GMT-Master II · Nickname guide
The red-and-blue GMT-Master II — the colourway that started it all, reborn in ceramic on a Jubilee.
Reference
126710BLRO
Years
2018–present
Also called
—
Bezel / dial
Red & blue Cerachrom
Below: what makes the Pepsi (126710BLRO) distinctive, what to verify before buying, and how it fits the Naples collector scene.
The red-and-blue bezel goes back to the original GMT-Master of the 1950s, where the two colours marked day and night hours for pilots. Collectors christened it the “Pepsi,” and the name stuck across every generation.
The current 126710BLRO revived it in 2018 with a two-colour Cerachrom ceramic bezel — a genuine manufacturing feat, since fusing red and blue ceramic in one insert is notoriously difficult — on a five-link Jubilee bracelet. Earlier ceramic Pepsis came only in white gold (116719BLRO, 2014).
What to verify
In Naples
The Pepsi is the GMT most people picture, and it is the one we see most often around Naples — a natural fit for a town of travellers and second homes. Because it trades above retail and waitlists are long, most Naples buyers shop the secondary market, where condition and a full set move the price within a wide band.
We are an independent reference, not a dealer: we cannot sell you a Pepsi or appraise one. What we can do is help you read the reference and know what separates a correct example from a cobbled-together one.
Pepsi FAQ
The Pepsi is a GMT-Master II with a red-and-blue bezel, named after the soda's colours. The current version is the steel 126710BLRO, introduced in 2018 with a ceramic bezel on a Jubilee bracelet.
No. The modern ceramic Pepsi first appeared in white gold (116719BLRO, 2014) before the steel 126710BLRO arrived in 2018. Vintage Pepsis used aluminium bezels across many references.
Demand far exceeds supply, and the two-colour ceramic bezel is difficult to produce. The steel Pepsi has a long waitlist at retail, so secondary-market prices sit well above list.
Naples has an active Rolex market through retail, boutiques, and private sales — but Naples Rolex is an independent reference, not a dealer. We don't sell or broker watches. Use this guide to verify a Pepsi before you buy, wherever you find it.