ||
<span id="core-facts"></span> | <span id="core-facts"></span> | ||
| Line 65: | Line 65: | ||
== Where it sits in the line == | == Where it sits in the line == | ||
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 | 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 == | ||
Launch year unanimous at 1989 | 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 | 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 | 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 powers most of the run | 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 | 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 97: | Line 95: | ||
=== Glossy black === | === 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. | |||
<span id="brown-sunburst-rootbeer"></span> | <span id="brown-sunburst-rootbeer"></span> | ||
=== Brown sunburst ("rootbeer") === | === Brown sunburst ("rootbeer") === | ||
The signature gold-rootbeer configuration | 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 "Sundust" | 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. | ||
<span id="white-dial"></span> | <span id="white-dial"></span> | ||
=== White === | === 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. | |||
<span id="champagne-silver-serti"></span> | <span id="champagne-silver-serti"></span> | ||
=== Champagne / silver serti === | === 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. | |||
<span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown"></span> | <span id="case-bezel-crystal-and-crown"></span> | ||
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[[File:Ref 16718 bezel-closeup.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Black 24-hour bezel close-up|Black 24-hour bezel close-up]] | [[File:Ref 16718 bezel-closeup.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Black 24-hour bezel close-up|Black 24-hour bezel close-up]] | ||
The case is the standard 40mm Oyster of the 16710 era | 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 is a 24-hour | 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. | |||
<span id="bracelets-end-links-and-clasps"></span> | <span id="bracelets-end-links-and-clasps"></span> | ||
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[[File:Ref 16718 gold-oyster.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Gold Oyster bracelet|Gold Oyster bracelet]] | [[File:Ref 16718 gold-oyster.webp|thumb|right|280px|alt=Gold Oyster bracelet|Gold Oyster bracelet]] | ||
Two factory 18K | 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. | 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> | ||
| Line 156: | Line 152: | ||
|} | |} | ||
The 16718 trades on the gold-watch dealer market more than at major auction | 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 == | == Related references == | ||
Revision as of 22:21, 8 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.
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
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
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
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
- GMT-Master 16710 — Pepsi, Coke & Black (1989–2007)
- GMT-Master 16713 — 1989–2007
- GMT-Master 16700 — 1988–1998
- GMT-Master 16760 — "Fat Lady", Coke Bezel (1983–1988)
- GMT-Master 116718LN — 2005–2019
- GMT-Master 16750 — 1979–1988
See also the GMT-Master family index, movement reference, bracelet & clasp guide, and serial numbers by year.
Sources
- In-Depth: The History of the Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II (Monochrome)
- The Rolex GMT-Master: A Complete Collector's Guide — Stephen Pulvirent (Sotheby's)
- #TBT Rolex GMT Master 16718 (Fratello)
- Rolex GMT-Master 16718 reference page (Watchbase)
- Golden Boy with Retro Flair: The New Rolex Yellow Gold GMT-Master II (Chrono24 Magazine)
- Closer Look at the Discontinued Rolex GMT-Master II in Yellow Gold (Watches Off 5th)
- Rolex GMT-Master II Yellow Gold and Rolesor Yellow Gold Editions
- The History and Evolution of the Rolex GMT-Master II
- What Are Rolex Serti Dials?
- 5 Unforgettable Examples of Serti Dials
- Rolex GMT-Master II 126713GRNR hands-on review (Monochrome)
- Rolex 16718 rootbeer — Phillips Geneva XIV lot 148 (Phillips, 2021)
- Rolex 16718 c.1990 — Phillips Hong Kong SEVEN lot 956 (Phillips, 2018)
- Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 16718 — Sotheby's Watches (Sotheby's, 2020)
- 1989 16718 champagne dial Rare Watches lot 207 (EveryWatch)
- Rolex GMT-Master II Jubilee 16718 review
- Rolex 16718 champagne Serti dial (Bernard Watch)
- Rolex Yellow Gold GMT-Master Diamond Ruby Ref. 16718 (The Keystone)
- Rolex GMT-Master II 16718 Jubilee 18K Yellow Gold
- Rolex GMT-Master II 16718 Serti Dial
- Rolex GMT-Master Rootbeer 18K Yellow Gold 16718
- 116718LN Yellow Gold Black Dial (Jaztime)
- The Vintage Rolex Field Manual — Colin A. White, Morning Tundra