Fat Lady, Pepsi, Batman, Rootbeer, Coke you might have heard all of these famous Rolex GMT Master II nicknames. But what is the story behind this Rolex timepiece?

Rolex GMT-Master II was released in the 1980s. The newer GMT Master II timepiece  looked almost identical to the original GMT Master but it used a movement that has the additional capability of an independently adjustable quickset hour hand that can be adjusted to local time without stopping the seconds or disturbing the minutes and 24 hour GMT hand.

In 2005 an updated version of the GMT Master II was released. The new model featured technical changes such as the patented Parachrom hairspring as well as a larger Triplock crown, inspired by the Submariner. The updated version also had a couple of design changes such as a larger case and a new ceramic bezel that made the GMT Master II more scratch and fade resistant. A more luxurious style of bracelet that has heavier solid links and a machined clasp was also included in the update. Alongside the Stainless steel models, the GMT master II also features precious metals.

In 2007, Rolex introduced the ceramic bezel insert to the GMT-Master II range, replacing the aluminum insert that had been used since 1959. While ceramic is much more scratch resistant than aluminum, Rolex initially could not continue to produce the two-color bezel used to distinguish between the day and night times of the second time zone, particularly the color red which could not be created satisfactorily in ceramic.

In 2013. Rolex created a two-tone ceramic bezel, for the first time. This GMT Master II model was nicknamed ‘Batman’ because of its black and blue colors. One year after, in 2014, Rolex was finally able to create the red color in the ceramic bezel, and so, a new version of ‘Pepsi’ was born. However, because of the more expensive coloring process it was initially only available on the white gold GMT Master II. All of those ‘Pepsi’ watches use the Caliber 3186 movement.

In 2018, Rolex issued the ‘Pepsi’ design on a new steel GMT-Master II, which also has a Jubilee bracelet instead of the Oyster bracelet. Additionally, two more GMT-Master II models were also introduced, one in red Everose gold and in steel, and another in Everose gold, both with a two-tone brown and black bezel giving them the nickname "Root Beer". These new GMT-Master IIs released in 2018 all use the new Caliber 3285 movement which adds Paraflex shock absorber and a 70-hour power reserve (instead of 48 hours) over the Caliber 3186.

The latest GMT Master II release was the new version of the ‘Batman’. The caliber got upgraded to the newer Caliber 3285 movement and the bracelet was changed to a Jubilee. This also meant that the older version of Batman got discontinued.

Which GMT Master model is your favourite? Not sure? Take a look at all the models we have here.