(Photo credit: Chrono24)
The GMT-Master II 126710BLNR was Chrono24’s best-selling watch overall for 2024, not just its best selling Rolex.
With Watches and Wonders just six weeks away, the BLNR is seeing a slight uptick in value on the pre-owned market, rising 2.7% over the past three months, according to Chrono24’s tracking tool, Chronopulse, which analyzes actual transaction data across the platform, not just listing prices.
The BLNR was the first Rolex GMT-Master II to feature a bi-color Cerachrom bezel. Over a decade later, it remains the longest-running ceramic GMT in Rolex’s lineup, which has seen four new bezel variants since the BLNR’s release, in 2013.
The 12-year run raises questions about Rolex’s long-term plans for a black-and-blue bezel. While Rolex is known for its timeless designs, it also thrives on evolution and exclusivity. Discontinuing the BLNR would align with Rolex’s strategy of keeping its lineup fresh and maintaining a sense of urgency among collectors.
It would benefit Chrono24 as well. The platform, once riding high on the pandemic watch boom, now faces cooling demand and backlash over rising seller fees. Despite being profitable, Chrono24 cut 110 jobs in January, almost a quarter of its workforce.
A discontinuation of the most sold watch on Chrono24 would send ripples through the pre-owned market, which has logged 11 consecutive quarters of decline.