Fresh from the Showcase here at SwissWatchExpo and Jubilee means celebration.
And today we are celebrating having the Jubilee bracelet on all three current production models
of the GMT Master II.
The Jubilee bracelet is one of Rolex's iconic designs.
I would argue their most iconic bracelet, although some people may disagree it's been
available in a variety of models all across the board.
If you know even a little bit about Rolex or have seriously considered shopping for
one, you've probably heard these bracelets used.
This is probably very redundant information for some people who follow the channel very
closely, but we are lucky enough to have all three current production models of the GMT
Master II with the newest iteration of their Jubilee bracelet.
And I wanted to take this opportunity to go over a little bit of what we know about the
history of the Jubilee bracelet and what makes these three pieces so incredible.
Now, Jubilee does mean an anniversary or the celebration of an anniversary.
It was released in 1945 to celebrate Rolex's 40th anniversary.
So this was a new bracelet designed for their Oyster Perpetual, which was at the time I
believe their most popular model.
And even at its inception, it was considered to be a dressier more elegant alternative.
And that's definitely remained true for the 80 some odd years it's been in production
now, or I guess not quite 80 now that I'm doing the math in my head.
But it's still been around for a quite long time.
And while the look has remained essentially unchanged, they have made some very important
changes to them throughout the years.
But the basic design does have a five-link structure.
I'll start with this beautiful Pepsi bezel model we have here.
And the one thing that I believe has remained consistent throughout the beginning is that
you are going to have a five-link structure with three smaller center links in the middle,
which will be high-polished to more robust outer links with a brushed finish.
So this can give it a very elegant and sort of fine jewelry type of approach, but this
is still pretty versatile.
This isn't an exclusively high=polished bracelet or something that would look so fancy that
it cannot be dressed down because spoiler alert, later on, Rolex was gonna start introducing
this into their sports models as well.
And this design works so great on these, as you can obviously tell.
Now, people who've shopped for Rolex's with Jubilee bracelets will know that the older
ones did tend to be a little less durable than their Oyster counterparts.
And that was why for the longest time they were not available on the sports models.
The center links were made out of hollow loops and the outer ones were folded for the longest
time.
And this is just not as robust as it's been.
Now, their technology and their engineering have come a long way.
And now I believe these Jubilee bracelets are gonna be every bit as strong as their
Oyster band counterparts that they traditionally made in their more rugged watches.
And that's why not only when they introduce the newest version of the Jubilee bracelet
in 2018, they didn't just start introducing it to their sports models.
This according to Rolex, is going to be exclusively what the GMT Master II is available in moving
forward.
Obviously, Rolex is subject to change and is definitely going to probably eventually
I think bring the Oyster band back to the GMT.
But for the foreseeable future, every new GMT you're able to see or buy or shop for
at least the next several years are going to come on these Jubilee bands.
But you know what, I don't mind so much because they look absolutely incredible.
The first one I was holding in my hands, I just wanted to grab the oldest one, the Pepsi
bezel model, which was the first one, the first colored bezel model they reintroduced
in the ceramic version when they upgraded the bezel here.
And it's one of the most iconic-looking ones, and it's the one that's been around for the
longest out of all these three sorts of soda pop nicknamed bezel combinations that we have
here.
It's called Pepsi, of course, because it's red and blue, which is the same color as their
logo.
Definitely, the brightest color available of all three because while you do have the
black dial, and I do love the contrast that gives you from this bezel, this has definitely
been the most colorful option in their offering because every other one they've made has had
some sort of black on the bezel, which just, you know, tends to give it a much darker look.
But of course, the one thing that links all these is going to be the bracelet.
So again, much more robust than the ones from vintage Oyster Perpetuals and Datejust passed.
This is all solid.
So all of these links are connected and are solid, no loops here.
So these are going to hold up to where and to stretch if you get any at all, even decades
into the future.
Much, much better than the vintage ones you're probably more familiar with.
And one thing that they brought back, and you could tell this is much more robust, is
the Oyster clasp that's on this.
And you can definitely just tell because this has the two-piece folding-lock mechanism and
it's just so much heavier than the older ones that really from the second this case ends,
you're really dealing with something much, much more durable and much tougher than any
Jubilee bracelet they've made before.
And I think this is one of the biggest improvements in engineering that Rolex has made in the
past several decades, especially when it comes to just how durable their watches are.
The next one I wanted to show you is gonna be the first one that Rolex introduced or
the first colored new combination that they made with the ceramic bezel.
And this is the Batman, or in this case, what some people are calling the Batgirl when it
is on the Jubilee bracelet.
Now, I was a little confused when I first started hearing that term being thrown around
because I don't think Rolex ever made a GMT for women.
But turns out it was because the Jubilee bracelet is a bit more elegant.
Some people find this to be a more feminine-looking watch than the Batman.
I'm neither going to confirm nor deny that, but it is certainly a lot more elegant-looking
than the original Batmans that they introduced.
And that's again, a lot of the reasons why people want to shop for the Jubilee bracelets
now and why it's gotten so much more popular that they wanted to make the GMT Master series
all about this bracelet.
Now the Batman was a big hit when it came out, or the Batgirl if you're talking about
this one.
People really love the blue and black combo and a lot of people think it's a bit more
versatile-looking than the Pepsi.
I would probably tend to agree because most people's wardrobes have a lot more blues and
blacks than maybe the contrasting warm and cool colors of the Pepsi combo.
I don't know personally, I do prefer the Pepsi, but I just tend to love brighter colors on
my accessories anyway when I have the opportunity.
But you really can't go wrong with any of these.
Now the last one for people who have probably been really waiting for me to get to this
one because this has been a very hard watch to get your hands on the most recent introduction
to the Rolex GMT line.
I think as of the recording this video, it's the last new sport model, they introduced
it all and this is the Sprite.
So of course, keeping with the soda theme and keeping with the fact that Sprite's logo
is green, I think they wisely decided to keep the black instead of going full lemon lime
yellow and green.
I don't know if that would look as good.
So luckily the Sprite is gonna be more black and green, which I think is a great combo.
Obviously, the first thing that it's gonna bring to mind is either gonna be like a Kermit
or a Starbucks or even a Hulk Submariner with the use of the green bezel.
And like all of those, this watch is a smash hit.
It is trading astronomically higher than retail and is one of the most desirable and sought-after
watches in the game today, least of all.
That's particularly surprising because as you can tell, the big thing about this is
what is considered the destro or the left-hand drive GMT because the crown is located on
the other side.
Finally, Rolex made a sports model for lefties such as myself, but frankly, since left-handed
people are only one, I believe ninth of the world population, the demand for this watch
is clearly crossed over to the other side of the aisle there.
And right's are really absolutely digging this piece too.
I love the color combination.
Of course, the exclusivity of it drives it a long way.
And the fact that Rolex is just willing to introduce a new soda sort of soda motif to
the bezel, to their variety.
And now I know these are all collectors' terms and I don't believe Rolex actually calls them
that this, but the fact that the collectors have gone this nuts to dub a new nickname
for this, I believe before it even hit the market, really tells you how excited people
were for Rolex to come out with a new color in this.
And as of today, and I believe for the foreseeable future, this will only be available on this
incredible Jubilee bracelet.
Now as you know, we haven't gone over every single soda variety for this new reference.
Rolex has yet to introduce, I believe, a Root Beer in a Jubilee bracelet or a Coke.
So of course, speculation is abound about what may or may not be the next one that Rolex
introduces.
But I have a gut feeling because the demand for this green and black Sprite is so high.
I think we're still several years away from that next introduction.
But for now, if you can get your hands or really need to get your hands on one or all
three of these pieces, you please need to call us.
And of course, if you turn out to be not a fan of the Jubilee bracelet at all, and hate
the fact that Rolex is exclusively doing the GMT in this bracelet, well guess what?
That's why we sell certified pre-owned watches and we have all the old references of the
GMTs going way, way back.
So even if you were into vintage sports models, don't think that excludes you.
Give us a call.
We've got so many different types of Rolexes, I couldn't even begin to describe them all.
And of course, like and subscribe to this channel if you haven't yet and give us a call
so we can find a watch for you at SwissWatchExpo.com.