Turn left: Rolex GMT-Master II Destro

One thing is clear: left-handers have a harder time with things than the rest of us. While they are no longer forced to write with their weaker right hand (even Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour reportedly trained himself to use his right hand), most everyday items, such as scissors and can openers, are designed for right-handers. Left-handers find them difficult to use. Left-handers make up about 10% of the population, so it’s a sizeable minority. Today, most tools are available in left-handed versions, but a similar shift hasn’t taken place in the world of cheap replica watches.

Why do left-handers always wear watches? In principle, any watch can be worn on the right hand if you use it more often and want to protect it from bumps and scratches. But operating the crown is quite difficult (although the watch should always be removed when setting it to avoid excessive lateral pressure on the winding stem). When you hold a traditional watch with a crown in your hand, you either have to wind and set it with your right hand, or turn the watch upside down with the 12 o’clock position facing down and set it with your left hand. This isn’t ideal for time setting – especially for watches with a second time zone, where you have to adjust the local time when you move into a new time zone.

One thing is clear: lefties have a harder time with things than the rest of us. While they are no longer forced to write with their weaker right hand (even Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour reportedly trained himself to use his right hand), most everyday items, such as scissors and can openers, are designed for right-handers. Left-handers find them difficult to use. Left-handers make up about 10% of the population, so this is a sizeable minority. Today, most tools are available in left-handed versions, but a similar shift has not yet taken place in the world of popular swiss watch brands.

Why do left-handers always wear watches? In principle, any watch can be worn on the right hand if you use it more often and want to protect it from bumps and scratches. But operating the crown is quite difficult (although the watch should always be removed when setting it to avoid excessive lateral pressure on the winding stem). When you hold a traditional watch with a crown in your hand, you either have to wind and set it with your right hand, or turn the watch upside down with the 12 o’clock position facing down and set it with your left hand. This is not ideal for time setting – especially for watches with a second time zone, where the local time must be adjusted when you move to a new time zone.

Photo by Marcus Krüger
While brands such as Panerai, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Tudor and Sinn have all produced watches with the crown on the left side, most have this feature to prevent the crown from pressing against the back of the hand or wrist when the watch is worn on the left side.

Now Rolex has come up with a solution that not only places the crown on the left side of the case for left-handed operation, but also moves the date display to the left side, making it easier to read when the buy good replica watches is worn on the right side and partially obscured by a shirt cuff.

Left or right?
The new GMT-Master II is perfect for left-handed people and those who prefer to wear their watches on the right hand. But what about the other 90%? Well, this watch is just as difficult to use for left-handed people as any other GMT-Master II. This isn’t a big deal, but let’s just say it would have been much easier to use with the crown on the other side.

How do these new changes look? While the crown on the left is unobtrusive, the date on the left side looks a bit off – like an upside-down picture. It takes a while to get used to it. At first you might think you have your watch upside down until you notice the brand name and logo and see that the watch is indeed right side up. But you get used to it.

Another new feature is the black-green bezel – never seen before on a Rolex.

We see a completely green rotating bezel on the Submariner LV. Green is actually Rolex’s anniversary colour, and the GMT-Master II was launched exactly 40 years ago, in 1982. However, its appearance is no different from its predecessor, the GMT-Master, only its functionality – the 12-hour hand can be adjusted independently of the GMT hand.

Now, in addition to Pepsi (red and blue bezel) and Batman (blue and black bezel), we have a third colour to choose from in the steel model. Granted, colour is always a matter of personal taste, but we prefer the old model to the new one. richard mille le mans classic

First launched in 1955, the GMT-Master featured a red and blue 24-hour bezel designed to easily distinguish between day and night in a second time zone. Later, another more elegant version was introduced with an all-black rotating bezel, but the clearer two-tone scale remains the key to the design. When you are on the road, you can tell at a glance whether you can call home or whether everyone has fallen asleep.

With the introduction of ceramic bezels in 2007, single-color bezels were initially the only option. This material is difficult to produce colored bezels, and it is difficult to produce different colors on a single component. But in 2013, Rolex successfully launched the Batman with a blue-black bezel. Rolex used a single-piece scale process developed and patented in-house. The color is produced by depositing metal salts on half of the ceramic component before firing in a kiln. These UV-resistant bezels also do not fade.

In low light, however, as with the blue-black rotating bezel, it is difficult to tell the color difference on the green-black version. On the positive side, the green hue is subtle, so this watch will go well with an elegant dress shirt. The green 24-hour hand matches the bezel, just like the black-bezel steel version 10 years ago.

One might think that Rolex just had to turn the dial over, but in fact, the dial, bezel, date ring and GMT hand are all new, as is the crystal, thanks to the new position of the Cyclops magnifying glass and the laser-engraved Rolex crown at 6 o’clock.

Design Classic
Besides that, the design of this new model is directly derived from the first GMT-Master. Only the bezel numbers have been updated. There is little to improve in terms of design, and the GMT-Master has become a classic.

Although the watch is water-resistant to 100 meters, the case is only 12.1 mm thick. It is difficult to find such a slim and comfortable sports watch today. The diameter of 40 mm is also the right size for most wrists. replica audemars piguet

The bracelet with curved links fits the wrist comfortably. There is also an additional feature that helps you relieve wrist expansion due to heat or exercise – a half-link extension can be folded out of the clasp. This extends the length of the bracelet by 5 mm, without a noticeable difference in appearance. The high-quality clasp on the Oyster bracelet is very close to the best in terms of craftsmanship and operation. When closed, the safety folding lever is barely visible. To open, lift the Rolex crown, which reveals a lever that can also be easily lifted to open the bracelet.

In addition to the position, the large winding crown is also easy to use. Unscrewing the crown releases the crown to wind the watch. In the first position, the normal hour hand can be moved forward and backward in hour increments to set the time in a new time zone. The date jumps in both directions accordingly. In the second position, the minute hand is adjusted (and the 24-hour and normal hour hands are adjusted simultaneously). The 24-hour hand is often used to indicate home time, or by pilots to indicate Greenwich Mean Time, while the normal hour hand shows local time, which is common in travel watches.

You can also temporarily set another time zone using the bezel, which advances in one-hour increments. For example, if you are in the United States and are working on a project with a company in Germany, using the bezel to set the correct time zone can show when your business partner is available. The GMT-Master II offers a very practical time zone function.

Modern Movement
We measured the accuracy of our Rolex test watch on a high-end Witschi timing machine. The GMT-Master II has an average daily error of just 1.3 seconds, which is excellent and meets Rolex’s very strict specifications of between -2 and +2 seconds per day, which every watch must meet in order to be officially certified as a chronometer by the Swiss testing institute COSC. Tests carried out in six positions showed that the results were close enough, with a maximum deviation of 5 seconds and the amplitude between the flat position (dial up and down) and the suspended position remaining within acceptable limits. The good rate results are provided by the latest generation Rolex in-house movement 3285, which is protected by a solid steel caseback. The rotor with ball bearings provides a power reserve of up to 70 hours. The main contribution comes from the efficient Chronergy escapement with its optimized pallet fork and escape wheel geometry, and the LIGA process, which allows Rolex to create a perforated and lighter structure. Thanks to the use of a nickel-phosphorus alloy, the escapement does not react to magnetic fields.

Other well-known advantages of Rolex movements include: the highly efficient in-house Paraflex shock-absorbing system, an extremely stable balance cock (rather than a one-sided balance cock), a free-spring with overcoil made of a paramagnetic niobium-zirconium alloy, and fine adjustment via a Microstella nut on the balance wheel. Adjustments can be made without removing the movement from the case, using a special tool. jacob and co astronomia casino

The dial is decorated with, for example, a sunray pattern, but the hand-engraving is not obvious. A detail at the bottom of the dial also reflects the characteristics of the new generation of movements: a small Rolex crown between the two words “Swiss Made”.

The latest version of the GMT-Master II has become a design classic, with excellent technical characteristics, quality and precision. It is very suitable for left-handed people, and although it is more cumbersome to operate, it is easy to read the date for right-handed people who wear the watch on their right wrist. Anyone who likes the color or values ​​the prestige of the currently rarest GMT-Master II will definitely like this new and upgraded model.