1969 Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 1675 MK1 ‘Long E’ with Rolex Service

$13,800.00

The GMT-Master reference 1675 launched in 1959 as the successor to the bakelite-bezel 6542, and its earliest production dials are among the most studied and debated in all of vintage Rolex collecting. After the earlier ‘Gilt’ dial, the MK1 ‘Long E’ represents the very first dial configuration of the 1675 matte era — identifiable by the elongated crossbar on the letter ‘E’ in ‘ROLEX’, a typographic detail so specific that it reads as almost accidental yet defines an entire chapter of early production. These dials were produced for only a brief window at the opening of the reference’s two-decade run, making genuine examples increasingly difficult to source in honest condition. The lume composition of the very first MK1s adds further period-correct character: they used a zinc sulphide and tritium mixture that ages differently from the pure tritium of later examples — paler, more silvery, and with a quality of light that collectors find particularly atmospheric.

This 1969 example’s MK1 Long E dial is flawless — the pale zinc sulphide and tritium lume plots aged to their characteristic gentle tone, matched faithfully by the original handset. The case is strong, carrying only light signs of wear that speak well of its sixty-year journey. It rides on its original Oyster 7836 folded-links bracelet with 280 end links and a 3/70 dated clasp — period-correct and entirely coherent with the watch’s production date. The Rolex service invoice from 2013 confirms factory attention by the manufacturer — a detail that adds both practical reassurance and a layer of documented provenance that few vintage 1675s carry.

An early MK1 Long E, factory-serviced — the beginning of the 1675 story, told honestly.

Brand: Rolex

Model: GMT-Master

Reference: 1675

Serial: 2088xxx

Year: 1969

Case material: All stainless steel

Case dimensions: 40mm excluding crown

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date and GMT

Caliber: Rolex cal. 1570 Automatic

Bracelet: Rolex Oyster 7836 folded-links stainless steel bracelet with 280 end links, and clasp dated 3/70

Crystal: Acrylic