What Rolex said about the Blueberry GMT in 2019
The letter, the watch it was about, and the two sentences everyone is arguing over.
Rolex told a collector in October 2019 that, to its knowledge, it never produced a GMT-Master 1675 with an all-blue bezel. That letter is back in everyone's feed and being read as proof the Rolex Blueberry GMT is a fake. It proves less than that.
The letter is on Rolex SA letterhead from Rue François-Dussaud in Geneva, dated 28 October 2019. It answers a collector's letter of 17 October about a 1675 with serial number 5172609, which puts the watch at roughly 1977. It is signed by the customer relations department.
The key line, translated from French, reads: "to the best of our knowledge, ROLEX has never produced GMT's ref. 1675 with an all blue insert." The next paragraph matters just as much. Rolex says the photo it was sent doesn't let it tell a blue insert apart from a black one whose color has shifted over time.
The image first went public in late 2019, when the Hamburgvintagewatches account posted it and an Omega Forums thread picked it up on December 1, 2019. The original post was later taken down. Almost seven years on, Blueberries still change hands anywhere from about $16,000 to well past $50,000, so the question never went away.
What a Blueberry actually is
A Blueberry is a steel Rolex GMT-Master 1675 from the 1970s wearing an aluminum 24-hour bezel insert that is blue all the way around. Standard 1675s left Geneva with either the red and blue Pepsi insert or an all-black one.
The 1675 ran from 1959 to 1980, used the caliber 1565 and later the 1575, and handed over to the 16750. Blue inserts have turned up on watches dated 1971 to 1979 in auction catalogues, across Mark 2 through Mark 5 dials, and on a handful of UAE Ministry of Defense watches with the Quraysh Hawk printed on the dial. That last group is where the serious money sits.
The short version
A 2019 Rolex customer service letter says the company never made a GMT-Master 1675 with an all-blue bezel. Collectors have argued about what that means ever since.
- Rolex wrote "to our knowledge" and judged from a photo. It did not call any insert fake.
- Phillips and Sotheby's catalogues tie the blue insert to watches supplied to Middle Eastern military buyers in the 1970s.
- A plain-dial Blueberry sold at Antiquorum in May 2025 for CHF 13,750, about what a good standard 1675 brings.
- European dealers ask about €47,500 to €49,870 for plain-dial examples, as of November 2026.
- A UAE-dial Blueberry crosses the block at Phillips Hong Kong on November 21 and 22, 2026, estimated at HK$400,000 to HK$800,000.
- The catch is that nobody can prove a plain-dial Blueberry left Rolex blue, and Antiquorum says Rolex will not service one.
What the Rolex letter proves, and what it doesn't
Three things in the wording that the headlines skip.
The letter proves Rolex has no record it will stand behind of a 1675 sold new with a blue bezel. It does not prove blue inserts were never made in Geneva, and it does not condemn the watch it was written about.
Start with "à notre connaissance," to our knowledge. That is the language of someone reporting what the records show without promising the records are complete. A company certain a part was never made has firmer words available.
Next, the question was about a watch. Saying Rolex never produced a 1675 with an all-blue bezel describes how the reference left the factory. It leaves room for a blue insert supplied later as a service part or for a special order, which is exactly what most believers argue. Forum readers caught that distinction within days.
Then the photo. Rolex says the picture didn't let it tell blue from faded black. That hedge cuts both ways. Rolex never had the insert in hand, so it couldn't call it fake, and it couldn't confirm it either.
Last, the format. A customer relations reply is a different document from an archive extract or a service center finding. Collectors on Omega Forums pointed out that Rolex rarely comments on a watch from a photo at all, which makes the letter unusual in itself.
Our read: the letter is real evidence, and it should move prices. It is a weak foundation for the claim that every Blueberry is fake.
Why collectors believe the Blueberry GMT is real
Auction-house research, the UAE watches, and inserts that match each other.
The strongest argument for the Blueberry is where blue inserts keep turning up. They appear on 1970s 1675s tied to Middle Eastern military orders, and in catalogues from auction houses that put their names to the attribution.
Phillips, selling a 1675 in Hong Kong in May 2017, wrote that research suggests the blue inserts were made as a special feature for watches supplied to a Middle East army in the 1970s, possibly to help legibility. It added that surviving examples cluster in a close serial range. That watch came with a Rolex punched guarantee dated November 10, 1978, and a bill of sale from T&J Perry in London.
Sotheby's, cataloguing a 1978 Blueberry with an Arabic date wheel, wrote that the full-blue 1675 is widely believed to have been made in a limited series for a Middle Eastern market, likely the armed forces. The Arabic date wheel on that watch fits the story.
Then there are the UAE watches. Between 1971 and 1979, Rolex made a batch of GMT-Masters with the Quraysh Hawk and the Ministry of Defense signature on the dial, at the request of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, then the UAE's defense minister. Phillips says research suggests most went to Ministry helicopter pilots. Several have surfaced wearing blue inserts, including the one Phillips is selling this month.
Inserts accepted as period also share details. European Watch Company points to the numeral font and an alignment notch on the underside as the markers collectors check. A part with a consistent fingerprint is what a small factory run would leave behind.
The service-part theory ties it together. Rolex made a limited run of blue inserts for Middle Eastern clients and fitted them through service or special orders, so no 1675 was ever sold new with one. That version of events squares the letter with the auction catalogues.
Why skeptics say the Blueberry isn't original
The other side has evidence too, and some of it is hard to argue with.
The skeptics' case is short. Rolex never listed a blue 1675, says it has no knowledge of one, and almost nobody talked about Blueberries before the 2000s, when vintage Rolex prices started to climb.
That timing bothers people. Hairspring has observed that before the 2000s nobody seemed to have heard of a Blueberry 1675. A rare military part surfacing right when prices make it profitable is the classic shape of a vintage story written backwards.
Aftermarket blue inserts are cheap and easy to buy, so a blue bezel on its own proves nothing. Even believers on the forums say most blue inserts in circulation are copies. Talk of dealers holding whole boxes of new old stock blue inserts only makes skeptics more nervous.
Antiquorum, offering a 1971 Blueberry in Geneva in May 2025, printed in its catalogue that these bezels were never officially sold by Rolex and that the watch could not be serviced through Rolex. That is an auction house putting a skeptic's caveat on its own lot. It sold for CHF 13,750.
And then the fade, which Rolex raised itself. Aluminum GMT inserts change color with sun and age. Pepsi reds drift to fuchsia, and black inserts can wash out toward grey or blue. Some watches sold as Blueberries are likely faded black inserts with a good story attached.
| Argument | Side | Weak spot |
|---|---|---|
| Rolex's 2019 letter | Against | Says "to our knowledge" and judged a photo |
| Phillips and Sotheby's catalogues | For | Cite research without publishing documents |
| UAE Ministry of Defense watches with blue inserts | For | Inserts swap easily, and the dial proves the watch, not the bezel |
| Consistent font and underside notch | For | Good copies reproduce known details |
| No mention before the 2000s | Against | Rare parts can go unnoticed until prices give people a reason to look |
| Faded black inserts | Against | Explains some watches, not necessarily all of them |
| Antiquorum's 2025 caveat | Against | One house's position, and others catalogue the same part as rare and desirable |
Have a 1675 with a blue bezel?
Text us photos of the dial, bezel and case, and we'll tell you what we think it is and what we'd pay.
Faded black or real blue: how we look at a Blueberry
The checks we run before a number goes on the table.
We treat a blue insert as a claim and make the watch earn its way to Blueberry money. Most don't get there.
First, the watch under the bezel. Serial, case, dial, hands and movement all have to be right for a 1970s 1675 before the insert matters. A blue insert on a watch with a service dial is a parts watch with a nice color.
Then the insert itself. We look at the underside for the alignment notch collectors associate with period parts, and compare the numeral font to period Pepsi inserts from the same years.
Then color and wear. We look at it in daylight next to known faded black inserts, because a phone camera will happily turn tired black into blue. A 50-year-old insert should carry the same knocks and sun as the case around it. A crisp insert on a tired case gets hard questions.
Last, provenance. A UAE dial, a history at a major auction house, or period photos of the watch wearing the blue bezel all count. A story from the seller does not.
Risk flag
Antiquorum's May 2025 catalogue states that a Blueberry cannot be serviced through Rolex. Plan on an independent vintage Rolex watchmaker, and if the watch ever goes to a Rolex service center, settle what happens to the insert before you hand it over.
Rolex Blueberry GMT 1675 market value
What Blueberries have sold for, what dealers ask, and what the gap means for you.
The Rolex Blueberry GMT trades in two markets. Plain-dial watches without a paper trail have sold near standard 1675 money at auction while dealers ask $50,000 and up, and UAE-dial Blueberries sit in a different league entirely.
Rolex GMT-Master 1675 Blueberry market price
Dealer asks from European listings viewed November 2026. Auction figures as published by each house. Standard 1675 range from Antiquorum (April 2025) and Uhren-Muser (November 2025) results.
| Date | Sale | Watch | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Christie's, as reported by Hairspring | UAE dial, blue insert | CHF 197,000 |
| May 2017 | Phillips Hong Kong | 1675, blue insert, 1978 guarantee | HK$275,000 (about $35,300) |
| May 2023 | Sotheby's Geneva | 1978, Arabic date wheel, blue insert | Estimate CHF 40,000 to 60,000 |
| May 2025 | Antiquorum Geneva | 1971, blue insert | CHF 13,750 |
| Nov 2026 | Phillips Hong Kong, lot 907 | UAE dial, circa 1974, blue insert | Estimate HK$400,000 to 800,000 |
Results include buyer's premium where the house publishes them that way. Dollar conversions are approximate.
The math on a $55,000 Blueberry
Say you buy a plain-dial Blueberry from a Los Angeles dealer for $55,000. City of Los Angeles sales tax went to 10.25% on October 1, 2026, so you pay $5,637.50 in tax and $60,637.50 out the door.
Now sell it. The cleanest public comp for a plain-dial watch is Antiquorum's CHF 13,750, about $16,500, and that's what the buyer paid before the consignor's commission came out. If the next buyer prices your bezel the way that room did, you're about $44,000 short. A wholesale offer sits lower still. [WatchGuys to add our current offer on a plain-dial Blueberry with no provenance.]
That gap is the real story behind the letter. The premium on a plain-dial Blueberry is a bet that the next buyer believes, and the letter made that bet harder to win.
UAE-dial watches play by different rules, because the dial carries the value. Hairspring reports a black-bezel UAE 1675 hammered at CHF 220,000 at Phillips in 2018, more than the CHF 197,000 a blue-bezel UAE example made at Christie's four years earlier. For where mainstream Rolex prices are heading, see our Rolex watch market report.
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Should you buy a Blueberry GMT?
Our position, and who should ignore it.
Buy a Blueberry for the watch underneath and pay for that watch. Don't pay a $35,000 premium for a blue bezel on a plain dial with no provenance.
We lean toward the service-part explanation. The auction-house research, the UAE watches and the matching inserts are hard to wave away, and the letter's wording leaves room for a part Rolex made but never sold on a new watch. Leaning isn't knowing, though, and dealers are charging plain-dial buyers as if the question were settled.
If the color makes you happy, buy a correct 1970s 1675 at a fair 1675 price and treat the blue insert as a bonus. That's close to what the Antiquorum buyer did. If you want an asset, buy a UAE-dial example with major auction history, or skip it.
Who should look elsewhere
Anyone who wants Rolex service on their watch, since Antiquorum says a Blueberry can't get it. Anyone buying a GMT as a store of value, because a correct Pepsi or black 1675 carries far less argument. And anyone who simply wants blue on a Rolex GMT should look at the Rolex GMT-Master II, where every bezel comes with Rolex's blessing. Our Rolex GMT-Master buying guide walks through every reference.
Rolex Blueberry GMT FAQ
Did Rolex make the Blueberry GMT?
Nobody has proved it either way. Rolex wrote in a 2019 customer service letter that, to its knowledge, it never produced a GMT-Master 1675 with an all-blue bezel. Phillips and Sotheby's catalogues say research suggests blue inserts were made in the 1970s for watches supplied to Middle Eastern military buyers.
What did the 2019 Rolex letter say about the Blueberry?
The letter, dated 28 October 2019 and sent by Rolex SA in Geneva about a 1675 with serial number 5172609, said that to Rolex's knowledge it never produced a GMT reference 1675 with an all-blue bezel. It added that the photo it received did not let it tell a blue insert from a black one whose color had changed with time.
Is the Rolex Blueberry GMT fake?
The watch underneath a Blueberry is a genuine Rolex GMT-Master 1675. The open question is whether the blue bezel insert is a period Rolex part. Many blue inserts on the market are aftermarket copies, while a smaller group, especially on UAE Ministry of Defense watches, is catalogued as period by major auction houses.
How much is a Rolex Blueberry GMT 1675 worth?
As of November 2026, European dealers list plain-dial Rolex Blueberry GMT 1675s at about €47,500 to €49,870, while one sold at Antiquorum in May 2025 for CHF 13,750. UAE-dial examples cost far more, and Phillips estimates one at HK$400,000 to HK$800,000 for its November 21 and 22, 2026 Hong Kong sale.
Can a black Rolex GMT bezel fade to blue?
Aluminum GMT-Master bezel inserts change color with sun and age, and Rolex's 2019 letter itself suggested a supposed blue insert might be a black one that had faded. Dealers check a suspected Blueberry in daylight against known faded black inserts before paying a premium.
Will Rolex service a Blueberry GMT?
Antiquorum's May 2025 catalogue stated that because Blueberry bezels were never officially sold by Rolex, the Blueberry GMT it offered could not be serviced through Rolex. Owners typically use independent watchmakers who specialize in vintage Rolex.
Why is it called the Blueberry?
Collectors named the Rolex GMT-Master 1675 Blueberry for its all-blue 24-hour bezel insert, which sets it apart from the red and blue Pepsi and all-black inserts Rolex fitted to the 1675 as standard.
Is a UAE dial Blueberry worth more than a plain one?
Yes, by a wide margin. GMT-Master 1675s with the UAE Quraysh Hawk dial were made between 1971 and 1979 for the UAE Ministry of Defense, and the dial carries most of the value. Phillips' November 2026 estimate for a steel UAE-dial Blueberry is $51,300 to $103,000.
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