Made a simple illustration to show you guys where Tudor got their inspiration for their new Black Bay GMT.
On the left is the Rolex 6542 from the late 1950s with its very fragile bakelite bezel insert. Note the lack of crown guards for this very early Rolex GMT. These are rarer than rocking horse droppings these days.
In the middle is the Tempus Machina 711Z which is actually a modern Rolex 116710 GMT II modified and unrecognizable with a specially made bakelite bezel and crown guards filed off. The lugs have also been slimmed down from the boxy 116710 via machining and lug holes drilled onto its sides. Price? USD35K.
Now looking at both those watches, the Tudor Black Bay GMT suddenly becomes very very appealing to me. Can you see where their design inspiration came from?
Let me know what you guys think.