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Buying a GMT II


HaydenM

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Hey all

I have recently been looking to buy my first rep and have been recently taken by the Rolex GMT II. I have looked around and unfortunately they all seem much the same to me. I was wondering if there is anything to look out for in a Rep GMT. Is there a certain movement to go for / steer clear of? What are some obvious tells with a GMT and does anybody know a GMT rep that does not have / (more likely) these tells are minimised.

Thankyou

HaydenM

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The only high quality GMT IIc currently available is from the N-Factory, which would explain why they all look the same to you; yes? :crazy:

The tells would be that the replica has no AR coating under it's magnifying cyclops lens. Also, the numbers on the genuine ceramic bezel insert are pure platinum and on the replica are pure paint.

There is an interesting school of thought on the movements available in this watch, which is exactly opposite other watches and that is this ... the asian 21j movement is the wise choice, since it is a purpose-built GMT movement. If you buy the GMT IIc with a Swiss ETA movement inside, it is a non-GMT movement with some extra gears and clutches screwed to it. Not optimal.

note: there is talk of a new breed of GMT module for the reps .. it's only been reported on ONCE and it is a huge improvement over the existing GMT modules, making it safe and wise to purchase the Swiss ETA GMT IIc **if** this new module is inside of it.

Who can guarantee it's in there? No one.

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General consensus is that the CHS, correct hand stack, is not a reliable movement. There have been a few exceptions. The ICHS, incorrect hand stack, is only detectable with a loupe, macro pic, or Kal-El's vision.

The 21J DG3804b Chinese movement is a GMT designed piece, not a conversion. It is reliable, and when it's time to service you simply remove the movement, hit it with a hammer and buy a new one from Frei or most suppliers for $25.

Both the Asian 2836-2 and the 'Swiss' ETA 2836-2 are converted/modified movements to make it GMT. Most work OK with no issues. Consensus is that if you opt for the 'Swiss' you will be getting an Asian anyway, the genuine Swiss ETA not really being available.

Depending on your skill level you can put in your own movement, such as an ETA 2893-2 which is a genuine, from the ground up GMT movement. Some 'experts' have said it is better than the Rolex GMT movement. It takes some work, fitting and shimming, to get it to fit correctly, and it is expensive, about $260 and up. It takes the same hands as the Rolex Tudor, and the GMT/4th hand is the same as the Rolex 1575 GMT movement. All very available.

To my knowledge, the case, bezel and insert are the same for all the GMTIIc from our recommended dealers, the movement is the only difference. So, it comes to personal preference and cost. As this is your first rep, you might think about if you are the kind of nut as we are that won't stop at one rep, and move on to modding/building as we learn more. If so, I'd recommend the 21J movement, wear it for a while, buy the 3 or 4 or 5 reps that catch your eye reading this forum, and in a year or two or three you'll look at this one with that certain stare most of us get, and tear it apart to make it better. It is inevitable. There is no cure for this. Even those who have 'graduated' to buying a genuine Rolex still come back here to the reps. You're gonna love this stuff. :thumbsupsmileyanim:

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IF you are looking for a 16710 (older model GMTII) Pepsi bezel I saw one for sale on the sales forum just a few minutes ago. It's a noobfactory version that has been modified. Great looking watch. It's more expensive than a new one, but all the correct mods have been done.

AFA putting a 2893-2 in a GMTIIC (Ceramic) model, a couple of folks have done it, but it's a very difficult fit and the tolerances are exacting. I wanted to do it with my GMTIIC and The Zigmeister wouldn't do it, as it had too many compromises.

Pretty much all of the latest GMTIIC's are nice watches, and the prices are reasonable.

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Okay now to the clincher. If looked around and it is (for newbie me) difficult to find aMaster IIc. I am wondering if anybody would know the cost or where I would be able to find the following. ((which TD do you guys recommend aswell))

I believe that I will go with your advice:

21J DG304b movement, n-factory, black bezel insert.

Edited by HaydenM
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The ICHS, incorrect hand stack, is only detectable with a loupe, macro pic

Or if you move try and move the Hour hand and find that the GMT hand moves. You don't need a loupe to see this.

Some 'experts' have said it is better than the Rolex GMT movement

The Rolex movement has an independent adjustable hour hand - the ETA has an independently adjustable GMT with hourly jumps (except where it has been specifically modified such as Omega). The Rolex type movement is the only ueseful one for travelling as you do not have to resyncronize your watch. How can the ETA be better than the Rolex movement?

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The watch here on rwg does look really good. My only problem is that at the moment I don't currently have the means of payment set up as generally I don't purchase things online. So I assume by the time I would be able to have these set up it would be sold.

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Or if you move try and move the Hour hand and find that the GMT hand moves. You don't need a loupe to see this.

The Rolex movement has an independent adjustable hour hand - the ETA has an independently adjustable GMT with hourly jumps (except where it has been specifically modified such as Omega). The Rolex type movement is the only ueseful one for travelling as you do not have to resyncronize your watch. How can the ETA be better than the Rolex movement?

You have better eyes than mine.

The Rolex movement GMT hand is "quickset" just as the ETA 2893-2 is. They both 'jump'. You can move/jump the GMT hand without hacking the watch on either movement. Some experts say the ETA is better designed. It's on the internet.

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Well if you look at this video

which is a gen, the first position moves the hour hand in hourly jumps, and the second position moves the 24 hr, and minutes and does not jump.

The Rolex brochure says:

The GMT-Master II has a 24-hour hand and an independent, adjustable 12-hour hand that makes it possible to set the hour

for a new time zone while the watch continues to function, maintaining the exact time. The two hour hands allow the

time in any two time zones to be read simultaneously.

It dosn't work the same way as the ETA GMT. I wish it did as it would save me a lot of effort when travelling - all you have to do on the Rolex is to move the hour hand to the new time zone.

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True, but on the ETA 2893-2 all you need do is to move the GMT hand in 'jumps'. That is no less effective when traveling. Further, when I use a modified 2836-2 or a DG GMT watch while traveling, the GMT hand is always set to GMT/UTC. I simply turn the bezel and read the time off the 4th hand at the bezel. To me, that's less effort when traveling than working the crown. I'd guess that it is a personal preference.

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There is a very new movement which is a close 3135 rolex copy, but it does not take genuine parts so you can not fix it if it breaks.

It is too new to know if it is well designed and reliable. We are talking just a few months, here.

There are no GMT versions of this new movement.

Do a search for SA3135 to read more about it.

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