The history of Rolex Pepsi you need to know
Like many of Rolex’s famous monikers, the Rolex Pepsi has become a sought-after watch for fans of the luxury brand. While several Rolex watches enjoy prestige among the various color and design combinations in the GMT-Master collection, the “Pepsi” color scheme is particularly noteworthy.
In the world of Rolex watches, the Pepsi name can be attributed to several pieces in the GMT-Master collection, which feature a red and blue bezel.
Part of the replica Rolex GMT-Master collection, Pepsi made its debut in the mid-1950s as a direct result of a request from Pan Am. They approached Rolex with the idea of a watch that would help their pilots by showing two different time zones simultaneously, which was more problematic before the advent of the commercial Internet. It would also help pilots deal with the effects of jet lag.
Of all the GMT-Master watches, the Pepsi-Cola sub-series is probably the most important history, having to do with the invention of the series itself. The first GMT-Master, model 6542, featured a red and blue bakelite bezel. This means that it was not the first Pepsi GMT-Master, but the first Rolex GMT-Master was a Pepsi.
Due to the early start of the red and blue bezel, many models already belonged to Pepsi.
As the first GMT-Master, this watch was the first to feature a two-color bezel that could help distinguish between two time zones in one watch. This is the basis for GMT-Master, which refers to Greenwich Mean Time. In addition to Pepsi, the watch earned the nickname “Pussy Galore,” referring to James Bond’s eponymous movie character, who wore the watch in the 1964 film Goldfinger.
During the first two years of this watch’s existence, it used a bakelite bezel insert that proved troublesome due to its tendency to crack. For this reason, the model’s insert was replaced with aluminum in 1956, gaining greater durability but losing the luminous radium numerals. This made the real original Pepsi even rarer and more sought-after.
1675 remained in production until 1980, when it was discontinued, making it one of the longest production models Rolex has ever produced. Such a long production run meant that the replica watch underwent some changes during production, such as changing the choice of lume from radium to tritium and changing the movement from the 1565 caliber to the 1575 caliber.
Starting with 1675 in 1980, the reference 16750 ran for eight years, taking the next step for Pepsi’s fake Rolex GMT-Masters. The model has a caliber 3075 with a quick-action date, which means that the date displayed on the watch is no longer dependent on the movement of the hour hand. It also has greatly enhanced water resistance and, as a standard, a “hacking” function, which means that the second-hand stops when the crown is pulled out.
The white gold body means this is more expensive than previous stainless steel versions, and its slightly larger profile may not be as comfortable to wear compared to previous models. However, this model is a highly specialized timepiece with Rolex’s Chromalight luminous, 3186 movements, and Parachrom Bleu hairspring – highly resistant to magnetic fields, temperature changes, and shocks.