White Gold Rolex GMT Master II “Sprite”

The people who were in the spotlight were the land residents, and of course they were. After all, it’s not often that the Crown presents an entirely new collection with groundbreaking movement innovations to activate. But I felt sorry for the other novelties. For example, the pastel oyster permanent clock was very lovely, but was trampled by the mighty local residents. Another watch under the radar was a reference that would normally stand out. It was a watch with a glorious heritage and even presented the brand’s first one. Neither the watch nor the function has been discussed. We are talking about the green Cerachrom dial of the left-handed White Gold Rolex GMT Master II “Sprite”.

Don’t beat around the bushes. The Rolex MT Master II “Sprite”, or “Destruction” or “Left-handed” is a nasty watch. It plays with the mind in the most unsettling way. When I first saw a watch at Watches and Wonders 2022 and worked it out for a long time earlier this year, I found the boundaries uncomfortable. My brain has registered something that attempts to correct the “mistakes” by turning the black and green bezels. However, this only provided temporary comfort as the watch cannot be used when worn this way. Accept the reverse layout and try wearing it on your right wrist or get the traditional non-lefty version.

How about the green Cerachrom dial on the left-handed White Gold Rolex GMT Master II “Sprite”?

It seemed like a safe bet for the most niche GMT Master II models to disappear from the catalog this year, but Rolex has once again proved how unpredictable it is. The steel “sprite” is still alive and kicking, but now there is a gorgeous relative in white gold. Reference 126729VTNR (48,450 Euro) is a 40 x 11.9mm watch in a white gold oyster bracelet with a brush and polished links and a folding oyster lock clasp. All numbers and specifications are the same as the steel version, but the precious metals newcomer does not offer a choice of oysters and jubilee bracelets.

To complete, the dial (which we will later explain in detail about the brand’s first thing) is applied with a white gold hour marker and hands with a chromatic insert that glows blue. With the dial, you also get stumbling over the small differences between them and steel “sprites.” The white gold version shows a GMT hand with steel-colored stems instead of green stems. This is obviously for readability.

The inside of the case beats the familiar 4Hz Rolex caliber 3285. The movement of this COSC certified chronometer has a 70-hour power reserve feature and features all Rolex bells and whistles, including the Cronel Escape and the Parallom Hair Spring.

Rolex’s first

On a shiny green ceramic dial. Rolex generates Cerachrom dials more or less the same way you create dials with natural stones. The same is true because the stone or ceramic material discs are attached to the brass plate. It’s interesting to see how Rolex and ceramics evolved. In 2005, the brand’s first ceramic bezel insert, which includes markings filled with platinum, debuted in black. Eight years later, the first black and blue bicollar came out. Currently, 2025 is the brand’s first ceramic dial debut.

18K Everrose Gold GMT Master II with Tiger Iron Dial next to the new “sprite” with a green Ceratilome dial made in a similar way

Speaking of which, in the daytime and artificial light, the exact color matching of the shiny bezel insert and dial creates a very uniform look. Maybe the three-year GMT-Master II “left-handed” unconsciously prepared a new iteration. At least my brain conditioned my brain to avoid experiencing the same shock in 2022. The green dial also makes it a more quirky piece than the standard black one. Do not wear Levi’s 501 on the bottom when going all luxurious at the top. Instead, get everything with the “courage, no glory” mindset.

Future Ceramic Dials

With Rolex introducing green ceramic dials, will the brand start manufacturing dials with the same material and different colors? The answer is probably yes. Because why develop a production process just for one (very limited) watch? Don’t forget that Rolex is produced in large quantities. The brand does it very carefully and accurately, but Rolex is a mass producer with around one million watches produced per year. The possibilities for ceramic dials are enormous. A shiny red dial comes to mind, matching the precious gold metal “Pepsi” bezel. But that’s not the clock I built in my head. There’s something a little more calm.

What happens if Rolex creates a Submariner date on brushed RLX titanium with matte deep-sea blue ceramic dial and matching bezel inserts? It is functional due to its matte surface and is suitable for a tool watch. However, due to the dark blue shade of the matte dial and bezel, it is also smoldering and gorgeous. What do you think? Should Rolex consider making this “sub” or are there other ideas for ceramic dials? Please let me know in the comments.

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