Rubber B was the first company in the world to develop custom rubber watch straps exclusively for Rolex timepieces, and since then, the company has added several other prominent watchmakers to its product portfolio. Rubber B also creates custom rubber watch bands for watches produced by Panerai, Roger Dubuis, and Audemars Piguet. This particular article, however, is going to be about a very special Rolex watch – the GMT-Master Pepsi.
The GMT-Master Pepsi has become one of the most coveted of all Rolex watches among collectors – in fact, many jewelers have closed down their waiting list for this particular piece, as people are purchasing these watches up to 20 years in advance. Additionally, as we noted in one of our prior blogs, this Rolex often receives the highest markup in terms of pricing when it appears on the gray market.
Because this watch is so special and sought-after, it stands to reason that it would be a popular choice among celebrity collectors. With that in mind, we are going to take a closer look at the famous people, and in some cases, the even more famous characters that they play, who have worn a GMT-Master Pepsi over the years.
To begin with, though, let’s learn a little more about the history of the GMT-Master Pepsi Rolex itself, in order to understand why this watch is so popular among collectors.
A Brief History of the GMT-Master Pepsi Rolex
The GMT-Master Pepsi actually has a fairly interesting story behind it, but because the watch has become so coveted over the years, most people have forgotten the origins of the timepiece itself in the first place.
The GMT-Master was first made available in 1954 and had been developed in conjunction with Pan American, which at that time, was one of the largest airlines in the world. The airline distributed the watches to members of their long-haul crews, as it would allow you to keep track of the time in multiple different time zones on just one timepiece.
The earliest version of these watches had a multi-colored bezel on them that was used to help keep track of the time – the red area of the bezel was meant to be used during daytime hours, and the blue portion of the bezel was meant to track the time at night.
The similarity with the Pepsi coloring, however, was appealing to many collectors, and the watch soon became very popular outside of the airline industry. As of the moment, Rolex is still only currently producing one version of the GMT-Master Pepsi, the 18K white gold iteration, reference number 116719.
The limited number of pieces, combined with the watch’s enduring popularity over the years, has ensured that a collector must be very dedicated to finding one of these watches in order to actually procure it. But what celebrities have been spotted wearing one of these iconic watches over the years?
Celebrities Who Wear the Rolex GMT-Master Pepsi
Daniel Craig – James Bond
The first actor on our list occupies an interesting space, in that the character he is most famous for playing spent years wearing Rolex watches, but now only wears Omegas in his films (and has for quite some time.)
While James Bond may not be allowed to wear a Rolex on screen anymore, the actor who plays him, Daniel Craig, is certainly a noted fan of the prestige watchmaker. He is known for having several notable Rolex pieces in his personal collection, but one of the ones that immediately sticks out is his GMT-Master Pepsi.
Orlando Bloom
While he certainly wasn’t wearing any Rolex watches while he played his most famous character, Legolas, in the “Lord of the Rings” series, actor Orlando Bloom has long been a noted collector of vintage Rolex watches. He is known to own a GMT-Master Pepsi reference number 1675, which is one of the oldest iterations of this watch and is very valuable.
In 2009, Bloom made headlines when his home was vandalized by a series of teenage thieves in Los Angeles who came to be known as “The Bling Ring.” Many of Bloom’s watches were stolen when his home was burglarized, though it seems as if all of his vintage watches have since been returned to him.
Howard Kendrick
While he’s not an actor, Howard Kendrick is most certainly a celebrity – at least to the people of Philadelphia, as he is a left fielder for their beloved Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. While Kendrick is certainly the proud owner of a GMT-Master Pepsi, he also owns several other notable timepieces and is a true watch aficionado, as his social media feeds have often detailed his beautifully curated watch collection.
Ellen DeGeneres
When it comes to female comedians, it’s hard to think of a more influential name than Ellen DeGeneres. The vaunted comedian and talk show host, who is ending her long-running daytime television show after 19 seasons, has also quietly amassed a very impressive collection of Rolex pieces, including several Paul Newman Daytona Cosmograph. Among her notable acquisitions is the 18k white gold Rolex GMT-Master Pepsi, which we mentioned earlier in the article.
Sylvester Stallone
It is somehow very fitting that Sylvester Stallone not only owns a Rolex GMT-Master Pepsi, but that he owns a very special iteration of the watch – reference number 116759 SARU.
What makes this particular timepiece so special? Well, the bezel is encrusted in sapphires, diamonds, and rubies, which somehow manages to make this already very rare and valuable watch even rarer.
Several actors have managed to wear their GMT-Master Pepsi watches on-set as part of their character’s costume as well – let’s take a closer look at some of those performers.
James Spader – “The Blacklist”
James Spader has spent the last several years playing the eclectic, hard-to-read Raymond “Red” Reddington on NBC’s hit show “The Blacklist.” While Red is often seen in a smart-looking suit and his trademark sunglasses, longtime viewers will also know that he is often seen wearing his GMT-Master Pepsi on a Jubilee bracelet.
Ben Affleck – Gone Girl
One of the twistiest thrillers released in recent memory, “Gone Girl” saw Ben Affleck’s beleaguered husband being accused of the murder of his beloved wife, a successful children’s author. His character, Nick Dunne, is seen wearing a GMT-Master Pepsi several times throughout the movie.
Tom Selleck – Magnum P.I. and Jesse Stone
Tom Selleck has been wearing his GMT-Master Pepsi on-screen for decades – he started doing so back in the 80’s during his run on “Magnum P.I.,” and has kept on doing so whenever he appears in the Jesse Stone television movies.
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