Rolex GMT Master Bakelite Ref. 6542

In 1955, Rolex introduced the first model of its now famous pilot's watch: the Rolex GMT-Master bakelite ref. 6542.

A complete control instrument, the GMT-Master was created specifically for commercial airline pilots. And not just any airline, but the incumbent airline of the day, Pan Am.

Our jewelry store Ferro Gioielli is pleased to bring to your attention a representation of the birth of this timepiece which, in turn, has a prominent place in the history of watches as a further example of a tool watch created by the prestigious Swiss company.

As pilots traveled longer distances, they flew across multiple time zones and encountered a new phenomenon known as jet lag. Pam Am realized that their pilots would need a way to keep track of two time zones at once and asked Rolex to build them a special watch. The Swiss watchmaker naturally obliged, and the GMT-Master was born.

There are several key design elements of the Rolex GMT-Master Bakelite ref. 6542 which not only made the watch super practical for pilots, but also made it instantly recognizable.

Rolex actually based the design of the GMT-Master Bakelite ref. 6542 on a watch they had debuted two years earlier: the Turn-O-Graph ref. 6202. The Turn-O-Graph included a rotating bezel, which also made its way onto the GMT-Master ref. 6542.

Learn more: Read 5 curiosities about Rolex

In fact, the GMT-Master's bezel is, to this day, probably the most important design detail of the watch. The GMT-Master's bezel was marked with 24 hours, and this, along with the additional 24-hour hand on the dial, allowed the watch to display a second time zone. That additional time zone could be set to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) - the international civil time standard used at the time - hence the watch's name. Released with 3 different calibers:

First came Caliber 1036, then Caliber 1065, and finally Caliber 1066. Of course, each of these were automatic movements that powered the time, date, and extra 24-hour hand. The 24-hour hand and the traditional 12-hour hand were directly linked. Therefore, the wearer would set his local time on the main dial and then adjust the bezel to align with the GMT hand accordingly to correctly indicate his second time zone.

The first GMT-Master was water resistant to just 50 meters and did not include crown guards. This would eventually change where the GMT-Master would boast increased water resistance and crown guards were eventually introduced in future GMT-Master references. The GMT-Master ref. 6542 remained in production until 1959, after which the then-new GMT-Master ref. 1675 took its place.

The name “GMT Master” was registered on April 21, 1955, beginning a glory that lasts to this day.

The first version of the GMT is represented by the reference 6542 , whose most striking features are certainly:

The absence of crown guards.
The blue and red Bakelite bezel

Earnings

The case is a three-body oyster case made of steel and is waterproof to a depth of 50 metres (165 ft). The crown protectors, which we will find instead in subsequent versions of the model, are absent.

The case back is the classic one produced by Rolex in those years with the writing “Montres Rolex SA” in an arch and the quarter of the year of production engraved at the bottom.

Dial

Production began in 1954-55 , initially using dials that we could define as prototypes , that is, with red writing . Among them, the rarest in absolute terms are those with both the GMT Master writing and the depth in red ( three known examples ).

The luminescent material that made up the pellets and filled the spheres was made of radium and strontium 90 , substances that were dangerous due to their radioactivity. For this very reason, in the following years, many original dials were replaced by tritium service dials.

At the bottom, under the words “Gmt Master”, was the official chronometer certification possessed by the movement.

The ball-and-socket mechanism , like in the Submariner, was of the Mercedes type.

The date display was of the roulette type, that is, it alternated black numbers with red numbers, as in the photograph. However, towards the end of production it is thought that it was replaced with the classic date display with only black numbers.

Movement

The basis on which the 6542 movement was conceived was that of a 1030 , which normally equipped the Turnograph model.

The calibre with which the 6542 was equipped was the 1036 , renamed 1065 and finally 1066. It was chronometer certified and had a type of rotor that would later be renamed “ butterfly ” due to its shape.

Lunette

The Bakelite bezel of the Rolex GMT Master ref. 6542 is the element that makes this model, on the one hand easily recognizable, but on the other incredibly difficult to find in its original condition, given its extreme fragility.

Bakelite is a plastic (or rather a resin) which, thanks to its appearance and its bright colours, gives the watch an immense charm.

Radioactivity

In order to improve visibility in the dark, it was decided to fill the numbers on the bezel with a compound of radium and strontium 90. However, this choice created quite a few headaches for Rolex. In fact, in the second half of the 1950s, studies on radioactivity revealed that these two materials (especially strontium) were extremely radioactive and dangerous, both for those who used the watch, but especially for those who assembled the pieces in the factory.

The other versions

Rolex Gmt Master 6542 yellow gold

So far we have talked about the 6542 in its most classic guise. However, there is also a gold version, equally fascinating and perhaps even rarer.

The two versions have many elements in common, such as the case and movement.

The main differences are:

Bezel always in Bakelite but in a single “burgundy” colour.
The dial is also burgundy in colour.
Spheres no longer of the Mercedes type but "leaf" type.
Gold logo applied on the dial.

Rolex Gmt Master 6542 “Albino”

The existence of a 6542 with a white dial is still a matter of lively debate among collectors.

The story goes that the then head of PAN-AM noticed that some executives were in possession of the GMT, which however was intended exclusively for pilots and crew members. So he thought it would be a good idea to commission Rolex to create a very limited number of watches with a white dial , to be destined, precisely, for the company's top executives.

6542 on the big screen

James Bond collectors and fans have nicknamed this reference “ Pussy Galore ” as it was worn by the eponymous Bond Girl in the 1964 film “ Goldfinger .”