Rolex’s ‘Pepsi’ GMT Master II – 2018’s Most Hotly-Anticipated Timepiece

When the Rolex GMT-Master II with “Pepsi” bezel in stainless steel was announced, the luxury watch world went plain bananas. We hadn’t seen the famed Pepsi bezel on a Rolex since the launch of the white gold GMT-Master II in 2014, which carried a price-tag too painful for even Rolex to publish.

It was another addition to the luxury brand’s “price upon request” collection.

In the case of the new steel version of the Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi, the price more than justifies the hype. This time, $9,250 buys you not only one of the most stunning Rolex’s of recent years, but also a Rolex Jubilee bracelet instead of an Oyster bracelet.

As you probably know, Rolex Datejust models have exclusively been lavished with jubilee bracelets up until now. Better yet, there’s the inclusion of a 5mm Easylink extension for when things become a little too hot and sticky in the summer. Or for that matter, when you’ve let your diet go to pot once again.

Along with awesome looks and a price that’s almost too good to be true, the steel version of the Rolex GMT-Master II Pepsi boasts an improved movement with accuracy that goes well beyond industry norms. Total efficiency has been boosted by an impressive 15%, making for a full 70-hour power reserve, as opposed to the 48 hours of the 2014 white gold version.

Manufactured from a proprietary alloy of 904L stainless steel – referred to by Rolex as ‘Oystersteel’ – the latest model is exceptionally durable and carries the usual water-resistance of 300m.

So after a pretty extended period of hype in the extreme, the new GMT-Master II has proved to be worth the wait…and then some. It’ll be interesting to see if and how supply manages to cope with demand, which as far as early indications are concerned could be completely off the scale.