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Reference:16718

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GMT-Master -> 16718

The 16718 is the all-yellow-gold variant of the 16710 — the 18K case-and-bracelet sister to the steel 16710 and the two-tone 16713. Production runs 1989 to approximately 2005, succeeded by the 116718LN with the new ceramic Cerachrom bezel and the 50th-anniversary green dial. Same caliber 3185 across most of the run, same 40mm Oyster case dimensions, same flyer-GMT mechanic — but executed in 18K yellow gold throughout, with the dial palette weighted toward Cellini-buyer evening-dress configurations 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 corpus 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

The 16718 is the all-yellow-gold counterpart to the 16710 within the five-digit GMT-Master II line — same case shape, same caliber, same flyer-GMT mechanic, but executed in 18K yellow gold throughout. It runs in parallel with the all-steel 16710, the two-tone 16713 Rootbeer, and (from 2005) the ceramic 116718LN successor. The reference replaces the 16758 (1979/80–1988, caliber 3075, caller GMT) which ran on the synchronized hand-set logic of the original GMT-Master line.

The 16718 inherits the gold case-and-bracelet positioning of the 16758 but adopts the new GMT-Master II flyer mechanic and the 1989-onwards sapphire-crystal Oyster case with crown guards. The next-generation gold GMT is the 116718LN (2005-onwards, caliber 3186 flyer GMT, Cerachrom ceramic bezel, Maxi dial, Super Case, solid-centre-link Oyster bracelet).

Production outline

Launch year unanimous at 1989 — the 16718 entered the catalog as the gold partner to the new flyer-GMT 16710, retiring the 16758 it succeeded. End year reads at 2005 across the editorial and Major-house lots, lining up with the Baselworld launch of the 116718LN as the 50th-anniversary green-dial replacement. The "2003" reading sometimes carried in dealer summaries traces to the steel 116710LN launch year, not the gold version — the all-gold 116718LN is a 2005 release, not 2003.

A discrete intra-production case-stamp transition runs c.2002–2003 alongside the steel and two-tone sisters: 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 / 16713, although the gold-case-stamp variant is sometimes catalogued without the "T" suffix that the steel sister carried.

No total-production figure surfaces in the surveyed sources. Specialist coverage describes the gold variant as much rarer than the steel 16710 — the run is meaningfully smaller given the case material, but no source quantifies it.

Movement notes

Caliber 3185 powers most of the run. Specifications carry over directly from the 16710 / 16713: 31 jewels, 28,800 vph, 50-hour reserve, hacking, quickset date, COSC chronometer, Glucydur balance with Microstella four-screw regulation, Kif Elastor anti-shock. The 3185 hairspring is Nivarox flat with a Breguet overcoil — the blue Parachrom hairspring arrives later on caliber 3186.

Late-production 16718 examples may carry the upgraded caliber 3186 with the Parachrom blue hairspring and the spring-loaded date mechanism that fixed the 3185's GMT-hand creep. The 3185 → 3186 transition window for the 16718 specifically is documented inconsistently across editorial — the bulk of documented examples reads cal 3185 throughout the 16718 production. A 3186 in a 16718 case warrants serial-aware verification.

The flyer-GMT mechanic with independently adjustable local hour is the same architectural break from the linked-hand 3075 that ran in the 16758 predecessor.

Dial map

 
Early black 16718

Four documented dial branches across the run.

Glossy black

The standard sport configuration. Glossy black lacquer with applied yellow-gold-surround indices ("nipple" markers — precious-metal cones with a central tritium plot in earlier production, applied yellow-gold-surround indices in later production). Pairs most often with the all-black aluminium bezel insert. The black 16718 lacquer is the more stable formulation; black-dial examples age more cleanly than the brown sunburst.

Brown sunburst ("rootbeer")

The signature gold-rootbeer configuration on the 16718. Brown sunburst lacquer with applied yellow-gold nipple markers; pairs with the brown-and-cream "rootbeer" bezel insert. The lacquer carries the period formulation that produces flaking on the 16713 and 16753 brown sunburst — the standing condition warning is identical, with damage typically concentrated around the index circumference. Italian and Middle-Eastern collector demand drove much of the regular 16718 brown market through the 1990s.

The "Sundust" finish that appears on modern Everose Daytona / Datejust / Day-Date production is a different surface treatment — using "Sundust" on a 1989–2005 yellow-gold GMT will read wrong to collectors. The vintage 16718 brown is correctly described as brown sunburst or rootbeer.

White

A less-common factory dial configuration. White ground with applied yellow-gold-surround indices and yellow-gold coronet, paired with the all-black bezel insert. Surfaces less frequently than the black or brown branches and carries its own collector niche.

Champagne / silver serti

A factory gem-set variant on the standard 16718 architecture. Champagne or silvered ground with diamond hour markers and triangular ruby markers at 6 and 9 — replacing the standard nipple-marker / luminous-plot layout with precious-stone hour markers. The 16713 and 16718 are the only two GMT references to receive serti dials (the Submariner serti uses sapphires; the GMT serti uses rubies, the diagnostic distinction). Serti-dial 16718s most often pair with the 18K Jubilee bracelet.

Case, bezel, crystal, and crown

 
Black 24-hour bezel close-up

The case is the standard 40mm Oyster of the 16710 era, executed in 18K yellow gold throughout — mid-case, lugs, bezel ring, crown, and outer bracelet links all gold. Sapphire crystal with Cyclops over the date sits on the standard sapphire-era crown-guard architecture; from approximately 2003 the laser-etched coronet appears at 6 o'clock on the sapphire. Water resistance is 100m.

The bezel is a 24-hour bidirectional aluminium insert in two factory configurations: black aluminium or brown-and-cream "rootbeer." The bezel itself is solid 18K yellow gold; the colour comes from the insert. Pepsi (red and blue) does not appear as a factory option on the 16718 — that exists on the steel 16710 only.

A factory pavé-diamond bezel for the 16718 does not surface in major-house lots. Diamond-set bezels do exist on 16718 cases in the dealer market but circulate as aftermarket conversions rather than factory configurations. Treat any "factory diamond bezel 16718" claim as unverified pending a primary catalog or Rolex archive citation; aftermarket bezels are common on the 16718 in the gold-watch dealer market.

Bracelets, end links, and clasps

 
Gold Oyster bracelet

Two factory 18K bracelet options on the 16718:

  • 18K Oyster 78368 — three-link, sport-leaning configuration. More often paired with black-dial sport configurations.
  • 18K Jubilee 8386 (sometimes hidden-clasp "Super Jubilee") — five-link, dressier configuration. More often paired with serti and rootbeer dials.

Clasps are 18K Fliplock Oyster or hidden-crown Jubilee. Bracelet codes (78368 Oyster, 8386 Jubilee) date the bracelet, not the watch head — a clasp dating later than the case head implies a swap or service replacement. Both bracelet options run across the entire 1989–2005 production 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 login-gated
Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction SEVEN 956 2018 c.1990 18K yellow gold, early production login-gated
Sotheby's Watches — 2020 yellow-gold automatic dual time login-gated
EveryWatch aggregate Rare Watches lot 207 — 1989 champagne dial aggregate
EveryWatch / Watches Online: The Geneva Edit — — c.1989 (catalog "1985" likely typo) aggregate

The 16718 trades on the gold-watch dealer market more than at major auction. The Phillips Geneva XIV 2021 lot is the strongest single auction-house anchor on the documented record. Standard black-and-Jubilee or rootbeer-and-Jubilee examples cluster across a higher band than the steel 16710 driven by the gold-case material content. Serti gem-set examples sit in their own tier above the standard market — the 16713 and 16718 are the only GMT references with the factory serti option, which the gold variant carries with the most documented collector demand.

Sources

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