Short on time? The red and blue "Pepsi" bezel is the most famous colour combination in Rolex history. At Baselworld 2018 it came back in stainless steel with the 126710BLRO, first on the Jubilee bracelet, then on the Oyster from 2021. 40mm Oystersteel, red and blue Cerachrom, calibre 3285.
Backstory
The GMT-Master was made for airline pilots in the 1950s, and its red and blue bezel wasn't a style choice. It was there to tell day hours from night hours at a glance. Somewhere along the way, it became one of the most recognisable designs in watchmaking.
For a long time, getting that bezel in steel meant buying vintage. Ceramic made it difficult: getting a single piece of ceramic to be two colours, cleanly divided, took Rolex years to work out. When the steel Pepsi returned at Baselworld 2018 on the 126710BLRO, it caused the kind of excitement Rolex launches rarely do now.
Key Details
The 40mm Oystersteel case carries a bidirectional 24-hour bezel with a red and blue Cerachrom insert. The dial is black, with Chromalight markers and the GMT hand. Water resistance is 100 metres.
At launch it came only on the Jubilee bracelet. In 2021 Rolex added an Oyster bracelet version. Ours is on the Jubilee.
The Movement
The calibre 3285 brings around 70 hours of power reserve, the Chronergy escapement and Superlative Chronometer certification. More importantly, it's a true GMT: the local hour hand jumps independently, so changing time zones doesn't mean stopping the watch.
On the Wrist
The Jubilee is the right call here. It's more comfortable than the Oyster, a bit dressier, and it connects the watch to the GMT-Masters of the 1960s and 70s. At 40mm, it's the classic Rolex sports watch size: present, but never too much.
Is there a downside? Only that everybody knows what it is. If you want a watch that flies under the radar, the Pepsi isn't it.
Final Thoughts
There's a reason the Pepsi is the GMT-Master everyone pictures. It's practical, it's got the best backstory in the range, and in steel on a Jubilee it's about as classic as modern Rolex gets.
We have a 126710BLRO on the Jubilee in excellent condition, a full set. See it here.
