One of the most popular Rolex Oyster Professional sports watches of the past few years is the Model 116710BLNR GMT-Master II ” Batman ” due to its distinctive blue and black ” The “Cerachrom” ceramic bezel, as it is known. This is the first Rolex steel model to feature a two-color ceramic bezel, a blue and red “Pepsi Cola” Cerachrom bezel added in 2019, and Rolex has updated the GMT-Master II collection with various new features, including a new sport. The Rolex Model 126710BLRO (red and blue bezel) GMT-Master II attracted a lot of attention last year (aBlogtoWatch hands-on), but it also adds the 126710BLNR (blue and black bezel), which means, essentially, an updated version of the Rolex Batman.
The new 126710 Rolex GMT-Master II is in some rolex GMT-Master Black 116710BLNR ways an upgrade over its predecessor, the 116710. Essentially not an upgrade, but simply a cosmetic difference one feature is the choice of a matching steel bracelet. For many, this will be the biggest difference between the Rolex Batman and the “Batgirl” (a nickname I find less than appropriate). The previous generation BLNR (Rolex code for bezel style) was paired with a triple-link Rolex Oyster bracelet (with a polished central link), while the new generation BLNR is paired with an all-steel Jubilee bracelet.
Watch enthusiasts sometimes fight to choose which bracelet is better or more popular, and I think they’ve got it all their own way. Some have claimed that the Jubilee bracelet feels a little ‘too old’, but that’s only because it’s been associated with more Rolex timepieces lately, as they haven’t been using the bracelet for sports watches lately. The Silver Jubilee style bracelet is incredibly comfortable and has the same deployment clasp (with “comfort extensions”) as the Triple Ring bracelet. For me, the two bracelets are just two different flavors, both as good as the GMT-Master II watch.
The Rolex is interesting because it mentions upgrades to the latest generation of watches. You might think that they would be loud and clear when discussing new features, but the truth is that Rolex is careful not to make their older generation watches seem less desirable. According to …… well, Rolex says “a Rolex will always be a Rolex”. For example, many people may not necessarily notice that the new generation GMT-Master 126710 has a different case than the previous generation. Both cases have the same 40mm width on Rolex’s Oystersteel (904L grade steel), but the 126710 has a slightly different angle to it and is machined differently. I’m not saying that the 116710 generation GMT-Master II owner is enough of an “upgrade”, but for those who want to know what’s different about Rolex, it’s not just the bracelet and movement of the latest generation GMT. The GMT-Master II.
To recall, the case is water resistant to 100 meters, and of course there’s a sapphire crystal and a Cyclops magnifying glass window above the date window. Now let’s discuss the movement. We already discussed the movement back in 2019 when we launched the GMT-Master II 126710, but I’ll provide you with the basic details again. The movement inside the latest generation GMT-Master is the in-house 3285 automatic movement, which is the GMT version of the Rolex 32XX generation movement. The automatic movement operates at 4Hz and now retains 70 hours of power. It also includes Rolex’s “Premium Chronograph” rating, which includes both a third-party COSC chronograph rating and more rigorous internal performance tests conducted by Rolex. I particularly appreciated the rating of the Rolex Premier Chronometer because it (unlike most other watchmakers) comes with specific performance guarantees, one of which is accuracy within +/- 2 seconds per day.
All Rolex movements perform well, so, aside from the increased power reserve rating, I don’t think most Rolex wearers will notice too big a difference in movement operation from the previous generation GMT-Master II to the current latest 126710. When traveling, the movement enables the wearer to adjust the hour hand independently.
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