Two-tone is the most out-of-favour configuration in modern Rolex — and that is precisely why the 126713GRNR deserves a second look. We were asked about one this week, and the conversation went the way these conversations usually go: the buyer knew the Pepsi, knew the Batman, and had never seriously considered the steel-and-gold GMT sitting quietly beside them.
That is a gap worth closing.
What the 126713GRNR actually is
A GMT-Master II in yellow Rolesor — Oystersteel case and bracelet outer links, 18ct yellow gold bezel, crown, centre links and hour markers. Forty millimetres across, 11.90mm thick, 48mm lug-to-lug. Inside is the calibre 3285 with 70 hours of power reserve, the same movement carried by every current GMT-Master II regardless of metal.
The bezel insert is a two-colour Cerachrom in grey and black. GRNR is not a product name — it is gris noir, French for grey black, in the same convention that gives the blue-and-black reference its BLNR suffix. The dial is black lacquer with gold hands and applied gold markers, filled with blue Chromalight.
The Jubilee detail almost everyone missed
Here is the fact that should be leading every write-up of this reference and rarely does: this was the first Jubilee bracelet Rolex ever fitted to a precious-metal GMT-Master II.
The Jubilee had appeared on steel GMTs for years. It had never appeared on a gold or Rolesor one — those came on Oyster, without exception. The 126713GRNR changed that, and it changes how the watch wears. A Jubilee with gold centre links drapes differently from a solid Oyster, sits closer to the wrist, and softens forty millimetres of case in a way that photographs poorly and wears extremely well.
If you have only seen this reference in pictures, you have not really seen it. That is true of most two-tone, and it is the single biggest reason the configuration is underrated.
Grey and black, in a family built on being loud
The GMT-Master II is a collection defined by its bezels. Pepsi. Batman. Sprite. Root beer. The naming convention itself tells you what buyers respond to — colour, contrast, nickname.
Grey and black has no nickname worth using. It is the quietest bezel in the range, and against a gold case it does something the loud references cannot: it makes a two-tone sports Rolex that reads as restrained. In daylight the grey lifts and separates cleanly. Under office light it reads almost monochrome, and the gold does the talking.
Whether that appeals to you is a matter of taste. But it is a deliberate design position, not a compromise, and it explains why this reference divides opinion more sharply than its siblings.
Why the market has not caught up
Two-tone spent roughly two decades out of fashion. Buyers who came to Rolex during the steel-sports boom learned to read gold as dated, and that association has outlived the reason for it. The result is a configuration that trades on sentiment rather than substance.
The substance has not changed. Same movement, same case construction, same ceramic, same 70-hour reserve, same Superlative Chronometer certification as the steel references that people queue for. What differs is the metal and the fashion — and fashion is the part that moves.
We are not going to tell you a watch is an investment. Nobody honest will. What we will say is that when a reference is judged by a trend rather than by what it is, the gap between the two is where value tends to sit.
What to check before you buy one
The 126713GRNR is recent enough that most examples are in good order, which makes the few real checks worth doing properly.
- Gold wear on the centre links. Rolesor centre links are solid gold, not plated, so they do not wear through — but they mark more readily than steel. Look along the link edges under angled light.
- Bezel action. The 120-click unidirectional bezel should turn with even resistance the whole way round. A flat spot or a gritty section means grit in the mechanism, not a fault in the ceramic.
- The Jubilee clasp and links. Jubilee bracelets show play earlier than Oyster ones. Hold the bracelet horizontally and look for a visible sag between links — that is wear in the pins, and it is a negotiating point rather than a deal-breaker.
- Full set, and the date on the card. Box and papers matter more on a reference this young than they will in twenty years’ time.
- The GMT hand’s independent adjustment. With the crown at the first position, the local hour hand should jump in one-hour steps with no drag on the minute hand.
None of these require a workshop to check. All of them are easier with someone experienced beside you, which is what a private viewing is for.
Looking at a GMT-Master II? GrecoWatch buys, sells and trades Rolex from Spyrou Merkouri 4, 116 34 Athens. Every watch in our collection is personally inspected and authenticated before it is listed. If you are selling or trading, tell us what you have. If the watch you already own needs attention, our workshop gives a free written diagnosis and quote before any work begins.
Call or WhatsApp +30 697 546 1445. Monday–Saturday, 10:00–19:00.
Frequently asked questions
What does GRNR stand for?
Gris noir — grey black in French, describing the two-colour Cerachrom bezel insert. Rolex uses the same convention for BLNR (bleu noir, blue black) and BLRO (bleu rouge, blue red).
Is the gold on a Rolesor bracelet solid or plated?
Solid. The centre links and the bezel are 18ct yellow gold throughout — Rolex does not plate. This is why a Rolesor bracelet can be polished and a plated one cannot.
Does the two-tone GMT use a different movement from the steel version?
No. Every current GMT-Master II runs the calibre 3285, with 70 hours of power reserve and Superlative Chronometer certification, regardless of case metal.
Can you service a two-tone GMT-Master II in Athens?
Yes. Our workshop is run by a certified master watchmaker with more than 50 years of experience, including years working for Rolex, and every service carries a written two-year warranty using original parts only. We are an independent specialist, not an authorised Rolex service centre — the official centre in Athens is at Σταδίου 3, and for a watch still inside its factory warranty that is where it should go.
GrecoWatch is an Athens-based luxury watch specialist and a Chrono24 Trusted Seller with a 5.0 rating from 54 reviews. Every watch is personally inspected and authenticated, with insured worldwide shipping and private viewings by appointment.