FS – Rolex 16710 GMT-Master II, just serviced by Bob Ridley - and beautiful!

[avusblue]

For sale is my Rolex 16710 GMT-Master II, with all three bezel inserts. The watch is in overall 95% “Near Mint” condition on the TimeZone grading scale , having been completely overhauled and refurbished just over one month ago by the highly respected Bob Ridley of Watchmakers International. If you are in the market for a classic and collectible 16710 GMT Master, this watch has several attributes that should make it a very attractive candidate to consider:

• The mint condition dial & hands have Luminova markers with very strong & effective lume. Meanwhile, the case has drilled lug holes to make for super easy strap / bracelet changes, if you wish. The usefulness of Luminova lume, matched with the vintage-looking drilled Lug-Hole case & non-SEL bracelet, makes for a very desirable combination that Rolex only produced for a couple of years. The watch is a very late “U” serial (U965xxx). See this thread for a little more on the pedigree of this watch. Even with a "U" case serial (which normally implies 1997/98 production), my clasp code is “X1” (which means January 1999), and the stamped code on its certificate is "E RLCC" (which means it was shipped from Rolex USA to the AD on 4 1399 = April 13, 1999). The watch's date of retail sale was August 23, 1999.

• The complete overhaul performed by Bob Ridley in March 2011 has restored the watch to completely “like new” cosmetic and functional condition – with a one-year warranty. It’s ready to serve, for the long haul, with no waiting! See this thread for a little more about the restoration of this watch. Before I sent it in to Bob, the watch was running great, was extremely accurate (consistently +0.4 sec/day: outstanding!), and other than the normal cosmetic blemishes that had built up over time, it had absolutely no issues. But, after 12 years, I just figured it was time.

• The accuracy of this watch, post-refurbishment, is absolutely phenomenal. It is running at, I kid you not, +/- zero seconds per day. Its accuracy is better than most of my quartz watches. I hacked this watch against an atomic-synched reference source on Saturday, March 11th, upon the conversion to Daylight Savings Time, and have not adjusted it since. Per the picture below, you’ll see that the watch remains within four (4!) seconds of atomic time – over a month later! That’s not just great accuracy, that’s freakishly great accuracy! Really, its performance is a testimony to both the quality of a Rolex movement and the quality of Bob Ridley’s extraordinary skill and attention to detail!

• The watch has a perfect, flawless dial, hands, crystal, and case. Zero knicks, scratches, or scuffs. Brand new authentic Rolex “Pepsi” (red & blue) and all-Black bezel inserts. Currently the Black insert is on the watch. The watch also comes with its original “Coke” (red & black) bezel insert, which shows beautiful patina and fading. With a Rolex GMT and all the inserts, you get three watches in one!

• Fliplock 78790 Bracelet is immaculate as well. All three springbars were replaced and the bracelet screws were “re-loctited” during the refurbishment. Clasp is crisp and swings smoothly.

• All original books, papers, tags, boxes, and goodies are present and accounted for. Even the original purchase receipt from 1999. Bob Ridley’s service invoice is included as well.

I’ll stop now and let the pictures do the talking:

Here it was as a “Pepsi”:







Here it is now:
































Here’s the timekeeping performance compared to an atomic-synched reference source –six weeks after setting it, it’s only four seconds fast! Wow!




You’ll notice that the outer bezel ring has a blemish in one of the crenellations that you can see in the pics, in between the number “12” and the dot that signifies 13. While he greatly reduced its significance, even the mighty Bob Ridley could not completely eradicate this mark, short of replacing the bezel. The remaining imperfection was so minor that I decided to leave it; and while it is barely noticeable, this is the only feature that caused me to reduce the watch’s rating from 99% “Mint” to 95% “Near Mint”.




The complete “kit” that comes along with the watch is as follows:

o Inner and outer boxes, in perfect condition
o Extra bracelet link and link screw (for a full-length 13 links in all)
o Mint condition, brand new, “Pepsi” (red & blue) and all-Black bezel inserts. The Black insert is currently on the watch.
o Original “Coke” red & black bezel (with vintage patina & fading)
o The signed warranty / chronometer certificate
o "Your Rolex Oyster" booklet
o "Rolex GMT-Master" booklet
o "Factory Service – The Care Of Your Rolex" booklet
o Rolex Document sleeve
o Rolex red Chronometer Hang Tag
o Rolex green "Swimpruf" Hang Tag with matching serial number
o Rolex green “Oysterlock” Hang Tag
o Rolex / Cellini soft polishing cloth
o Original Purchase invoice from Rolex AD, Edmonds Jewelers of Fresno, California, dated August 23, 1999.
o Invoice from Rolex AD (Wixon’s Jewelers in Minnesota) for new “Pepsi” bezel insert, dated December 23, 2010, and for new “Black” insert, dated April 14, 2011.
o Service invoice from Bob Ridley of Watchmakers International, dated March 4, 2011.


The price is $5,290, including two-day express U.S. shipping.

Not interested in any trades, please. U.S. transactions only, unless you have a strong track record and references.

To contact me, please send a PM, or email me at avusblue [at] yahoo [dot] com. Please be patient, as I cannot respond to that email during working hours. Feel free to send me your number so we can speak by phone.

Payment will be via bank wire transfer. I will also consider PayPal, but only if 1) you have a strong track record and references, 2) we’ve spoken by phone to my satisfaction, 3) the watch will only be shipped to your confirmed, verified address after the payment clears, and 4) please plan to add on 3% for their fee.

As for my credentials, I have all-perfect references from numerous other watch purchase and sale transactions on TimeZone (as member "skate68"), WatchUSeek (as "avusblue"), and RolexForums (as "avusblue"), as well as over 540 all-positive feedbacks from that well-known internet auction site (as “avusblue”), many of which were from high-end watch transactions.

Best regards, and thanks for looking,

Dave
Saint Paul, Minnesota