Rolex GMT-Master 6542

Rolex Reference 6542 GMT-Master | A stainless steel dual time zone wristwatch with date, gilt dial, bakelite bezel, and bracelet, Circa 1958

Property of an American Gentleman Rolex Reference 6542 GMT-Master A stainless steel dual time zone wristwatch with date, gilt dial, bakelite bezel, and bracelet, Circa 1958 Dial: gilt black Caliber: cal. 1030 automatic, 25 jewels Movement number: N'777'336 Case: stainless steel, screw-down case back Case number: 426'736 Closure: stainless steel Rolex Oyster expandable bracelet with folding clasp Size: 38 mm diameter, bracelet circumference is approximately 185 mm Signed: case, dial and movement Box: yes Papers: yes Accessories: Rolex presentation box with outer packaging, open Guarantee booklet, and GMT-master papersRolex Rolex Reference 6542 GMT-Master | A stainless steel dual time zone wristwatch with date, gilt dial, bakelite bezel, and bracelet, Circa 1958 Reference 6542 GMT-Master | A stainless steel dual time zone wristwatch with date, gilt dial, bakelite bezel, and bracelet, Circa 1958 Estimate: 75,000 - 150,000 USD Property of an American Gentleman Rolex Reference 6542 GMT-Master A stainless steel dual time zone wristwatch with date, gilt dial, bakelite bezel, and bracelet, Circa 1958 Dial: gilt black Caliber: cal. 1030 automatic, 25 jewels Movement number: N'777'336 Case: stainless steel, screw-down case back Case number: 426'736 Closure: stainless steel Rolex Oyster expandable bracelet with folding clasp Size: 38 mm diameter, bracelet circumference is approximately 185 mm Signed: case, dial and movement Box: yes Papers: yes Accessories: Rolex presentation box with outer packaging, open Guarantee booklet, and GMT-master papers Condition report For further information on the condition of this lot please contact christina.bohn@sothebys.com By the early 1950s, the commercial trans-Atlantic airline industry was at a point where planes were able to take off on one side of the ocean and land on the other in a matter of mere hours. Partly as a result of this, Pan American airlines approached Rolex and began working on a watch that could easily tell the hour in two different time zones. When Reference 6542, the first GMT-Master, was released in 1954, it became the official timepiece of Pan-Am Airlines. Their pilots found the watch to be a useful tool in the cockpit where many timing calculations were necessary over the duration of the flight. In addition, the simple ability to know what time it was 'back home' was very easy to see with the watch's colorful bezel.