Rolex 18k gold GMT Master ref 16758 from 1981

Over the weekends, I was slightly lost in my watch collection direction and I was pondering my next watch acquisition. Originally, I was looking at the Lemania single button chronograph or the Blancpain fifty fathom, However,I have decided to postpone them as these watches are are too niche as ultimately, my watches will pass to Keith and it will be better if I can stay focus in building my current core collections first. 

As such, I have started to look for some unique Rolex sports watches in 18k gold and I was contemplating between the Rolex submariner 16618 or this Rolex GMT Master 16758, both in 18k gold. In the end, my preference is to go for the Root beer GMT series which has a special dial and bezel  colour.

To form a small collection, I am planning to add the 18k gold Rolex 1675/8 Rootbeer with nipple dial and a Rolex 16753 (Bi Colour steel & Gold), all Root beer dial with nipple dial in the coming future....

Now back to the watch. This is a neo vintage, transitional Rolex 18k gold GMT from the 1981. It has what many will called the volcanic tropical nipple dial and root beer bezel. Nipple dial is a term given by collector where the watch's indices are slightly pointed with made in yellow gold protruding hour markers  and they are then filled with a luminescence for legibility. It is the shape and two-toned nature of the gold vs the lume that give this style the notable features. This is my latest love…

 

Due to slight colour errors in production, a pattern of different shades of brown have been created, which makes this dial shine wonderfully and each dial may have different tropical effect.  I think the watch looks even nicer with a crocodile leather strap…

The Reference GMT Master ref 16758 (produced from 1981–1988) has a short production window and it is a solid 18k yellow gold GMT-Master, a “transitional” piece between classic and modern Rolex. It combines vintage charm (nipple dial, classic font) with modern specs (sapphire, quickset function). The 16758 is less common than steel GMT-Masters and it is seen as undervalued

The style is no longer manufactured and it represents when the GMT Master started to be known as a luxury sports watch rather than just a utility sports watch. The Rolex ref. 16758, a highly transitional timepiece, was first introduced in 1980, shortly after the release of its stainless steel sibling the ref. 16750. This 18K yellow gold GMT-Master model was in production until 1988 and combined the latest technological advancements with classic design elements. 

Both the Rolex 18k gold GMT ref 16758 and Stainless steel ref 16750 featured the improved Cal. 3075 quick-set date movement, but the 16758 took it a step further with the addition of a sapphire crystal and a bidirectional click-spring bezel, which would not be seen on the stainless steel GMT-Master until the GMT-Master II ref. 16760. The ref. 16758 GMT-Master represents the perfect balance of modernity and tradition. Its advanced features increase its ease of use but it also retains the classic style of the much-admired nipple dial configuration of its predecessor.

In the 1980's the dials assumed a glossy sunburst effect. While these are striking, they don't age well. The dial tends to age and given rise to the Tropical Dial. However, the great thing is that some of the dial aged nicely.

Despite the similar look, the gold version is much heavier..

The rare no crown guard Rolex 1675 in 18k gold, Root beer bezl and nipple dial plus applied crown, using 1530 movement, Plexiglass instead of Sapphire crystal

Rolex began transitioning the GMT to a 5-digit reference, and introduced modern features such as an updated movement with a quickset date feature in 1980-1. The 16758 reference used both matte dials with white gold surrounds and glossy dials, sometimes with “nipple” markers as it transitioned to the 16768. 

Rolex GMT-Master 16758 contains is a sapphire crystal. The watch was produced from roughly 1981 to 1988 and is part of the same transitional series of GMT’s we discussed when looking at the Root Beer. The Root Beer and the stainless 16750 kept their acrylic crystals from the preceding 1675 models, the Root Beer went to a printed logo instead of applied on the dial, and both gained a quickset date feature. 

The gold 16758 also dropped its applied dial logo and kept the nipple dial, but upped its sturdiness with a sapphire crystal. This crystal and the fact that this transitional is “new vintage” is a real reason that these pieces lag in value when compared to their predecessors. 

Beside the earlier nipple dial, there is another later version dial that has a similarly attractive brown tone but features larger markers and is signed “Swiss Made,” indicating it is from a later period and features Super-LumiNova lume. 

In addition to the Rootbeer bezel and dial, there are also black bezel plus black dial and also black bezel with gold dial. I personally love the root beer dial.

Above is another with Yellow Gold Serti Diamond Ruby dial.

This is a close-up photo of a vintage Rolex GMT-Master, reference 16758, in yellow gold with a "nipple" dial. The dial has aged into a beautiful tropical brown shade with reddish undertones, and the original coffee-brown bezel is intact. The watch has gold hands, applied gold hour markers, and is paired with a reddish-brown leather strap

There are several versions but I have decided on the Root beer bezel, nipple dial in root beer  dial. The detail & Tech Specs: 

• 18k yellow gold case
• Dial: Root beer brown volcanic dial with aged tritium luminescent “Nipple” hour markers. An important difference from the outgoing 1675/8 is the coronet is no longer applied gold like the hour markers, but gilt etched like the text and minute track
• 40mm case,. Lug to lug: 48mm; Depth Of Case: 12mm
• Sapphire crystal (first for yellow gold GMT-Master).
• Bidirectional click-spring bezel (brown “root beer” or black insert).
• Iconic “nipple dial”—applied gold hour markers, available in sunburst brown (“Root Beer”) or black but my preference is for the Root beer
• Quickset date via Calibre 3075 automatic movement (first seen here in GMT models).
• Jubilee or Oyster bracelet options, gold “hidden clasp” also seen.
• Movement: Caliber 3075 self-winding movement (COSC Chronometer)
• Water Resistance: 100m
• Screw-down crown, with crown protectors
• Special Features / Complications:
• Fixed GMT Function
• Date window with Rolex “cyclopes” crystal * Open 6
• Quickset Date
• Hacking Seconds

Other similar watches 

https://ineichen.com/auctions/timed-69/4/?srsltid=AfmBOopnBz6uqvxCyxQMJ9slmVvAF83Gtcg8Tu2b8zyDKTwjQQAJwqfd

Serial 7.16mio from the year 1982-3

https://en.watch-spare.com/rolex-gmt-master-ii-ref-16758-nipple-dial.html

Serial nos 6.4mio from the year 1980

https://greyandpatina.com/product/1979-rolex-16768-root-beer-gmt-w-box/

Watch from 1979

https://www.vrfm.io/gold-gmt-masters

I have sent my watch for service and I have decided to weigh the gold case...

The value of 59.7 grams of 18K gold costs about $4,855.40 USD  on the current price of $81.33 

Here are the average prices for an 18k Root Beer Rolex 16758 (head only, nipple dial) in HKD:

1. 2022: HK$208,025  

2. 2023: HK$223,725  

3. 2024: HK$235,500  

4. 2025: HK$215,875  

Prices are based on an exchange rate of about 1 USD = 7.85 HKD and I am fortunate to be able to get it at a very good price of HK$140,000.

I have sent the watch to Rolex Service center in HK for a complete service and the costs is about HK$14,500 including the complete replacement of dial and hands. Unfortunately, the proposed dial change is not the nipple dial. In the end, I have decided to keep the dial as it is as nipple dial is its signature piece.

B-Uhr (Beobachtungsuhr) : for Beobachtungs-uhren, or Observation watches) WW2 Wristwatch c.1940s

This is a vintage German Luftwaffe Obeservers WW2 watch. “B-Uhren” is short for Beobachtungsuhr which translates to “observation watches” in German.The B-Uhr was supplied to German Luftwaffe during World War II. They were the equivalent of the 6B/159 and the Weems, used by German pilots to calculate flight time and their position in relation to their targets. 

Type B dial

Unlike the pilot watches used by the RAF, B-Uhren were significantly bigger with diameters of 55mm. This was due to the fact they were made to be ultra legible and to be worn outside a pilot’s flight jacket.  The material for making the cases was nickel-plated brass.

The dial of the individual watches had to be black in color and devoid of any kind of markings so that it could be clearly and easily read. To facilitate this, only the indication of hours, minutes and seconds were to be present.

The spheres, indexes, and seconds scale also had to be luminescent in order to make them easier to read even at night through the use of radium, which is a highly radioactive material that acted as a luminescent paste for the dial elements at the time.

The watch dial,in terms of configuration, was made in two types named Type A, which was produced from about 1940 until 1941, and Type B, which was produced from 1941 until the end of World War II.

Available in two primary configurations (A and B), the B-dial features a shorter hour hand aligned with the inner circle of the dial and a unique triangular marker at 12. The B-Uhr was an essential tool for Luftwaffe navigators.

In terms of layout, the Type A dial had a traditional peripheral minute track interspersed with Arabic numerals indicating the hours; the Type B, on the other hand, had the hour scale in the center and the minute scale on the outside.

In terms of movement, the hand-wound movements of pocket watches were taken.  To protect the movements there had to be a case back, also made of nickel-plated brass, bearing the following inscriptions on the inside: Beobachtungsuhr (observation watch); Baurat (movement manufacturer); Gerät-Nr (instrument number); Werk-Nr (movement number); Anforderz (contract) followed by the initials that identified the entire type of these watches, namely FL 23883, also present on the outside right side of the case (FL stands for “aviator”).

Also on the case, at 3 o’clock, however, was to be the large crown so that it could be handled with the gloves that bomber engineers and navigators used to wear.

These watches were produced by Five manufacturers – four German and one Swiss – supplied the B-Uhren. In Germany, A. Lange & Söhne, Wempe, Lacher & Company/Durowe (Laco), and Walter Storz (Stowa) produced the watch. Wempe and Stowa used Swiss movements; Wempe settled on the Thommen cal. 31, and Stowa used the Unitas cal. 2812. Lange used its big cal. 48 and then its cal. 48.1, and Laco used its (Durowe) cal. 5 – the only two companies to use in-house German movements. When Wempe purchased the Chronometerwerk in Hamburg in 1938, it gained a significant increase in production capacity, and to assist the limited production faced by Lange and Laco, Wempe assembled watches for them. To meet demand, Lange also sent ébauches and cases to a variety of other manufacturers for assembly and regulation. In smaller numbers, the Swiss International Watch Company IWC who supplied watches to both Axis and Allied forces, manufactured the B-Uhr (cal. 52T S.C.) for the Luftwaffe. These five companies were the only ones to make the B-Uhr. (source : https://monochrome-watches.com/the-history-of-the-pilot-watch-part-five-b-uhr/ )

The watch may not be the IWC or Lange but the condition of the watch is the best that I have came across with nearly no corrosion on the case. I used to own one 14 years ago in 2011, and for some reasosn, I have sold it away. Finally able to find one back in nice condition and perhaps, i can start a new range for collection? Or I shall extend my German Pilot watch collections?

 When Wempe purchased the Chronometerwerk in Hamburg in 1938, it gained a significant increase in production capacity, and to assist the limited production faced by Lange and Laco, Wempe assembled watches for them, which is why the above state Movement is Laco Durowe, (Durowe Cal.5, 17 jewels, 18000 vph )with Wempe at the bottom.

https://italianwatchspotter.com/the-history-of-b-uhren-watches/?lang=en

https://www.60clicks.com/ww2-military-watch-guide/

https://www.everestbands.com/blogs/bezel-barrel/the-most-important-world-war-ii-pilot-watches

Saturday, April 09, 2011

LACO WORLD WAR II BEOBACHTUNGS-UHREN

Being a history student, I have a deep interest in military subject. I have tried to start a military watch collection in the past but has never really got deep into it for various reason.

Lately, besides my vintage Longines pilot watch made for the Czechoslovakian air force, the Breguet Type xx made for the French pilot, I have added a JLC military watch. My recent find from Ukraine is the huge 55mm Laco military pilot watch made for the German pilot during world war 2. It comes with the original leather band! It seems like I can start the military series now..

There were five manufacturers: A. Lange & Söhne, IWC, Laco, Stowa, and Wempe. One down, four to go...

Military watches that have gone through world war reminding us not to have wars.

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Location:Princess Margaret Road Link,,Hong Kong