C60 GMT - problems understanding the history of the genre

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josquin
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C60 GMT - problems understanding the history of the genre

Post by josquin »

"In 1954, in collaboration with Pan Am Airways, Rolex developed the first dual-time watch, the GMT Master, which had the incredibly useful function for the airline's personnel of being able to tell the time in two separate time zones simultaneously."

This is what it says on CW's main site. So the history of the watch seems to be related to aviation. Yet to me it looks like a diving watch. So what is the history behind this watch type? Is it a diver's watch that was adapted to airline usage? But why wasn't a more typical aviation watch used to make the prototype of this GMT? I really like the look of the C60 though I'm not usually into divers, but I'm still struggling to understand why a diving style would have been used to make a watch intended for flying!

So were e.g. the styles not so formalized in the 50s and so such a style wouldn't have been necessarily seen as just a diver? Or was Rolex just adapting an earlier design? Or what happened that the sea and air became one?
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liammcdowell
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Re: C60 GMT - problems understanding the history of the genr

Post by liammcdowell »

I had always just assumed it would be easier to modify an existing design (the sub), and also for the user to simply spin the bezel to the appropriate time zone rather than messing Witt the crown.
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spacebrother
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Re: C60 GMT - problems understanding the history of the genr

Post by spacebrother »

The initial Rolex GMT Master only had a waterproof rating of 50 meters, which is just barely splash proof, so it looks like it wasn't intended to be a diver originally.

Source: http://www.rwgforum.net/topic/149110-ro ... al-part-1/

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Richard B
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Re: C60 GMT - problems understanding the history of the genr

Post by Richard B »

Bear in mind, as pointed out in that rather excellent write-up that space brother linked to, with a wonderful advertisement (I'm guessing that was an early 70s ad?) that a GMT watch with a rotating bezel isn't just two time zones - it can be used for three or more.
Marketing aside, I suspect it wasn't all about weather and communications, I reckon they just wanted to get long haul pilots back to the aircraft on time after partying all night!
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