Rolex GMT-Master II bezels explained: Pepsi, Batman, Sprite and Root Beer

Ask for a "Pepsi" in most shops and you will get a funny look. Ask for one in a watch dealer's and everybody knows exactly which Rolex you mean. The GMT-Master II has collected more nicknames than any other Rolex, and all of them come from the same place: the colour of the bezel.

Here is what each one means, where the names come from, and what to think about before choosing between them.

Why the bezel has two colours in the first place

The GMT-Master was built in the 1950s for pilots flying long-haul routes, at a point when crossing several time zones in a day was a new problem. The watch solved it with a fourth hand and a rotating 24-hour bezel, so a pilot could read a second time zone at a glance.

The two colours are not decoration. On a 24-hour scale, the split marks day from night, so you can see instantly whether it is the middle of the afternoon or the middle of the night back home. Every nickname on this list is a by-product of a genuinely functional design.

The nicknames, and the references behind them

Collectors invented the nicknames. Rolex never uses them. But Rolex's own reference suffixes give the game away, because they are abbreviated French colour names — and once you know that, the catalogue stops looking like a random string of letters.

Pepsi — red and blue

The original. Reference suffix BLRO, from bleu and rouge. It is the colourway the GMT-Master launched with, and the one most people picture when they picture the model at all.

You will find it in steel as the 126710BLRO and in white gold as the 126719BLRO. The white gold version is the quieter buy in one sense — from across a room it reads as steel — and the louder one in another, because the price is in a different category entirely.

Batman — blue and black

Suffix BLNR: bleu and noir. The 126710BLNR is the everyday GMT in many people's eyes — dark enough to disappear under a cuff, distinctive enough to be recognised. If you want the model but not the attention that comes with red and blue, this is usually where you land.

Sprite — green and black

Suffix VTNR: vert and noir. The 126720VTNR is the odd one out, and deliberately so — Rolex put the crown and the date window on the left side of the case, making it the first left-handed GMT in the line.

Worn on the right wrist it makes perfect sense. Worn on the left, as most people wear it, the crown sits away from the back of your hand and the watch simply feels different. It is the most divisive GMT of the current run, which is exactly why the people who like it really like it.

Root Beer — brown and black

Suffix CHNR: chocolat and noir. Two versions, and the difference matters:

• 126711CHNR — Everose gold and steel together, so you get the warmth of the gold with the durability and the price of a two-metal watch.
• 126715CHNR — solid Everose gold throughout. Same bezel, entirely different watch on the wrist and on the invoice.

Brown and black is the subtlest combination Rolex makes on this model. In most light it just reads as a warm, dark bezel, and only catches the eye of people who know what they are looking at.

Jubilee or Oyster?

Most current GMT references can be had on either bracelet, and it changes the watch more than people expect.

The Oyster is three flat links — sportier, more solid, the obvious choice if the watch is going to get worn hard. The Jubilee is five smaller links, dressier and more supple on the wrist, and it is what the GMT-Master originally wore in the 1950s.

There is no right answer. There is only which one you will actually put on in the morning, which is why it is worth trying both before you commit.

Choosing between them

Ignore the nicknames for a second and ask three questions. How much attention do you want the watch to attract? Pepsi is loud, Batman is neutral, Root Beer is quiet, Sprite is a conversation whether you want one or not.

Second: do you actually use a second time zone? If you travel or work across zones, the GMT earns its place daily. If not, you are buying it for the way it looks, which is a perfectly good reason — just be honest about it.

Third: metal. Steel, two-tone and solid gold versions of the same bezel colour are three very different watches, and the reference number tells you which is which long before the price does.

See what we have in stock

We list every GMT with its full reference number, case material, dial and bracelet type, so you can tell a 126711CHNR from a 126715CHNR without having to ask. Browse the current Rolex GMT-Master II selection, or the wider Rolex collection.

If the reference you want is not listed, we source to order through an established supplier network — get in touch and tell us what you are looking for. We are at 81–83 Spencer Street in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, open Monday to Saturday.