This lovely example of a Rolex GMT-Master model 1675 has a case number in the low 3-million range.
It has the Mark II dial, most easily identified by the distinctive characters and spacing used in “ROLEX.”
It has an undated COSC certificate with matching, punched case number :
You may have noticed the embossed letters “NAAFI” upon it :
This stands for the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes, which were formed nearly a century ago to run recreational facilities for our armed forces and to sell them a diverse range of food and goods. A number of Rolex watches were NAAFI-supplied and of course this often meant that the watches themselves were to be worn on active service. Not surprisingly, many of them were the “professional” series of Rolex like this one, rather than dressier variants like the Datejust.
Pleasingly, this watch retains not just its papers, but also the numbered swing-tag, numbered plastic wallet and the original NAAFI purchase document from 1974 :
The so-called “Pepsi” GMT-Master, with its glorious range of red and blue bezel colours, has risen extraordinarily in value in the few years up to 2018. A fine example like this, with clean dial, papers and NAAFI provenance, is a tough enough watch to wear daily while remaining of great interest to collectors and probably a sound investment. Beautiful!
We’re always looking to buy such interesting Rolex watches from the professional series. Please contact us if you have such a piece and would simply like to learn more about it or for us to make an offer, without commitment on your part.
© Haywood Milton, November 2018.
