The watch that Rolex insists they never made, yet somehow commands prices that would make a hedge fund manager weep with envy. You guessed it, we’re talking about the Rolex Blueberry.
The blueberry Rolex is widely discussed, occasionally spotted, and its authenticity is hotly debated. And unlike your standard Submariner or Daytona, this one comes with the delicious twist that Rolex officially denies its existence.
Which naturally makes everyone want one even more.
What Exactly Is the Rolex Blueberry GMT?
The Rolex Blueberry GMT is a regular GMT-Master reference 1675 from the 1970s with one crucial difference: an all-blue bezel insert instead of the famous "Pepsi" red-and-blue combination.
That's it.
That's the entire distinction. A different coloured bezel.
Except this particular bezel choice has spawned decades of mystery, controversy, and price tags that would make you choke on your morning coffee.
The all-blue bezel insert was not something that Rolex formally offered to the public; production numbers were very small, and official records and information about these inserts are virtually nonexistent. The Rolex GMT Master Blueberry exists in this fascinating grey area between an authenticated vintage piece and an elaborate community myth.
The weird thing is that Rolex has never officially recognised the Blueberry GMT, with many experts noting that in over 20 years of sourcing and selling more than 100 GMT reference 1675 watches, not one came from an original owner with the blue bezel.
So either Rolex never made them, or they made them in such limited numbers and under such peculiar circumstances that they've become the watch world's equivalent of Bigfoot. The blueberry GMT Rolex is widely reported, rarely verified with original paperwork, and definitely worth a fortune if you can prove it's genuine.
The Origin Story Nobody Can Quite Agree On
Every good mystery needs competing theories, and the Rolex 1675 Blueberry delivers spectacularly on this front.
There are multiple theories about the Blueberry's origins. One suggests they started as 1675 black bezels that faded to blue over time, though most experts find this unlikely given the specific shade of blue.
The blue is too uniform, too consistent, too specific to be accidental fading. It's a particular shade that collectors have come to recognise instantly.
The more widely accepted theory? It's believed the blue bezels may have been allocated specifically for military orders in the Middle East, with multiple United Arab Emirates co-branded GMTs featuring these blueberry inserts. This would explain both the rarity and Rolex's silence; military contracts often come with discretion clauses that last decades.
Another theory suggests these were service replacement parts that somehow escaped into the wild. Eric Ku, essentially the oracle of vintage Rolex, has stated that, circa early 2000, there was a find of these bezel inserts that were backdoored out of an official Rolex service centre somewhere around the world.
The blueberry Rolex GMT has become the watch equivalent of that friend who swears they met a celebrity once but has absolutely no photographic evidence. Except in this case, the watch definitely exists; we just can't quite agree on how it came to be.
What Makes a Blueberry Actually a Blueberry?
The Rolex GMT blueberry isn't some radically different timepiece. Strip away that mysterious blue bezel and you've got a standard GMT-Master reference 1675 with a 40mm stainless steel case, acrylic crystal, and the reliable calibre 1570 or 1575 movement. These watches feature matte black dials with creamy markers and hands, typically Mark 1, 2, 3, or 4 dial variants from the 1970s.
The case should show vintage proportions, thick lugs that haven't been over-polished, sharp crown guards, and that satisfying heft that modern cases somehow can't quite replicate. You can tell a well-preserved case from the crown guards, which are sharp, square and meaty, and the top of the lugs, which still have their original brushing.
But let's be honest, nobody's buying a Rolex Blueberry GMT for the case or movement. They're buying it for that all-blue 24-hour bezel insert that catches light like sapphire and raises more questions than it answers.
Starting with a rare uni-colour bezel in blue, only around 500 are believed to have ever been produced, going by the nickname "Blueberry". Though honestly, estimates vary wildly depending on who you ask and how generous they're feeling with their mathematics that particular morning.
Some Rolex GMT Master Blueberry examples also feature an all-red GMT hand instead of the standard red-tipped hand. The all-red GMT hand variant is generally considered less common and was often acquired during service at Rolex in the 1970s. So you've got a watch that may or may not have been officially made, fitted with a hand that may or may not have been original.
Brilliant.
Why Collectors Are Losing Their Minds Over the Blueberry Rolex
You'd think the complete absence of official documentation would put people off.
You'd be spectacularly wrong.
At the present time, genuine Blueberry GMT bezel inserts in well-preserved condition can be worth significantly more than the value of the entire rest of the watch on which they reside.
Read that again slowly.
The bezel insert alone, that thin aluminium ring with blue paint, costs more than a complete GMT-Master reference 1675.
We've reached the point where people are buying entire vintage Rolex watches just to harvest the bezel. It's simultaneously fascinating and slightly insane.
Experts estimate only about 100 genuine examples were made, and regular GMT-Master 1675 models sell between €8,453 and €18,170, but Blueberry GMT prices have shot up much faster. The Rolex GMT blueberry price has climbed steadily, and in some cases, explosively, as collectors realise these pieces aren't getting any more common.
We're talking six-figure territory for exceptional examples. For a watch that Rolex denies making. The irony is absolutely delicious.
Part of the appeal is precisely the mystery. While the Blueberry is physically just a standard Rolex GMT reference 1675 with an all-blue bezel, this small design difference and the stories surrounding it elevate the watch to serve an important role in the vintage watch-collecting world.
How Do You Authenticate a Rolex 1675 Blueberry?
Vintage watch collectors face their biggest challenge when they try to authenticate Rolex Blueberry GMTs, as these watches are so rare and valuable that fake and "Franken" versions dominate today's market.
The problem is, if genuine all-blue bezel inserts are worth more than entire watches, what's stopping unscrupulous dealers from creating fakes?
Absolutely nothing, as it turns out.
The market for counterfeit blueberry Rolex GMT bezels is thriving in ways that would make a counterfeiter genuinely proud.
Understanding a potential Blueberry's authenticity requires checking several key features, including serial numbers that should match late 1970s production (usually in the 5-million range), and real bezels should have a small alignment notch or hole on the back.
Clearing Up Confusion: What the Blueberry Isn't
The Rolex Blueberry shouldn't be confused with other blue Rolex models, though sellers conflate them constantly.
Let's be crystal clear: there's no such thing as a Rolex Blueberry Submariner, despite what some optimistic sellers might suggest. The Submariner never received the all-blue bezel treatment in the same mysterious circumstances as the GMT-Master 1675. The Submariner's bezel served a completely different function (dive timing versus dual time zone indication), and Rolex never produced an all-blue variant in the 1970s vintage era.
If someone's offering you a Rolex Submariner Blueberry, they're either genuinely confused about terminology or actively trying to confuse you.
Similarly, the Rolex Blueberry Yachtmaster doesn't exist in the traditional Blueberry sense. Yes, the Yacht-Master comes in various blue dial and bezel combinations, including the stunning blue dial on steel and platinum Rolesor models. But these are official production pieces with full documentation, authorised dealer networks, and Rolex's blessing. They're lovely watches. They're not Blueberries.
The term "Blueberry" specifically refers to the Rolex 1675 Blueberry, the GMT-Master reference 1675 from the 1970s with the mysterious all-blue insert. Full stop. Everything else is either marketing nonsense designed to capitalise on the Blueberry mystique or genuine confusion about what the nickname actually means.
When collectors and experts discuss the blueberry GMT Rolex, they mean one specific thing: that elusive, controversial, possibly service-part, maybe-military-order, definitely-expensive GMT-Master with the all-blue bezel.
Nothing else qualifies.
Modern Blue Rolex Options: What Actually Exists?
Since we've established what the Rolex Blueberry isn't, let's clarify what blue Rolex options actually exist for those of us operating in the official, documented, Rolex-acknowledged market.
The Submariner Date reference 126619LB features a stunning blue dial and blue Cerachrom bezel on white gold. It's absolutely spectacular, costs approximately £30,000 at retail (good luck finding one at retail without a purchase history!), and requires zero authentication drama. This is a real watch that Rolex admits making. Revolutionary concept, that.
The Yacht-Master offers several blue versions. The reference 126622 combines a blue dial with a platinum bezel on steel, often called "Rhodium" or "Blue" depending on who's describing it. There's also the 126655 with an entirely blue ceramic bezel on Everose gold with a black dial. These are watches that Rolex actually acknowledges producing, which makes them far less exciting to certain collectors but significantly easier to authenticate.
The GMT-Master II has moved on from the 1675 entirely. Modern versions feature ceramic bezels (the "Pepsi" on Jubilee bracelet being particularly collectable), updated movements with longer power reserves, and materials that make the vintage pieces look decidedly old-fashioned. Which is rather the point, vintage collectors want old-fashioned.
There's no modern equivalent to the Rolex Blueberry GMT because Rolex never officially made the original one. You can't recreate what you claim never existed in the first place. It's a delightfully circular piece of logic.
Should You Actually Buy a Rolex Blueberry?
Unless you've got serious money, even more serious access to authentication experts, and the emotional fortitude to own something perpetually controversial, probably not.
When considering the purchase of a Blueberry GMT-Master, the authenticity and originality of the all-blue bezel insert are paramount in determining the overall value of the timepiece. Get it wrong and you've paid six figures for a standard GMT-Master with a fake insert. Get it right and you own one of the most collectable and debatable Rolex references in existence.
But if you are that person?
If you've got the knowledge, the budget, the connections to trustworthy dealers, and the slightly masochistic urge to own something Rolex refuses to acknowledge? The Rolex Blueberry GMT might be the ultimate addition to your collection.
It's a conversation starter that never ends. It's a mystery that spans decades. It's a piece of folklore wrapped around your wrist. And unlike most stories, this one actually ticks.
The Verdict: Myth, Mystery, and Market Madness
The Rolex Blueberry exists in that fascinating space between official denial and collector obsession.
The Rolex GMT Master Blueberry remains beautifully unknowable. We can't definitively prove where these came from. We can't confirm exact production numbers. We can't even get Rolex to admit they exist.
Rolex loves controversy. They love owning things that come with stories complicated enough to require explaining over multiple drinks.
And perhaps that's exactly as it should be. Not everything needs answers. Some mysteries are better left mysterious. Some watches are worth more because nobody can quite explain them. The Rolex 1675 Blueberry is the watch that shouldn't exist, that definitely does exist, that Rolex won't discuss, that collectors desperately want, and that might or might not be authentic depending on which expert you ask and what day of the week it is.
It's absolutely maddening, which is precisely why it's absolutely brilliant.
The blueberry Rolex represents everything that makes vintage watch collecting simultaneously frustrating and fascinating. The Rolex Blueberry GMT is the watch that launched a thousand forum arguments. Long may it continue confusing us all.
Love Luxury fans, if you’re not quite ready to believe this folktale, why not check out some other Rolex models that DO exist? Browse our collection of brand new and pre-loved luxury watches!
