WATCHES AND WONDERS 2024
COULD ROLEX UNVEIL
A RED AND ORANGE BEZEL?
FEELING THIRSTY?
WHY ROLEX COULD BRING US
A NEW COLOR COMBO FOR THE GMT
A red-and-orange-bezeled GMT-Master could be released at Watches and Wonders in April.
I've previously written on the rumors of a new Rolex black-and-red ("Coke") GMT. They have been spreading like wildfire after a patent was made public last month indicating the brand had perfected the multicolor-bezel manufacturing process, mentioning the red-and-black color combination.
But the brand could have a surprise for us, as the patent mentions one more color combination, red and orange, which has been overlooked by the watch community.
The patent filed by Rolex reads:
"Thus, the process according to the invention is particularly suitable for obtaining a two-tone, notably black and red or red and orange, ceramic having a very attractive appearance."
And I thought, How is red and orange a good color combination? But then Jake pointed me to the Mastercard logo.
When it comes to a GMT bi-color bezel, would the red be on top or at the bottom? The current Pepsi has the red at the bottom, so it was logic to think that's where it stayed.
But going through every iteration of GMT bezels, I realized the lighter color was always at the bottom, possibly because the bottom indicates the day-time hours and the top, the night time. In this case the lighter color is orange. So the orange should be at the bottom of the bezel.
A Rolex New Era
A Fanta bezel is not unlikely as I believe Rolex has entered a new era in design, namely, the mix of luxury with playfulness, lightness and fantasy.
In 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, Rolex wanted to show us a joyful side when it unveiled a line of colorful Oyster Perpetual watches. In 2021, the brand used the Datejust to be playful and added a palm motif to the dial.
Then, in 2022, a black-green GMT-Master was released with a date and crown on the left, another interesting break from tradition. And in last year's unveil, it presented a celebration Oyster Perpetual dial and an emoji-filled complication Day-Date covered with colorful puzzle pieces. And the watch was a success.
“The Day-Date is an icon. Through it, we wanted to send a positive message, a message of joy, which makes everyday life a little better," a Rolex spokesperson said.
When the world is in crisis, it is interesting to see people come to the reassuring side of an established brand like Rolex, which makes objects that can last several lifetimes, but which also brings freshness and a side that could be carefree and fanciful.
The Fanta could be the color combo we didn't know we needed on a GMT watch.
