Rolex GMT-Master · Reference 1675
Rolex GMT-Master 1675
Known as The one most collectors mean when they say 'vintage GMT.' Early examples with pointed crown guards are called the PCG or 'Cornino.'
The 1675 is the reference that turned the GMT-Master from a pilot's tool into the most collected two-tone-bezel sports Rolex ever made. Rolex ran it from roughly 1959 to 1980, a twenty-one-year production life that is longer than almost any other Rolex sports reference, and that long run is exactly why the 1675 rewards people who know what they are looking at. Across those two decades the watch quietly changed: pointed crown guards gave way to rounded ones, gilt gloss dials gave way to matte, the movement went from the caliber 1565 to the 1575, and the case grew crown guards and a hair of thickness. Same reference number on the caseback, very different watches on the wrist, and very different checks. It was the first Rolex sports watch offered on both the Oyster and the Jubilee bracelet, and the blue-and-red 'Pepsi' bezel that came on most of them is one of the most recognized objects in the entire watch world. We have handled a lot of these across the counter on 47th Street, and the short version is this: the 1675 is where vintage Rolex GMT collecting starts, and where a lot of it ends.
Produced: circa 1959 to 1980
In stock at Ultimate Diamond
3 pieces on the counter right now.
Specifications
- Model
- Rolex GMT-Master
- Reference
- 1675
- Case Material
- Primarily stainless steel; also produced in 18k yellow gold (ref. 1675/8) and steel-and-gold two-tone (ref. 1675/3)
- Case Diameter
- 39mm (approx. 38mm excluding crown and crown guards)
- Lug Width
- 20mm
- Lug To Lug
- approx. 47.5mm
- Case Thickness
- approx. 12.7mm on early thin cases (1959 to 1967), approx. 13.0mm on later cases
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour bezel with anodized aluminum insert; blue-and-red 'Pepsi', all-black, and on precious-metal versions brown/gold 'Root Beer'
- Crystal
- Acrylic (plexiglass) with Cyclops date magnifier
- Movement
- Automatic, two calibers over the production run
- Caliber
- Caliber 1565 on early examples (approx. 1959 to 1965), then caliber 1575 (approx. 1965 to 1980)
- Beat Rate
- 18,000 vph on the 1565; the 1575 later ran 19,800 vph
- Complications
- Center seconds, date with Cyclops, independent 24-hour GMT hand read against the rotating bezel for a second time zone
- Hacking Seconds
- No hacking on early examples; the caliber 1575 gained hacking seconds around 1971
- Quickset
- No quickset date; the date is set by advancing the hands through midnight
- Dial
- Gilt gloss dials on early production (to approx. 1966), then matte dials through the end of the run
- Luminous
- Radium on the earliest dials, switched to tritium around 1963
- Water Resistance
- 50 meters / 165 feet
- Bracelet
- Oyster (riveted, folded-link, then solid-link) or Jubilee; first Rolex sports watch offered on both
- Year Introduced
- circa 1959
Market & Value
The 1675 is a wide market, and that is the whole point of understanding it before you buy or sell. On the low end, a tired matte-dial steel example with a service dial, polished case, and mismatched bracelet trades in the roughly $5,000 range. A clean, correct matte-dial 1675 with honest wear sits in the mid-teens. From there it climbs fast: gilt gloss-dial examples in strong condition regularly ask in the mid-$30,000s to low $40,000s, and pointed-crown-guard (PCG) gilt watches with box and papers push higher still. Aggregate marketplace data has average sold prices in the high-$18,000s with a range from roughly $5,000 to north of $50,000, which tells you condition and configuration matter more here than on almost any modern reference. Recent momentum has been real: WatchCharts logged the 1675 up about 20 percent over the trailing year through mid-2026, outpacing the broader Rolex index, though it is essentially flat over five years, so this is a watch that moves in waves. Volatility on the reference is among the highest of any tracked watch, which is a direct result of how much an unpolished case, a correct gilt dial, or original service papers swing the number. Median time to sell has been running near two months. What drives value, in order: dial type and originality (gilt over matte, unrefinished over reprinted), case condition (fat unpolished lugs over shaved ones), crown-guard style (PCG commands a premium), correct hands and bezel insert, and matching bracelet with the right clasp date code. Two 1675s can wear the same reference and trade $30,000 apart.
What to Know Before You Buy
Buy the specifics, not the reference number. First, the dial: gilt (glossy, with gold-toned printing) came first and is the most sought after; matte dials arrived around 1966. A reprinted or swapped 'service' dial is common and costs real money at resale, so learn what correct printing looks like for the era. Second, the case: originals have thick, defined lugs and crown guards, and decades of over-polishing has thinned a huge number of these watches. An unpolished 1675 with sharp lugs is worth a meaningful premium over a shaved one. Third, crown guards: the earliest examples (roughly 1959 to 1964) have pointed crown guards, the PCG or 'Cornino,' which collectors pay up for. Fourth, the movement: early cars run the caliber 1565, later ones the 1575; there is no quickset date and early examples do not hack the seconds, so setting one is a slow, deliberate process, not a fault. Fifth, luminous material: radium on the oldest dials, tritium after about 1963; matched, evenly aged lume on dial and hands is what you want, and mismatched relume is a red flag. Finally, papers and honest provenance move the price more on the 1675 than on almost anything else, because so many have been apart over sixty-plus years. The trap on this reference is a good-looking watch built from parts. Get it authenticated by someone who handles vintage Rolex regularly before you write the check.
Buying or selling a Rolex GMT-Master 1675?
We buy and sell the Rolex GMT-Master 1675 at Ultimate Watch, our shop is Ultimate Diamond at 19 West 47th Street in New York, family-owned on the block since 1959, the same year the 1675 was born. This is a reference we know cold, from PCG gilt-dial early examples to late matte-dial steel, and we price them on what is actually in front of us: dial originality, case sharpness, crown-guard style, correct hands and bezel, and bracelet. If you own one and want a real number, bring it in and we will look at it under a loupe with you standing there, or call us and we will walk you through what we need to see. If you are buying, we can source a correct example and tell you exactly why it is priced where it is. Bring it to 47th Street, or call us and request an offer.