Rolex Gmt Batman

Rolex Gmt Batman is a Rollie favourite for good reason. First launched back in 2013, it was the first ever GMT-Master II that featured a two-tone ceramic dial, that instantly-recognisable black and blue on the case. While Rolex had deployed a Cerachrom (the company’s fancy in-house technique for creating ceramic) on single-colour black bezel GMTs, the GMT-Master II 116710BLNR Blue Back ushered in a new era of colourful and highly (highly) collectable Rolex sport watches. The technique used to achieve the colour requires adding black colouring onto a blue bezel made of porous ceramic, which is allegedly easier to achieve on a black and blue watch, but required more tinkering for the likes of the Pepsi.

Back before the Rolex Gmt Batman moniker stuck, some collectors and retailers referred to it as the ‘Bruiser’ or just the Blue Black. John Mayer was, as he tends to be in the watch collecting space, an early adopter and was often seen wearing it shredding on stage, adding to the workmanlike appeal of the watch.

Other notable wearers include Batman himself, Ben Affleck, Tom Holland (despite being Spiderman), and Roger Federer who, despite being in possession of a Swiss treasure trove or Rolexes, often favors the understated-but-strong style of a Batman.

The pre-owned Rolex market has seen the Rolex Gmt Batman explode in popularity over the past few years,” says Paul Altieri, founder and CEO of Bob’s Watches. “The watch epitomises what makes Rolex so iconic – the combination of sporty and luxurious. With its black and blue ceramic bezel, stainless steel case, and blend of professional and dressy aesthetics, it’s versatile enough for daily wear while still feeling special as you get that classic diving watch look in a more eye-catching colour scheme.”

The “BLNR” in the Rolex Gmt Batman official name is a suffix for bleu / noir or blue / black in English. Rolex uses suffixes for their watches in order to help identify the watch from its name alone. These come from French words because as a Geneva-based company, it is the official language of Rolex