Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN Review

THE FIRST LOOK

Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN First Impressions

What hits you the moment you pick up the solid gold GMT.

You feel the Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN before you really see it. Lift it off the tray and the weight registers first, a dense, unmistakable heft that tells you this is not a steel sports watch dressed up. It is solid 18k yellow gold from the crown to the last bracelet link, and that fact sits in your palm as clearly as any spec sheet. Among Rolex watches, few sport models telegraph luxury this immediately.

Then the eye catches up. The black Cerachrom bezel against warm gold is a harder, sharper contrast than the aluminum inserts it replaced, and it gives the watch a modern edge that keeps the gold from tipping into pure ostentation. This was the reference that started the ceramic era for the GMT-Master II, and holding one, you understand why the change stuck. It looks purposeful. It looks like a tool watch that happens to be made of gold, which is exactly the tension that makes it interesting.

THE WEARING EXPERIENCE

On the Wrist

How the 116718LN actually wears, day in and day out.

The Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN wears exactly like its 40mm diameter and roughly 48mm lug-to-lug suggest, which is to say it sits comfortably on wrists from about 6.5 inches and up without any overhang. The dimensions are classic GMT-Master II, so the footprint is familiar. What is not familiar, if you are coming from steel, is the mass. A full gold case and gold Oyster bracelet push the total weight well past what a steel 126710 feels like, and that presence is the single biggest thing to understand before buying this reference.

That weight cuts both ways. Sit still and it feels planted and expensive, the kind of heft people associate with the real thing. Move around at a desk all day and you notice it, especially under a dress cuff, where the roughly 12mm case and thick gold bracelet want a little more room than a slim watch would. The upside is balance: the solid bracelet counterweights the head well, so it never feels top-heavy or like it wants to spin. Size the bracelet properly and use the Easylink extension for warmer days, and it settles into a genuinely wearable rhythm despite the gram count.

SHOP THIS WATCH

Shop the GMT-Master II

Browse authenticated Rolex GMT-Master II watches available now at WatchGuys.

If the weight and the black-on-gold contrast sound like your kind of statement, here is what we currently have available in the gold GMT-Master II family.

Buy Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN

BUILD QUALITY

Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN Specifications

Case, dial and bezel, and bracelet, broken down from every angle.

Case

The Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN uses a 40mm case machined entirely from solid 18k yellow gold, built on the broader-lug Super Case that arrived with this generation. Surfaces alternate between brushed tops and polished flanks, and in gold those polished sides throw off a warmer, softer shine than steel ever manages. The crown guards are integral and substantial, the Triplock screw-down crown winds smoothly, and the whole case reads as one continuous piece of metal rather than an assembly. Water resistance is rated to 100 meters, which is plenty for a travel watch that will realistically never see more than a pool.

The crystal is flat sapphire with the signature Cyclops lens over the date, and it sits with the clean, distortion-free clarity you expect at this level. The one thing worth flagging up close is that this is the older narrow-lug Super Case rather than the slimmer-lug profile of the current generation, a detail collectors either prefer for its heft or view as slightly dated depending on taste.

Dial and Bezel

The 116718LN was offered two ways, and this is the decision that defines the reference. The black dial is the classic, understated route: glossy black with gold-surround markers and hands that keep the focus on the metal and the bezel. The sunburst green dial is the special one, a color Rolex reserves for select pieces, and it turns the watch into something far louder and more collectible. Both use luminous Chromalight markers and the Mercedes hands, with a bright GMT hand tracking the second time zone.

The headline feature is the bezel itself. The 116718LN was the first GMT-Master II to receive a Cerachrom ceramic insert, replacing the aluminum inserts that faded and scratched over time. The LN in the reference stands for Lunette Noir, French for black bezel. In the metal the ceramic is deep, glossy, and effectively immune to the fading that gives older aluminum GMTs their patina. The 24-hour numerals are molded into the ceramic and finished in gold-tone, so they read cleanly against the black. The bezel action is bidirectional with firm, well-defined clicks.

Bracelet

The 116718LN comes on a solid 18k yellow gold Oyster bracelet, the three-link sport design, fitted with the Oysterlock safety clasp and the Easylink 5mm comfort extension. In gold the bracelet is the single largest contributor to the watch's weight, and it is also where most of the luxury feel lives. The links articulate well and the taper down to the clasp keeps it from feeling like a slab.

EXPERT TIP | Robertino Altieri | WatchGuys CEO

What to Check on a Pre-Owned 116718LN

"On a solid gold Oyster bracelet, always check for stretch. Gold is softer than steel, so the links wear faster and a stretched gold bracelet is expensive to fix. Hold it horizontally and look for sag between the links. Also confirm the bezel insert is factory ceramic and not swapped, and check the dial color matches the papers, because the green dial commands a premium and gets faked. On a piece this valuable, box and papers matter."

UNDER THE HOOD

Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN Movement Review

How the movement performs where it matters: on the wrist, every day.

The Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN runs the Caliber 3186, the workhorse automatic that powered this generation of GMT-Master II. It is a COSC-certified Superlative Chronometer running at 28,800 vph with a Parachrom hairspring, and in daily wear it does what a good Rolex movement should: it disappears. Expect it to hold to within a few seconds a day comfortably inside the brand's stated standard, and in practice most well-serviced examples run better than the spec. The independently adjustable local hour hand is the whole point of the GMT-Master II, and jumping the hour hand forward or back to reset for a new time zone is quick, precise, and satisfying through the crown.

The honest limitation here is the power reserve. The 3186 carries 48 hours, which was standard for its era but now looks short next to the 70-hour Caliber 3285 in the current gold GMT. Take the 116718LN off on a Friday night and it will likely be stopped by Sunday, so it is not a watch you can leave in the box over a long weekend and grab on Monday still running. For anyone rotating a collection, that is a real consideration. Service intervals run in the neighborhood of every five to ten years, and a full service on a movement like this typically lands in the several-hundred to low-four-figure range depending on whether you use Rolex or a trusted independent. None of this undercuts the movement's reliability, which is excellent. It simply reflects that this is a proven older-generation caliber, not the latest one.

EXPERT TIP | Robertino Altieri | WatchGuys CEO

Service Costs for the Caliber 3186

"The 3186 is a proven, serviceable movement, and that is a good thing on the pre-owned market. Parts and expertise are widely available, so you are never stuck. If a seller shows a recent service receipt, that is real value, because it means you are not budgeting for a service in the next year or two. Ask for service history the same way you ask for box and papers."

MARKET VALUE

Current Market Snapshot

What the 116718LN costs right now on the secondary market.

The Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN sits in a distinct pocket of the market. As a discontinued solid gold sports Rolex, its pricing is driven partly by gold content and partly by collector demand for the first ceramic-bezel gold GMT. Black dial examples generally trade in the mid-to-upper $30,000s, while the special green dial commands a premium and can push toward and past $40,000 for clean, full-set pieces. Watch-only examples without box and papers sit at the lower end of the range.

Trend-wise, the 116718LN has been stable rather than climbing. It does not carry the frantic demand premium of the steel Pepsi or Batman, but as fixed-supply discontinued gold, it holds value well and is insulated from the swings that hit hyped steel references. Compared to the newer 126718GRNR, which trades meaningfully higher, the 116718LN is the value play for a classic yellow gold ceramic GMT. Gold price movements also put a soft floor under it that steel watches simply do not have.

HEAD TO HEAD

How It Compares

The 116718LN against the alternatives buyers actually cross-shop.

The most natural comparison is the reference that replaced it. The Rolex GMT-Master II 126718GRNR is the current yellow gold GMT, and it modernizes the formula: the newer Caliber 3285 with a 70-hour power reserve, a grey and black bezel instead of pure black, and a Jubilee bracelet. It also costs considerably more on the secondary market. The 116718LN answers with the classic all-black bezel, the option of that special green dial, and a lower price of entry for the same solid gold construction.

Robertino's Take

"The 116718LN is the smarter buy if you want a gold GMT and do not need the latest movement. You are getting the same solid gold, the all-black bezel that a lot of people actually prefer, and the green dial option, for less money than the new one. Yes, the 3285 has a better power reserve. But you are paying a big premium for that on the 126718GRNR. If the classic look moves you, save the money and buy the 116718LN."

For buyers open to two-tone instead of solid gold, the Rolex GMT-Master II 116713LN pairs steel with yellow gold and the same black ceramic bezel at a dramatically lower price, trading in the low-to-mid teens. It gives you the gold-and-black look for a fraction of the outlay, at the cost of the pure luxury weight and full-gold presence. And for those chasing the warm-metal look in a current model, the Rolex GMT-Master II 126715CHNR Root Beer offers Everose gold with a brown and black bezel as the modern alternative.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The Verdict

Is the 116718LN worth your money?

The Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN is worth buying, and at current prices it is arguably the value pick among gold GMTs. It delivers solid 18k yellow gold, the historic first ceramic bezel, and a genuine dual-time tool watch in one package, for less than the current-production gold reference. As fixed-supply discontinued gold, it holds value with a stability that hyped steel references cannot promise.

This watch is perfect for the buyer who wants an unapologetic gold statement piece with real horological substance behind it, someone who values the classic all-black bezel and does not mind wearing serious weight. If you want the longest power reserve, the newest case proportions, or a lighter daily wearer, look at the current 126718GRNR or step down to two-tone. But if the warm gold and black contrast is the whole point, this is the one. The single strongest reason to buy it is simple: nothing else gives you this much classic gold GMT for the money.

Robertino's Take

"I have handled a lot of gold GMTs, and the 116718LN still hits. It is heavy, it is loud in the right way, and it wears like the real thing because it is the real thing. Buy the black dial if you want something you can wear anywhere, buy the green if you want the collector piece. Just check the bracelet for stretch and get the papers. Do that, and this is one of the best gold sports Rolex values on the market right now."

Buy Rolex GMT-Master II 116718LN