Few acronyms in the watch world are as recognisable, or as likely to trigger emotions than the BLNR. Rolex’s steely professional model GMT-Master II Ref.116710BLNR and subsequent Ref.126710BLNR have been unendingly popular ever since the former was unveiled way back in 2013 at Baselworld. What might have seemed like a hype watch has well and truly gone the distance. The origin story goes that Rolex was keen to release their first Cerachrom bezelled “Pepsi” GMT-Master II to market, following on from the all-black variant Ref.116710LN being released in 2007. But the watchmaker was having considerable trouble manufacturing the two-tone ceramic bezel in the renowned red and blue colour scheme. So, what did Rolex do? They went from all-black to all-Bat in Gotham City; a nice transition when you think about it. BLNR (for those who don’t know, BL stands for “Bleu”, and “NR” for Noir) was not exactly a slow burn in terms of critical reception. It blew up immediately. The now iconic colour scheme saw the top half of the Cerachrom bezel coloured in a deep and shimmery black, while the bottom half scored a blue, almost purple tone. The dial would remain largely the same as its all-black brethren, however…
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