Why We Love It For those of us who travel frequently, the GMT function is among the most useful complications at our disposal. This reference 16573 gives off an elevated yet sporty vibe, like something you would see on the wrist of a star athlete in the 80's. The 39mm Oyster case is constructed from steel and 18k yellow gold, surrounded by a distinctive black and gold bezel. Upon the matted black dial, the gold 'nipple' markers have developed a warm yellow patina with a 'Mercedes' handset to match. Perhaps you've grown weary of the 'Pepsi' GMT craze as of late, or perhaps you're looking for a GMT with a little more pizazz. In either case, this 16573 on matching two tone Jubilee bracelet provides a refreshing choice within the world of our favorite travel companion timepiece. The Story Born of an association with Pan American Air Lines, an airline known in its early days for the rough-and-ready nature of their pilots, the GMT needed to be as rough-and-ready as they were. In turn, each feature of the watch—down to its colorful bezel—was born from need, not aesthetics. Every element that went into it stressed form over function, necessity over adornment. But something happened that changed the watch industry forever: the Quartz Crisis. Consumers bought quartz watches in droves, and sales of mechanical watches fell drastically. Those Swiss manufactures that adopted the new technology were not always met by success; many went out of business. Not so, Rolex. Instead of foundering, the venerable manufacture elected to follow a risky—but ultimately rewarding—strategy. If the other watch companies were falling over themselves to offer the same thing, then Rolex would offer something different. And that was… gold. So at a time when the desirability of mechanical watches hit an all-time low, Rolex opted to go upmarket and offer more pieces in precious metals, raising prices across the board in the early 1980s. Of course, Rolex had cased dress watches such as the Datejust and Day-Date in gold for decades, and started phasing the metal into its sports lines like the Submariner and GMT as early as the 1960s. But during the quartz crisis, production of gold variants saw an increase in production, particularly on sports watches such as the GMT-Master. Of course, as a stop-gap price point between base steel models and range-topping solid gold variants, Rolex also increased production on models that combined touches of gold to a steel case, and integrated features such a quick-set date and a newly designed glossy dial, which made the GMT both sleeker and more functional.
